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| THE 2001/2002 SKATING SEASON COMES TO AN END...
The sibling pair team of Danielle and Steve Hartsell also failed to make the American Olympic Team. With tears, they were forced to pull out of the US Nationals due to Steve's groin injury. The 1999 US Champions have been plagued by injuires since they captured their first US title. They have since decided to split leaving Steve to find a new partner while Danielle has decided to teach skating. USA's Todd Eldredge came back strong this season winning another US title. The oldest US male skater to compete at age 31, her went to his fourth Olympics in hopes of capturing a medal. It was not to be, however. Like Canadian and World Champion before him, Kurt Browning, Eldredge seems to fall victim to Olympic nerves. Spilling during jumps in his programs took away any hopes of medalling. He has since decided to turn pro and has joined Stars On Ice.
Canada's Elvis Stojko made the decision to turn pro after the Olympic Games. The World Champion and two time Olympic silver medallist did not manage to capture a medal this year.
In closing, I just have this to say. Every few years in skating the playing field gets shaken up a bit. Skaters retire or turn pro opening up the field for brilliant young skaters to step up and take the challenge and become the champions of tomorrow. That is what makes this sport so exciting and fresh. And even though this season is over, you can bet...I will be counting down the days until the new season begins. |
March 28, 2002. When you look over this past skating competition season there is only one word that comes to mind...WOW! This past season has been frought with surprising upsets, glorious comebacks, tragedy, and controversy. Let's take a look back...In a somewhat shocking move, Michelle Kwan fired her coach just months before the Olympics. As critics analyzed her decision she struggled on the ice leaving the season with only one major gold medal - for the US Nationals Championships. Long time rival, Irina Slutskaya (RUS) beat her at every competition this past season except for Skate Canada in which Sarah Hughes captured her first win. And then there was the Olympics. Sarah Hughes created a major upset when she captured the gold and left both Slutskaya and Kwan a bit shell-shocked. A disappointed Kwan hid behind closed doors while Hughes' victory was announced. With shades of the 1998 Olympic games in Nagano, Kwan climbed atop the medal podium - not in the top spot as she had dreamed...not even in the second place as she did in Nagano - this time in third place. After her disappointment in Salt Lake, Kwan announced that she had no plans of turning pro and wanted to keep competing. After her loss at the Worlds, however, rumors are that she is giving the matter second thoughts. Still, she did manage to make history at the Worlds capturing her seventh medal there - more than an American skater has ever received. And let's face it, only someone as strong and determined as Kwan would ever dare to go to an Olympics or Worlds coachless. You have to admire that kind of bravery in an athlete.
Alexei Yagudin (RUS), made a thrilling comeback this season with a gold sweep in every competition he attended this year. A trimmer, more determined Yagudin proved to fellow Russian skater and his biggest rival, Evgeni Pluschenko, that he was not to be counted out just yet. Ever since Yagudin's move to the states where he trains in Connecticut, his former coach Alexei Mishin (who still coaches Pluschenko) has critized Yagudin for making the move and leaving Russia. He claimed that Yagudin would become spoiled by the amenities in the US and said, "A full dog will not hunt." Meaning, that Yagudin would slack off and not work as hard training in better conditions then those he had back in Moscow. For a while this was almost true. Yagudin did suffer in the 2000/2001 season, gaining weight and losing most of the competitions to Pluschenko. This made his win at the 2002 Olympics and Worlds even sweeter. Now he is looking forward to competing next year and wants to be at the 2003 Worlds in Washington, DC.
Angela Nikodinov (USA) suffered great losses this season. Not only did she lose the new coach who was turning her skating career around, Elena Tcherkasskaia, to cancer but she also failed to make the American Olympic team. Nikodinov learned of her coach's death after skating at the Sparkessen Cup. After Tcherkasskaia's death, Nikodinov seemed to lose her concentration the rest of the season.
Xue Shen and Hongo Zhao of China won their first Olympic medal in Salt Lake this year. Capturing the bronze, their win was very quiet compared to all the fervor surrounding the Pairs Controversy involving Canada's Sale & Pelletier and Russia's Elena Berehznaya and Anton Sikharulidze. With both the co-gold medal winners off on tour, Shen and Zhao won their first World title in Nagano. They proved the Chinese have gone along way in pairs skating. Just view footage of the 1987 World Championships in Cincinnati, Ohio and you will see what I mean. The pair the Chinese sent to those Worlds were barely able to skate around the rink, much less do the difficult moves required. Now Shen and Zhao have brought the level up excellence up a zillion notches and opened the door for future pairs skaters from China.
America's Sasha Cohen came back strong this season after a back stress fracture. All season she attempted to do the first ladies quad jump but was never successful in competition. Even though she did not medal at the Olympics, she gave all the top skaters strong competition. She has a bright future ahead of her.
Sarah Hughes shocked the world and skating community by winning her first Olympic gold medal over the likes of Michelle Kwan and Irina Slutskaya. I kept wondering why everyone was so shocked. From the moment I first saw her at the 1999 US Nationals, I told my husband.."She's going somewhere. Don't be surprised if she beats Michelle Kwan at the next Olympics." I have watched her improve and skate beautifully over the last four years and often wondered why everyone overlooked her brilliant ability. 
Just getting started in her career, I think we will watch her receive a good many more medals in the future.
Copyright � 2001 Vicki Bennett
