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The 1998 worlds left a multitude of impressions
Canadian Press
The cloud was a mass of negativity.
The International Skating Union, in its rush to keep its stars from deserting to professional show tours, has crowded its calendar with so many events that there are too many athletes injured or drained by the time the world meet rolls around.
There was not a reigning world or Olympic champion to be found, leaving others to win by default and crippling the walk-up gate.
Quality suffered.
Alexei Yagudin won the men's event because nobody could skate a clean program after he messed up. Evgeni Plushenko fell three times and still won a bronze medal. Elvis Stojko and Ilia Kulik, had they skated, would have clobbered them.
The women's event was little more than an exhibition for Michelle Kwan. Tara Lipinski's absence stripped the championships of what would have been a compelling plot.
The pairs event was a dog's breakfast made indigestible when Olympic champion Arturs Dmitriev reached for the raw fish. Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze won, and if Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler were watching they had to wonder how many world crowns they would have worn had the field been this weak when they were around.
The ice dance ended with the crowd booing the judges and ISU president Ottavio Cinquanta, prompting USFA boss Morry Stillwell to blabber about disatisfied customers being a disgrace. Take a look in the mirror, Morry.
Anjelika Krylova and Oleg Ovsyannikov, who were barely able to induce the crowd into polite applause, were handed the gold medals for being second the last two years. Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat got silver even though Anissina was carried around by Peizerat and did no skating for the first half minute.
Shift the gaze and admire some brilliant colors.
Shae-Lynn Bourne cried on the dance podium, not out of disappointment but from sheer joy of having produced with partner Victor Kraatz an ultimate performance. Each tear was a reminder of the immense effort all of these skaters put into long pratices in cold rinks in the pursuit of excellence.
Todd Eldredge rallied to win the men's free skating and take away a silver medal in his last ISU competition.
Anna Rechnio, an unknown outside her native Poland, skated the short program of her life with a sense of enthusiasm that painted a rainbow over the event.
Marie-Claude Savard-Gagnon and Luc Bradet, she with seven stitches across a shin and he with 11 in the back of his head after a training accident, were ninth in pairs results but first on the bravery chart. Keep an eye on them. They will win Canada medals in the years to come.
Angie Derochie finally got to the world championships at age 24, and pulled a hip flexor in practice just before her debut. Yet, she soldiered on.
And Emanuel Sandhu. Yes, Emanuel Sandhu.
This skinny kid, who was made out by the Toronto media to be capable of doing so much more than his experience level would allow, was an embarrassing 29th in the men's short program and missed the cut for free skating. Yet, rather than slink away and mope, Sandhu was always, always, approaching teammates to extend a hand and congratulate them after they skated. His heart was in the right place and some day soon his feet will be, too.
At the end, as the sun set on the 1998 worlds, there was a red glow on the horizon left by the Canadian fans. They took over these worlds. They waved their flags and cheered for all the skaters, regardless of nationality. They saved this event.