Figure skating, the Olympics and whatever else

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Comments by: YACCS

 

The more I start thinking about Salt Lake City, the more I'm reminded of the last time the United States hosted the Winter Olympics.

The year was 1980. The place was Lake Placid, New York, a small town nestled in the Adirondack mountains, which had previously hosted the 1932 Olympics.

That year was a perilous one. The Cold War seemed frigid between the United States and the USSR. The USSR had invaded Afghanistan in 1979 and 52 Americans had been taken hostage at the embassy in Tehran.

I had great expectations for the Lake Placid Olympics. As an American skating fan, I was looking forward to the showdown in the pairs event between Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner and Irina Rodnina and Alexander Zaitsev. While Irina Rodnina was having her son, Tai & Randy became the only American team to ever win a World title. It would be American power against classic Russian style.

Except that showdown never came off. I still remember watching the events on ABC television that night with Dick Button commentating. Randy Gardner had injured his groin before the Olympics. He took a pain injection hoping it would help, maybe only numb it a little. The ABC cameras showed a helpless Gardner trying a double flip in the warm-up and falling. And an equally distraught Tai Babilonia crying when they were forced to withdraw from the competition. I've read one account that says that Gardner still can't watch that footage because it's too painful to watch.

For years, I never understood the magnitude of that moment. The Olympics were this magical moment. In my youth and naievete, I uttered two colossal blunders. "You don't get injured at the Olympics!" The other one was "It's only four more years".

With hindsight, I realize that the jumps were the least of their concerns. If Gardner's leg had buckled during a lift, Babilonia might have been seriously hurt. They just couldn't risk the chance.

If the rest of the skating was a blur, other sports provided more magic. The Mahre brothers flew down the mountain in skiing. Eric Heiden did the unthinkable, winning five Olympic gold medals in speedskating in one Olympics, on the same track that had given the late Jack Shea his two gold medals.

And then there was the Miracle. I remember wandering into the den where my father was watching Olympic hockey. "Who's playing?" "USA and the Russians". Then I became more interested. And then we scored that fateful goal. I distinctly remember the chant of "USA, USA, USA!" starting up in crowds. With the final buzzer sounding, Al Michaels asked, "Do you believe in miracles?" We had *won*. We had beaten the Russians. We even wound up winning the gold medal.

The Miracle team was the unheralded, a team of college players put together by Herb Brooks. HBO ran a wonderful special on the 1980 hockey team which explained how he put the team together. They even showed the Russian reactions and perspective. The Russians were so used to winning. They hadn't lost the hockey title since 1960 in Squaw Valley. And here were these jubilant young Americans caught up in the game and the victory. We showed them.

Those were the moments most Americans remember about those Olympics-- the Miracle, the speedskater and the tears. Those moments defined a generation. "Do you remember where you were?"

Some things change.

The USSR isn't the Red Monster anymore. They're not even the USSR anymore. The Czech Republic is the reigning Olympic champion in hockey. And they have better chances in the singles events of skating than the pairs and dance.

Speed skating now has new equipment, the clap skates. These new skates allow athletes to set blistering times. But no one has matched Heiden's five gold medals in one Olympics.

Some things remain the same.

Herb Brooks is coaching Team USA again, but now he has access to the best American players in the NHL. He is only given a short time though to evaluate and practice with these players, not like the training regime he had in 1980. Somehow I don't doubt he'll be patrolling the boards the way he was in 1980.

Eric Heiden is a orthopedic surgeon now, graduating from Stanford Medical school. He's joining the U.S. Olympic team in Salt Lake City as the team physician for the speedskating team.

Though his famous students have long since retired from the skating scene, John Nicks is still standing by the boards at international competitions. He coached Jenni Meno and Todd Sand and now coaches Sasha Cohen.

I wonder what it will be like for that eight or nine year old girl somewhere in America, watching the Olympics for the first time. What will catch her attention? In this day and age, she might wind up Michlle Kwan or she might wind up Cammi Granato. Some things *do* change.


posted by Julia at 9:44 PM

 


My fascination with the Olympics started when I was quite young. Now you have to understand I have one of those trick memories that remembers things. This memory is very useful for names, dates, places and even skating programs. I have an associative memory. I'm not sure how it works, but it's scary as heck when it works. Something will trigger the memory and all the details will flood the brain again. I was the type who read every skating or Olympic book in the school library and memorized the medalists for some imagined final exam in Olympic history.

