Blade Runners

Night after night, these five Stars on Ice put on a smile - and a show to beat all shows. Here they reveal the daily ups and downs of their life together on the road.

They make it look so easy: just slip on some blades, glide smoothly and ever so gracefully across the ice, spin and smile. But don't be fooled. Figure skating is anything but easy, even for the five world-class pros who headline Target Stars on Ice. Weeks of preparation precede the tour, and night after night the show puts the skaters - Kristi Yamaguchi, Tara Lipinski, Ilia Kulik, Kurt Browning and Scott Hamilton (who will leave the permanet cast after this year) - out on the ice for far longer than the international competitions that made them famous. Five months a year of rehearsing and performing can take its toll, but the positive attitudes that have made them champs on the ice inevitably spill over when they talk of life off it. Here they give us a peek at what we don't see on the rink - the good, the bad and the stuff that really makes them groan.

KRISTI YAMAGUCHI

Q. What do you do for fun on the tour?

A. Mostly just hang out with the other cast members. It's not an easy show - you're on the ice 20 to 25 minutes every night, in four to five cities a week. In a way, it keeps us out of trouble, but we're also stuck in our own little bubble.

Q. Don't you ever get a chance to leave the "bubble" - or even your hotel?

A. On days off, sure. Sometimes we'll get ambitious and go to a museum, but usually it's "Where's the nearest movie theater and nice restaurant?" And sometimes it's just "Where's the nearest Laundromat?"

Q. Does doing the same show night after night ever get old?

A. There are some numbers we make fun of, although that's usually because they're difficult. But every show is different, because we're in front of a new audience and because the chemistry changes, depending on how you and the other cast members are feeling. Somehow you always get up for it.

Q. This is your first year of touring as a married woman [Yamaguchi wed pro hockey player Bret Hedican last summer]. How has that changed the experience for you?

A. It's made it much harder. The schedule doesn't really allow for living at home, so I'll probably see how things go this year and make a decision next year about how long I'll continue to tour.

Q. Do you see children in your future?

A. Definitely.

Q. Got a tour pet peeve?

A. Noisy hotel rooms.

ILIA KULIK

Q. You've probably gotten to see more of this country in the two years you've been on the tour than most Americans do in a lifetime. what are your impressions?

A. It's so big, so different. You can go to one state and then go to another and not realize you're in the same country.

Q. Do you ever miss Russia?

A. I miss the food. There are plenty of Russian restaurants, but it's different. You can't get the same bread, even in the Russian food shops.

Q. How does it feel to be known as the Leonardo DiCaprio of ice skating?

A. I don't really like all that. But he's a good-looking guy, so I guess it's a compliment.

Q. You're fairly new to the tour. Has it been difficult adjusting to being on the road?

A. I've been on the road before, but this is totally different performance-wise. We each have three solos, plus the group numbers. It was hard to get used to being on the ice that often.

Q. Crashing in a nice hotel room after a performance must help, though.

A. Four months is more than you can handle, even in the best hotels. You just want to stay in one place and put your clothes in order, but you barely have time to unpack your bags.

SCOTT HAMILTON

Q. Why have you decided to leave Stars on Ice after 15 years?

A. I'm 42 y ears old, and it's time to do other things. I may do guest appearances from time to time, but this is the year I get to go to each city and say, "I might come back, but if I don't, thank you very much."

Q. Was it a difficult decision to make?

A. If it had just come out of nowhere, it might have been. But I've thought about it a long time. You have one life. I want to experience as many things in it as I can. If I want to have a family - or even a puppy - I have to be off the road.

Q. You must have thousands of memories from the tour. Does anything stand out in your mind?

A. All the really funny stuff happened early on when we didn't have anything - we were carrying our own costumes and getting dressed in bathrooms because the building management thought we were going to steal hockey equipment. That's the stuff that makes you smile.

Q. I hear you're a golfer. Are you the type who secretly would always rather be on the links?

A. Golf is fun, but it's not something I'd give everything up for. It's just a great way to get out and meet people, spend a few hours outside in the fresh air.

Q. Are you any good?

A. I can get around.

TARA LIPINSKI

Q. This is your third season in Stars on Ice. What's the toughest aspect of the tour?

A. Just physically having to perform every night - the audience doesn't know that you've been on the road for four months.

Q. Some of your rehearsals can last into the wee hours. You must learn quite a bit about each other, pulling all-nighters together.

A. Sometimes those are the best times to remember. You're really tired and you can barely stand up, but everyone's still together - it's kind of nice.

Q. So what can you tell us about your castmates?

A. Kurt is the class clown; he's always goofy, doing crazy, funny things, and he's always in a good mood. Kristi is always prepared, always has everything together. And Scott is definitely the leader of the group and the charisma of the tour.

Q. How do you avoid that cheesy-road-food feeling most of us get when we travel too long?

A. I start out with cereal every morning. I try to eat lots of fish for protein - I like it blackened - as well as vegetables and salads and a lot of fruit. And I never hit the minibar.

Q. But you've gotta splurge sometimes, right?

A. I love strawberry ice cream. And cheesecake.

Q. Are you a sports fan as well as an athlete?

A. Definitely. I've always been interested in gymnastics. And this year I've really gotten into watching tennis.

Q. Do you play?

A. Not really - when I get home I don't want to do anything other than relax.

KURT BROWNING

Q. Tara says you're always in a good mood. True?

A. Fortunately my bad moods come and go really fast. But sometimes the combination of being away from home and my family and not being productive on the ice - not skating so great, or being injured - can make me grumpy.

Q. If the cast were a family, which member would you be?

A. We have a number in the show where we take our off-ice personalities and exaggerate them. I'm the kind of annoying, hyper guy. So I guess I'd be the little brother, that irritating person that you love but sort of hate too.

Q. What do you do with any free time you have?

A. If I were dedicated, I'd be learning Spanish. Normally, I just go order a beer or two.

Q. What's the best thing about being on the road?

A. It's literally one of the greatest jobs I can think of. We work hard at this our whole lives because we love it. Then all these people want to see us do it? That's not a bad thing.

Q. Do you have any superstitions, any good-luck charms you bring to each performance?

A. Yes! We call them goodies, and we use them to psych ourselves up. In the tunnel before the show, there'll be a certain song or handshake or touch you exchange with another cast member.

Q. Such as?

A. Brian Orser used to do that thing from The Three Amigos where he'd cross his arms a certain way. It was funny, so now that he's gone, we all do it. Tara's the queen of the goodies - she's got one for every cast member.

Saying Good-bye to Scott