ABOUT KRISTI YAMAGUCHI
Date of birth: July 12, 1971
Place of birth: Hayward, CA
Residence: Raleigh, North Carolina and Alamo, CA
Spouse: Bret Hedican, wed July 8, 2000
Children: Keara, born Oct. 1, 2003, and Emma, born Nov. 17, 2005
Olympic Champion
Two-time World Champion
U.S. Champion
Four-time World Professional Champion
Two-time US Pair Champion
Athlete, artist, wife, mother, philanthropist—in each of these things Kristi Yamaguchi embodies the word champion. Her motto is “Always Dream,” and Kristi’s accomplishments prove that dreams can come true with hard work and dedication. Her achievements—on the ice, in her personal life and in the realm of community service—are many, all of which prove her consistent commitment to excellence.
“As a competitor, even as a young skater coming up, I always wanted to do as much or more than what my competitors were doing. I knew that was the only way for me to be competitive and possibly beat them,” Kristi recalls. “In addition to the technical, I was also inspired to focus on my artistic side, because I thought that would be a way to differentiate myself from the other skaters.”
Following her victories at the 1992 Winter Olympics and World Championships, Kristi embarked on a successful professional career that went non-stop for a decade. During the years 1992-2002, Kristi toured with Stars on Ice, won numerous professional competitions, frequently appeared on television specials and collaborated with several choreographers to create diverse programs. “A lot of us on the Stars on Ice tour took pride in trying to stay innovative and bring something new to the ice every year. Pushing the envelope helped keep things fresh.” In 2003, she premiered her own annual TV special. In 2006, Kristi Yamaguchi’s Friends and Family was taped in Columbia, South Carolina, and it aired on NBC in 2007.
Beginning in 1992, Kristi became a highly sought after corporate spokeswoman, sustaining long-term relationships with Celanese Acetate and Mervyn’s Department Stores. Other corporate endorsements included the famous “Milk Mustache” campaign, Smart Ones and the Platinum Council. She and husband Bret Hedican were featured in an campaign for General Electric. They recently appeared in public service announcements for Be Active North Carolina. Kristi also authored two books, Figure Skating for Dummies and Kristi Yamaguchi, Always Dream. She served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. In addition to promoting the Games, she also performed in both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. She has recently been named spokesperson for National Skating Month, which takes place each January. Kristi will work with U.S. Figure Skating, its member clubs and Basic Skills programs to encourage people to learn to skate for fun and fitness.
Throughout her career, Kristi has received numerous awards and accolades. In 1996 she was named Skater of the Year by American Skating World magazine. She appeared on International Figure Skating magazine’s annual “25 Most Influential Names in Figure Skating” list several times and was named the Most Influential person in the sport for the 2001-02 season. She was named to the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1998 and the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1999. On Dec. 8, 2005, she was inducted into the USOC Olympic Hall of Fame. In January 2006, she joined all her fellow American Olympic gold medalists for a special tribute at the 2006 U.S. Championships in St. Louis.
One of her lasting legacies will be her Always Dream Foundation, founded in 1996. The foundation has been an active fundraiser and supporter of children’s charities in the San Francisco Bay Area, including annual Christmas toy drives. They organized two large-scale events in Hawaii, where able bodied and disabled children competed side by side in an Olympic-themed camp. The major project currently on their schedule is the development of a “boundless playground.”
“It’s a playground where children with disabilities and without disabilities can play together,” Kristi explains. “It’s completely wheelchair accessible, yet it’s a regular playground. We found the site and we’re working with the city of Fremont (Calif., where she grew up and her parents still live). It’s been an idea that I’ve had for a few years and it’s finally in the planning stages.”
In 2006, Kristi’s husband, Bret, achieved his greatest dream in sports when his NHL team, the Carolina Hurricanes, won the Stanley Cup. “To be along for that ride, to be able to experience his dream with him was amazing,” she says. “I knew how much it meant to him.”
Although her family is now her first and foremost priority, Kristi has been training for several months to perform at Kristi Yamaguchi's Friends and Family. She thoroughly enjoys being on the ice, but nothing compares to being with her daughters. “I can’t say I would have done it any other way,” she says. “I definitely feel blessed to have Keara and Emma in my life. They’ve completely changed it. I feel so lucky that I was able to have my career and then switch gears to the family side but still participate in the sport. I hopefully will continue to be involved in skating even if I’m not on the ice as much.”