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Original recipe Skaters push boundaries at World Pro Championships
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Originality was the winner. A rule mandating skaters come up with new routines for the World Professional Figure Skating Championship gave a freshness to the competition that made up for the missing big names. Some of the highlights: -Philippe Candeloro took the use of props to a new extreme in Saturday's winning 'Wild Wild West' routine. He burst through the swinging doors of the mock "Candel City" saloon, twirled a six-shooter, had two costume changes, lassoed a production assistant and somehow found time to land three triple jumps. "I think I need a little more work," said Candeloro, who won a major competition for the first time in his career. "It's very difficult. I had to think about every step. It makes me more nervous. I need five or six times to become better in this program." -Elena Leonova and Andrei Khvalko revived memories of dance greats Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean with a pairs version of "Bolero." Their daring lifts and flawless execution earned the biggest ovation of the evening -- along with four perfect 10s from the judges -- as they successfully defended their title. "The legacy of Torvill and Dean is the legacy of Torvill and Dean, and there's going to be the Torvill and Dean 'Bolero' forever," Leonova said. "Because it's such a great piece of music and because we're pairs skaters and not ice dancers, it was risky but we will try to do it, and we're really happy with it." -German pair Mandy Woetzel and Ingo Steuer presented an enthrallingly choreographed and costumed "Butterfly" routine with original music. She fluttered in her yellow costume, and he chased her all over the rink with a huge net. It was almost a shame they finished last among the four pairs, but someone had to. "It was not easy to find a costume with wings I could skate with," Woetzel said. "I'm quite satisfied. It was not perfect, but it was not so bad." -Americans Elizabeth Punsalan and Jerod Swallow won the dance for the second consecutive year, again beating Russians they could never seem to top as amateurs. Their routine portrayed the classic forbidden love story of Dido and Aeneas. "I wish we'd discovered (the music) while we were still competing as amateurs," Punsalan said. "It's very important we keep our standard up as professionals." -And, finally, Yuka Sato proved threatrics aren't really necessary at all. Her brilliantly understated interpretation of Debussy's "Afternoon of a Faun" won the women's competiton. Choreographing her routine was a challenge because the music doesn't build to any kind of crescendo. "Because it's so quiet, you really really have to depend on your skating quality," said Sato, who has been working on her upper body strength in a budding pairs career with husband Jason Dungjen. "You have to sink into the ice, and to do that you have to be well-trained physically." For the first time, the skaters' contracts required they perform at least one routine that had never aired on televison. Some debuted their new stuff during Friday's technical program, some waited until Saturday's artistic program, and a few had brand new material both nights. Watching one virtually new routine after another added a breath of fresh air to the 28th edition of the championship, and NBC kept the spirit by broadcasting the event on a one-day delay rather than waiting until January. The event suffered a blow when defending women's champion Tara Lipinski withdrew with a hip injury. Both Brian Boitano and Kurt Browning were missing for the first time in seven years, taking away two fan favorites who aggressively promoted the event as more than just a show. That's not to say the newer wave is less competitive. Candeloro, with many silvers and bronzes in his collection, worked hard to finally reach the top of the podium and to prove to the people back home there is skating beyond the Olympics. "Tonight I'm very glad for myself," Candeloro said. "The people in France are going to be ticked off. They don't like me too well. ... (This) proves I never stopped skating. I never stopped practice. I never stopped competitions. "In the States, everybody knows that professional skating is much better than amateur. In France, people think when you turn professional you go to Holiday on Ice and stop competing."
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