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Kristi Yamaguchi hangs up her skates and straps on dance shoes. (IMG Worldwide)

By Lois Elfman, special to icenetwork.com

(02/21/2008) - It was inevitable that a figure skater would eventually join the cast of the smash television sensation Dancing with the Stars. Among the celebrities for season six is Olympic gold medalist, world champion, U.S. champion and world professional champion Kristi Yamaguchi. She and professional partner Mark Ballas have already begun practicing.

The offer to vie for DWTS's glitter ball trophy first came to Yamaguchi last fall, when she and her friends were intently watching season five.

"When you're that into something and then you get asked to do it, you're in a little bit of shock," says Yamaguchi, who during hockey season lives in Raleigh, N.C., with her husband, Bret Hedican, of the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes and their daughters, Keara, 4, and Emma, 2. "There's so much scrutiny and pressure. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go back into that spotlight."

Once she realized she could do most of the pre-show training in Raleigh and work out arrangements for her daughters, she knew she had to sign on. Keara is in pre-school, so she'll probably have them stay in Raleigh until spring break. "Hopefully, I'll still be in Los Angeles then," Yamaguchi, 36, says.

She definitely won't commute back and forth between Los Angeles and Raleigh once the show begins, but she might head up to the San Francisco Bay area, where she has a house and where her mother, Carole, can help with the girls. The Hurricanes play in the Eastern Conference, so there are no West Coast road trips on Hedican's schedule.

"I got a new computer, so we can do the iChat," Yamaguchi says.

As a young girl, Yamaguchi was drawn to skating because of the glittery costumes, so the glitz and glam of ballroom dancing should be right up her alley.

"I don't know about the false eyelashes and all the makeup, but definitely the costumes will be fun," she says. "I won't be limited by the weight. I was always so concerned, and poor Jef Billings (costume designer for the Stars on Ice tour as well as Yamaguchi individually) had to deal with me saying, 'Not too many beads, because the dress can't be too heavy.' Now I don't have to worry about doing triples in any of these costumes. It will be fun to see what they come up with."

She gets her first glimpse next week when she and Ballas go to Los Angeles for costume fittings, publicity photos and to shoot the show opening. Working with a partner isn't new to Yamaguchi, who won two U.S. pair titles with Rudy Galindo, and performed tricky pair lifts on Stars on Ice with virtually all the male pair skaters in the show.

"It will be hours and hours working with someone new," she says. "I'm really looking forward to it. He's a sweetheart, and I can already tell very patient and eager to teach.

"I've always loved the creative and the learning part of skating, like putting together a show. I loved the four weeks of rehearsals we had for Stars on Ice. I'm looking forward to that process."

The high heels scare her a bit, and she says the balls of her feet are already sore, but she's ready to get down to practice after taping an appearance with her fellow contestants on The Oprah Winfrey Show (airs Feb. 21). It's a little daunting stepping so completely back into the spotlight after growing accustomed to a pretty low-key life as a wife and mother. Since she's taking the leap, she is intent to stay for a while and hopes skating fans will vote for her each week. Season six of DWTS premieres on March 17. Yamaguchi and Ballas's first dance is the foxtrot. Go to ABC.com for all the details.