Wednesday, February 17, 1999
Top skater stays busy off the ice
BY JAMES SCHMELZER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Two Olympic gold medals and four world championships in pair figure skating made Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov famous. Their romance and marriage captured hearts. His 1995 death from a heart attack cast a spotlight on the reluctant, shy skater from Moscow.
Since losing her skating partner, friend and husband, Ms. Gordeeva has kept busy. Now 27, she starred in television's Snowden on Ice, A Celebration of Life, The Snowden Raggedy Ann and Andy Holiday Show. She is the author of the best-selling My Sergei, A Love Story (Warner; $6.50) and A Letter for Daria (Little Brown & Co.; $12.95), a new children's book written for her 6-year-old daughter. Ms. Gordeeva also signed with Target stores to do commercials, product endorsements and in-store appearances. Target also sells her fragrance, Simply Katia.
IF YOU GO
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• What: Stars on Ice
• When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
• Where: The Crown
• Tickets: $30 and $40 at Crown box office and Ticketmaster, 562-4949.
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She still skates professionally. Ms. Gordeeva will appear Saturday at the Crown on the Discover Stars on Ice tour with Scott Hamilton, Tara Lipinski, Kristi Yamaguchi and Ilia Kulik.Ms. Gordeeva says this year's show is full of upbeat numbers featuring rock 'n' roll and disco music.
With a lingering Russian accent, she talked about motherhood, writing and skating over a humming bus motor as she squeezed a phone interview into a day of travel.
QUESTION: What will you be performing in Cincinnati?
ANSWER: The one solo which is called “Fragile” (to) an original song by Sting. The other number I am skating is “Four Corners.” It's a group number where it is Elena Bechke and Denis Petrov, me and Ilia Kulik skating. All four of us are Russian. It was a lot of fun to do a Russian number. I am skating a little bit with Denis and a little bit with Ilia.
Q: What would you say professional skating has done for you?
A: First of all, we can be more free with our creation of the program and have more time to think about the style. . . . It's totally different than amateur skating. When you skate amateur you (are) skating for yourself. You are skating for your gold medal.
Here it is totally different because you have to entertain people. It's sort of your work but your favorite work.
Q: What motivates you?
A: I'm very blessed that I have a daughter. She looks like Sergei a lot. . . . On the ice I think that I just really love to skate. I really enjoy to perform.
Q: What has been the toughest for you, being an actress, an author, a mother or a skater?
A: I think that in everything, I can find fun. But I think that writing will be the hardest for me because it's not something that I've learned to do. But it's something what I want to do. But it takes me a while to think, and I feel very not sure about this.
Q: Would you say that you're less shy than you were after the first gold medal?
A: I would say so because I just know more about publicity. I know more about commercials . . . I am much older now than 16.
Q: What in your life are you most grateful for?
A: I am very grateful that I had my husband. I had a friendship and then marriage with Sergei, and that we have a daughter that I am blessed with.
Q: What are your goals for the future?
A: Oh that's hard. I am never planning for so long. But I really want to continue to skate for another couple of years. . . . I would love a sister or brother for (my) daughter.
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