Ice-show galaxy expands

The newest addition to the Target Stars On Ice roster may never have won an Olympic medal, but his class, elegance, and graciousness have made him one of the most popular skaters around.

Six-time U.S. champion and 1996 World Champion Todd Eldredge hooked up with the tour in the wake of his retirement from amateur skating following the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, in which he finished sixth (his best Olympic finish was fourth at the 1998 Nagano Games).

"I've seen the show for a number of years and have always enjoyed watching it," Eldredge, 30, said in a phone interview from a tour stop in Greenville, S.C.

Stars On Ice pulls into Hersheypark Arena at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

"There are a lot of people here that I've known for a long time and are good friends of mine, and I wanted to travel with them before some of them, at least, move on to other things," he added.

He was referring in part to 1992 gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi, who'll be retiring from the rink after the tour to spend more time with her husband, Carolina Hurricanes' defenseman Bret Hedican.

"And also, just the fact that Scott Hamilton's always been a huge idol of mine and this is his show, so for me to be able to come over here and be a part of this tour, I thought, would be really cool," he said. Hamilton, a 1984 Olympic gold medalist, and his manager started Stars On Ice in 1986; Hamilton no longer tours but still serves as co-producer.

Also on the Stars On Ice bill is 1998 Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinski, two-time Olympic gold medalist Katarina Witt (who won in 1984 and 1988), 1998 Olympic gold medalist Ilia Kulik, and Canadian and World Champion Kurt Browning, plus 1998 Olympic silver medalists Anjelika Krylova and Oleg Ovsiannikov and three-time U.S. pairs champions Jenni Meno and Todd Sand.

Eldredge will be doing his long program from the Salt Lake Games, set to music from the film "The Lord of the Rings," and another set to "Your Song" from "Moulin Rouge."

Eldredge began skating at age 5 in his hometown of Chatham, Mass. By 18, he became the youngest man to win the National Novice, Junior, and Senior titles as well as the World Junior Championships. Many other titles followed until a back injury took him out of action for three years, from 1992 to '94. He came back to win the U.S. Championship in 1995.

He shared his thoughts on why an Olympic medal was the only major honor to elude him.

"So much is timing," he said. "I was skating well and practicing very well when I was [in Salt Lake], so for it not to come off the way I had hoped, it was obviously disappointing. I made one mistake in the short program, and that's pretty much all it takes nowadays. If you make one mistake in a big event, that's it."

Eldredge cites two wins as his most meaningful.

"Winning the world title in '96, and then also winning the national title again this year, 12 years after I won my first national title -- those both are really high on the list," he said. "To win a national title my first time when I [was] 18 and then win it again when I [was] 30, it gives me a good feeling to know that I was still able to remain at a certain level for a long time."

Eldredge will be with Stars On Ice through the season's final date, April 20 in Portland, Maine. He plans to compete in pro-am events next year, but for now, he's enjoying the freedom that skating in Stars On Ice brings him.

"That's the great thing about moving on and being in the professional side of the sport -- you don't have to follow any specific rules," he said. "When you're in shows, it doesn't matter what you do, just go out and have fun and see what happens."

Eldredge will pair with Chevrolet for the "It's Great to Skate Festival," a series of six skating seminars being held at local ice rinks across the country, starting at his Detroit home base. He and his coach, Richard Callaghan, will lead the clinics.

"I'll show them a few things and then give them some pointers and help them out -- just work with them and keep them interested in skating, and hopefully we can develop some great skaters in the future," he said.