By Jen McGoldrick, Elizabeth D'Antonio and Jon Schiller.
Kidsday Staff Reporters

Date: April 24, 1994

Full text copyright 1994, Newsday Inc.

We interviewed 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi while she was in New York performing with the Stars on Ice show. She is 22 years old, was raised in Fremont, California, and has been skating she since she was 6 years old. To prepare for the Olympics, she skated six days a week, three hours a day.

Q. Why did you decide not to skate in the 1994 Olympics?
A. It took awhile to decide exactly what I wanted to do. But finally I decided that I had accomplished all my goals and I wanted to try something new and different. There is a lot more to skating than just competing.

Q. Do you think the media was fair to Olympic winners Bonnie Blair and Dan Jensen? They were winning medals for us, but the Nancy Kerrigan-Tonya Harding story dominated the news here in the United States.
A. There were a lot of news crews there just to cover the Nancy Kerrigan-Tonya Harding story. I went to a reception where a lot of the families were upset. They felt their sons and daughters were being ignored. Bonnie Blair and Dan Jensen are great role models. They didn't do what they did for endorsements. They are great competitors.

Q. While preparing for the Olympics, did you have to be away from your family alot?
A. I was lucky until my skating coach got married and moved to Canada. So I moved there and trained with her up in Canada. My family was always there for me. My mom woke up every morning at 4 a.m. and drove me to the skating rink. My dad helped too; he got the rest of the family off to school.

Q. Did you go to a private school or to public school?
A. I had a tutor untill my junior year of high school. I felt I was missing out, not going to public high school, so I switched and went to public school for my junior and senior year in high school. Everyone was really helpful, and I managed.

Q. What went through your mind while you were skating for your gold medal?
A. Before the performance, I kept telling myself that I had worked hard for this, that I was ready for it, so just go out and enjoy it. Three people had to tell me that I had won before I let myself believe it.

Q. Did you do the triple axel?
A. No. It takes alot of strength which not many women have. You have to do 3 1/2 rotations in the air. I did a triple lutz, triple-toe combination, which secured the gold medal for me.

Q. Do you think Olympic judging is objective?
A. When you have such great skaters, there is barely anything that seperates them so it comes down to preference in style, or their skating music.

Q. What plans do you see for the future?
A. I see myself skating professionally for the next five or six years.

Q. Do you plan to ever skate again in the Olympics?
A. Probably not. If I ever found a pair partner I might. I am really enjoying what I do now.

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