Shining star on ice

Josee Chouinard is in the comfort zone.

At 31, the three-time Canadian champion believes she is skating as well as ever as she wraps up her seventh season as a professional skater.

"I've been performing really well," says Chouinard, who will be in Saskatoon on Friday with Chrysler's Stars on Ice. "The more you do it, the easier it becomes. The last two or three years, I've been pretty much on top of my skating. I'm performing very well. Winning the Sears Open last December with the three-time world champion, Michelle Kwan, in the event was pretty good.

"I'm taking my professional career really seriously and I train really hard. Even if you think, as a professional, I can slow down a bit, I didn't."

After capturing her first Canadian championship in 1991 at SaskPlace, Chouinard had difficulty making a breakthrough internationally. She placed ninth at worlds in 1992 and 1993. She also placed ninth at the Olympics in 1992 and 1994.

"It's different," she says of pro skating. "I deal better with this kind of pressure than with the amateur." Chouinard says she still works on triple jumps. Being a part of Scott Hamilton's Farewell Tour is extra special, she adds.

"I feel pretty lucky to be doing this last tour with him. This is his last complete tour and I don't know how much longer I'm going to continue. Skating with Scott Hamilton, along with Kurt Browning and Brian Orser, is probably one of the ultimates. Scott has been a great inspiration for figure skaters."

Chouinard's smile and enthusiasm have endeared her to skating fans.

Saskatoon is the eighth stop on the Canadian tour, which ends May 1 at GM Place in Vancouver. "I'm recovering from a cold, so I'm pretty tired," she says. "Other than that, we've been having a lot of fun. The cast has been so good together. The production people are amazing; they're treating us so well.

"Although it's really hard, we can't complain. We're having the best time, actually. This is quite the lifestyle."

How much longer will she skate?

"I don't know," says Chouinard, who turns 32 in August.

"I've got a husband and we want a family. For sure, I don't want to wait until I'm 40 years old (to have children). I want to enjoy it (parenthood) while I'm young.