THE OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE (Chapter 102)


"One of the best things about being a dancer is that it's Tuesday, the Olympics don't end until Sunday, and we are done!" Sophia was saying.

"Har-dee-har-har" replied Liz Cushman, who didn't start until the next day. "Besides which, you still have to do the exhibition on Saturday."

"Yeah, but that's easy, the pressure's off," said Warren.

"Thanks. Thanks a lot," Liz said.

"Hey, you're going to be fine, you know," Sophia told Liz. "You've been skating like a house a fire all year. Just think of Rich, and attack, eh?"

Liz giggled. "I generally do think of attacking when I think of Rich, yes."

--

Sophia and Warren spent the day just wandering from venue to venue. They started at the ski jumping, watched some bobsled, and then some speed skating. The next day was more of the same, starting on the mountain with some skiing.

That evening, it was time for the ladies' short program.

Christine Arsenault was the first of the main contenders to skate, and she was clean as a whistle.  The current world champion, Olga Privolchina, was also clean. The German champion, Dagmar Schrade, and the young phenom from the Ukraine, Svetlana Tamaschenko, also skated well.

Elizabeth Cushman was the last of the favorites to skate. The best artistic skater in the world, she was consistent and reliable in the short program. She started her program, began with a gorgeous spin, and then launched into her usual combination, the triple lutz-double toe. She had been using that as her combination for years.

Not this time. "That was a triple toe!" Warren screamed to Sophia. "She did a triple-triple!" and it was clean. The triple flip and double axel were clean, as well, and the spins were solid. The spiral sequence was gorgeous, the choreography impeccable and perfectly delivered.

 Liz Cushman moved into first place on every judge's card.

--

"Where did that triple lutz-triple toe come from?" Warren asked Liz at breakfast the next morning.

"Oh, I've been working on that for months," Liz told him.

"Heck, Liz, you've been working on it for years. But I'm amazed Frank let you put it in a program!"

"He didn't have a choice," Liz laughed. "I told him at the beginning of the year--we aren't going to beat Privolchina with just a puny triple toe-triple toe; and I knew Christine had better triple-triples than that, too. Because of my second mark, a dead heat goes to me, but I wasn't getting any dead heats. So, I told Frank, and my Dad, and my agent, and everybody--by the time we got to the Olympics, we were going to have more than that. All or nothing, that's my motto. I didn't come here to win another silver medal."

"I'm impressed. Balls-to-the-wall aggressive isn't your usual deal, Liz."

"Didn't used to be, you mean. Look, I love Frank, and Lori my choreographer, and my family, and my agent, and all--but sometimes I think that I'm surrounded by a support team that thinks that creating great art and making a statement is more important than winning. You're a skater, you know how convoluted the whole art/sport argument can get."

"Yeah. Maybe even more for ice dancers. Romeo and Juliet was a chance, and a chance based on making an artistic statement--but our OD, while satisfying to us artistically, was designed to win, no doubt about it."

"Right. And I can guarantee that, four years from now, you will only be concerned with winning. You've got your silver medal, right? Well, that's how I feel. Frank and Lori brought me their ideas for my programs last summer, and they were going on and on about how beautiful and inventive and this and that they were; and I said to them, 'I only have one question. Can I win with these?' I think they were shocked."

"I bet. You never used to talk like that."

"You're right, but coming in here with a silver medal from four years ago, plus two silver medals from the last two World Championships--I'm tired of it. We've been playing it safe, trying to do just enough technically and eke out wins based on the second mark. No more. I am the best female singles skater in the world. I aim to prove it."

"I take it that means there are more surprises in the long program?"

"Ah, Warren, my boy, you ain't seen nothin' yet! Especially since I skate first in the final group tomorrow night. I plan to lay down one hell of a gauntlet."

- - - -

Later that day, Warren and Sophia were on the ski slopes, watching the ladies' slalom.

"Shawna apologized to you?" Warren asked.

"Yes, and she seemed sincere. I guess she's having some serious problems. She's decided to see a psychiatrist. She didn't elaborate, but she told me she's been a mess. She did apologize, and was practically in tears when she did it." Sophia told him.

"Good. Going to the newspapers like she did seemed so out of character."

"I know. I just hope she can work out whatever she is having a problem with."

"Me, too."

