Between Ruggiero and fellow silver medalist and forward Julie Chu, the three of them could get together and do whatever it is medalists do when they chill.

Olympic medal party in Mather tonight! Whooo!

Hughes has a very doable task in front of her. Jessica Ruddock, the junior goalie, points out that figure skaters take power skating lessons for hours, and that a number of hockey players—herself included—learned to skate from figure skaters. The overlap is there.

“It’s a great idea,” says Ruddock, who adds that Hughes would need to add just a little muscle.

Ruggiero estimates that the average Crimson player weighs about 150 lbs. Sarah Hughes isn’t quite there yet, but I’m sure it’s nothing that the weight training crew across the river couldn’t take care of by next winter.

I know you’re reading this, Sarah Hughes. Listen. There’s no future in figure skating, not when Tonya Harding is beating up Paula Jones on Celebrity Boxing and Oksana Baiul is trying to resurrect her career after DUI charges. When Brian Boitano dies, more people will remember him for his hilarious “cameo” in the South Park movie than for anything he did on the ice. And you, Sarah Hughes, are the only reason why figure skating, a tarnished sport, could emerge from the 2002 Olympics with its head held high. There’s no future there.

But Harvard women’s hockey? Who could resist? Jump aboard now. Join the Greatest Show in Harvard Sports while you still have a chance. Figure skating fame is fleeting; NCAA Championships last forever.

And please hurry. If I were you, I’d start that weight training program sooner rather than later.

—Staff writer Martin S. Bell can be reached at msbell@fas.harvard.edu.