With a bunny-hop jump and ex pertly thrown kiss to the crowd, Ashley Marie skated into the record books, probably the first gold medalist who’s still being well, potty trained.
At 2 years and 5 months old, the skating sprite is thought to be the youngest soloist in a skating competition, says the U.S. Figure Skating Association. Kristi Yamaguchi, the reigning Olympic champion, launched her skating career at the venerable age of 6.
But on Saturday the doll sized Ashley, the pride of Alameda, got a jumpstart on them all at the Fashion Island Mall ice rink in San Mateo.
Standing 27 inches tall and weighing 27 pounds, the ice princess performed her program to “Going to the Chapel” for exactly a minute. Appropriately, she was costumed as a diminutive bride, replete with iridescent white veil, gleaming white dress, pink and lace bouquet and $140 skates about the length of a cube of butter.
After the performance, skating school manager Glen Danischewski draped a gold medal around Ashley’s neck her reward as the only competitor in her age bracket.
And Ashley beamed, like she always docs when she has blades on her feet. “Ice skate,” she said. “My medal.”
It was during the Winter Olympics last year that Ashley first became transfixed by ice skating. She’d sit for hours in front of the TV with her apple juice and raisins, mesmerized. And after her mother, Tiffany Margetu, took her to an Ice Capades performance, she begged her mother to let her skate, “I want,” she’d say.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 2, 1993
