~* Going Smoothly *~

    Side-by-side they stand in the dim lighting, silently awaiting their music in the gaze of the anxious crowd. Apart, together, or simply in their natural element -the arena spotlight- they remain as one thing: the best pair team in the world. The music begins and they move as one, in perfect unison with each other and the sultry music around them. The next cut of music soon breaks in and the familiar Latin beat of Santana's "Smooth" surrounds tiny Elena Berezhnaya and her tall, handsome partner, Anton Sikharulidze. Judging by their choice of music for the 2000 "Champions on Ice" tour, one could hardly guess that Elena and Anton have just finished the season dubbed as the hardest season of their short partnership.
      The 1999-2000 skating season began, for Elena and Anton, with an early stop at Skate America. Whether it was the high altitude of Colorado Springs, too early in the season, or just an off-week, Elena and Anton faltered in both their short and long programs, coming up with only the bronze medal and the message that they would have to prove that they could still be world champions by the end of the season.
     One week later Elena and Anton found themselves in St. John, New Brunswick for Skate Canada. Again, their short program (skated to Radetsky March) wasn't up to the level expected from the two-time world champions; nevertheless, they were in first after the short program. The next evening, tension between the pair was so thick, that even the CTV commentators were wondering how the program would go. Skated to Peter Tchaikovsky's "Valse Sentimentale" Elena and Anton's long program could not be beat. Simply put by Rod Black "They're the champs!" Near flawless elements, communication, and a grace beyond anything else, Elena and Anton showed the world that they need not worry; they'd be okay.
     Their next stop was the Grand Prix Final in Lyon, France. With a new format requiring two long programs, Elena and Anton were in a tight race competition where only the elite would go on to victory. Elena and Anton started out with a new long program which left them in 5th place. Their short program pulled them up to 4th, and finally their "Valse Sentimentale" gave them a bronze medal.
     The Russian National championships finally gave Elena and Anton a gold medal; they were beginning to show the signs of brilliance expected from skaters of their talent.
     Next, they were off to the European Championships in Vienna, Austria. After their seemingly cursed short program (which was only once skated cleanly at the Canadian Open) the world champions were in second, behind the second-ranked Russian team, Anton's old partner Maria Petrova and her new partner Aleksei Tikhonov. Again, Elena and Anton were challenged to bring their long program in to get them into first. Grace, power, and elegance came to the front when Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze became European champions once again. All was seemingly going well until news arrived at a World Championship practice in Nice, France: some cough syrup that Elena had taken during the Europeans had a stimulant on the "banned" list of the ISU. Their European title was taken away, and their withdrawl from the 2000 World championships quickly followed; the season had ended for the pair just as they had hit their peak, skating better than ever.
      "Champions on Ice" closes their show (as always) with the ever popular song "We Are the Champions." And among the crowd of skaters on the ice, two special skaters stand hand-in-hand; the words to the Queen song sum up exactly how Elena and Anton's season has gone: "I've paid my dues, time after time. I've done my sentence, but committed no crime, and bad mistakes, I've made a few......but I've come though........We are the champions of the World!" And champions they have been, are, and will be for years to come.

By: Crystal Jardine, 2000

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Copyright    Crystal Jardine 2000