Tara Lipinski, the youngest gold medalist in Winter Olympic history, is no longer a competitor in figure skating, but she still connects with the artistic winter sport as an analyst. And now, she shared her wide-ranging journey from the feeling of winning a gold medal at 15 to becoming a mom to NBC’s renowned figure skating analyst during an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports.
She is not only an Olympic champion but also a figure skating icon, best-selling author, and sports Emmy-winning broadcaster. Currently, she was making waves in the entertainment world as one of the competitors on The Traitors, a Peacock TV reality show. Thus, she is an all-rounder, and now she shared her experience throughout it all with us, giving us more insights about her life.
Tara Lipinski on how the Olympics shaped her perspective
“I feel lucky that skating has sort of been part of my life since I was a three-year-old, and all these years later, it’s still a huge part of my life. Now just in a different form as being an analyst and not a competitor, and to have been able to do both feels really special. Obviously winning the Olympics was one of the most surreal, amazing moments of my life. And now being able to follow these athletes, be at these Olympic Games, and look at the Olympic rings—we host the closing ceremony; just having a part in the Olympics, which was, you know, the biggest dream of my life for so long, is definitely one of those pinch-me moments that’s my job.”
Tara Lipinski on today’s figure skaters
“I think that all of these skaters, all of these athletes, are giving up, you know, so much and sacrificing so much of their lives for these moments. And what’s so special about it is at the Olympic Games, we get to watch them really live out their dreams, step on Olympic soil for the first time, walk in an opening ceremony, and skate the programs of their lives. You know, we watched it with Alysa Liu and how many people she’s inspired and how she’s really brings skating to the forefront once again. And I just think, you know, sports in general—there’s so many incredible things about it. But the Olympic Games, once every four years, and you get to really learn these athletes’ and skaters’ backgrounds and stories, and you just get so invested and emotionally attached and just have that feeling of rooting for them. But there’s always the highs, the lows, all of it. It’s an emotional roller coaster when you’re there, and especially as an analyst, you feel that.”
Tara Lipinski on her choice of skaters who has perfect mix of talent and charisma
“I think this year’s US team, there are just so many. I think Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn, Isabeau Levito—I mean, really, there were so many athletes on this US team that I think inspired so many people at home. And I think it’s to your point of not only having that talent to be, you know, an elite athlete and be able to compete at this level, but also to be authentic, to be real, to be relatable. I think Alysa Liu is definitely that, and that’s why the success she’s having just feels so real and genuine, and I think that’s what we all want, right? And then to know she has this incredible talent and to be able to follow her career just makes it so much fun.”
Tara Lipinski on why figure skating is special
“I mean, skating, obviously, it’s like a relationship for me. It’s been part of my life since I was a kid, and it’s a place that I go to. You know, the ice knows me better than anyone else. You know, when you’re having a good day or a hard day, it’s just a place where I feel so much peace and comfort and something that I just know is there for me. So having that relationship and just loving the sport, I think it’s a beautiful sport that, you know, you’re watching incredible physical feats mixed with an art form. And then just knowing sort of what’s at stake. It’s sort of like gymnastics and figure skating are those niche sports where four minutes and one slip-up could change your life. So the pressure on top of all of the other aspects of the sport make it, I think, very entertaining to watch. But for me it’s just meaningful because not only did I do it, but now I get to follow these athletes’ journeys over the years, and you know, people tune in for the Olympics, but I’ve been watching them, analyzing them, and commentating on them for maybe almost a decade, and then I get to see that moment happen for them. It’s very cool.”
Tara Lipinski’s take on her Olympic experience as a mom
“I do definitely think of how my mom felt, you know, watching me skate that night really. You know, you don’t have any control over it, and it’s your daughter, and you and your family and your daughter have sacrificed so much for this moment, and I can’t imagine, you know, listening to that music star, them calling your name to center ice, and then, as a mom or a parent, just having to like sit there and watch it unfold. I can’t even imagine the nerves.”
Tara Lipinski on her definition of success
“It’s been a wild ride. I’ve been very lucky when it comes to my career, you know; I think a lot of it has been chance. I was so young when I was an athlete. So, I really had a different opportunity than many other Olympians who are in new sports and, you know, at 25 need to figure out next steps. I was sort of given the opportunity to not only have that amazing moment but then be able to keep sort of transitioning into new areas, and, with ease, people go to college, and they get out of college at a certain age, and that’s sort of where I was at when I moved on from competitive skating, and I was lucky enough to skate professionally and then have opportunities in the hosting world and acting world and then find my place in sports broadcasting and then again be lucky enough to do it with Johnny Weir and have the success that we’ve had and then these other opportunities that have nothing to do with skating that have come from it. So I do feel very blessed that you know I love what I do and I’ve had these opportunities. I worked really hard for that Olympic medal to give me those opportunities, but it’s not lost on me how cool I think it is that I still get to go to an Olympic Games and be part of this world. But I think it’s also taught me so many things just in my personal life, like the trials and tribulations that anyone goes through behind the scenes of, you know, really tapping into the skills and the tools that I learned as an athlete to persevere and keep going and find that grit and determination to accomplish things in my life.”
