SKATING through life

Whether it's acting, ice dancing or charity work, Tara Lipinski takes it all in stride

Think it's hard keeping up with Olympic champion Tara Lipinski on the ice? Try it off the ice some time.

Auditions, the Olympics and plenty of chatting with international media make it a near impossibility to snare five minutes with the in-demand skating champ. Finally, two weeks of scheduled interviews, rescheduled by last-minute auditions and other professional obligations, pay off when the phone rings late one night and there she is.

"They said to call when I had five minutes and I have that now," Lipinski cheerfully offers on a cell phone from Los Angeles, munching food and raising her voice above the background noise.

She's not kidding about the five minutes. It seems 24 hours is too short a day for the popular 19-year-old, now back in the midst of a 61-city tour for "Stars on Ice," which visits HSBC Arena on Sunday.

In recent weeks, Lipinski flew repeatedly between Utah, where she watched the Olympic games, and Los Angeles, where she pursued her love of acting with auditions for television pilots. "It's pilot season and I'm going out for everything," she says with an uncontained excitement.

With a flower in her hair and an ever-present smile, she was a daily TV fixture during the Olympics as networks sought her expert opinion about the games and especially the ice dancing controversy. "I love skating. It's not the sport that's corrupt," she says.

Lipinski was even featured on "Extra" during a segment of "Where Are They Now?" for Olympic stars.

So where is she now?

"I've been all over the place," she laughs as she does frequently throughout the short conversation.

And that appears to be just the way she likes it.

Lipinski jettisoned life as a normal teen after capturing the U.S. National and World titles in 1997 when she was only 14. She was an old pro within a year, becoming the youngest person to win an individual gold medal in any Winter Olympics in the Nagano games, where she upset Michelle Kwan for the gold medal.

Since then, she's pursued other interests. She's appeared in the soap opera "The Young and the Restless," Nickelodeon's "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" the feature film "Vanilla Sky" and in the indie film "The Metro Chase." Lipinski starred in her first prime-time special, "Tara Lipinski - From This Moment," in 1999.

Helping others continues to be a priority, whether it's by making a celebrity appearance on a TV game show (she won $32,000 for charity on "Wheel of Fortune") or helping out on the ice (last year's "Tara Lipinski's Miracle Match Tour" benefited children with leukemia). "Stars on Ice" raises money for Target House at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Lipinski's "early retirement" - only months after winning the gold, she announced on "The Today Show" that she was officially ending her eligible skating career to become a professional skater - drew criticism that she still finds troubling.

"I did get a lot of criticism for turning pro. But I have to be completely enthralled and happy with something to do it. I was happy with skating, but I felt I had accomplished everything I wanted and I also wanted to move on," she says.

And although she kept it quiet, a 1997 hip injury played a big role in her decision. "I should have said something, but I didn't want to draw attention to the injuries," she says. "But I knew I couldn't go another four years like this. And I also wanted to do what was best for my fans."

She underwent hip surgery in 2000, and although she's "doing OK," she adds she'll never be 100 percent again. "That's tough and it's frustrating. There's pain, but I can deal with it."

That hasn't stopped her from doing what she loves best - skating. Since November, she has juggled her interests to be on the road with "Stars on Ice," where she says she's having a blast skating alongside athletes including Katarina Witt, Kristi Yamaguchi, Kurt Browning and Ilia Kulik.

"I love this. It's so special. I love to perform and connect with people. I get a rush of adrenalin," she says. "I'm just blessed to be able to give back to my fans and audience."

Her fans, apparently, appreciate it.

"Everything is special about Tara," says fan Nikki Hughey, publicist for TaraFans.com. "Her kindness to all her fans, the joy she has for skating, her community involvement and charity work, just that she is so caring. Her smile radiates throughout the entire arena when she's skating. It's a joy to watch her skate because when she's out there on the ice she loves what she's doing and it shows."

Her thoughtfulness and caring for others appeals to the organization's vice president Jayson King. "I like Tara for her great attitude toward life and her kindness toward everyone," King says.

Unlike some pop music stars her own age, Lipinski takes the responsibility of being a role model head-on.

"I know there are a lot of people looking up to me. That feels weird. But you have to respect it. The solution is to be my own self and to be a good person," she says, pausing before sweetly adding, "and make my parents proud."