Skater Katarina Witt trades medals for stars
| Source: |
The Oklahoman |
| Date: |
January 24, 2003 |
| Author: |
Sandi Davis |
In the 1980s, Katarina Witt skated for awards.
She got them, too, including two Olympic gold medals, four World
Championships and six European Championships. She is the only living
two-time Olympic champion singles figure skater.
Witt is 37 now, and you can see her skate Saturday night at the
Ford Center during the "Smucker's Stars on Ice" tour.
She's never stopped skating but has broadened her horizons. She has
a fitness book out in her native Germany and sells a line of her own
jewelry.
Witt called from a Los Angeles hotel room before a show recently to
talk about the tour and how she's been able to keep up the pace of a
professional skater.
"Honestly, I'm not tired of skating," she said. "I don't take it
for granted, but, by doing this, I'm surrounded by friends and other
great skaters."
Witt will be joined Saturday night by 2002 Olympic pair champions
Jamie Sale and David Pelletier of Canada and Elena Berezhnaya and
Anton Sikharulidze of Russia; 2002 Olympic men's champion and
four-time world champion Alexi Yagudin; six-time U.S. national
champion Todd Eldredge; four- time world champion Kurt Browning;
three-time U.S. National Park champions Jenni Meno and Todd Sand;
three- time U.S. national pair champions and world bronze medalists
Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman; and two-time U.S. national dance
champions Renie Roca and Gorsha Sur.
"I don't miss the awards," Witt said. "I paid my dues. Awards are
for younger skaters. I still feel stressful pressure when I perform,
but now it's great fun to use my abilities."
Even though she doesn't stand on a podium at the end of each
performance now, she hasn't changed her routine much. She works out,
on and off the ice.
"I always must be prepared," she said. "I train four hours a day,
two skating sessions, the others off the ice."
In addition to touring on the Smucker's tour, Witt has two shows of
her own design, one done only in Germany, "Katarina Witt's Stars on
Ice," and one show just for fun, "Divas on Ice."
The latter show included performances by Witt, Kristi Yamaguchi,
Nancy Kerrigan, Ekaterina Gordeeva, Irina Slutskaya, Nicole Bobek,
Yuka Sato, Caryn Kadavy and Lucinda Ruh on the ice, and musical
performances by Gloria Gaynor, Cassandra Wilson and Gloria Estefan's
Miami Sound Machine.
The skater said the questions she kept getting about her secret of
staying in shape prompted her to write a book, which right now is
available only in German.
"It's a book for women who love to do something but only have a
short time," Witt said in her accented English. "It's a two-week
program, a feel-good recipe. There are no 'have to do' moves."
She describes her jewelry line as "nice, affordable and something I
like to wear." She has had the line for four years. It's available on
her Web site, www.katerinawitt.de.
Witt said her parts in Saturday night's show will include a
flirtatious number with two male skaters who carry her around and a
solo number to Barbra Streisand's version of "What Are You Doing the
Rest of Your Life?"
"There is so much entertainment at this show," she said. "You've
got the reigning Olympic champions and all kinds of numbers."
One number, she said, includes six men and is a favorite of the
women in the audience.
"I am grateful I still have my abilities," she said. "Yes, I get
sore and bruised, but that's from making your body do things it isn't
supposed to. The audience expects superstar athletes, and that's what
they'll get."
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