Elvis Stojko Not Competing | Golden Skate

Elvis Stojko Not Competing

dizzydi

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Elvis....

This is very disappointing and sad. It must be very difficult for Elvis to give up his quest to return to eligible skating.

I for one, am thankful for Elvis and his huge contribution to skating so far and surely look forward to seeing him in the future.

Dizzy
 

Kara Bear

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
HOLY MOLY

I am kinda relieved to hear this. I think it might have been a little sad to see Elvis compete this year...to see him fight against his aging body, injuries, quads he can no longer consistently do, and men ten years younger than him with 3 quads in a program.

I think his reinstatment was a result of his not being able to accept that he would never have Olympic gold. As Toller Cranston once said, sometimes the god decide that its not in your cards. And it was just that way. Nonetheless, Elvis had an OUTSTANDING amateur career and has done so much for skating in Canada. (Hes the reason I first started watching skating waaaay back in 92.) Elvis you have made Canada proud. I think he should look at Kurt Browning to see that there is life beyond the Olympics.

I cannot wait to see him in the professional world and sure his pro careeer will be a sucess.
 

Tonichelle

Idita-Rock-n-Roll
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
I'm not surprised that he isn't... but then again I am...

I mean, seriously, who thought Elvis would really retire? :rolleyes:
 

RealtorGal

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Well, that's a shame, but I suppose he was trying to recapture his glory days and realized he just didn't have what it takes.

I guess Elvis has finally left the building.
:sheesh: :\
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Not easy to get back in shape after a long pause. Few Tennis Players have been able to do it. Only Agassi stands out as a winner.

Joe
 

alina

Rinkside
Joined
Aug 29, 2003
I congratulate Elvis for this decision.
It´s hard to realize yourself that the time is over.
When he did his last competitions (olys and worlds)he already was over his zenith.
I hope he will find a meaningful satisfied job for his future.

Not easy to get back in shape after a long pause. Few Tennis Players have been able to do it. Only Agassi stands out as a winner.

and the boxer Muhammed Ali

Alina
 

Lynn226

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Good bye, Elvis.

You may have left the building, but you will never leave our hearts.
 

heyang

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Hey, Joe. Don't forget Jennifer Capriati's comeback.

It is a shame about Elvis. I enjoyed his competitive skates more than his exhibition skating.
 

singerskates

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
I just wish Elvis' competitive nature wouldn't have made him over train and then leave his body open to viruses by being run down. I think it's a good thing that Elvis is returning to the pro ranks. He'll have less opportunity to over do it for the sake of competition. Elvis is just simply an addictive competitor and there's no middle ground in Elvis' heart. Either he goes beyond the beyond to get where he wants or he takes himself out of the competition one way or another. Good for Elvis for choosing the wiser more intelligent thing to do even if it feels disappointing at the moment. I hope he realizes that no Olympic Gold medal or World medal is worth loosing his life over and he's better for his recent choice. God Bless Elvis
 

Jaana

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Country
Finland
Pairs skaters, e.g. Rodnina and Gordeeva have come back after they had a baby, and even won the Olympic gold. Gordeeva & Grinkov also turned pro, and came back.

Marjaana
 
Last edited:
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
alina said:
I congratulate Elvis for this decision.
It's hard to realize yourself that the time is over.
When he did his last competitions (olys and worlds) he already was over his zenith.
I hope he will find a meaningful satisfied job for his future...
Alina
Very well put and ITA, Alina. You could say Elvis is "addicted" to competing or your could also say that Elvis was born with the "competition" gene. We really don't know what drives some people on and on in their competitions, and as such for myself I can't cast it in either a positive or negative light. People are different. I was dubious when Elvis announced he was returning to eligible competition because of his history of injuries and how much the sport has evolved, not to mention his age. Moving on for athletes such as Elvis is very difficult. We might see it as, "Oh, poor baby," but in dance, at least in New York, it was realized some 15 years ago that all the NY ballet, modern, and musical theater dancers are lucky if they can keep dancing till they're 30 or 35. Most have little or no college and especially some of the most talented ballerinas finished high school on the fly and are not prepared for college. Thus New York City has the Dancer Transition Center where psychologists, career counselors, and a whole range of professionals help both female and male dancers help move forward with their lives. Some stay in dance as teachers and choreographers; some star partly in dance as physical therapists, trainers, or psychologists specializing in dance medicine; and some go into completely new careers, everything from journalism to chemistry. I worked at the Dancer Transition Center for a short while about 10 years ago and one of the things that I thought helped the dancers the most was simply being around other dancers who had been through or were going through the same thng they were. It would be nice if skaters had something similar. Very few of them have the money and name recognition of an Elvis Stojko. Most working skaters are with shows such as Disney on Ice. They have families and have to pay the bills too when they can no longer skate. The skating world is so insular that it's hard to have a good perspective of what your options really are and what it will take to achieve whatever goal you set in terms of things such as education and work experience.

Good luck Elvis!
Rgirl
 

lovespirals

Rinkside
Joined
Sep 29, 2003
It is difficult retiring....

