The Belleville, Ill., native and former Ice Capades star was in town recently to star in EbonyOnIce.
Why an all-black cast? It’s mainly because now we can, because there are enough of us to do so. They’re fabulous skaters. They’re just not the ones who are chosen [for] the limelight. So I picked them. [She also choreographed the routines.]
Why did you forgo the 1991 Olympics before turning pro? I injured my back overtraining. I was told I would never heal [enough to compete]. So I wanted to see if my back could stand my doing it for a living in a show.
At 32, do you think about retiring? I wouldn’t even put a year on it, because I’ve done that so many times. . . . I feel like I can skate forever, because it’s not that hard. Since I was a child, the ice has always been my sanctuary.
What’s one of your earliest skating memories? At 5, I got the chickenpox right before my first competition. . . . I put a turtleneck on, trying to cover it up. But [my mom] was like, “What’s that?” There was one [spot] poking out, so she got me.
