Kristi Yamaguchi

I was starting to believe that the Japanese were superior to Americans until the most coveted Winter Olympics' gold was bagged by all-American Kristi Yamaguchi. FRANCISCO R. CLAUDIO JR. Long Beach

The Times is pleased to have 1976 Olympic gold medalist and figure skating legend Dorothy Hamill guest-blogging for us while she competes on "Dancing With the Stars. " Each week while she competes on the show, Hamill will answer a few questions from Sports Now editor Houston Mitchell and give some insight into the competition. Here are Hamill's thoughts about Week 1, which she offered via email. Q: You have been practicing and training for the first show for a couple of weeks now. How would you compare the pressure and nerves of your first dance on the show to skating for an Olympic gold medal?

Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi is turning pro but mightstill defend her figure skating title at the 1994 Lillehammer Games. Yamaguchi has until Feb. 19 to apply for reinstatement as an amateur to the U.S. Figure Skating Assn.

What is it about athletes and "Dancing with the Stars?" In the season premiere Monday night, Green Bay Packers receiver Donald Driver joined a long list of athletes who made themselves the immediate favorite to win the competition with a sensational first dance. Driver and his partner, Peta Murgatroyd, danced a cha cha Monday night that, while technically not the best, had the crowd on its feet for a standing ovation when the dance was over. Driver's smile and charisma overpowered any technical problems as even the judges were impressed with his style.

Subtle racism and the current climate of Japan-bashing are depriving figure-skating champion Kristi Yamaguchi of her just desserts as a commercial property, or so the story goes. Corporate America is either too bigoted or too craven to choose an Asian American as a spokeswoman, the story goes, so the Olympic gold medalist from Fremont is missing her prime chance. It's a compelling story and rife with irony, but at least so far, it doesn't appear to be true.

Kristi Yamaguchi, who goes for her second pairs title tonight with partner Rudi Galindo, is seeking to become the first woman in 50 years to win both a U.S. pairs and singles crown in the same U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Yamaguchi was third behind Jill Trenary and Tonya Harding after Thursday's women's original program. Trenary kept her lead--barely--despite falling during her required double-axel jump in the women's original program because she had won the compulsories Wednesday.

Kristi Yamaguchi, gold medalist in figure skating at the 1992 Winter Olympics at Albertville, France, will not defend her title at Lillehammer, Norway, in February. Yamaguchi said she will not apply for reinstatement of her eligibility to compete as an amateur. Yamaguchi, 22, has been touring with Scott Hamilton, Brian Orser, Rosalyn Sumners and other former Olympic stars.

I know I should hate myself for this, but I am having a hard time feeling sorry for Kristi Yamaguchi. Just in case you missed the Winter Olympics, Yamaguchi won the gold medal for the United States in women's figure skating. And, if you like figure skating, she was terrific. Recently, however, a number of stories have appeared in print and on network television claiming that because Yamaguchi is a Japanese-American, she won't get the big endorsements that turn athletes into multimillionaires.

A consumer's guide to the best and worst of sports media and merchandise. Ground rules: If it can be read, played, heard, observed, worn, viewed, dialed or downloaded, it's in play here. What: "Intimate Portrait: Kristi Yamaguchi" Where: Lifetime, Tuesday, 7-8 p.m. Kristi Yamaguchi, who won the gold medal in women's figure skating at the 1992 Winter Olympics, has never had a knee whacked or been involved with anyone who would do such a thing. There aren't any dark corners in Yamaguchi's life.

Kristi Yamaguchi of Fremont, Calif., can become the first woman in 40 years to win national figure skating championships in both singles and pairs after teaming with Rudi Galindo of San Jose Friday night to defend their pairs title at the Salt Palace. Yamaguchi, 18, is in third place in singles but can win the championship with a victory in today's freestyle program. The second-place pair was Natasha Kuchiki, 13, of Canoga Park and Todd Sand, 26, of Thousand Oaks.

When time is tight, especially around the holidays, there's none to waste on separate cardiovascular and strength workouts. You're better off pushing play on an exercise routine that combines bursts of aerobic activity with weight-bearing exercises to maximize your caloric burn while maintaining your muscle. We combed through the year's fitness releases to come up with a list of four outstanding workouts for all levels and interests. In addition to being great gifts for the exercise aficionados on your list, these DVDs would make a worthy addition to your own fitness library.

This post has been corrected. See the note at the bottom for details. Staying in shape is so important to Kristi Yamaguchi that she just released a fitness DVD: "Kristi Yamaguchi: Power Workout. " Join a live Web chat with the Olympic figure skater on Monday at 11 a.m. Pacific time (1 p.m. Central, 2 Eastern), when she'll be giving tips on getting and staying fit. We asked the Season 6 winner of "Dancing With the Stars" how seriously she takes her job as role model to her two daughters, Keara and Emma.

The Olympics may be behind her, but gold medal-winning figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi is still all about being healthy and fit. Join a live Web chat with Yamaguchi on Monday at 11 a.m. PDT (1 p.m. CDT, 2 p.m. EDT) when she'll be talking about her new fitness DVD, "Kristi Yamaguchi: Power Workout," as well as offering tips on getting and staying in shape. We asked the skater and winner of the sixth season of "Dancing With the Stars" what motivational tips she'd like to pass on to others.

When Lindsey Vonn finished her gold-medal-winning ski run during the Vancouver Olympics, she not only looked like a winner — she looked ready for her close-up. Setting aside her achievement on the slopes, how does a woman come through that kind of physical workout looking downright gorgeous? Somehow many female Olympic athletes seem able to look terrific during the most physically challenging workouts of their lives, muscling through pain, trying to conquer stress and battle nerves.

A consumer's guide to the best and worst of sports media and merchandise. Ground rules: If it can be read, played, heard, observed, worn, viewed, dialed or downloaded, it's in play here. What: "Intimate Portrait: Kristi Yamaguchi" Where: Lifetime, Tuesday, 7-8 p.m. Kristi Yamaguchi, who won the gold medal in women's figure skating at the 1992 Winter Olympics, has never had a knee whacked or been involved with anyone who would do such a thing. There aren't any dark corners in Yamaguchi's life.

She's a spokeswoman for the 2002 Olympics and an author. She's a Hall of Famer and the founder of a charitable organization. She has her own line of clothing and all sorts of endorsements. Oh, yes, Kristi Yamaguchi also remains one of the foremost figure skaters in the world. Yamaguchi, the 1992 Olympic gold medalist and a fixture on the professional circuit ever since, can't seem to sit still.

Dreamy-eyed but determined, 7-year-old Brianna Colone set off across the ice, oblivious to the crowd around her. Within seconds, the tiny blades of her skates were airborne and she was spinning. And then she fell. Neither embarrassed nor daunted, the cherub-faced youngster pushed herself up off her bottom and glided across the rink, her smile brilliant. "Every skater falls," Brianna said seconds later.

What is it about athletes and "Dancing with the Stars?" In the season premiere Monday night, Green Bay Packers receiver Donald Driver joined a long list of athletes who made themselves the immediate favorite to win the competition with a sensational first dance. Driver and his partner, Peta Murgatroyd, danced a cha cha Monday night that, while technically not the best, had the crowd on its feet for a standing ovation when the dance was over. Driver's smile and charisma overpowered any technical problems as even the judges were impressed with his style.

Somewhere during the three years he spent editing the new Asian American Encyclopedia, Franklin Ng realized he'd undertaken a labor of love. "I had been entertaining this idea on and off for a long time," says Ng, an anthropologist and historian at California State University, Fresno. "I had been thinking of writing a book on the subject or some kind of reference work."