Soap stars have to possess a great deal of talent to do the kind of rigorous work required to produce the equivalent of a one-act play every day – five days a week. But some of them also have talents and skill sets that might surprise event their most ardent admirers.
Which Soap Star Was It?
All of these actresses are either an alum of a long-ago classic – like All My Children – or they are either currently starring in or are an alum of one of the four remaining daytime dramas – The Bold and the Beautiful, Days of our Lives, General Hospital, and The Young and the Restless. But only would of them can triumphantly brandish the gold medal she won at the Junior Olympics figure skating championships.
But just who can that actress be? Was it Rebecca Budig (ex-Greenlee Smythe, AMC), Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke Logan, BB), Kristian Alfonso (Hope Brady, DAYS), Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth Webber Baldwin, GH), Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki Newman, YR)?
Rebecca Budig
Budig may have had only a passing talent for ice skating – no Junior Olympics for this lady – but her abilities did result in a win during the first and only season of ABC’s Skating with the Stars.
Katherine Kelly Lang
Lang never took home the gold at the Junior Olympics. However, her prowess as a skater did earn her graduation from background extra to leading lady in the 1979 feature film Skatetown U.S.A.
Rebecca Herbst
At age 16, Herbst had a decision to make – continue on as a competitive figure skater (a talent she had possessed since childhood) or concentrate solely on her dreams of becoming an actress. She chose the latter.
Melody Thomas Scott
Scott never entered the Junior Olympics as an ice skater. However, the actress is linked to the sport by association alone. Through the Eyes of Love, the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award-nominated ballad, that has served as the love theme for YR supercouple Victor and Nikki for decades, is also well remembered for serving as the main musical piece for the 1978 romantic drama film Ice Castles, which followed the exploits of a handicapped figure skater.
Kristian Alfonso
Alfonso developed a passion for figure skating early in life and her innate talent led to victory at the Junior Olympics. Her future in the sport seemed all but ensured – as did participation in the veteran games. However, a tobogganing accident at the age of 13 resulted in multiple fractures to Alfonso’s landing leg and an end to that dream. Instead, she turned her attention to new ventures, including modeling and acting.
So if you guessed that the soap star in question was Kristian Alfonso then you were absolutely correct!