One of the books I checked out was a juvenile biography of Carol Heiss, the 1960 Olympic figure skating champion and 5 time World champion. The book traced Heiss' history until about 1961 when she had retired from skating and settled down to have a family with her husband Hayes Alan Jenkins, the 1956 Olympic champion. Carol Heiss Jenkins has since become a skating coach, formerly working with Timothy Goebel and Tonia Kwiatkowski.

Heiss' career climaxed at the 1960 Winter Olympics held in Squaw Valley, California. The overwhelming favorite, Heiss gave the performance of her life to win the gold medal. Again this was the era of school figures, so Heiss built up a commanding lead before the free program. There was no short program until 1973.

The North Americans dominated the 1960 Olympics. Heiss won the ladies event and David Jenkins won the mens. Wagner and Paul of Canada won the pairs event. It would be the last time the U.S. dominated the Olympics in skating, for Squaw Valley marked the end of a skating dynasty. The following February, bound for Prague for the World Championships, the entire US skating team perished in a plane crash, losing an entire generation of American skaters, coaches, and their families.

The photograph above shows the old Blyth arena, where Carol Heiss won her medal, taken in early 1980, when we visited snowy Squaw Valley. Over that Easter weekend, we found ourselves snowed in in Truckee, California. When we arrived at Squaw Valley, we managed to convince the rink manager to let us one look at the rink, because I was so interested in skating and Olympic history. Unfortunately, those interior photographs were on a roll of film that disappeared on our way home, so I only have a few snowy shots for posterity.

The rink was torn down shortly thereafter, taking with it a chapter in American skating history. Joann Schneider has put together a lovely website, Squaw Valley Memories, which shows more old pictures of the Blyth Arena and its skaters. Also please visit my own small Olympic gallery from my visit. The gallery also includes pictures from my visit to Lake Placid, New York, which I visited a few years later.


posted by Julia at 9:37 PM

 
Age is served.

In a sport of baby ballerinas and skywalkers, figure skating is finally discovering its age. Or rather skaters are refusing to follow traditional notions of what it means to be "too old" in a sport. Age is just a number, after all, like those scores they've watched a lifetime popping up on the scoreboards, a placeholder in their lives.

Todd Eldredge won his sixth U.S. senior men's title at the age of 30, becoming the oldest champion since Roger Turner. Unlike Dick Button who won his seven consecutively, Eldredge has also been the only U.S. male skater to lose his title and reclaim it on several occasions. Eldredge has won primarily through perserverance, but also through superior spins and solid jumping and plain *skating*. More people commented on his ice coverage and speed and edges in their Nationals reports and how impressed they were seeing Eldredge skate in person versus television.

Maria Butyrskaya won her third European ladies title at the age of 29, becoming the oldest champion *ever*. Not just since, but ever in the entire history of the European championships. Quite an accomplishment for a skater who was told to her face by the Russian federation that she would never be a champion skater. She is nervous skater, making fans wonder which Maria will turn up at a given competition. She offers something different than Sasha and Sarah, maturity and perspective.

Elvis Stojko also won his Canadian title. He will celebrate his 30th birthday in March. Of the three, he has seemingly nothing left to prove. He's won the world titles and he has two Olympic silver medals in the bank. He has conquered every mountain. And yet he feels there is one more great performance left in him, one "white moment" where an athlete is completely in the zone.

Debbi Wilkes, Canadian commentator and pairs champion, used the term "Golden Oldens" for this group of veterans in her last TSN column. I much preferred the term referred to by a RSSIF poster as "Person our age! Person our age!"

Yep, talking about my generation...


posted by Julia at 10:16 PM

 
Biography magazine's February 2002 issue has the typical pre-Olympic roundup on the Tonya-Nancy scandal. The issue also contains a short column on Olympic websites with a small picture of Michelle Kwan performing a layback spin during her LP.

The most interesting of these websites is the Olympic Television Archive Bureau which collects, maintains and restores all those old official films of the Olympics, plus some newsreel footage. This footage is made them available to media and researchers for inclusion in documentaries and other productions. You need Real Player to view the sample clips and you have to register to actually search their archives.

The samples are fascinating, especially the older restored footage. For instance, I viewed the clip available for the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics. Most of the footage showed the opening ceremonies, except for some skiing. The quality was quite nice. There was only one section of breakup, mainly because of the snowy landscape. Initially I thought the clip featured the hockey team, but it turned out to be a skiier carrying the Olympic torch!

