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Gold medalist Peggy Fleming makes an appearance in Squaw Valley

Vicki Kahn
Special to the Sun
Peggy Fleming poses with Roseville, Calif. skaters at the Resort at Squaw Creek.
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When you’re an Olympic gold medalist (she won the only American gold medal in 1968 in Grenoble), an icon like Peggy Fleming, everyone wants a piece of you.

At the Resort at Squaw Creek, Fleming was gracious enough to accommodate everyone. Filming crews before her ice rink appearance, no problem, pictures with the fans surrounding the rink, no problem, a Sierra Sun reporter squeezing in an interview in the locker room, sure.

Afterwards another filmed interview , a wine tasting appearance, followed by a scrumptious multi-course dinner paired with the wines from the Fleming Jenkins Vineyard which she and husband Dr. Greg Jenkins, a retired dermatologist, planted in 1999. And all the while Fleming is looking drop-dead gorgeous with a body for which a ballerina would kill.



How does she stay so fit and trim? Well, she has replaced those hours on the ice for time with a personal trainer doing weight training four to five times a week. She is religious about making time for her hour of almost daily aerobics. and#8220;I believe exercise is the fountain of youth,and#8221; she told me as she laced up her buckskin colored skates. You’re preaching to the choir here, Peggy!

Fleming is clearly proud of her family. Married to the same man for nearly 40 years, they have two sons (the older one works for Burton Snowboards) and three grandchildren.



Fleming helps out with the wine making blending process, she sometimes works at the Fleming Jenkins wine tasting room in downtown Los Gatos (near where she and her husband live), and makes promotional appearances all over the country. Fleming is a breast cancer survivor, and $2 from every bottle of Fleming Jenkins’ and#8220;Victoriesand#8221; Rose is donated for breast cancer research.

Unfortunately, Fleming could not stick around for the Olympic Legends Gala the next evening. Her husband had just injured himself while trying out some new ice skates, fell, and ended up having knee surgery. Last fall she co-hosted and#8220;Skate from the Heartand#8221; with Michelle Kwan, a special event featuring top skaters with popular singers to raise awareness of heart disease.

It airs Sunday, Jan. 31 on NBC from 1-3 p.m. Pacific Time (double check local listings for time).

and#8212; Vicki Kahn may be reached at vickikahn@sbcglobal.net


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