Tara Lipinski joins fellow 'Stars on Ice' at the Palace

Before figure skater Tara Lipinski triple-looped from gold medalist of the 1998 Winter Olympics to headliner of the Stars on Ice professional tour, she thought she knew just about everything there was to know about ice skating.

But as a rookie on the pro circuit, Lipinski, then a 16-year-old phenom who had snatched the gold from overwhelming favorite Michelle Kwan, quickly found a whole new meaning in her sport.

"I always loved competing and winning titles," says Lipinski, who shares top billing with fellow Olympic champions Kristi Yamaguchi and Katarina Witt when Stars on Ice returns to the Palace in Auburn Hills Saturday night. "But I don't think I realized what skating was all about until I turned pro. When you're just out there skating for your fans, everything changes. I feel so excited and grateful. It's more for them than for me.

"I've also learned more artistically as a pro. We have a collection of great skaters, and we do a lot of routines together. Our show is pretty cool."

And demanding. Chronic problems resulting from congenital hip dysplasia forced her to undergo surgery last year, and she still hasn't completely recovered. So while Yamaguchi and Witt were performing at Sunday's closing ceremonies at the Olympics in Salt Lake City, Lipinski was back home in Houston, resting.

But she will rejoin the company in Detroit, where she trained for three years before her '98 triumph in Nagano, Japan.

"It's my plan right now to skate that performance," she says.