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Stojko to go for fourth world title
Having rejected lucrative offers of professional gigs, Stojko announced Tuesday that his desire to take his skating to yet a higher level will keep him on the International Skating Union's major competitive circuit.
First up is Skate America in Detroit, Oct. 28-Nov. 1, then Skate Canada in Kamloops, B.C., Nov. 3-8.
Stojko, 25, has not competed since winning a second Olympic silver medal last February in Nagano, Japan, despite painful groin and abdominal injuries that forced him to withdraw from the subsequent 1998 world meet.
"Even though the injury holds me back slightly right now, I don't want to look back in 10 years and go, 'Hey, I still had a number of years left in me.' I really want to give as much as I can," Stojko explained. "God gave me a gift to do this and I want to take it to its limit, and I know I can."
After Detroit and Kamloops, Stojko will headline his own cross-Canada show tour Nov. 14-28, stopping first in Vancouver, going on to Prince George, B.C., Calgary, Toronto, Sudbury, Ont., Ottawa, Saint John, N.B., Halifax and ending in Hamilton.
"Deep down inside I just didn't want to let it go because there's still more things I want to do," Stojko said of his desire to remain in the thick of the high-pressure Grand Prix series.
"I like the amateur circuit. I like competing. That's what I'll do until I feel that I want to move on. Athletically and artistically, there's another level to go to this year. Each year it just gets better. You learn more about yourself."
After a Christmas break, Stojko will compete at the Canadian championships in Ottawa, Jan. 27-31, the Grand Prix final in Russia, March 4-7, if he accumulates enough qualifying points in Detroit and Kamloops, and at the world meet in Helsinki later in March.
He has not committed to the Four Continents meet in Halifax in the middle of the season, but he hasn't ruled it out either.
"I'm going to see how my leg feels at that point," he said. "If it's stressed then I'll back off.
"We'll play it by ear."
Stojko wore a sweatshirt at his news conference. A 25 was embroidered over his heart. He was unaware it is the jersey number of baseball home run king Mark McGwire.
"It's a coincidence but if it's brought him luck, maybe it'll bring me luck," Stojko said.
Stojko's announcement came as a major relief to the Canadian Figure Skating Association. He is its No. 1 attraction and to lose the three-time world champion would have been a huge marketing setback.
"The dollars that were offered Elvis (to appear in professional events) were very substantial -- more than he can make by remaining eligible (for ISU events)," said agent Ed Futerman.
But Stojko passed.
"There is a lot of opportunity at the competitive level today and I want to be part of it," he said. "I want to continue to push the envelope."
He said he had a MRI exam two weeks ago and doctors told him he was fit to resume his career. If he doesn't overtrain, he'll be fine, he said. He'll use the same short program he devised last season, and he'll have a new long program. He's even started talking about inserting a second quadruple jump in his long program.
"I want to be able to skate that program at its full capacity by the end of the season," he said. "That's the main goal."
He said he didn't want Nagano to be his last memory of the world scene.
"I had a silver at the Olympics, but that was like skating with my hands tied," he said. "It'll be nice to go back to worlds.
"I missed it this year."
Other than the groin muscle he'll be careful not to hurt, Stojko said he's in great condition.
He thought back to the 1995 nationals in Halifax, when he had to withdraw after injuring an ankle in practice, to explain.
"A very reputable doctor who was there did the X-ray and came back and looked at me and he said, 'I've never seen this before in my entire life.' I thought, geez, there goes my leg, I'm all messed up.
"He said, 'You have no scar tissue in your joints in the area of the ankle. You have the bones of a 12-year-old. There's no wear and tear."'
His martial arts-trained body might even carry him as far as the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah. Will he be there?
"I would love to say right now but I can't. I'm going to take it year by year. I know that would be a great plan to take, and I know I could do it. But I have to take each season as it comes.
"I'm still coming back from an injury, so it's going to take some time."