Tara Lipinski

It's been a while since my last entry so want to fill you in on what's new. I just got back to the hotel from my performance on the Today Show. It was just so cool to be back on the ice again. I skated to Ben Harper's "Forever" and was grateful to wear a brand new Jef Billings dress creation. I chose this song because it has a very special meaning to me right now. It wasn't hard to find the emotion and life behind the music. I came with my best friend Ally and the night before I didn't sleep much; I think I was a little too excited to get on the ice!

We woke up very very early and it was a very very windy day as you can tell from my hair flying all over the place. This was my first performance in seven years and it was way overdue. I thought it would feel really strange but it felt like home. Everyone is asking if I am going to return to tour or shows and the answer is - I'd never say never but at this point that is definitely not in my plans. Maybe do a show here or there if I get that craving to perform. I just really missed skating and being on the ice.

Being at the rink is a personal motivation. Now mind you I didn't step on ice for five years so I had no idea what it would be like when I decided to get back on. Lets just say I am happy that there is meaning to the saying "It's like riding a bicycle". I also really miss jumping, it has been a great personal challenge to get back in the air again (and everyone knows how much I like that rotation thing). It feels so right to be back on the ice again, boy did I miss it but I am so glad that I took those few years away from the sport. I really needed that time to build a life outside of skating, try new things and catch up on some life experience! Timing is everything and I feel a renewed energy to be back at the rink. I love practicing, it's so therapeutic.

Now I'm excited to have some fun this weekend in NYC! I love this city and am still thinking of getting a place here. I just have to be more motivated about it. Maybe it's that thing called winter weather that holds me back. Yuck.

After this exciting weekend is over it's back to work. Hopefully that six hour plane ride will give me enough time to do all my research for Four Continents which will be taped on Monday. I was also ready to get to work for Worlds which were meant to occur the following week in Japan. The World Championships are postponed at the moment due to the devastation in Japan. Hopefully the event will get rescheduled even though that seems like a daunting task. Speaking of Japan, it has been just horrific to watch the news and images on T.V. Japan has always held such a special place in my heart and always will. What an amazing country Japan is - I have always enjoyed and loved the culture, the sights and the people. The country and the people are in my prayers and thoughts for a fast recovery.

In future plans, I'm thinking of making a trip to Europe with Ally, just to enjoy some sights I've missed in past trips through. We are thinking Italy and Greece and maybe a little France...hmmm. Wherever we go I'm sure it will be an adventure. With the warm weather returning to LA, I'm also starting to look forward to summer and my usual return to Kiawah.

Talk soon,

Please visit SeniorWish.org. This is my good friend Jeremy Bloom's foundation, Wish of a Lifetime. It grants lifelong wishes to senior citizens who have overcome challenges in their own life and may not have ever been able to live out their dream. You may know Jeremy as a talented athlete but as you can see he is also doing many other incredible things. Check out the site!

I had a lot of good girl time with my Mom and my best friend, Ally, who came out for over a month. I got a new boat this year and would spend the afternoons with my Dad crabbing for blue crabs. We found a great spot to go and every time we would come back with a basket full. I got pretty good at cooking the crabs but I’m still not a fan of cleaning them.

Since then I’ve been back in LA, reconnecting with friends, having barbeques and swimming in my pool. Yes, its still barbeque and pool weather out here on the West Coast. Can’t beat Cali weather!

The house is already decorated for Halloween. I always go way out for this holiday. I usually throw a big party on Halloween night but can't this year because I will be commentating. I am so excited to say that I will be doing the ladies analysis for all the Grand Prix events for Universal Sports and NBC. I start the end of this month. I’m
definitely the rookie but I look forward to all the new experiences. It’s so great to be back involved with skating again and following amateur competition.

In this diary I think it would be fun to answer some of your most asked questions such as why I turned pro at such a young age and my favorite Stars on Ice programs.

I know I got a lot of flack for turning pro after the Olympics but that was the right choice for me. I loved competition and from the moment I stepped on the ice at my first Champion Series event (now the Grand Prix), Skate Canada, and came in second to Irina Slutskaya, I knew what I wanted to achieve over the next few years. I wanted to become a National, World and Olympic champion and all my energy went
into fulfilling my dream. Each season I set my own goals focusing on Nationals, Worlds, and the Grand Prix Final. At Nagano I accomplished my dream and couldn't wait to be the newcomer again and learn something different as a pro. If I didn’t win in ’98 my decision would have been different.

