Kristie Yamaguchi Is Balancing It All

Kristi Yamaguchi has been busy lately with her two children, Keara Kiyomi, 6, andEmma Yoshiko, 4. And now she’s going to be a special correspondent for Today during the 2010 Winter Olympics (that starts today). Working Mother caught up with her for their March 2010 issue to talk about how she is balancing it all. Here are the highlights of the interview:
On balancing her career and her family life: “In my twenties I never thought I’d still be working this hard in my thirties. I do feel lucky that I did a lot of my skating, which would have been hard on me as a mom, early on—all that touring and living on the road. I’m happy I’m still busy—off the ice. I still juggle. Sometimes I think I overextend myself because I’m traveling too much and am away from the kids. It’s a fine line to find that balance. These days I make business decisions based on whether something is worth my time away from my kids.”
On what inspired her to skate: “I was born with clubfeet, and I had plaster casts on my legs from when I was a couple of months old until age 1. When the casts came off, I wore corrective shoes connected by a brace to turn my feet until I was about 2. The braces hurt my legs a lot, and I remember trying to walk with a bar in between my feet—I had to shuffle. I was lucky they corrected it when I was so young. Skating wasn’t assigned to me, but when I wanted to skate, the doctors said it would help. I expressed an interest when I was about 4 or 5. I’d seen the Ice Follies, the Ice Capades. I remember seeing Peggy Fleming and Dorothy Hamill and wanting to capture the magic of those shows.”
On her biggest surprise since becoming a mother: “I’ve realized how precious life is. When I was younger, I was more adventurous. I felt invincible. I was game for everything. As a mom, I don’t want to get injured because then I can’t take care of my kids. Even getting on an airplane, I’m more conscious of…Like they say, once you have a child, your heart is forever outside your body. I totally understand that now
On how Keara and Emma changed her life:” I want to be there for my kids. My priorities have changed drastically, and I’m lucky I was ready for that. I’d done everything I ever wanted to do in skating. I’d toured with Stars on Ice for ten years. I was ready to hang up the skates, unpack my suitcase and not pack it for a very long time.”
On her daughters: “After the first one is born, you think the second one will be the same—but she’s not. Keara is very social, outgoing and adaptable. I see a lot of myself in Emma. She’s Mommy’s girl, like I was. She’s a little shy in social situations until she gets comfortable. Keara is more artistic. She loves imaginary play. Emma has really good athletic ability. She’s physically tough. It will be interesting to see what they choose to do.”