Flashback to 1995 World Championships | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Flashback to 1995 World Championships

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SkateFan4Life

Guest
And Nicole Bobek never really had such a golden opportunity again. The next year, she failed to make the US World team, as she withdrew from the US Nationals just prior to the long program, and that's the year (1996) that Michelle Kwan won her first US and World title, and Tara Lipinski finished 3rd at Nationals and made her World debut.

In 1997, Bobek was devastated over the sudden death of her coach, Carlo Fassi, and she competed at Worlds with a heavy heart. At the 1998 Nationals, she finished third, behind Kwan and Lipinski, and then skated one of the most horrendous short programs of her life at the Olympics. She skated a very tentative long program at Nagano and finished 17th overall - hardly the finish she would have wanted.

Who knows what might have happened had Bobek skated a clean long at the 1995 Worlds and won the title? Perhaps she would have turned pro immediately, but perhaps that victory would have propelled and inspired her to train hard and be well prepared for the next two seasons. Of course, this is just speculation, because that's not what happened.
 

slutskayafan21

Match Penalty
Joined
Mar 28, 2005
I dont think she was ever considered a serious contender for the 96 World title, 97 World, or 98 Olympic titles anyway to be honest. She did some unfortunate obstacles, major injury in 96(party by her own poor decising making though), personal tragedy in 97, injury going into 98 Olympics(again partly self-
inflicted); but even had all those unfortunate roadblocks not been there, I dont think she ever went into a major event with the same chance. You have to keep your stature high by skating consistently and making an impression throughout the season once you had superstars hitting their peak; and you have to show the judges you are improving and developing new facets to your skating, the best she did since she was so in and out in her commitment level, was simply "get back" to where she reasonably was before, she never really gave herself much chance to improve or create any real buzz around herself. While Chen and Bonaly were probably favorites for gold going into 95, neither seemed insurmountable barriers at the time, Lu Chen was not viewed going into 95 even the way she was viewed going into 96 and 97(before going down with injuries) because she had been such a perennial 3rd place finisher in her career at global events to that point, while Bonaly had missed the podium at the 94 Olympics while failing to win the very watered-down 94 Worlds, they were still the top picks going in, both had payed their dues to win a global event, but were also there to be potentialy knocked off, something Bobek set herself up to do with her stunning short. Basicaly it was not as neccessary that year to keep yourself in the forefront all year, and have a pre-imenent perch in the judges minds, to shoot for the win if you were good enough.

Even if she had skated her best performances of the year at the 96 Worlds they would not have touched either Kwan or Chen, maybe she would have had a shot at the bronze, but Slutskaya(yes I am a fan) had already become a favorite of the judges and European skating community that year. Going into the 97 Worlds the talk was about Kwan vs Lipinski for the gold, with Slutskaya an outside shot at gold and the favorite to fill out the podium, Bobek went in as a bit player alongside somebody like Butyrskaya at best. Going into the 98 Olympics, a gold was almost out of the question despite her best competitive performances in years at U.S nationals, there was hype of a U.S sweep, but she would have had to fire on all cylinders to sneak onto the podium with Kwan, Lipinski, favored for the top 2 spots, and Slutskaya, Butyrskaya, Szewcenko, Chen, all armed with more technical content than she, and mostly with very good presentation skills to boot. Basicaly she had to keep making comeback after comeback, to revive her old form continously, while others were improving, and the bar was being raised as it always does as an Olympic skating quadrennial moves along, always at its peak point of opportunity early, then openings harder to find as it moves along.

It may be true had she won in 95 it could have been very different for her.
Or perhaps not too much. Either way I doubt she would have turned pro, she always said her dream was the Olympics, so I think she would have stuck it out until 98 in pursuit of that.
 
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JonnyCoop

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2003
Re. Bobek: I could never understand for the life of me where on earth people were getting the impression that we could actually SWEEP THE PODIUM in Ladies in Nagano. Kwan and Lipinski, 1st and 2nd, in whichever order, sure. Makes logical sense. But Bobek for the bronze? (SI picked her, so did quite a few others) Based on what?? With Slutskaya, Butrskaya, Gusmeroli, Chen, and a few others out there?? Granted, I expected her to do quite a bit better than 17th, but given her rather -- er -- erratic training habits and lack of consistency for most of her career, I thought picking her for the podium was just a bit much.
 

Bruin714

On the Ice
Joined
Jun 11, 2004
I believe Nicole Bobek landed 6 triple jumps at the 98 Nationals. Although she did not have the reputation of Kwan and Lipinski at the time, this made her a major contender for the podium at the Olympics. After Nationals Bobek also upgraded her program, adding a 2nd triple lutz, making her even more competitive.