I agree with Rgirl in that figure skating should have something for its athlete to ease the transition with retiring. In Skatetalk Debbie Wilkes (1964 bronze medalist in pairs) talks about how was for her to retire

"I think I was 11, the first time I was on a international team-that to me it was just a lark. It was something I just kind of thought that everyone did. All the travel, all the wonderful friends you meet- I thought that was just a normal way of living.

"The difficult time came after I retired, naturally. Because I was letting the skating friendships slip and I didn't have other friends to take their place. I really didn't have any school friends outside of one girl.

"So in letting my skating community slide, there was a huge hole in my life, and I would say for a couple of years I was pretty bitter about the whole thing. I thought it was unfair how champions were just discarded. I actually thought that people liked me, and it wasn't that way at all. It took me a couple of years to figure out that there is a kind of fickleness in the world, where people like to talk to people they think are famous or important. It really has nothing to do with who you are. And I found that very difficult to handle, somehow."
 

alina

Rinkside
Joined
Aug 29, 2003
I think Debbie Wilkes gave a good description of this "falling into the hole" after retiring.
It´s hard to live without the applause and not to be in the focus of interest and the public. The skaters have to realize that this life, they do, is not normal (naturally that applies to other sports too)and they should try to hold the contact to people from the "no skater world". Soon enough they have to think about what they will do after their career and it´s the duty of the parents, trainers,etc. to prepare them for this time and help them. I read and hear from athletes who are not able to manage that and they have huge problems in their life.
I hope Elvis will manage that and I wish him "good luck".
Alina
 

Ladskater

~ Figure Skating Is My Passion ~
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
RealtorGal:

I don't think Elvis "realized he didn't have what it takes" he realized the past is the past and in the figure skating world when the time comes to move on then it's time.

Skaters from years before always moved on and never "looked back" at returning to the competive scene. I think today's skaters are going to find this is a harsh reality as well. It's true they "hang" around longer in the competitve scene, but they too have to eventually take the pro route. The spirit might be willing, but the body often is not.

Elvis will be missed. He is one of Canada's greatest athletes ever and an inspiration to all the young skaters coming up. I am sure they all want to "follow in his foot steps" and emulate his motto "Be your own best friend."

I hope to see him in up coming tours!
 
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
Re: It is difficult retiring....

lovespirals said:
... In Skatetalk Debbie Wilkes (1964 bronze medalist in pairs) talks about how it was for her to retire. "The difficult time came after I retired, naturally. Because I was letting the skating friendships slip and I didn't have other friends to take their place. I really didn't have any school friends outside of one girl...I actually thought that people liked me, and it wasn't that way at all. It took me a couple of years to figure out that there is a kind of fickleness in the world, where people like to talk to people they think are famous or important. It really has nothing to do with who you are. And I found that very difficult to handle, somehow."
Welcome to GS, Lovespirals, or maybe it's just your first post on the new site (your name looks familiar) and thanks so much for posting Debbi Wilkes's very insightful views on what it is for a skater to retire. It really does affect their whole world, careerwise, socially, and financially. Plus, as Debbi pointed out so well, skaters tend to get a tough lesson in the "fickleness" of the world. I think the reason we see some, not all, skaters continue their eligibility long after they've reached their peak is for the same reasons Debbi expressed. Plus there's the physiologic endorphin "high" of training and competing. It's tough to replace that. Just because someone has a glass case full of medals and has been "the greatest" doesn't mean they still don't have to move on and make a life for themselves at some point. Even if they stay in skating as a coach, it's not the same as being the focus of attention. Also, certain skaters also put a lot of intellectual energy into their skating, developing their philosophy of training and competition, etc. I think Elvis was this kind of skater. When you are no longer the focus and your focal point is gone, a person can feel pretty lost and naturally want to go back to where s/he had all those things. And as Debbi alluded to, though didn't quite say, in any insular world such as skating (can be any kind of sport, or the arts), it can make your head spin how fast your "best friends" fall away when you're no longer part of the "club." It's not cruelty, IMO. It's nust natural. It's awkward to continue friendships when one person is not longer competing. Great to read what Debbi had to say. Thanks, Lovespirals.
Rgirl
 

Panther2000

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
RealtorGal said:
Well, that's a shame, but I suppose he was trying to recapture his glory days and realized he just didn't have what it takes.

I guess Elvis has finally left the building.
:sheesh: :\
I couldn't have said it better. When, I read that he was coming back. I was like Dear Jesus. He would pertty muh embrass himself against the other men skaters. It is not a diss toward Elvis. But, He is no longer at their level. He has given soo much to the sport, I would hate to see him skating against the top skaters of today, with loosing results. I think that even he has finally realized it & has made the correct choice.

Here is wishing him luck in his future.
:)
 

lovespirals

Rinkside
Joined
Sep 29, 2003
Thanks for welcoming me back

Thanks for welcoming me back Rgirl, I use to post a while ago but it has been so long I could no longer log in:laugh:

That whole section in SkateTalk about the transitions skaters make really brought it home to me what these athletes go through. Now I see why some people like Tara rushed out and went pro. After the gold you really can't compete next to that I believe.
 
Top