"Hey, look," Sophia said, "it's Otto and Wilhelm and their friends. HEY OTTO!" They waved, and Otto beckoned them over. They happily went.

"Guten Morgen," Otto said. "How are my two favorite American ice dancers?"

"Great, how are you?" Warren said.

"Fantastic. I must confess. We hadn't planned to, but Wilhelm and I and a few of the rest of us managed to get tickets for the finals of the Ice Dancing. It was wonderful. Congratulations."

"Thank you," Sophia said. "You came because of us?" Otto nodded. "How sweet!" 

"It was quite enjoyable," Otto told them. "I don't understand how it's judged, but it certainly is fun to watch."

"Most of us who do it don't understand how it's judged," Warren told him wryly. "We're glad you enjoyed it, in any case."

"And you are engaged, I understand?" Otto said.

"Yes," Sophia beamed, showing him the ring. 

"Congratulations again. You have been a couple for very long?"

"Five years next month, and I'm pregnant, so it was time," Sophia giggled.

"So, who are we cheering for today, Liesl Schraeder?" Warren asked him.

"You got it!" Otto replied happily.

- - - - -

Warren and Sophia grabbed their seats for the ladies' final. They were sitting with Jack Garrison and his wife, Andrea and Brett, Sharon Nicholas and Steve Coleman, and a few others. Right in front of them were Rich, and Liz's parents. They all chatted happily, and watched the earlier groups.

Then, it was time for the final group. Liz came out for the warmup, all business, ticking off jumps. She left early, as she was the first to skate in the final group.

Her music started, and she did some breathtaking footwork to begin, and then launched into her customary first jump, the double axel. Except that she didn't do a double axel--she did a triple, and it was textbook.

"Did she just do what I think she just did?" Mr. Cushman asked the air.

"She sure did!" Sophia said. 

And Liz Cushman was not finished. She did the triple lutz-triple toe again, and threw in a triple salchow, triple loop. Eight triples, absolutely perfectly done, with her customary style and grace and artistry. The arena was on its feet a minute before she got done.

"That is the single best ladies' figure skating performance of all time. No doubt. It was like Midori Ito and Kristi Yamaguchi all wrapped up together," Jack Garrison proclaimed.

The marks were incredible. A bunch of sixes--with five skaters still left to skate. Liz Cushman was beatable, but it would take a superhuman effort to beat her. 
 
Olga Privolchina did not have a superhuman effort in her. She saw Liz's scores come up, took the ice, and completely fell apart, missing jump after jump.

Svetlana Tamaschenko, not expected to do anything at this Olympics, didn't feel any pressure. The sixteen-year-old newcomer still needed artistic development, but was pleasant and engaging, and ticked off all the jumps in her list. She didn't beat Liz, but she unexpectedly blew by the world champion, Privolchina.

Christine Arsenault was the last skater of the evening. In her mind, she conceded the gold to Liz, but thought to herself, fine. If I hit everything, I win a silver. That's exactly what she did. She hit everything, skated perfectly, and got her own standing ovation. She was right, it wasn't enough to beat Liz, but it was enough to win the silver.

The exhibitions were the next day. Sophia and Warren, like all the gold and silver medal winners, had been asked to do two. They opened the show, then the 5th through 3rd place finishers skated, then the silver and gold medalists again. Liz would be the last to skate.

Sophia and Warren were the third ones out there for their first skate. They did the number they had done at Nationals, "Come Dancing", and it went over well. They enjoyed the other skaters and then, a couple hours later, took the ice for their second exhibition.

This was the special one they had prepared for the Olympics, they had never done this one before. They chose to skate to "Thunder Road" by Bruce Springsteen--but not the "regular" version. They chose the live version, the one on Springsteen's live Box Set, an acoustic version that just had Bruce's voice, a piano, and snatches of harmonica and glockenspiel. No drums, no bass, no rhythm guitar--all the rhythm of the piece was in the piano and vocal. It was there, but it took some imagination and skill to find it, and dance to it. Sophia and Warren had imagination, and they had skill, and this song and this version of it had long been one of their favorites. They keyed on every one of Roy Bittan's piano arpeggios, and they keyed on the passion and cadence in Bruce Springsteen's voice, and they danced. They broke every rule there was, and twisted the definition of ice dance into a pretzel--and they created magic. The applause, when they were done, was thunderous. 




