THE DANCERS TAKE THE ICE (Chapter 99)

The first week proceeded like the first day did. Warren and Sophia got out and saw as much as they could see. They practiced. Sophia's morning sickness acted up a bit, but not much, and she was feeling generally good and fit.

Tuesday was the pairs' long program. Brett and Andrea were the first pair in the final group, and they skated wonderfully. "That's the best I've ever seen them skate," Warren said, and Sophia agreed. Brett and Andrea were beside themselves with joy as they came off the ice. When the other Russian team, which had been in third place, stumbled, Andrea and Brett found themselves assured of a medal, leading with only two pairs to go.

Zhalenya and Stanskiy were first. They skated good, but not great. They moved ahead of Andrea and Brett, and their presentation marks were, as always for Russians, overinflated--but the door was open.

Jennie Sellers and Denis Poulin stormed through that door and slammed it shut behind them. They were magical. They were perfect. The crowd was on its feet 30 seconds before the end of the program.

"Let's hope the judges don't screw that one up," Warren said to Sophia. They didn't. Sellers and Poulin became the first Canadian pairs team to ever win an Olympic gold medal.

-------------------------

Wednesday morning found them back on the slopes, with the Austrian contingent, watching the men's Super Giant Slalom. More beer, more bratwurst, and another gold for Gerhard Weichenbauer. That evening, they had their first practice on the Olympic ice. It was an OD practice, and they ran through a spirited rendition of "If You Can't Rock Me."

Thursday was the men's short program. Jack Garrison, landing his troublesome quad, skated cleanly into third place, behind the Russians, Ganyavin and Bondarchenko.

Finally, Friday, it was the dancers' turn.

--------------------

"Did you see the makeup of the judging panel?" Canadian ice dancer Renee Damphier asked Sophia and Warren at breakfast Friday morning?

"Yeah, we did," Sophia told her. "What a stroke of luck--only two members of the Ice Dance Judging Mafia on the panel."

The Ice Dance Judging Mafia was a term that some of the North American dance teams--and their internet fans--had come up with to describe a group of judges representing countries like Russia, Italy, France, Germany, Ukraine, and occasionally a few others. These judges tended to judge in a bloc, intimidate other judges, try to control the panel, and put dance teams in pre-decided "slots" in a competition. They also pushed the ethos of over-emotive bad mock-acting over actual dancing.

In the Olympics, there was only one panel that judged all four segments, unlike Worlds. This could bode badly for anyone that wasn't in the favor of the Mafia, because they could control every event if they controlled the panel. However, this year, the IOC widened the amount of judges that served as the pool that the nine Olympic judges were drawn from. The allegations of bloc judging and a Judging Mafia had hurt the sport.

Sophia and Warren, plus Renee Damphier and her partner Christian Gaudler, were thrilled with the makeup of the panel at the Olympics. Only Russia and France from the Mafia were on it. The USA and Canada were on it. The other five judges were from Finland, Great Britain, Hungary, Austria, and Japan. Only Great Britain and Hungary had dance teams with even a hint of a chance to get into the top ten, and then only in the lower reaches thereof. Plus, the judges from those two countries here were known as impartial judges of integrity. Finland, Austria, and Japan had no axe to grind at all.

"We might actually have a fair competition," Christian told his companions.

The first compulsory was the Silver Samba. The Russians went one-two, the French beat the Canadians, and Warren and Sophia were fifth. There were some grumblings about that, and some people wondered if the Mafia hadn't gotten to some of the other judges. Sophia and Warren weren't too worried, however, as the Silver Samba was not their strength, and it was a strength of some of the teams above them--the second Russian pair of Yatserova and Vaglach and the French pair of Borisina and Dravouche in particular.

The second compulsory was the quickstep. This was one of Sophia and Warren's better compulsories, as it was of the Canadians. In fact, lots of people thought that they had the two best Quicksteps in the world. Neither of them won it--the three-time world champions Bradochkina and Zhargov did--but they beat everyone else, the Canadians placing second and Warren and Sophia third. Third in any compulsory was a real breakthrough for them. They ended up fifth after the compulsories, but second through fifth was almost a tie. A good showing in the OD, and they'd be right in it--and the OD was their strength.

-------------

Before the Original Dance, there was another day off for the dancers, and the arena was given over to the Men's long program.

Yuri Ganyavin was brilliant. He had won two World Championships before the previous year, when he was usurped by teammate Viktor Bondarchenko. Ganyavin had fell to third in those championships. However, he had started the Olympic year with a fire in his belly and it had never let up. He won everything he entered, and when the Olympics finally arrived he was not to be denied.

To the delight of Warren and Sophia, Jack Garrison chose the Olympic stage to skate the long program of his life. Skating to music by Beethoven, Jack combined power and grace, artistry and jumps. He wasn't quite as good as Ganyavin, but he was close.

Bondarenko, the last skater of the night, still had a chance to defeat Ganyavin, but he didn't handle the pressure. Downgrading a quad to a triple and stepping out of a triple axel sealed his fate. In fact, he only finished third. Yuri Ganyavin became the Olympic champion, and a thrilled Jack Garrison took home a sliver medal.

-----------------------------------

They talked about the OD over breakfast the next day. They wanted to win. Bradochkina and Zhargov had not been defeated in any phase of any competition since the last Olympics. Every compulsory, every Original Dance, every Free dance--every one they had entered, they had won. Warren and Sophia wanted to end that. They thought they had the best Original Dance in the world. They wanted to prove it.

"I'm nervous," Sophia told Warren that afternoon.

"Don't be, Pookie. We're going to be fine."

"I know. I can't help it. I just am."

"You need a diversion."

"What, sex? I think it's a little late for that," Sophia said.

"I suppose you're right."

"Hey, when we get to the rink and get into the swing of things, you'll be fine. I guarantee it."

"OK."

They both took a little nap, and then headed off to the rink

----End of chapter----