It's a hot time for skating

At next month's Winter Olympics, Michelle Kwan, Sasha Cohen and the rest of the U.S. figure skating team will vie for the gold in Salt Lake City.

This weekend in Southern California, earlier generations of Olympians will hit the ice before tens of thousands of fans - but none will take home any medals.

This is of little concern for Tara Lipinski and Katarina Witt, part of the Target "Stars on Ice" tour coming to San Diego, Anaheim and Los Angeles this weekend. The pair have already claimed Olympic gold, Lipinski in 1998 and Witt in 1984 and 1988.

On a recent afternoon, the two sipped cappuccinos and discussed life after Olympic stardom, the inspiration behind "Stars on Ice."

Lipinski notices at least one major difference in the pro ranks: "You really want everyone to skate well because we're trying to make it the best show ever," she says.

Witt pretends to be offended. "You mean you (didn't always) want me to skate well every night?" she asks.

With their days as amateurs behind them, Witt, 36, and Lipinski, 19, can joke about the pressures of competing for the gold medal. The atmosphere behind the scenes of "Stars on Ice" is one of camaraderie rather than competition.

Although her performances no longer have point values, Witt says she still has to set goals and stay in shape to survive the demands of touring.

"You have to prove every night that it's you who's doing it. If there's a mistake made, it's your mistake. That keeps you grounded, because there's nothing you can fake," she says.

Lipinski agrees. For a competition, she could train for a couple of months for a single event. Tours, on the other hand, are continuous, and the athletes have little time to recover from injuries. Lipinski is skating despite hip surgery in 2000.

Further, professional skaters must adapt to a new audience, Witt says.

"Being in the Olympics may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience - either you make it or you don't," she said. "There's so much pressure put into a couple of minutes. Here you have 65 cities, and the pressure is to fill the buildings, and to live up to the expectations of the spectators."

Unlike a competition, in which skaters try to impress judges with technical precision, shows like "Stars on Ice" unite athletic virtuosity and artistic flair. This performance, which also features Olympic gold medalists Kristi Yamaguchi and Ilia Kulik, will be fully staged, with props, costumes and lighting to accent the choreography, which draws from a variety of musical styles, from rock to tango.

"The show's about life on the road, what it's like backstage," Lipinski says. "Sometimes it's great, sometimes it's a little lonely, sometimes it's goofy and funny. It's not a typical skating show. ... It's more of a performance show."

Off the ice, Witt and Lipinski show their artistic sides on television and film. Witt has appeared in movies such as "Jerry Maguire" and "Ronin," while Lipinski has turned up in TV shows like "Touched by an Angel" and "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch."

To Witt, the crossover is logical. "Sports these days are entertainment, especially the sport we're in, which also has music and acting, so it always branches over."

Witt and Lipinski agree that their success as figure skaters relieved some of the pressure of starting an acting career. If they failed, they would always have a gold medal or two to fall back on, which is a relief for Witt. After 10 days on the set of "Ronin," she says, "all of a sudden, being an ice skater seemed like a normal job."

Lipinski also treats skating and acting as separate careers, not relying on her success in one to help the other. Fame is not enough, she says. Lipinski consistently has to prove herself to avoid being typecast as a figure skater, or worse, as a "figure skater trying to act."

Still, skating figures prominently in both women's futures. Witt will appear at the Olympics, only this time she'll be on the other side of the rink as a commentator. She takes the responsibility of her new role seriously, skating the thin line between empathy and objectivity.

"It's not so easy, because I still know a lot of the skaters," she says. She feels her experience on the ice will be beneficial, because she understands the pressure the competitors are under. "I'm definitely never going to be the one who's too critical," she says.

Lipinski can also relate to skating under pressure. She especially sympathizes with younger skaters, remembering when, under the scrutiny of the world media, she became the youngest person to win an individual gold medal in the Winter Olympics.

"I was the underdog that nobody believed in," she recalls. Fortunately, "I had great family and friends that got me through it." Lipinski says she's much happier as a professional skater, and looks forward to touring with "Stars on Ice" for a long time.