2000 Worlds
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That was Nice, but wait 'til 2001
NICE, France -- The eyes of the figure skating world will turn to Vancouver next year for the 2001 world championships.
More than anything else, Canadian Figure Skating Association president David Dore wants to please the home crowd, not to mention his board of directors.
"I want to have an extremely memorable worlds," Dore said. "I want strong skating from the Canadians (and) get all the positions in place for the (2002) Olympics."
What the CFSA hopes to see -- but won't say so -- is medals in three different disciplines. That hasn't happened since the 1988 Budapest worlds when Brian Orser and Elizabeth Manley captured silver in the individual events and Tracy Wilson and Rob McCall a bronze in the dance.
But the powers that be at CFSA headquarters in Ottawa can picture such a happy scenario with Elvis Stojko staying on the medal podium in men's singles, Jamie Sale and David Pelletier moving up one spot to earn a podium position in the pairs and Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz returning to earn a medal in ice dance. Bourne underwent knee surgery last month, so the four-time bronze medallists missed the worlds in Nice last week.
Dore acknowledged that the women have a long way to go to earn a medal -- Manley captured the most recent podium spot for Canada in that discipline in 1988 -- although Jennifer Robinson's surprising eighth-place showing in Nice guaranteed two spots for Canada at next year's championships.
The ice dancing at the Palais des Expositions this week was exceptional, even with defending champions Anjelika Krylova and Oleg Ovsyannikov of Russia out because of the former's neck and back injuries. The French team of Gwendal Peizerat and Russian-born Marina Anissina delighted the crowd and won gold with a dramatic, if somewhat overdone, routine performed to Carmina Burana by Carl Orff. Italians Barbara Fusar-Poli and Maurizio Margaglio skated a technically difficult program to the Braveheart soundtrack, while the third-place couple, Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas, were impressive with their Tosco number.
Dore said Bourne and Kraatz will have their work cut out to get back into medal contention but insisted it can happen.
"They need more speed and drama," Dore said.
LACK OF DRAMA
A lack of drama has been one of the knocks against the pair, who felt jobbed with their fourth-place marks at the 1998 Nagano Olympics and bronze medal at the worlds that year.
As for the men, Dore admitted that the Canadian program is a year or two away from replacing the veteran Stojko with a skater ready to challenge for a podium spot. Richmond Hill's Emanuel Sandhu, 19, has the goods (although not the quad yet) to approach the top six, although he has not put together a strong program at the highest level. Ben Ferreira, 20, the second entry at Nice, is also a promising skater.
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