Tara Lipinski spent her teenage years at the top of a sport that asks children for everything. Now her daughter is on the ice, and the Olympic gold medalist told E! News she honestly does not know if she wants that for her.
Lipinski, 44, sat down with E! News to promote HGTV’s Big Bargain Holiday Showdown, which she hosts. Talk turned to home, to her husband Todd Kapostasy, and to the little girl who took to the ice even though her mother never really thought she would skate.
Tara Lipinski Discusses Daughter’s Skating Passion in Interview
Lipinski admitted that part of her never thought her daughter would skate at all. She told E! News she did not want her child to “ever feel pressure to ever follow in my footsteps.” She went further and said she was not sure she actually wanted her to skate. Then came the twist, delivered as a joke. The problem, Lipinski said, is that her daughter likes it.
Her daughter’s version of the sport is about the costumes. Lipinski described a child who loves the sparkly outfits and the sequins, and who skates to Pink Pony Club.
Lipinski Prioritizes Fun Over Competition for Her Daughter
Nobody needs to explain competitive figure skating to Tara Lipinski. She told E! News she saw firsthand how serious a sport can get. Her plan for her daughter is the opposite of that. Keep it fun. Let her see the good parts of being on the ice. If she keeps loving it, they will keep doing it for as long as she wants.
Parents who were once very good at something face a strange problem. Their child wanders toward the same thing, and every encouraging word risks sounding like an expectation. Lipinski did not pretend to have solved it. She said she is unsure. That honesty is rarer than it should be.
Her answer leaves the decision with her daughter. Continue while it is joyful, stop when it is not.
The Olympic Gold Medalist Emphasizes Confidence Building
Lipinski’s caution has limits. She told E! News that sports can be a great confidence builder and can give a child tools that last well into adult life. Both things can be true at once. She knows what elite skating demands, and she knows what it gave her. Her compromise is to keep the benefits and leave the pressure off the rink for now. Sequins and a pop song are a long way from an Olympic podium.
She and Kapostasy have said nothing about lessons, coaches or competitions, and Lipinski gave no sign that any of that is planned.
Holiday Preparations Bring Joy to the Lipinski Family
Christmas is the other thing lighting up the household right now. Lipinski told E! News the family is in prime territory for magical holiday memories. She mentioned telling her daughter that morning it was time to decorate, and watching a little smile appear.
Her job is helping. On Big Bargain Holiday Showdown, contestants race to create Christmas magic on a budget, and Lipinski said she started keeping a notepad after the second episode. She plans to borrow ideas that do not cost much money. She also praised the teams for their creative and unique ideas.
Tara Lipinski spent the interview talking about decorations and a daughter in sequins. The serious question, whether that daughter will ever compete, she left open. For now the only routine on the schedule is set to Pink Pony Club.
Sources: E! Online
