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Skaters tune up
The Nebelhorn Trophy, beginning next Tuesday, is considered a developmental meet, but Sandhu and Robinson were looking for a stress-free parachute into the new season -- before they compete in senior Grand Prix events in the autumn and winter -- and the Canadian Figure Skating Association is obliging by assigning them to Oberstdorf.
"Both wanted to have a pre-season warmup to try and see if changes they've made to their programs are working," David Dore, the CFSA's director general, explained from his Ottawa office.
It's a pivotal season for two skaters on the rebound.
Sandhu, 17, was second to three-time world champion Elvis Stojko at the Canadian championships last winter, creating a mountain of expectations. He came hurtling back to earth at the world championship when he missed the top-24 cut for the free-skating final.
Has he pushed that bitter disappointment into the past?
Apparently, it's a big secret. Sandhu isn't talking before Oberstdorf, says coach Joanne McLeod.
"He just wants to keep a low profile," McLeod said from Sandhu's Richmond Hill, Ont., training base.
Asked how Sandhu has progressed during summer training, a defensive McLeod declined to comment.
"I'm going to keep a low profile at the request of my athlete," she offered.
Sandhu has been assigned to the Trophee Lalique in Paris, Nov. 20-22, and NHK Trophy in Sapporo, Japan, Dec. 2-6. They will be Sandhu's first two senior Grand Prix experiences, with much more formidable opposition than he'll see in Oberstdorf.
Sandhu's future hasn't been ruined by the Minneapolis Meltdown, says Dore.
"He has a tremendous amount of natural talent. The opportunity is there for greatness."
As for Robinson, 21, she showed by winning the Canadian title in 1996 that she has talent. But she hasn't transferred it onto the world stage.
The Windsor, Ont., native, who trains in Barrie with coach Michelle Leigh, was 19th at the 1995 worlds and 21st at the '96 worlds. She was third at the '98 nationals.
Many might have quit after such a setback, but not Robinson. Her jumps have been suspect, but not her competitive spirit.
Determined to regain the Canadian title and get back to the worlds, Robinson worked part of the summer with Richard Callaghan, who coaches Olympic champion Tara Lipinski.
"She has a good attitude," Dore says of Robinson. "She went into a bit of a slump after Canadians but I think she's out of that now."
There won't be any pressure on Sandhu or Robinson to win medals next week.
"We're really more interested in how they are progressing as opposed to what the final result may be," says Dore. "We're focusing on how they are handling themselves."
Robinson's season gets serious when she competes in Grand Prix meets in Detroit, Oct. 29-Nov. 1, and in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Nov. 12-15.
The rest of the Nebelhorn Trophy team: Daniel Bellemare, 18, of Longueuil, Que.; Canadian junior pairs champions Marie-France Lachapelle, 17, of Terrebonne, Que., and Sacha Blanchet, 22, of Donnacona, Que.; the junior pairs entry of Jacinthe Lariviere, 17, of Princeville, Que., and Lenny Faustino, 19, of Woodbridge, Ont.; and ice dancers Marjolaine Mineau, 15, of Chambly, Que., and Dana Grant, 21, of Cornwall, Ont.