| International Figure Skating May/June 1998 COUSINS HOPING TO NET PRO SOCCER TRYOUT Barrie, Ont-- British Men's Champion and sixth-place Olympic finisher Steven Cousins reported that he's hoping for a tryout with a professional British soccer team this summer. The Waterford division-three team is partly owned by a former chief executive of the British skating association. "He said things looked good for me to go and work out with the team," Cousins reported in March, adding he hoped to get the go-ahead in early April. "I play soccer all the time. I played for two teams in Toronto. It's pretty exciting for me." Back at his home in Barre, Ontario, where he has lived for several years to train with Doug Leigh and Robert Tebby at teh Mariposa Skating School, Cousins said that although he was pleased with his short program skate at the Nagano Games and the overall result, "the long {program} could have been better." While Cousins was the only skater representing Great Britain at the Olympics, he said he didn't really think about that since "I got to hang out with my Canadian friends and {girlfriend} Shae {-Lynn Bourne}." As for the death of British contenders in the sport, Cousins said, "From '84 when {Jayne} Torvill and {Christopher} Dean won Olympics, I think the {British} association sat on its laurels and didn't progress with the times, but in the last five years there's been a huge turnaround in the way the association started to work with the kids. You're going to see {improvement} in the next 5 to 10 years.It's a slow process. I was lucky because I was financed elsewhere (by the Welsh Sports Council, a generous benefactor and performance income)," Cousins added. "The association couldn't finance me or any other skaters but now they can with lottery funds they're receiving, and they have a good performance plan organized." Cousins said he will be considering his future direction in the sport after the World Championships in Minneapolis.- L.N. |
| RETURN International Figure Skating Jan/Feb 1999 Steven Cousins returned to the British Championships, as a commentator for the BBC, before heading off for another season with Stars On Ice. Cousins, who has won the British title eight times, had nothing but praise for the U.S. tour. "I've improved so much from the experience," he said. "I wish I'd done this tour in the middle of my amateur career. "Coming back to Britian to commentate has been a great experience , too," added Cousins, who also skated in the closing exhibition. "Working with leading BBC people, such as Sue Barker and Barry Davies, is a real honor." |