 By her third birthday, future Olympic figure skating champion Tara Lipinski was convinced walking and running were inefficient ways of moving around. She preferred going faster. Roller-skating was the mode of choice. With wheels beneath her feet, Tara could fly. Of course, it was only a matter of time before Tara noticed how fast the kids on ice skates were going - Very. The 1995-96 season saw Tara move into skating's senior division and also marked a change of scenery for Tara and her mom. They relocated to Bloomfield Hills, Mich. During the week, Tara receives daily four-hour tutoring and is proving to be as proficient at academics as she is at skating. Tara is an "A" student who faces homework in the evenings despite the additional demands of four, 45 minute training sessions spread over each day at the Detroit Skating Club. This disciplined lifestyle undoubtedly contributes mightily to Tara's competitive toughness. Her technical and mental preparation has been rewarded again and again over the past two seasons during a remarkable ascent to national, world and Olympic championships. "She's so far beyond where we thought she'd be," Jack Lipinski said in a recent interview with People magazine. "She's always rising to the occasion." Against the measuring stick of history, Tara's accomplishments are staggering. Carol Heiss, Peggy Fleming, Janet Lynn, Dorothy Hamill and Kristi Yamaguchi were great U.S. Champions, yet not one was a national medallist at 13 or a gold medallist at 14. During the early months of 1997 Tara earned titles and made history on what seemed like a weekly basis. The culmination of the 1996/97 season was at the World Championships last March in Lausanne, Switzerland, where Tara eclipsed a record that had endured 70 years. She replaced legendary Norwegian Sonja Henie as the youngest woman to be crowned the world's No. 1 skater, only a year after debuting at this competition with a 15th place finish. Tara landed her signature triple loop-triple loop combination jump and five other clean triples to finish ahead of reigning world champ Michelle Kwan. Tara entered the XVIII Olympic Games with two goals in mind: 1) becoming the youngest-ever gold medallist in Ladies Figure Skating and 2) Having a LOT of fun! She accomplished both goals during her stay in Nagano, and turned in one of the most amazing upsets in Olympic history, defeating her heavily favored teammate Michelle Kwan with a free skate of epic proportions and capturing the imagination and hearts of skating fans worldwide.
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