Tara Lipinski on which celebrity would make the best skater just for a cameo to partner up
“I feel like Simone Biles would be a great figure skater. If she ever wants to do it, I’ll take her. I’ll teach her. I have a feeling she’d just be a natural. 100%. She’s certainly got grace, poise, and athleticism. She’s got it all.”
Tara Lipinski on her Miracle Treat Day’s significance and noble reason behind it
“I just think that, for me, I’ve always been a super fan of Dairy Queen. I’ve always loved my Blizzard treats. I’ve gone to great lengths to always get them wherever I am. My husband even got them for me when we were dating as like surprise treats. But you know, I’ve always been really involved in children’s organizations. I donated a children’s playroom at Texas Children’s Hospital when I was younger and competing. My mom always really wanted to give me perspective and a reminder of, you know, other kids out there and what they and their families were going through when I was, you know, sort of all consumed by figure skating. And when we would travel and go to competitions, we’d make little bears and bring them to local children’s hospitals and spend time with the kids there. And I think that’s where my love and passion for children’s organizations at that time stemmed from. Now I do a lot of work in fertility and women’s health advocacy and that community, but when this came around, it just felt like the perfect fit, especially now as a mother. Again, it was a very long journey to become a mother. So, being out on the ice with Whitley, who was just this beautiful shining light, and realizing firsthand how Miracles Children, how Children’s Miracle Network, and the treatments that Whitley received had such a huge impact on her, kind of watching her dad looking out, you know, watching her skate with me and knowing the impact of something like this and knowing that DQ is doing Miracle Tree Day and partnering with Children’s Miracle Network, just how much of a difference it can make in people’s lives. You know, we all go about our lives, and we all have problems, but there are people out there and families and children that are in need of something like this.”
“So, for Miracle Treat Day, which is next Thursday, July 30th, just to go get a yummy Blizzard treat, the easiest thing you can do is know that a dollar or more will be donated to your local Children’s Hospital through Children’s Miracle Network. For me it’s an honor to be able to try to spread that word and to donate as much as we can. Because we know what a difference and impact it could make to a family and how life-changing that could be.”
Tara Lipinski on her go-to order at Dairy Queen
“Oh, there’s one. I mean, I’m a pretty loyal fan to the Choco, the Choco Chocolate Choco. I call it the chocolate extreme, but it’s not actually called that. I’m blanking. It’s Taco Brownie Extreme, but the key there is to get double stuff for me. I don’t know if you can if you know this, but you get double the stuff inside because it has like brownies and chocolate shavings. Get double. That’s my order.”
Tara Lipinski on next chapter of life
“I mean, I think it’s just this year has been a wild ride doing Traitors and doing it with my best friend, and sort of the popularity of that show and the opportunities that have been presented to me afterwards have been really fun. Again, one of those twists and turns in your career that you never expect. So really taking advantage of that and hosting a new show that will be coming out in the fall, and Johnny and I have some interesting projects in the works. So always loving to see what’s next and working towards some new goal.”
Tara Lipinski on her daughter’s skating
“I take her skating. She skates once a week, but it’s, you know, it’s always going to be up to her if she likes it. She loves it right now, and whatever she finds on her own, I will support and dedicate myself to. I just—I do think sports are, you know, a great avenue for children to sort of explore and learn so many things. I’ve just felt that the things that I learned as a young person in sports—not only the discipline but also just resilience and determination and losing and winning and all of the things—have really shaped who I am as a person and how I approach other areas of my career or personal life. So I hope that I can give that to her as well. I always feel that every sport has its kind of rocky moment.”
Tara Lipinski on her favorite movie
“Yeah, there’s—I mean, there’s been some good news. I mean, ‘I, Tanya,’ was out there, obviously, with the big scandal of Nancy and Tanya back in the 90s, which really had such a huge impact on our sport. But I mean, you go back to a cutting edge; I mean, that’s nostalgic. That’s one of my favorites.”
Lipinski wrapped up her interview to say if she got a chance to be part of a figure skating movie in the future, she would love to do that.
