Stars on Ice in Placid Nov. 24

LAKE PLACID - perhaps all you need to know about the skating prowess of Target Stars on Ice rookie Lucinda Ruh is that the most frequent question she's asked is, "Do you get dizzy?"

Ruh, dubbed the "Queen of Spin," is one of 11 skaters comprising the cast of Stars on Ice, which opens its 61-city tour at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Lake Placid Olympic Center.

Ruh is also one of three rookies among the Stars on Ice talent, which features Olympic champions Tara Lipinski, Kristi Yamaguchi, Katarina Witt and Ilia Kulik. Absent from the cast for the first time in 15 years is Scott Hamilton.

Nonetheless, Ruh couldn't hide her enthusiasm when speaking about fellow skaters.

"Everyone is so outstanding," said Ruh, a 22-year old native of Switzerland. "I've learned so much from each of them. I'm surrounded by former gold medalists and World Champions...At times I don't feel that I deserve to be here."

One place Ruh will likely be, whether she believes she deserves it or not, is in the Guinness Book of World Records. She has performed 270 revolutions per minute, and someda plans to have the feat documented by the folks at Guinness.

"She's probably the most brilliant spinner I have seen in all the years I've watched figure skating," legendary skater Dick Button said.

Performing in addition to Ruh and the former Olympic Champions are four-time World Champion Kurt Browning, two-time World Champions Anjelika Krylova and Oleg Ovsiannikov, three-time U.S. National Pair Champions Jenni Meno and Todd Sand, Olympic silver medalist and two-time World Professional Champion Denis Petrov, and eight-time British National Champion Steven Cousins.

This year's tour will explore themes of inspiration, dedication, and the challenges of stardom. A wide variety of music, from rock and roll to the tango, from The Carpenters to Ram Jam, will accompany the production.

"This is the perfect show," Ruh said. "The choreographers, costumes, and skaters are all top class."

Tickets for the show range in price between $35 and $50, and are available by visiting the Lake Placid Olympic Center box-office or by calling 523-3330. Tickets may also be purchased online by logging onto ORDA.org.