As for my hip injury, let me set the record straight. I was having problems with pain during the 1997/1998 season. I went to numerous doctors and even had an MRI three weeks before Nagano. There was no clear diagnosis. It was only when I connected with Dr. Marc Philippon in 2000 that we understood that I had a torn labrum in my hip. I never stopped skating because of my hip injury. As a matter of fact I was doing triples a month after my arthroscopic surgery and that November I opened the season with Stars on Ice. Thank you, Dr. Philippon.

As the years went by on Stars I felt I accomplished many of the goals I set out for myself including growing as an artist. Everyone remembers me when I was 14 and 15 but as with any skater time brings different types of qualities to your erformances. As for my all time favorite programs, there are two I’m really proud of are ”Color of
Roses” and “The Tribute”. Kurt Browning, the king of steps, choreographed my footwork for “The Tribute.” I looked forward to that step sequence every night. “Color of Roses” was a program I poured my heart into and allowed me to be creative as an artist.

After a few years with Stars on Ice, I knew I wanted to experience other things. In my life, I had never taken more than four days off in a row from skating since I was three years old. At lot of folks think I left skating for acting but all I really wanted was some time off. I wanted a home base and the opportunity to establish a group of
friends that I could have meaningful relationships with. I sort of fell into acting when I was asked to do guest appearances and cameos.

I was really enjoying it and more opportunities came around. Filming episodics like Still Standing and Malcolm in the Middle was a blast. I enjoyed taking a few acting classes with my friends and I admire actors for there dedication on a daily basis. Although acting is fun, my stage is the ice rink.

Skating is my life; always has been and always will be. However my break is over and I am so excited to be involved with the sport again. I love watching these amazing driven young amateurs.

The passion, hard work and dedication that they give to their sport is so inspiring. Out of all the things I’ve done, competing is what I love most. It was there I was most at home. I loved the excitement and the challenge, and it probably helped being as competitive as I am. These past few months I’ve been back on the ice breaking in new boots. Not the most exciting thing to do but it has to be done.

The holidays are coming and I am already looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas. I’m going to NYC in December with my boyfriend and my family. We’ll then visit New Jersey to spend some time with the rest of my family for the holidays.


