Pros have no cons for Lipinski

Copyright 2001 THE PLAIN DEALER. Used with permission.

With the next Winter Olympics less than a year away - 364 days to be exact - Tara Lipinski doesn't regret her decision to turn pro.

Although she was roundly criticized after leaving the Olympic ranks at age 15, the 1998 Olympic gold medalist said she is quite happy where she is, thank you.

"I feel like I have accomplished everything there," said Lipinski, 18, who tours with Scott Hamilton's Target Stars On Ice and will skate in Gund Arena tonight. "You can reinvent yourself so much more as a pro. As an amateur, you have the mind-set of having two programs all year long. As a pro, I can do something that the audience will like.

"If I didn't win the gold, would I have come back? I don't know. I probably would've continued, but then again, I'm not sure. It's nice seeing my parents living together again. They couldn't do that when I was an amateur. Just hearing them on the phone talking about things like remodeling the kitchen makes me realize I did the right thing."

Although there was plenty of focus on Lipinski leading up to the 1998 Olympics, her rival, Michelle Kwan, was the heavy favorite featured on magazine covers. But in the end, Lipinski won the gold. Kwan settled for silver.

"The best part is that no one really thought I would've done it," Lipinski said. "Both of us skated perfectly. I skated against the best competition there was and I did it."

Kwan, who won her fifth national title last month in Boston, is expected to be one of the favorites again in the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Can Kwan win it this time?

"I don't know," Lipinski said. "We'll have to wait and see. The Olympics are a scary thing. You only have four minutes to show what you can do."

One major reason Lipinski doesn't have second thoughts is her continued recovery from a hip injury - an injury she now said bothered her in 1998.

Although Lipinski said the discomfort spanned four years, she didn't undergo surgery until last September.

The injury was so bad that it pained her to wear certain shoes or even to have heavy covers over her in bed.

"Before the Olympics it was go to the rink, get an MRI, come home, get another MRI," Lipinski said. "I didn't want to make excuses, though. I would tell myself, No matter how I skated, it was me, not my injury.'"

Several young skaters have similar troubles. Deanna Stellato and former U.S. silver medalist Naomi Nari Nam both withdrew from the U.S. championships with hip problems. Some believe the increase in injuries is due to the increased number of triple jumps employed.

"I don't think it's because of all of the triples," Lipinski said. "I'm sure the skaters had to do a lot of the triples before now. Now there are a lot more options for skaters. Two years ago, I never could've had the kind of surgery I did. Now skaters can, so people are talking about it."

Lipinski isn't 100 percent now, but she's healthy enough to skate in shows across the country.

"It was one of the hardest things I've ever done," said Lipinski of her comeback. "But I made it somehow."

NO KISS AND CRY HERE Don't expect Hamilton to be weepy tonight. It's never been his act, never will.

The 1984 Olympic champion has said this is his last season in the tour he co-founded 15 seasons ago. But he would prefer to use the tour as a thank you, rather than a farewell.

"I wanted to do something fun," said Hamilton, 42. "There are times when I get kind of sad. But just when I want to get maudlin, I stop. I just can't do that with a straight face."

For Bowling Green-native Hamilton, Cleveland is a special place in the 65-city tour. It was at the Cleveland Clinic, in 1997, that doctors treated Hamilton for testicular cancer. He returned to skating in October that year and has been in remission since.

One of Hamilton's largest charity projects is the C.A.R.E.S. Initiative cancer research program for the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Hamilton said he wants to explore opportunities on Broadway and in the broadcasting booth. He is expected to do some commentating for NBC at Salt Lake City.

Still, it will be strange not to see Hamilton in the tour.

"I don't even want to think about that yet," said Westlake's Jenni Meno, who along with husband/partner Todd Sand is skating in her third season in Stars on Ice. "Todd and I are really fortunate to tour with Scott and learn from him. And all of us know that none of us would be skating out there if it weren't for him."