Ice Skating

World champion Kristi Yamaguchi of Fremont, Calif., took the lead in the singles events Friday in the Lalique Trophy figure skating competition. Yamaguchi won the original portion which started the women's competition. She hit all the elements to a flowing version of the waltz, "Blue Danube." Midori Ito of Japan, 1989 world champion, was second. Ito missed a difficult jump combination slightly. It put her a notch below the American after the portion that counts for one-third of the total mark.

MUSIC Noel Gallagher The former Oasis staple is front and center, both live and on his solo debut, "Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. " Not as memorable as Oasis' best anthems in the '90s or as nasally rock-ready as his brother's latest incarnation, Beady Eye, but the album hovers within a melodic good-to-average middle ground. The album encircles themes of love, melancholy and aging. Royce Hall, UCLA. 8 p.m. $37-$77. uclalive.org . Kyuss Lives! Ax wielder Josh Homme may have moved on to Queens of the Stone Age, but the band he helped jump-start two decades ago in Palm Desert lives on. Vocalist John Garcia has reunited with Brant Bjork and Nick Oliveri to continue the group's heavy metal desert rock assault.

When Sarah Hughes placed third at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships at Staples Center last month, it wasn't the seven triples in her long program that people were buzzing about. It was that dress--the underwhelming number in flesh-tone chiffon. "Poor Sarah. Team Hughes should hire me as a consultant!" wrote a New York City woman on http://www.fsworld.com, a message board for figure skating devotees. "The long program dress was too frumpy and pale for her." It didn't end there.

EVENTS For the fifth year, the corner of 5th Street and Arizona Avenue in Santa Monica will morph into an 8,000-square-foot rink by the beach called, fittingly, Ice. In addition to ice skating, events include a L.A. Kings-hosted hockey clinic, adults-only after-hours broomball, wacky hat Wednesdays, a post-Halloween costume skate and rock 'n' skate on Fridays with live bands and DJs. 1324 5th St., Santa Monica. Fri.-Jan. 16. Various times. $12. iceatsantamonica.com.

Nearly 50 young athletes participated in the 21st annual Orange County Special Olympics ice skating competition Friday. Some raced around the Huntington Beach rink with great speed. Others required help from coaches to steady them as they competed in shorter and slower-paced races. Winning didn't seem to be everything to many.

Like thousands of high school seniors in the county, Jennifer Heyl is waiting with anticipation for graduation day. But unlike most students who attended high schools, Heyl is one of many who took the less traveled route, having earned her diploma through an independent study program while pursuing her dream of becoming a professional ice skater. Today, as valedictorian, Heyl will give the commencement speech as she graduates with 67 of her peers from Silverado Continuation High School.

Starting a new sport can be intimidating and, sometimes, dangerous. To reduce the risk of injury--both physical and ego-wise--visit the rink when it is less crowded. But before venturing onto the ice, it pays to watch other skaters in action. At some rinks, skaters may travel in a clockwise direction then, after ice resurfacing, change to a counter-clockwise motion. Beginners should always follow the flow of traffic and skate near the outside portion of the rink.

Owing $450,000 in rent and mired in financial trouble, the Irvine Ice Arena shut down Thursday evening as a synagogue prepared to complete its purchase of the property. "There goes my office," arena hockey director Mike Jones said as he carried his belongings from the red barn-like building into his car. Workers carried out the soft drink machine, others packed up the sports shop.

Tonya Harding vs. Nancy Kerrigan. In the minds of many, it's villainess vs. victim. But what about the minds of the only people who really matter, those who will judge them on the ice in the figure skating competition at the Winter Olympics. Can the judges totally block out the constant barrage of information about the attack on Kerrigan, which has bombarded them from every media outlet, and fairly assess these two skaters and the other competitors solely on the basis of their performances?

Ice skating shows, long synonymous with the holiday season, have been gliding off in new directions, and viewers will get a look at some of these hot new acts as the curtain goes up on three live productions and a TV special next week. Opening are "Christmas Ice Spectacular" Monday to Jan. 2 at Knott's Berry Farm, Dorothy Hamill's "Winter Wonderland" Tuesday and Wednesday at the Hyatt Grand Champions Resort in Indian Wells and "Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom on Ice Starring Pinocchio" at the L.A.

I’m guessing most New Yorkers have had enough of that whole winter-wonderland thing by now. They certainly seem relieved that after such a stormy winter, most of the snow in Manhattan is melted now. But what about us tourists from warm places, looking for that rare chance to lace on some skates? Not to worry. Though one of the city’s best-known seasonal ice-skating rinks will close Feb. 27, the rinks at Rockefeller Center and Central Park will stay in business through early April.

Put away the eggnog and break out the sneakers ? it's New Year's resolution time, and no doubt millions have made the pledge to get fit. Many of them will join a gym only to find they're bored with the monotony of cardio equipment and weight training routines. But exercise shouldn't be drudgery. Plenty of pleasurable activities deliver a legitimate workout without the hamster-on-a-wheel feeling. Surfing, kayaking, ballroom dancing, trail running and self-defense classes are just a few ways to avoid a fitness rut or supplement a regular gym workout.

EVENTS Just because you live in L.A. doesn't mean you can't conjure up an East Coast-style winter wonderland for yourself. Come downtown to Pershing Square for a spin around the ice rink, and, if you squint, it'll be just like Rockefeller Center. Well, almost. Pershing Square Park, 532 S. Olive St., L.A. Fri.-Jan. 18. Mon-Thurs, noon-10 p.m., Fri-Sun, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. One-hour sessions: $6; skate rental: $2. http://www.laparks.org , (213) 847-4970.

New York City visitors can cut a fine figure on the Ice Rink at Rockefeller Center , which opened over the weekend for the 2010-11 winter season. But if you don’t want to travel so far to pretend you’re Michelle Kwan or Scott Hamilton, just wait a few weeks: "Downtown on Ice" at Pershing Square will open next month in Los Angeles and will run through Jan. 17.   Yes, I  know New York City’s rink is more famous—and offers more appropriate ice skating weather.

It was nearly midnight Thursday, the day of triumph running into the day after, and both Kim Yuna and Brian Orser already were looking at the days ahead. The skater and her coach were in a car going from post-competition doping control to a news conference that would be aired live in South Korea, where half the country's 48 million people already had watched TV broadcasts of their national hero becoming their first Olympic figure skating champion. During the 20-minute ride, Kim and Orser could have sat back and looked at the gold medal she won three hours earlier with a performance of record-breaking, mind-boggling quality.

One Olympic singles champion, Robin Cousins, says Kim Yuna has the "it factor." Another, Scott Hamilton, calls her a gift to the sport "from some other place." A rival's coach, Frank Carroll, marvels at her speed. One of the sport's legendary skaters, Michelle Kwan, says Kim is "what the judges are looking for, when it comes to jump quality, spin quality and edges." All agree there is no way Kim will lose the Olympic gold medal in Thursday night's long program if the 19-year-old South Korean skates the way she did in winning Tuesday's short program.

"I always encouraged her to have confidence in herself, to believe in her dreams." The memory of the mother's words gave powerful warmth through the chill of the Pacific Coliseum on Tuesday night, connecting hands, filling eyes, lifting her child. "The hurdles she faces motivate her to rise above them, Joannie has always been naturally determined and persevering." On Sunday morning here, Therese Rochette, who spoke those words, died suddenly of a heart attack.