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Evan Lysacek and I had the opportunity to chat before he boarded a plane to Japan this week, as part of the global Smucker’s Stars on Ice spectacular. Evan rocketed to fame last year as he triumphed over Russian skater, Evgeni Plushenko, to win Gold at the winter Olympics in what was billed as a “Cold War Showdown”. Evan spoke freely about his alleged Russian grudge-match, his wild ride to fame, Dancing with the Stars, his lopsided fitness training schedules and bizarre cookie hallucinations!
Fitz: Last year you went from minor fame to being a household name within a week. How has that changed your life?
Evan: It’s been very different. Normally I’m well prepared for everything I take on, but there was no way to prepare for the changes this year including instant celebrity. I’ve had to learn to just learn on the fly and tackle situations as I go. My last year has been amazing though and it’s all culminating with this Stars on Ice tour. I haven’t been skating a whole lot because I did “Dancing with the Stars” and all sorts of appearances and speaking engagements too. So now I’m really excited to get back on the ice and perform for my fans, because that’s what I really love to do!
Fitz: Compare ice skating to your “DWTS” experience. Which activity is more challenging?
Evan: Skating is always challenging, and it doesn’t matter how long you do it. I think it’s the most difficult sport, and I have a lot of experience doing quite a few as I’ve recently taken up tennis, golf and skiing. Skating is just so much more physically challenging than any other sport I’ve played. It requires great precision, stamina, strength … all on a thin body. We train a lot to make it look so easy. I train with other professional athletes like the Kings and the Lakers in Los Angeles quite often, and on most days we’re training hours before those guys arrive and hours after they leave. Dancing was fun, but mostly challenged my focus because I had never performed with a partner before. I kind of felt like people expected me to be good, but I really knew I needed to focus.
Fitz: I’m one of those people who expected you to be naturally good.
Evan: Well I trained hard like I train for skating. I always thrive under pressure, so I think that level of expectation was good for me.
Fitz: How did that “Cold War Rivalry” hype affect you during the Olympic games?
Evan: Ha! I think a lot of people were caught up in the America vs. Russia 1980 Olympics all over again thing. But Evgeni Plushenko is a skater that I’ve looked up to for a long time, he’s been really dominant in our sport and my Olympic moment was really more about me. I was so swept up in what I had to do that I didn’t really even know that there was any sort of controversy with Russia or any of the other things you were seeing at home. If anyone was out of the loop on that, it was me! It was probably better that I went about my own business and had my own celebration, which was really an incredible moment.
Fitz: Do skaters ever talk smack?
Evan: There are psychological games that go on for sure. Verbal stuff that’s supposed to play tricks on each other’s mind. It’s something that I try to stay out of. My coach is quite zen-like and keeps me focused on my job, but I’ve definitely seen some funny stuff for sure!
Fitz: Since you’ve kind of taken most of this year off from vigorous skater training, have you felt out of shape?
Evan: For so long, I never doubted that I was in tip-top shape, because my training was endless and all I ate was 10 servings of produce and a little bit of lean protein each day. But like I said, in a flash my life changed and sometimes I have moments of panic where I think “Oh my God, what if I’m in terrible shape and I get back on the ice and I won’t be able to skate!” I’ve decided that I can’t always spend hours in the gym, so this year has been the time for me to discover ways to stay fit without insane amounts of time to dedicate to it.
Fitz: Tell me about those shorter workouts..
Evan: I love to run and that’s something I can do anywhere – even when it’s cold outside, it’s nice to get fresh air and vitamin C. Another thing that has been key for me is doing 5 or 10 minute workouts. I can do them in an office or in a hotel room as long as I have a chair. I do dips, push-ups, crunches, and pilates and it all really enhances my fitness. It’s also a great way for others to start out if they haven’t been in to exercise before. It’s best to start out slow with some simple exercises at a very manageable level, and gradually add difficulty or resistance when their bodies are ready.
Fitz: Great advice! Tell me about your eating habits.
Evan: Once again, they’ve changed dramatically with my new life. I used to eat the same thing every single day. And now I’m lucky if I get two meals in a day and I rarely know what kind of food it’s going to be. I’ve turned in to a guy who just grabs what I can when I’m hungry. The key for me now is moderation and making sure I never have any junk food. Junk food is foreign to me (and I’m lucky that way). I used to have hallucinations when I would break my diet. If I had a cookie, I’d end up with hallucinations of it just expanding in my body, so I kind of have a fear of junk food.
Fitz: Sad! You’re in a very high-pressure sport!
Evan: True! The key for me is fruits and vegetables and just getting those in for health has always been the most important.
Fitz: Back to your Smucker’s Stars on Ice tour. What’s your favorite and least favorite part of it?
Evan: My favorite part is performing for my fans. I play little games inside my head to challenge myself to do harder tricks, jumps or adding other elements to my show. Sometimes I compete with other skaters in the show too. I’m very competitive and I do love performing for fans. I feel fortunate to back on the ice every night, because I genuinely missed it. My least favorite part is not having enough time to train. Sometimes we arrive in a city a few hours before a show and only get a short time to practice on the ice. I like to practice, I like to train a lot. I often ask for more time than I’m allotted because I love training and just keeping in good shape!
Fitz: What’s next?
Evan: It’s hard to say right now. I’m missing this competitive season because of my commitment to Stars on Ice, but we’ll be finished in the middle of May and I’ll regroup. I need to see what kind of shape I’m in and if I can even get back in to that elite shape for competition. I definitely have Sochi (the 2014 Olympic Games in Russia) in the back of my mind, if they’ll even have me the country! And then maybe we’ll go back to that Russian saga.
