When Tara Lipinski was 3, she was sure that she prefferred going faster than walking and running. The answer to her problem was roller-skating. Tara could fly! Tara, the brave toddler competed in several age-group competitions, winning a local competition in New Jersey, when she was 5. Tara even liked roller hockey, evenn though more boys than girls played it. It was just a matter of time that Tara noticed how fast people on ice skates were going.
Iced "T"
Tara first got onto an ice rink when she was 6 years old! Her dad, Jack, remembers Tara "flooping around." Instead of making her nervous, Jack, and Pat, Tara's mom, went to get hot chocolate. When they returned they discovered that the ice suited Tara perfectly. It was as if she was on roller skates. It was so naturally. She progressed through skating lessons in no time! All this happened so quick. But no one knew how ice skating would come to know the potential of a young girl named Tara Lipinski. In less than 6 years Tara advanced from begginer to national medalist. After Tara rose to a silver medal in the novice divison, it was obvious that the Philadelphian girl Tara, was blessed with determination and above average skill. She had to wake up at 3 AM for pre-dawn skating lessons, after her family re-located to Texas, near Houston. However, Tara went back to her Delaware rink. In the summer of 1994, Tara brought a new meaning to the "Spirit of St. Louis" with an awesome performance at the US Olympic Festival. When Tara was 12 years old, and 1 month, she was known to be the youngest athlete ever to win a gold meadal at the Olympic Festival. In 1995, Tara was already famous, in public, and in media spotlight. At the US Championships in Providence, Rhode Island, she won a junior silver medal, and a Providence newspapter declared her "the future."
Days To Remember
In the 1995 - 1996 season, Tara moved into skating's senior division. Tara and her parents also re-located to Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. There she would be a student of Richard Callaghna, who also choaches national champions Nicole Bobek and Todd Eldredge. When Tara is not traveling, going to compete or on tours, she is busy and productive in Detroit. She enjoys family outings on weekends, when her dad visits from Houston, where her dad lives and is an oil executive. During the week, Tara has a 4 hour tutoring. She is trying to be as good at academics as she is in skating. Tara is an "A" student who receives homework, during the week, puls four, 45 minutes of skating sessions at the Detroit Skating Club. This is added up to Tara's competitive toughness. Her technical and mental preparation has been awarded many times over the past two sessions, during a wonderful time to national, world and Olympic championships. "She's so far beyond where we though she'd be." "She's always rising to the ocasion," said Jack Lipinski with an interview with People Magazine.
The "Tara era"
Tara's accomplishments are amazing! Carol Heiss, Peggy Fleming, Janet Lynn, Dorothy Hamill, and Kristi Yamaguchi were also great US Champions, but not a national medalist at the age of 13 or a gold medalist at 14. During the early months of 1997, Tara made history in what seemed to be each week! The end of the 1996 -1997 season was at the World Championships, May, in Lausanne, Switzerland, were Tara beat a record that was made 70 years ago. she replaced Norwegian Sonja Henie as the youngest woman ever to be crowned the World's Number 1 skater. This happened a year after debuting at this competition with a 15th pleace finish. Tara also landed her triple loop-triple combination jump and five other clean triples to finish ahead of the world champ, Michelle Kwan. This happened one month after she did her first national championship with the same seven-triple free program in Nashville, Tennessee. It was in that event that she became the youngest woman to land a pair of triple loops in combination. Two weeks after going to Nashville, Tara won the Chamionship Series Final in Hamilton, Ontario, as an introduction to Lausanne. Rarely has an athelete opened an era in so fashion.
Bumps in the Road to Gold
The 1997 - 1998 season started out, not so good for Tara. When she finished 2nd at Skate America to fellow American Michelle Kwan. It became even worse as Tara struggled against illness and finished 2nd at the Trophy Lalique competition in Paris. Tara was capable to come back a month later. However she became the 1st woman to defend her Champions Series Final crown with hard-fough victory over Germany's Tanja Szewczenko in Munich. Tara returned to Philadelphia for her 2nd title defense of the season at the US National Championships. After Tara fell in her short program she was in 4th, with a spot on the Olympic team, hanging in balance. Providing herself to be as talented and tough person, Tara perfomed an amusing long program and moved up to take the Silver medal along with a spot on the 1998 Olympic team.
One for the Ages
Tara entered the XVIII Olympics with 2 golas in mind: 1) To become the youngest-ever gold medalist in Ladies Figure Skating. and 2) Having a lot of FUN!!! She accomplished these goals and even made one of the most amazing upsets in Olympic history, defeating her loved temmate Michelle Kwan with a proformance that captured the hearts of all skating fans.
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