When Nancy Kerrigan was six, she started group skating lessons. The first task? To learn how to just stand up on the ice wearing skates.

Her skating coaches over the years didn't always like her "hockey-like" skating as fast as she could all over the rink. They made her stand up straight when skating, not bent over like a hockey player. Today, Nancy Kerrigan still stands tall on the ice. But she also stands tall as a woman who gives generously of her time to many charities.

Kerrigan was born in 1969 in Woburn, Massachusetts. When she was just one year old, her mother became legally blind, forcing her father to be the sole breadwinner at home. Some people may have let a life-changing event like that weigh them down. Not Kerrigan.

At age 14, her unusual talents began to really take hold. She started practicing the triple-triple combination. One year later, she did her first one in competition, successfully&no other women were performing the triple-triple, and the judges were rightly amazed.

In 1985 when she was 16, Kerrigan was being coached by husband and wife team, Evy & Mary Scotvold. She started placing in Eastern, New England, and National competitions and in 1988 and 1989, won five First Places: National Collegiates, Carl Schafer Memorial, Novarat Trophy, New England Senior, and Eastern Senior.

At age 21, Kerrigan earned a spot on the World Team by winning a bronze medal at the U.S. Nationals. She went on to win a bronze medal at the World Championship, behind Kristi Yamaguchi's gold and Tonya Harding's silver.

The year 1992 saw Kerrigan winning the silver medal at the U.S. Nationals, the bronze at the 1992 Olympics, and another silver medal at the Worlds.

In 1993, at age 23, Kerrigan won her first national title, but placed fifth at Worlds because of a fall during her performance.

The stage was then set for the 1994 Olympics. Kerrigan was the favorite to win. But a tragedy played out on that stage. She was attacked at the National Competition and missed her scheduled performance. With her career threatened and possibly finished, Kerrigan made amazing strides to recover from her injuries.
 
After the Nationals, the USFSA (United States Figure Skating Association) voted for Nancy to advance and compete at the Olympics. Her incredibly hard work paid off: she won the silver medal, at age 24.

In 1997, Kerrigan chalked up two more wins. She placed third in the U.S. Championships and fourth in the World Competition.

All this winning, from someone who says her skating was never about winning medals. She simply loves what she does&skating. At age 32 today, although Kerrigan no longer completes in the figure skating world, she's still skating professionally-entertaining on the ice, in ice shows, and musicals: Alice Through the Looking Glass, Grease on Ice, Fairy Tales on Ice, Broadway on Ice, and Footloose on Ice.

Oh yes-in 1999, she even recorded a disco single!

Off the ice, Kerrigan's life is a winning one, too. She is married to Jerry Solomon and they have a five-year old son, Matthew. So although she still spends maybe three hours a day practicing on the ice, she spends a lot more hours a day being a wife and a mom.

Kerrigan is involved in many charitable organizations. Sight First, MADD, Massachusetts Children's Fund, Spaulding Rehabilitation, Nancy Kerrigan Performing Program, Skate Against Hate, Kraft Dreams on Ice, and An Evening of Championship Skating.

But Kerrigan competes most fiercely today for the non-profit organization she and her husband established. The Nancy Kerrigan Foundation funds charities that support the visually impaired. Inspired by her mother, Kerrigan finds herself in the midst of special events and fund raisers to aid the cause she is so passionate about.

This year's female recipient of the Iba Award has not only proved to all that she's learned how to stand tall on the ice. She's learned how to take a stand for what's important by helping others.