Ice Princess
Don’t expect to see Kristi Yamaguchi on her eponymous Embarcadero ice rink this winter.
The 34-year-old former Olympic gold medalist—and Alamo resident—is
expecting her second child, and hasn’t put on her skates in months. But
Yamaguchi has been busy: Her NBC skating special, Kristi Yamaguchi
Friends and Family, airs on New Year’s Eve.
Q: How much time do you and your husband [hockey star Bret Hedican] get to spend in Alamo?
A: We
live in North Carolina while Bret is playing hockey with the
Hurricanes, and in the off-season we live in Alamo. After Bret retires,
we plan to live in Alamo year-round. We were attracted to Alamo because
it’s a family-friendly city with good schools.
Q: Tell us about your new TV special.
A:
The skaters participating—Nancy Kerrigan and Ekaterina Gordeeva—are
parents, and some will appear with their children. I was originally
planning to skate in the show, but after learning I was pregnant, I
became one of the cohosts.
Q:
You started the Always Dream Foundation in the East Bay as a way of
helping underprivileged children. What projects are you currently
working on?
A: We wanted to help
the many children who had lost everything in the aftermath of Hurricane
Katrina. So many children lost all their worldly possessions, then had
to be relocated to a new and unfamiliar city. Our foundation is working
to send these children clothes and shoes.