For a historian, the archive is an absolute treasure trove. I find it reassuring that this old footage is being restored and maintained properly. I had no idea this OTAB existed. Alas, I doubt they allow poor slobs like me permission to dig through their archives. Do they need an underpaid library technician?


posted by Julia at 6:59 PM

 
Taking a slight detour from figure skating: I'm reading the other Olympic news. Jack Shea was killed by a drunk driver over the weekend in Lake Placid, New York. At 91, he was the oldest living American Winter Olympic gold medalist, winning gold medals in 500M and 1500M in the speedskating events at the 1932 Olympics. He was also the patriarch of an Olympic family. His son Jim Sr. competed in the 1964 Olympics and his grandson Jim Jr. will compete in the skeleton event in Salt Lake City. From the interviews, Jack Shea sounded so pleased and happy and proud his grandson would be competing in the Olympics. But he won't get to witness it in person. At least his Olympic legacy will go on. His grandson will march into the Olympic stadium with a heavy heart, but maybe some inspiration. Rest in peace, Jack Shea.



posted by Julia at 9:38 PM

 
Skating loves the "big story". There's always one central story that seems to hold the skating world in thrall and curiosity. The story could be a comeback, but usually it's a scandal. Skating loves scandal. For a year, that petty little incident overshadows the skating itself, because "everyone wants to know". Did she? Or didn't she? And did she really mean it?

This year, the story appears to be -- the Case of the Young Maligned Diva.

THE DIVA: Sasha Cohen, 17 year old U.S. national medalist who burst into the spotlight at 2000 U.S. Nationals, only to be out the next year with a back injury. Characterized as willful and ambitious.

THE CHAMPION: Michelle Kwan, 21 year old multi-time U.S. & World champion, struggling to keep ahead of the baby ballerinas like Cohen and Hughes. Not without her own independent streak -- she got rid of her choreographer and her coach in the fall before the Olympics.

ACCUSATION: At the recent U.S. Nationals in Los Angeles in the warmup, Sasha Cohen reportedly shadowed Michelle Kwan, nearly missing her on several occasions. The accusation is that Sasha Cohen was trying to psyche out her opponent, possibly rattle Kwan enough to prevent her from performing well. The attempt was unsuccessful. Kwan wound up skating brilliantly and winning her sixth national title. Kwan did reportedly take an extra minute to catch her breath before taking the ice for her free skate.

EVIDENCE: Articles and columns appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines, including New York Times, Chicago Tribune, LA Times, People and USA Today. The last column, written by Christine Brennan, labelled Cohen as an ambitious and spoiled brat, has received brutal scrutiny from fans who categorize it as slanderous and hurtful. Also eyewitness accounts from numerous skating fans on hand at the ladies final. A widely printed Associated Press photo shows Kwan and Cohen nearly missing each other. That photo is reportedly from an earlier practice session, *not* the warmup session.

DEFENSE: Sasha Cohen has said without apology. "I try to go through my steps, try to go around people, but I guess sometimes it's hard because everyone is really focused on getting their own stuff in."

OFFICIAL RESPONSE: No complaint was apparently filed with any USFSA official or referee. Kwan has not commented on the incident, refusing to point fingers. However the other competitors reportedly appeared chilly towards Cohen during the medal ceremony at Nationals.

FAN REACTION: Like most scandals, this one is divisive, splitting fans into different sides. Some are Cohen fans who feel she is being maligned and slandered by a pro-Kwan press corps. A small few see Cohen as a disgrace to US skating and should not be allowed on the Olympic team. Some shrug, saying that's the way the game is played. Most are caught between, not sure who or what to believe.

VERDICT: Hung jury with not enough evidence either way. ABC didn't show enough of the warmup session to determine whether there was any intent on Cohen's part. Sasha Cohen and Michelle Kwan will be sharing practice time at Salt Lake City as US team members. The media will scrutinizing Cohen more carefully. If NBC follows CBS' lead from Nagano, they will tape every practice session. If Cohen tries the trick with some of the other skaters, she might be in for a rude awakening. As the old playground saying goes, "Pick on someone your own size" and someone afraid to fight back.

For my part, I'm getting nervous. These are the type of flame wars that made me disappear from skating fandom for several years. Everyone is so intent on getting their point across that sometimes they forget the "innocent" bystanders, those of us just reading along on the sidelines for our information. How can we enjoy the sport if all we can hear is the arguing?


posted by Julia at 9:19 PM