	19 March 2011 Hi guys, It's been a while since my last entry so want to fill you in on what's new. I just got back to the hotel from my performance on the Today Show. It was just so cool to be back on the ice again. I skated to Ben Harper's "Forever" and was grateful to wear a brand new Jef Billings dress creation. I chose this song because it has a very special meaning to me right now. It wasn't hard to find the emotion and life behind the music. I came with my best friend Ally and the night before I didn't sleep much; I think I was a little too excited to get on the ice! We woke up very very early and it was a very very windy day as you can tell from my hair flying all over the place. This was my first performance in seven years and it was way overdue. I thought it would feel really strange but it felt like home. Everyone is asking if I am going to return to tour or shows and the answer is - I'd never say never but at this point that is definitely not in my plans. Maybe do a show here or there if I get that craving to perform. I just really missed skating and being on the ice. Being at the rink is a personal motivation. Now mind you I didn't step on ice for five years so I had no idea what it would be like when I decided to get back on. Lets just say I am happy that there is meaning to the saying "It's like riding a bicycle". I also really miss jumping, it has been a great personal challenge to get back in the air again (and everyone knows how much I like that rotation thing). It feels so right to be back on the ice again, boy did I miss it but I am so glad that I took those few years away from the sport. I really needed that time to build a life outside of skating, try new things and catch up on some life experience! Timing is everything and I feel a renewed energy to be back at the rink. I love practicing, it's so therapeutic. Now I'm excited to have some fun this weekend in NYC! I love this city and am still thinking of getting a place here. I just have to be more motivated about it. Maybe it's that thing called winter weather that holds me back. Yuck. After this exciting weekend is over it's back to work. Hopefully that six hour plane ride will give me enough time to do all my research for Four Continents which will be taped on Monday. I was also ready to get to work for Worlds which were meant to occur the following week in Japan. The World Championships are postponed at the moment due to the devastation in Japan. Hopefully the event will get rescheduled even though that seems like a daunting task. Speaking of Japan, it has been just horrific to watch the news and images on T.V. Japan has always held such a special place in my heart and always will. What an amazing country Japan is - I have always enjoyed and loved the culture, the sights and the people. The country and the people are in my prayers and thoughts for a fast recovery. In future plans, I'm thinking of making a trip to Europe with Ally, just to enjoy some sights I've missed in past trips through. We are thinking Italy and Greece and maybe a little France...hmmm. Wherever we go I'm sure it will be an adventure. With the warm weather returning to LA, I'm also starting to look forward to summer and my usual return to Kiawah. Talk soon, Tara 4 November 2010 Please visit SeniorWish.org. This is my good friend Jeremy Bloom's foundation, Wish of a Lifetime. It grants lifelong wishes to senior citizens who have overcome challenges in their own life and may not have ever been able to live out their dream. You may know Jeremy as a talented athlete but as you can see he is also doing many other incredible things. Check out the site! 18 October 2010 Hi Guys! I hope everyone had a great summer. I went back east to South Carolina as usual. I learned to surf and couldn’t wait to get out on the water every morning - I would stay out there for hours. Now mind you, we get much smaller waves on the east coast so you will probably never catch me surfing in California. I had a lot of good girl time with my Mom and my best friend, Ally, who came out for over a month. I got a new boat this year and would spend the afternoons with my Dad crabbing for blue crabs. We found a great spot to go and every time we would come back with a basket full. I got pretty good at cooking the crabs but I’m still not a fan of cleaning them. Since then I’ve been back in LA, reconnecting with friends, having barbeques and swimming in my pool. Yes, its still barbeque and pool weather out here on the West Coast. Can’t beat Cali weather! The house is already decorated for Halloween. I always go way out for this holiday. I usually throw a big party on Halloween night but can't this year because I will be commentating. I am so excited to say that I will be doing the ladies analysis for all the Grand Prix events for Universal Sports and NBC. I start the end of this month. I’m definitely the rookie but I look forward to all the new experiences. It’s so great to be back involved with skating again and following amateur competition. In this diary I think it would be fun to answer some of your most asked questions such as why I turned pro at such a young age and my favorite Stars on Ice programs. I know I got a lot of flack for turning pro after the Olympics but that was the right choice for me. I loved competition and from the moment I stepped on the ice at my first Champion Series event (now the Grand Prix), Skate Canada, and came in second to Irina Slutskaya, I knew what I wanted to achieve over the next few years. I wanted to become a National, World and Olympic champion and all my energy went into fulfilling my dream. Each season I set my own goals focusing on Nationals, Worlds, and the Grand Prix Final. At Nagano I accomplished my dream and couldn't wait to be the newcomer again and learn something different as a pro. If I didn’t win in ’98 my decision would have been different. As for my hip injury, let me set the record straight. I was having problems with pain during the 1997/1998 season. I went to numerous doctors and even had an MRI three weeks before Nagano. There was no clear diagnosis. It was only when I connected with Dr. Marc Philippon in 2000 that we understood that I had a torn labrum in my hip. I never stopped skating because of my hip injury. As a matter of fact I was doing triples a month after my arthroscopic surgery and that November I opened the season with Stars on Ice. Thank you, Dr. Philippon. As the years went by on Stars I felt I accomplished many of the goals I set out for myself including growing as an artist. Everyone remembers me when I was 14 and 15 but as with any skater time brings different types of qualities to your erformances. As for my all time favorite programs, there are two I’m really proud of are ”Color of Roses” and “The Tribute”. Kurt Browning, the king of steps, choreographed my footwork for “The Tribute.” I looked forward to that step sequence every night. “Color of Roses” was a program I poured my heart into and allowed me to be creative as an artist. After a few years with Stars on Ice, I knew I wanted to experience other things. In my life, I had never taken more than four days off in a row from skating since I was three years old. At lot of folks think I left skating for acting but all I really wanted was some time off. I wanted a home base and the opportunity to establish a group of friends that I could have meaningful relationships with. I sort of fell into acting when I was asked to do guest appearances and cameos. I was really enjoying it and more opportunities came around. Filming episodics like Still Standing and Malcolm in the Middle was a blast. I enjoyed taking a few acting classes with my friends and I admire actors for there dedication on a daily basis. Although acting is fun, my stage is the ice rink. Skating is my life; always has been and always will be. However my break is over and I am so excited to be involved with the sport again. I love watching these amazing driven young amateurs. The passion, hard work and dedication that they give to their sport is so inspiring. Out of all the things I’ve done, competing is what I love most. It was there I was most at home. I loved the excitement and the challenge, and it probably helped being as competitive as I am. These past few months I’ve been back on the ice breaking in new boots. Not the most exciting thing to do but it has to be done. The holidays are coming and I am already looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas. I’m going to NYC in December with my boyfriend and my family. We’ll then visit New Jersey to spend some time with the rest of my family for the holidays. Don’t forget to tune into the Grand Prix. Until then, take care, Love Tara
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