| Steven Cousins by: Michelle Wojdyla (This interview is found in the March-April 2001 issues of Blades on Ice.) Eight-time British Champion Steven Cousins is in his third season touring with Stars on Ice. This charismatic man has a reputation for being one of the good guys, with his dazzling smile and personable demeanor both and off the ice. International medals were elusive (save for a bronze at Skate Canada behind Kurt Browning in 1993), but Cousins' appeal was never based on hardware. He is a born entertainer, and is taking that talent from the ice to the big screen. Despite a hectic schedule, he graciously met me with his trademark smile, and we sat down in the seats of tghe Lake Placid rink where compatriot "Robin-no-relation-Cousins" won his Olympic Gold twenty years before. BLADES:What is it like skating with Stars on Ice? Cousins: It's like nothing else, probably the best job in the world. Fantastic crowds everywhere you go. People in the tour are the best at what they do. From the Crew to the choreograhphers to the lighting rig to the skaters, it;s very top notch. Professional throughout and we're spoiled. It's a great show. BLADES: What are you skating to this year? Cousins: Higher by Creed. It's a rock song. It was Michael (Seibert) and Sandra (Bezic's) idea to have me do something which is pure rock and roll. It's something I've never really done before, and something they wanted in the show. They asked me if I'd look for a piece of music, and I had actually three or four pieces of music with me. They really liked Higher and I really liked it,too, so it stuck. BLADES: Did Michael or Sandra choreograph? Cousins: Acutally Sarah Kawahara choreographed it this year and it was intensely hard. BLADES: Have you worked with her before? Cousins: No, first time, so it was an experience. It was alot of fun. She's very very gifted. BLADES: How did you get this job with Stars on Ice? Cousins: Although I am probably the only person here without a World or Olympic title or a medal of any kind, I think its a testament to the skating I did as an amateur-what it did for the crowd rather than the judges. I always felt like I skated for the crowd first, the judges second, and the medals third. Those were my priorities. Whether they hindered me from winning any World or European medals, I don't really care. The fact that I really enjoyed skating for the crowd is what my skating is all about. I think that because of the uniqueness of Stars on Ice, and the fact that is is working with ensembles, and that the crowd is the main focal point of the show, they thought that I would fit into this mold. It was a honor for me to be asked to do it. In my mind I thought, "If I can do it for a year and get some experience that will be nice." Now it's turning into a regular job, which is more that I could possibly have wished for. It's been great. BLADES:Do you ever feel claustrophobic on tour? Cousins: Yes and no. It's a phenomenal group of people, and I feel like it's cliche but they are family. They really love you, and they pick you up when you are down. They've lookled after me amazingly. Of course you get on each other's nerves after foru months of traveling together, but it's not even as dramatic as a sibling rivarly. It's just you spend that much time with them and you need a little space. And they give it to you and vice versa. I'm sure everyone gets sick of me at some point. No one holds grudges or anything like that. It's just a great group of people, it really is. BLADES: Are you recognized in the U.S.? Cousins: I think I'm getting there. When I first did the tour, there was a very mild applause when they did the roll call at the start of the show, and by the end of the show, when the roll call went again, it was 'yeah, yeah, he wasn't that bad.I've seen him, he's great." And obviously last year was a little bit more recognition.when the first show started and then again at the end of the show. I'll be interested to judge their reaction at the start of this show. This is building a brand in the States, and hopefully I'm doing that in the right way. BLADES: Are you completely Pro? Cousins: I turned completely pro by competing in the Grand Slam. It was the right time for me to move on because I get so excited performing for crowds in a show stage, and I just felt I did everything I could as an amatuer. I skated to the best of my ability in the last year, and I just felt like it was a good time to move on and not worry abotu judging everyday. This way {as a pro} I get judged by the people, who I love to skate for. BLADES: Do you think about Salt Lake City Olympics and think, 'I could be there?' Cousins: Not one little bit. I feel like I want to be there just to soak in the atmosphere, live my memories again. I'd like to go there as a commentator or as an analyst. You know, be a part of the Olympic spirit because I think it is a phenomenal thing. But the chair I will be sitting in will be a lot more comfortable than the ice. So I'm happy I'm not in it. BLADES: What has been your career hightlight? Cousins: There's a few for me defining pieces .One was winning back the National title I had lost the year before the (1998) Olympics. I felt like that showed alot of bottle to come back. The year before, people were saying, "It's the twilight of your career. Maybe you should just quit and forget about it and go onto pastures new." And I thought "You know what, I know I'm the best here and I have to prove it before I leave." So I really knuckled down and won my title back and got to go to Worlds and Olympics again. I just felt like that was a huge step. I would say that that season was the most gratifying. It was just a test of mettle that whole year. I was really happy with the way it turned out. And of course Minneapolis was very emotional because I figured it would be the last time I did the World Championships, so to be able to skate well there was huge for me. |