A look backTARA LIPINSKI SHARES HER RECIPE FOR SUCCESS BY LINDSEY WEBER A
t the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Na- gano, Japan, 15-year-old Tara Lipinski stole the hearts of America to become
the youngest-ever Olympic Winter Games champion. While that moment may define her career, there were many others that led up to that historic triumph. I sat down with Tara to bring you a Q & A with one of the most hard- working and captivating athletes of all time. AAC: What is your favorite moment from
your skating career? Tara: There is no doubt in my mind that it is winning an Olympic gold medal for the United States at Nagano. A close second is skating a clean long at the 1996 Edmonton World Championships after skating a truly di- sastrous short program. That was redemption. AAC: What was your toughest obstacle
leading up to the 1998 Olympics? Tara: The biggest obstacle to anyone’s
success is letting self-doubt get the best of you. That was a challenge for me and it took some time for me to master the mental aspect of competing. At the Olympic level everyone has the goods, but it really comes down to who can handle the pressure and put out a clean program when it counts. Skating at the Olympics is 99 percent mental and 1 percent physical. I was fortunate to have two senior seasons prior to the Games to work out the kinks and build confidence. AAC: In Nagano you lived every athlete’s
dream. You stayed in the Olympic Village and experienced its atmosphere. Do you feel that
Tara Lipinski celebrates after learning she just won the Olympic gold medal in Nagano, Japan.
helped lead to the success you had at the Games? Tara: Absolutely. The village is a very spe-
cial place. There is always a lot of activity. You meet new people, make lifelong friends and you never forget that you are representing your country. The feeling of team spirit and national pride gives you a purpose and puts your participation in perspective. You realize that the Games are not simply about a short and long program. The village became my refuge and my staying there definitely helped my attitude as I went to perform. AAC: Most people remember your Olym-
pic performance, but in 1997 you made his- tory with one of the most memorable perfor- mances ever given at a U.S. Championships to become the youngest-ever national cham- pion. How did you deal with the sudden on- set of fame and expectations going into the Olympic year? Tara: The notoriety I received added
pressure but didn’t change my view or ap- proach to competitions. I always set my goals and personal expectations high. The fact that others did as well didn’t change the way I trained and prepared. After the U.S. Champi- onships, there was a lot of media attention but I was lucky to have a private training facility, and I was able to block outside distractions. I knew I had to keep to my routine. AAC: You were a childhood figure skating
star. Do you think you understood how signif- icant you were to the sport at the time? Tara: At the time I did not. When you are
trying to achieve so many of your personal goals you never see the full impact of your success. Only after Nagano did I fully appre- ciate how lucky I was to have a great support team and how far I came.
42 NOVEMBER 2013 AAC: Did you find it hard to balance hav-
ing a normal social life and also train at the highest level possible? Did you experience a normal childhood? Tara: My childhood wasn’t typical. My
mom and I moved to train first in Delaware and then Detroit while my dad stayed at home in Texas working to pay for all of it. From the sixth grade on I had tutors who taught the curriculum of the private school I was enrolled in. I had a busy schedule and it was all busi- ness on the ice, but when I stepped off the ice my parents made sure I had a social life. I be- lieve this helped me because I never lost my joy of skating. I always had balance and per- spective in my life. At the rinks I made lifelong friends and have unforgettable memories of those days. I know our coaches were pulling their hair out with the shenanigans we would pull on a daily basis. AAC: Will you be traveling to Sochi? If so,
in what capacity? Tara: Yes, I will be in Sochi with NBC. This will be the first time I will be attending an Olympics as a broadcaster. I’m excited about the next phase of my career and Sochi will be a fun, learning experience. AAC: Can you give any advice to the ath-
letes that are training for the upcoming Olym- pic Games? Tara: Stay focused and train hard. The
only place you find success before work is in the dictionary. Nothing comes easy and there are no shortcuts to winning. Make sure you walk away from your rink every day knowing that you gave 100 percent, because if you didn’t someone else probably did.
PHOTO BY STEPHEN JAFFE/GETTY IMAGES
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