After 17 years as a champion amateur figure skater, Todd Eldredge is savoring trying out new approaches without the intense pressure of pleasing a panel of judges.

A six-time U.S. national champion, and once the world champion, Eldredge is in the midst of his second year with the “Stars on Ice” tour, which stops in Portland on April 10 for a 7:30 p.m. show. Joining him in the cast are solo skaters Alexei Yagudin and Yuka Sato and pairs skaters Jamie Sale and David Pelletier, Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze, Jenni Meno and Todd Sand, and Kyoka Ina and John Zimmerman, along with guest skaters Paul Wylie and Ekaterina Gordeeva.

The Massachusetts native is enjoying life as a touring professional.

“It’s much more fun, and a little more relaxing,” said the 32-year-old Eldredge. “You’re able to do what you want, with no restrictions. Rules are out the window. You can just go out and enjoy yourself and have fun with the crowd.”

Eldredge skates two solo performances – a slow, powerful one to Garth Brooks’ “When You Come Back to Me Again,” which closely resembles his amateur numbers, and a second to a flamenco beat.

“It’s fun to do something a little different, to try to shock the people a little bit,” he said.

Both training as a competitive amateur and touring as a pro have their drawbacks, Eldredge said.

“They’re both difficult in their own respects,” he said. “As an eligible skater, you have the day-to-day wear and tear of working on the different jumps. But at least you stay home most of the time. When you’re touring, you might get 45 minutes a day on the ice, and when there’s no show that night, you take the day off. The travel is the hardest part. The skating isn’t as hard as sleeping on a bus. This isn’t as glamorous as people make it out to be.”

Born on Cape Cod to a family of commercial fishermen, Eldredge has been skating since the age of 5, and was training away from home by the age of 10. He became the youngest man ever to win the National Novice (1985), Junior (1987) and Senior (1990) titles, as well as the World Junior Championships (1988).

The one honor that has eluded Eldredge is an Olympic medal. He took time off after the 1998 Olympics, where he finished fourth, and almost retired then. But he persevered, winning the U.S. title in 2002 and earning a trip to his third Olympics. He was one of eight U.S. athletes chosen to carry the American flag recovered from the Sept. 11, 2001, rubble of the World Trade Center into the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics. He finished sixth, then retired directly afterward.

“I sacrificed a lot for my skating, and now it’s time to reap the benefits,” he said. “I’m able to do other things – play golf (he’s got a 6 handicap), have more relationships. I’m having a great time.”

Eldredge also is enjoying becoming friends with his fellow skaters outside the pressure of competition.

“When you’re competing, you’re focused on what you have to do, and you don’t have much of a chance to hang out with other skaters,” he said. “Now, on the tour bus, we get to know each other and be a little bit like a family.”

Although there are few professional competitions anymore for Eldredge, he said that he hasn’t lost any of his skills since turning pro.

“I try to keep up for myself, although that’s difficult when we’re on the road,” he said. “But I didn’t work that hard that long to let my skating deteriorate. I want to keep that level.”

After “Stars on Ice” wraps up in Portland, Eldredge, like many people, is ready to get away.

“I’ve never really been on a vacation,” he said. “I want to go somewhere tropical, where I can hang out on a beach and enjoy myself.”

Tickets for “Stars on Ice” are available at the Portland Civic Center box office and all Ticketmaster locations, or can be charged by calling 775-3458 or 775-3331.