TIME OUT J. MLECZKO
She remembers it vividly, the cheering throngs, the looks of wonder, the (is there a better word for it?) love. When A. J. Mleczko returned to Nantucket from the 1998 winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, a member of the first U.S. women's hockey team to

A. J. relaxes on Nantucket with daughters Finley (left) and Jaime. ROB BENCHLEY/The Independent

capture the gold medal, it truly felt like coming

home. To islanders, especially the children who had followed the team's exploits with keen interest and stayed in touch through the Olympics via e-mail, A. J. was their hero, and they took special pride in her accomplishments.

They crowded Main Street that early March day in bitter cold as A. J. rode a fire engine to the steps of the Pacific Bank. She shared her team's triumph with the island that day, and would not leave until every awestruck child waiting on the cold cobblestones got to touch her gold medal, hug her or simply say hello.

"I don't even know if I can put words to it," she says today. "My memory of it is the incredible support. It was so above and beyond what I expected. We were so excited about our victory as a team, but to realize how many people it touched…to come back and realize the kids and the schools followed it, it was pretty amazing. I was born here, but didn't go to school here. I got a real sense of what year-rounders have here; there's a different feel in the winter. It made me appreciate the small town feel of Nantucket."

It's hard to believe it happened nearly 10 years ago now. A. J. went on to earn silver in the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. Since then, she has run her own hockey camps, done some broadwith casting around Boston and was a commentator for NBC during last year's winter Olympics in Torino.

She has also been busy raising a family with her husband of seven years, Jason Griswold. They have two daughters, Finley, who is three and a half, and 14-month-old Jaime. She is expecting their third child in November.

Understandably, A. J. has "hung up the competitive skates" and won't be holding a hockey camp this year.

She will be at Nantucket Ice this weekend, however, to host her sixth annual Charity on Ice event, one that remains near and dear to her heart. The first Charity on Ice in 2002 served as the rink's grand opening, and A. J. does not simply lend her name to the proceedings.

"My mom and I do it, with a lot of help from people at the rink. Each year we figure more and more things out, and more and more people help out; it's become a community event."

From the start, A. J. and her family have been instrumental in the rink's success. The enthusiasm for skating generated by A. J. was a huge help, as was the leadership of her mother, Bambi, who recently stepped down as the first Nantucket Ice president.

As it has since 2002, Charity on Ice remains the rink's major fundraiser, whose proceeds help to chip away at the debt incurred in getting the privately funded rink built in the first place. All monies needed to operate the rink are selfgenerated, and A. J. enjoys doing what she can. "Hopefully, we'll be able to erase that debt and maybe endow the rink some day."

To that end, she has invited hockey greats like former Boston Bruins Andy Brickley, Ted Donato and Bob Sweeney, Olympic gold medalist Jim Craig and 2005 world champion Sarah Parsons, just to name a few, to Saturday's exhibition that gets underway at 4 p.m. Tickets for a cookout to be held after the exhibition, where people can meet A. J. and her fellow skating stars, are available by calling Nantucket Ice at 228-2516.

Perhaps it's because she's been involved with Nantucket Ice from the outset, but A. J. carries a real fondness for the rink. "I do think it's a great facility," she says. "It handles so many different groups; it's been an incredible addition to this community. What's surprised me is that it hasn't just been for kids - so many adults use it. That's pretty cool."

She lives near Boston now, but A. J. gets home to Nantucket as often as she can. She'll sometimes do a little work for her first coach while she's here - that is she helps out her father Tom Mleczko on his charter fishing boat. Lately, however, she's content simply to go fishing with her family.

"Our three-and-a-half year old loves to fish," she says.

Just like her mother. No word yet on how she handles a puck, but something tells me to check my

sports calendar in about 12 years or so. I