Golden Opportunity

"If you do it for yourself and you do it for the right reason, nothing can stop you."

Easy for him to say. With three Canadian championships, one world championship and one well-publicized Olympic gold medal under his belt, pairs skater David Pelletier - along with partner Jamie Sale - is a manifestation of his belief.

Sale and Pelletier are making their debut this year in Smucker's annual Stars on Ice tour. The tour, co-founded by recently retired Olympian Scott Hamilton in 1986, showcases champion figure skaters in 61 cities throughout the United States. It lands in San Diego Saturday.

But the Canadian duo won't be the only first-time tour skaters at the show. Other newcomers include fellow gold medalists Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze and Alexei Yagudin of Russia, and Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman of the United States.

The show features three performances by Sale and Pelletier, including a duet with Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze, skating to "Sing, Sing, Sing." For their solo performances, the pair will skate to Journey's "Lovin,' Touchin,' Squeezin' " and "Come Fly," from the movie "Two Weeks Notice."

Sale and Pelletier also will be joined by a host of tour alums, including Katarina Witt, Todd Eldredge, Kurt Browning, Jenni Meno and Todd Sand, and Renee Roca and Gorsha Sur.

And as if that lineup weren't impressive enough, San Diego will be one of just a handful of tour cities where Scott Hamilton will perform.

"I feel kinda like a kid in a candy store," said Sale of the opportunity to tour with so many gifted athletes. "I'm always learning something. Every day there's always something that happens."

And then there's the obvious: "We don't have to compete anymore," added Pelletier.

With the scandal of the 2002 Olympic Pairs Skating championship behind them, Sale and Pelletier are trying to remain focused on their future. After all, these young champions are no strangers to adversity.

Citing injuries, lack of communication (Sale admits to slipping into singles mode every now and then), and inevitable personality differences as the most persistent obstacles they've had to overcome in their pairs skating career, Sale and Pelletier have made a conscientious effort to learn from their losses.

"That's what has made me a better athlete," said Sale.

That and a lot of support from their team, comprised of coaches, choreographers, family and friends. With so much going on, though, Sale says they can easily get distracted by outsiders. "We've learned it's who you surround yourself with," said Sale.

For now, though, the duo remains focused on their goals to keep improving and to stay healthy enough to continue their figure skating careers for as long as they would like. Sale and Pelletier realize they have a long road ahead of them with the tour, which will be their longest to date, but they remain confident they'll come out on top in the end.