It would have been a very close competition with Chen had Bobek repeated her performance at Nationals. Chen had a gorgeous free program, but she had a few shaky moments, stepping out on the triple flip, cheating a triple toe-triple toe combination. In other words, she was beatable.

The height in Bobek's triple jumps and her extension, which was the best in the world at the time (pre-Sasha), made her stand out. With a clean short program, she could have easily been in the top 5, setting herself up for a medal.
 

slutskayafan21

Match Penalty
Joined
Mar 28, 2005
Actually Bobek landed 5 clean triples at Nationals 98, not 6, two of the 5 were triple toes the easiest triple, she did not do a triple loop and everytime she does a 5 triple performance, which was the best she could ever manage post-95, it did not include either the flip or loop, the 2nd and 3rd most important triples.
She also did not do even a triple-double combination, and her triple lutz went beyond being a flutz, it was really a triple flip given credit for being a triple lutz because of the entry and the judges leaniency.

A 2nd triple lutz before Nagano? I am sorry but I was never aware of that, I certainly did not read a single thing about her practicing one there. In fact that she barely practiced at all after U.S nationals, seems to be what everybody claims, so how on earth would she be realistically adding technical content to her program? If she was really expecting that she would have practiced her butt off after nationals, I bet it was alot of bravado to increase media hype around her chances.

Even Bobek's performances from U.S nationals would have only placed her 6h at the Olympics I bet, behind Lipinski, Kwan, Chen, Butyrskaya, and Slutskaya. Keep in mind Butyrskaya missed the bronze by only 1 judge, despite two-footing both the triple lutz and triple flip, doubling her second triple toe, giving her a total of 5 stood up triples, and 3 clean triples, had she landed one more triple clean she would have won the bronze for sure. Slutskaya who did 5 triples, included a triple-triple, and 3 triple combinations of some sort, she lost the bronze by 2 judges only, her tech scores beat Chen and But. but her presentation fell short, she probably would have gotten it had she given a better impression by doing a triple lutz combo in the short(some judges were probably scared they would be accused of holding her up again after keeping her in medal range with 5th in the short with only a double lutz combo), or had she not stumbled out of her triple flip. I couldnt see the judges having Bobek ahead of any of those with her U.S nationals performances, she would have had to take it up another notch, since however the U.S may have perceived her, externaly she was viewed as a long shot.
 
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SkateFan4Life

Guest
"Sports Illustrated's| 1998 Winter Olympic preview issue contained color photos of the US women's figure skating team - Kwan, Lipinski, and Bobek, under the banner headline - "You Go Girls!"

Kwan was labeled "the veteran", Lipinski "the kid", and Bobek "the rebel".

I also believe it was a case of wishful thinking to assume that the three US women could and would sweep the Olympic podium. Kwan and Lipinski were certainly medal contenders, as former and current World champions, and a resume of solid consistency, but Bobek was a wildcard, at best. Granted, she was the US champion in 1995 and won the World bronze that year, but her inconsistent training methods, injuries, and personal issues simply put her out of serious contention to medal at Nagano.

She also pretty much stopped practicing during the month between the Nationals and Olympics, and she arrived in Nagano in questionable shape, at best. She just wasn't ready to compete at the Olympics, plain and simple.
 

CDMM1991

Medalist
Joined
Jun 3, 2005
Haha! What I find so funny is that 7 1/2 years ago, Michelle was considered the veteran :p
 

JonnyCoop

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2003
SkateFan4Life said:
"Sports Illustrated's| 1998 Winter Olympic preview issue contained color photos of the US women's figure skating team - Kwan, Lipinski, and Bobek, under the banner headline - "You Go Girls!"

SkateFan -- where are these photos? I am looking through what I am under the impression is the SI 98 Winter Olympic preview issue and can't find them. This edition is dated Feb 9, 1998, has Kwan on the cover doing a stag jump against a black background and the heading "A Very Cool Guide to the Winter Olympics"; it has the medal predictions and the usual Olympic preview stuff. Was there another Preview issue or am I just not finding the "You Go Girls" photos?? :scratch: :scratch: :scratch:
 
S

SkateFan4Life

Guest
JonnyCoop said:
SkateFan -- where are these photos? I am looking through what I am under the impression is the SI 98 Winter Olympic preview issue and can't find them. This edition is dated Feb 9, 1998, has Kwan on the cover doing a stag jump against a black background and the heading "A Very Cool Guide to the Winter Olympics"; it has the medal predictions and the usual Olympic preview stuff. Was there another Preview issue or am I just not finding the "You Go Girls" photos?? :scratch: :scratch: :scratch:


Whoops! Right cover page, wrong magazine. It was "People" magazine, not
"Sports Illustrated". I have my mind ingrained with "SI" and their Olympic previews. Sorry about that! :biggrin:
 
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