Lysacek, skating stars dazzle Rosemont crowd

Olympic gold medal figure skating champion Evan Lysacek took the ice in front of his hometown crowd Saturday for the first time since the Vancouver Olympics.

"I'm excited," he said during the warm up before the event. And perhaps, a bit nervous too since it was his first time on "Stars on Ice."

Yet, despite a few fumbles and falls, Lysacek and other star figure skaters, including world champion Todd Eldridge, Olympic silver medalist and crowd darling Sasha Cohen, and U.S. champions Jeremy Abbott and Michael Weiss sizzled the ice Saturday at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont.

"I'm just glad to be here," said Lysacek, also a contestant on ABC's hit television show "Dancing With the Stars" this season.

Lysacek, who does live taping for the show on Mondays and Tuesdays in Los Angeles, said he hopped on a red-eye flight to train back home at the arena for his next "Smuckers Stars on Ice" performance.

"It's a different city every night and a different group of fans," he said. "I definitely feel like Chicago is home for me."

Star-struck teenagers, moms and even grandparents shrieked merely at the mentioning of his name an hour before Lysacek appeared to perform a Michael Jackson number, "Man in the Mirror."

Though Lysacek performed only one solo, he reappeared to introduce his four U.S. Olympic team mates, and then again for the grand finale performance. Yet, for many in the audience he still stole the show.

"I'm obsessed with Evan," said 13-year-old Elizabeth Brunell of Downers Grove, a member of the Downers Grove Dazzlers synchronized ice skating team. She added it was no big deal that Lysacek fell right after his first jump. "I still love him."

Elizabeth and her mother, Melinda Brunell, got to meet Lysacek when he returned to his hometown Naperville for Evan Lysacek Day last month.

"He's such a dedicated skater but also a wonderful human being and a great role model for the kids and adults," said Melinda Brunell, a proud member of the online Evan Lysacek Fan Forum. "He's very gracious, and humble. He's taking it all in, but he's not letting it go to his head."

Jennifer LeBlanc of Grayslake took her two daughters and mother, Deanna Vihnanek of Mount Prospect, to the show as a Mother's Day treat.

"My mom's the big ice skating fan," LeBlanc said. "We kind of did this for her and to spend time with her."

Vihnanek said she had been looking forward to the show since January.

"I skated as a kid ... I've been watching (figure skating) for years," she said, her eyes twinkling with excitement before the show began.

Fourteen-year-old twins Nicole and Alexa Drake of Elmhurst said they liked the choreography in this year's performances.

"I like how they engage the audience," Nicole Drake said.