Yamaguchi says she isn't quitting, just taking a break from skating

Kristi Yamaguchi says she isn't quite ready to hang up her skates.

"I'm not retiring," said the Olympic gold medalist and Fremont product, addressing recent reports she will quit after the current season with the Stars on Ice exhibition tour. "I'm just taking next year off."

Yamaguchi, 30, will skate her way back to the Bay Area this weekend for three shows with the tour, where she skates with other Olympic greats, including Katarina Witt, Tara Lipinski and Kurt Browning.

Yamaguchi, whose parents still live in Fremont, said she hopes to settle down with her husband, professional hockey player Bret Hedican of the Florida Panthers, and start a family. But the demanding schedules of two professional athletes -- 80 shows a year for her, 82 games a year for him -- has prevented them from spending too much time together since their July 2000 wedding.

"Maybe I can have a normal life, finally unpack my suitcase," Yamaguchi said during a telephone interview from Spokane, Wash., where the tour stopped earlier this week.

Yamaguchi, who splits her time between homes in Florida, Minnesota and San Francisco, said she won't miss the grueling schedule and incessant travel of the pro tour. Nor, she said, does she miss the "do-or-die stress" of the amateur circuit.

With the 2002 Winter Olympics set to open next month, Yamaguchi knows the eyes of the sports world soon will be trained once again on figure skating. The sport -- which consistently garners high television ratings -- used to be thought of solely as an amateur endeavor.

But because of the leadership of amateurs-turned-professionals such as Yamaguchi, Witt, Scott Hamilton and Brian Boitano, that perception has changed dramatically.

"Figure skating used to be looked upon as an every-four-year sport," said Yamaguchi, who turned professional 10 years ago. "In the'90s, though, it took off and people watch it all the time now."

Ten years since she glided to the gold medal in Albertville, France, Yamaguchi again is part of the Olympic family as a goodwill ambassador for the Games.

As the next generation of skaters competes this weekend for a spot on the 2002 national team in Salt Lake City, Yamaguchi said she keeps a close eye on her possible future professional competition.

"Veterans Todd Eldredge and Michelle Kwan have the best shot at victory," Yamaguchi said.

In her time off the ice, Yamaguchi has dedicated herself to her "Always Dream" foundation. The nonprofit foundation raises funds for children's charities.