Bradie Tennell, Olympic figure skater from suburbs, coming to skate at Rosemont

U.S. Olympic figure skater Bradie Tennell says she can't wait to come back home to the suburbs Sunday to perform with the 2019 Stars on Ice tour at Allstate Arena.

"Every time I get home (during the tour), I'm like, 'Gosh, come see the show,'" the 21-year-old said. "I can't wait. I think I'm going to have a huge crowd there. I'm excited to perform for my friends and family, and everybody who will come see the show."

Stars on Ice includes several champion figure skaters, such as Olympic gold medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White, three-time national champion and world silver medalist Ashley Wagner, and Olympic bronze medalist and national champion Mirai Nagasu. Tickets start at $25 and are available at starsonice.com.

This is Tennell's second year doing Stars on Ice, whose latest edition kicked off last month and includes 13 cities nationwide.

Tennell, formerly of Carpentersville, is the 2018 national champion and earned a bronze medal with the U.S. team at the 2018 Winter Olympics. She now lives in Cary with her mother and two brothers and trains at Twin Rinks Ice Pavilion in Buffalo Grove.

Tennell performs two solo numbers during the tour: her "Romeo and Juliet" free skate program from this past competition season and an exhibition program to a mashup of "Stay" and "Diamonds" by singer Rhianna.

"When I was younger I did go to a couple of Stars on Ice, and I thought it would be really cool if I could be on the shows," she said. "It's just so much fun, and everybody gets along great. It's a great opportunity to expand your show persona and grow as a performer."

Once the tour ends, Tennell said, she'll get back to work and start training for the new competition season starting in the fall. As for what kind of program she might skate, "I have started coming up with ideas, though I don't like to say too much before the season gets started," she said. "It's nice to surprise people with what I have been working on all summer."

And, of course, she is aiming to compete in the 2022 Winter Olympics.

"That's my ultimate goal. That's what I am working toward every day," she said.