Scott Hamilton, Kurt Browning, Katarina Witt, Paul Wylie and Kristi Yamaguchi discuss the Stars on Ice Tour

Copyright 1994 Burrelle's Information Services

PAULA ZAHN, co-host:

A dream team of ice skaters is gathered in Lake Placid, New York this weekend for the Discover Card Stars on Ice tour. Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton is the show's founder and co-producer. He joins us this morning to bring us this special preview.

Good morning. Happy holiday.

Mr. SCOTT HAMILTON (Co-Producer/Founder, Stars On Ice): Good morning. Happy Thanksgiving.

ZAHN: Thank you. You try to keep this show fresh every year. What are you doing this year?

Mr. HAMILTON: It's amazing. It's--this is our ninth tour. Next year's going to be our big 10th anniversary. We've got a brand-new show this year. We have all sorts of new things, better lighting, better sound. All sorts of little gadgets and tricks and I think the best skating show that there ever was and ever will be. How's that for bragging?

ZAHN: And you attract--I think you--you deserve it. Hey, you attracted some of the world's best skaters to your show. So blow your own horn. I think it's terrific.

Ms. HAMILTON: It's just amazing. We've got--I don't know how many gold medalists we have in the show--there's just so many. Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov, Katarina Witt, four-time world champion Kurt Browning, Kristi Yamaguchi, Paul Wylie. I mean, there's so many great skaters in this show that--it's all--we're all kind of looking at each other going, 'All right. This one's working pretty hard. OK, it's time'--and it just makes everybody that much better. It's been a really good rehearsal process.

ZAHN: And you have two new members that are joining you in the show this year.

Mr. HAMILTON: Yes. Right here, Kurt Browning.

ZAHN: Introduce us to some of our old friends.

Mr. HAMILTON: Our first--we haven't had a Canadian in a while. This is Kurt Browning, four-time world champion.

ZAHN: Hi, Kurt.

Mr. KURT BROWNING (Four-Time World Champion): Hi, everybody.

Mr. HAMILTON: Katarina Witt, two-time Olympic gold medalist--four-time world champion. How many European championships did you win?

Ms. KATARINA WITT (1984/1988 Olympic Champion): Six.

Mr. BROWNING: All of them.

Mr. HAMILTON: This is--all of them. So these--they're the rookies on the tour. But--how do you like this one, the rookies with like all sorts of world titles and Olympic gold medals. So it's been a great addition to the tour and it's been a lot of fun working with them.

ZAHN: So--so, Kurt, how were you lured to the tour?

Mr. BROWNING: It was easy. It wasn't very hard.

ZAHN: You just wanted to hang out with all these great skaters or was there more to it than that?

Mr. BROWNING: Well--well, like Scott said, it's--it's the one tour where you really get challenged and skating with everybody, it's the--the one place where you--your skating stays high. So, you know, 10 years after you win an Olympic medal you can still beat the best skaters in the world. Right, Scotty?

Mr. HAMILTON: Thanks, Kurt.

ZAHN: And Kat...

Mr. BROWNING: So this is a place were I wanted to be. It's a real honor to be here.

ZAHN: And, Katarina, I understand through your choice of music and in your routine you wanted to spread a message. You are skating to music from "Schindler's List." Why--why did you choose that music?

Ms. WITT: Well, first of all I saw the movie in Germany and I was just really moved by that movie and I was going home and I was thinking, 'God, I wish I could do something to that,' and then I listened to the sound track and I just loved it. So I tried to portray a character again.

ZAHN: Terrific. Now, Scotty, we only have about a minute or two left. We'd like to meet the rest of the members of the tour.

Mr. HAMILTON: Now we get...

ZAHN: Oh, I loved the way you called them over like that.

Mr. BROWNING: See he whistles and then we just...

ZAHN: Like kids on a playground, 'Get over here.'

Mr. HAMILTON: Paul Wylie...

ZAHN: Hi, Paul.

Mr. HAMILTON: ...Kristi Yamaguchi.

Mr. PAUL WYLIE (Stars On Ice): Hi, Paula.

Ms. KRISTI YAMAGUCHI (Stars On Ice): Hi, Paula.

Mr. HAMILTON: Sergei and Ekaterina sneak in. This is great. I mean, we--this is wonderful. We're all together again. Just like Lillehammer.

ZAHN: So what I want to know, Kristi and Paul, are you going to try anything new on this tour for us?

Mr. WYLIE: Well, both of us are trying new things. I'm going to skate to "Schindler's List" like Katarina. And I've got a number to Leonard Bernstein which is kind of fun.

Ms. YAMAGUCHI: And I am still working on one of my new numbers and then doing a "Madame Butterfly" piece as well.

ZAHN: Well, we're going to look forward to all of you showing your stuff in our next couple of segments. Thank you all for being with us this morning. And we're going to take a short break right at 25 minutes before the hour.

Still to come, they're great performances on the ice. We'll be right back.

(Announcements)

HARRY SMITH, co-host:

It is 23 minutes before the hour. The moment you've been waiting for. Let's go back to Lake Placid now and our old friend Scott Hamilton. And we're about to see some great skating. Scotty.

Mr. HAMILTON: Well, how many tours beg to have an Olympic medalist female figure skater? We've got two. Enjoy Kristi Yamaguchi and Katarina Witt.

(Kristi Yamaguchi and Katarina Witt perform)

Mr. HAMILTON: Two-time Olympic gold medalists--they're absolutely unbelievable--Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov.

(Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov perform)