Just add ice: Flatt and Hamill in Lake Placid

The Aug. 15 edition of the Lake Placid Olympic Center Saturday Night Ice Show was a star-studded affair, led by two-time U.S. silver medalist and 2009 worlds competitor Rachael Flatt. Guest stars, junior men's champion Ross Miner and Italian pairs team Stefania Berton and Ondrej Hotarek, took to the ice with 26 other talented skaters to give dazzling performances. The crowd was in awe of the skaters, while more than a few skaters were in awe of the audience, which included skating luminaries Dorothy Hamill, John Zimmerman and Silvia Fontana. For her opening program, Flatt skated to "Sing, Sing, Sing," which received ecstatic applause. Her closing number was a heartfelt skate to Miley Cyrus's inspirational song "The Climb." The next day, I met up with Flatt and her mentor for an informative chat. Lake Placid is not a new destination for Flatt. She first visited this scenic Olympic village in December 2002, for the U.S. Junior Championships, and is now in her second year of starring in a Saturday Night Ice Show.

"It's always fun to come out," said Flatt. "It's such a wonderful little town with all these fun little quirks that I really enjoy!"

She loves everything, from the restaurants to staying at the Mirror Lake Inn, to "all the cute Adirondack memorabilia shops on Main Street."

Our talk then entered the realm of training. "The training environment is wonderful," said Flatt, referring to the World Arena in Colorado Springs. "Everyone obviously pushes each other to be their best every day. It's nice to have such a great support system." She recounted her average training schedule; Flatt skates four hours, six days a week and she runs both programs every day. She spends about 15-30 minutes warming up for each session. Twice a week she goes to ballet and stretch class, along with working out at the Olympic training center.


Full article.