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Cut in men's quota a big setback for Canada
MINNEAPOLIS (CP) -- Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz will remain on the International Skating Union circuit.The decision to continue trying for the world ice dance championship was music to the ears of David Dore, who had a trying week at the 1998 global meet.
"Shae-Lynn and Victor are not going to give up," said the relieved director general of the Canadian Figure Skating Association.
Russians dominated the meet with six medal-winning performances. Americans had three. The other three were turned in by Canadians -- Bourne and Kraatz, French, and Germans.
Dore blasted the judges, eight of whom were Europeans, for what he called outrageous treatment of Bourne and Kraatz, who were placed third overall.
"I think it's a sin," he said. "I think it's a real shame."
He said he was taken aback when he learned that the judges met the day after the event and congratulated themselves on properly appraising the event.
"I am shocked that the ice dance technical committee has met and believes that the result was correct," Dore said.
A different system of selecting a panel has to be devised, he said. At this meet, the names of 16 countries went into a hat after the dance compulsories and nine were pulled out to judge the rest of the event.
"They need to make the judges explain what they are doing and why they are doing it," Dore said.
The impending retirements of gold medallists Anjelika Krylova and Oleg Ovsyannikov will leave Bourne and Kraatz and the French couple Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat to jockey for the title next spring.
In the men's event, it was only the second time in 17 years Canada did not have a man on the singles podium. Three-time world champion Elvis Stojko was fourth in 1996 and his withdrawal with a groin injury this time left Jeffrey Langdon and Emanuel Sandhu to carry the flag. Langdon finished eighth and Sandhu 29th, and that added up to Canada's quota for next year in Helsinki being slashed to one man.
"A major disappointment," Dore said of Sandhu. "I thought everything was ready.
"We have to find some explanation as to why he didn't perform at the time. A lot is right about him but, obviously, something didn't work."
Langdon deserves credit for doing as well as he did under the circumstances, Dore said.
"When Emanuel fell out, a lot of pressure fell on Jeff."
Stojko is expected to stay in. He'll earn the one berth for Helsinki if he does, which means Langdon, Sandhu or anybody else who laces up skates will have little incentive next season knowing the nationals in Ottawa will be the end.
Angela Derochie was 20th in women's singles. She aggravated a hip flexor injury in the warmup Saturday night. Dore was not overly sympathetic. Canada has not had a women's singles medallist since Elizabeth Manley in 1988.
"I am tired of doing this," he said of the constant need to defend the CFSA's development program. "Somebody better rethink this at home.
"The ladies' event in itself was not very good, but if we've got the ability, we've got to find somebody who can get out and do it. No excuses. I'm tired of taking the blame for this.
"I just want a good lady. I was just so in awe of Michelle Kwan. Why can't I find one like that? There is a certain toughness we have to get in Canada."
Peter Dunfield, Derochie's coach, took exception to some of Dore's comments.
"That's the short, tempermental response," Dunfield said. "We have a depth of skaters adequate to produce champions.
"We just have to hone the system better, that's all."
The only Canadians who improved on their result from the 1997 worlds were Langdon, up a notch from ninth last year, and Marie-Claude Savard-Gagnon and Luc Bradet, who moved to ninth from 14th in pairs.
Kristy Sargeant and Kris Wirtz slipped to seventh from sixth through no fault of their own. They were one of the few pairs to skate a clean long program.
The same can be said for Chantal Lefebvre and Michel Brunet, Canada's No. 2 ice dancers. They skated well, yet, the judges were indifferent and put them 18th.