It's a shame that B/S didn't win 2001 worlds....

[mzheng]

with their city lights program.

I'm rewatching the 2001 worlds to kill the before worlds anxciety. Rewatching B/S's LP once again just felt again that the program was briliantly choreographed and interpreted. It is raerly seen the comidy number skated by pair and interpreted so briliantly. They have great speed and ice coverage than any other team shown. It is really a shame that they diddn't win world with this number. It was said that there was no rusian judge in the panel, there were canadian judge and US judge. I think no Rusian judge hurt them in this competetion?

[Matt]

with their city lights program.

I'm rewatching the 2001 worlds to kill the before worlds anxciety. Rewatching B/S's LP once again just felt again that the program was briliantly choreographed and interpreted. It is raerly seen the comidy number skated by pair and interpreted so briliantly. They have great speed and ice coverage than any other team shown. It is really a shame that they diddn't win world with this number. It was said that there was no rusian judge in the panel, there were canadian judge and US judge. I think no Rusian judge hurt them in this competetion?

Definitely not having a Russian judge on the panel and 2001 Worlds being in Vancouver played into Sale/Pelletier's favour. Also, with both teams having a mistake (Sale singled the sbs 2axel; B/S had a collision coming out of the split 3twist), it really came down to the second mark and what the judges prefered. I always thought B/S's "City Lights" was one of the best pairs routines to come around. I remember being surprised initially at the result, but after watching S/P's "Tristan", I have come to appreciate it as a programme that really merited winning, although it wasn't the comedy of "City Lights"

I also thought that, perhaps, this was a little bit of NA giving the Russians a taste of their own medicine for the controversy over the Russians winning out over S/Z in Helsinki (1999) even though Yelena fell on one of the throws and S/Z skated flawlessly. This was the infamous "foot tapping" incident that got a Russian and Ukranian judge suspended for a while after being accused of signaling to each other.

[mzheng]

Was it the 'Love Story' that S/P skated at 2001 worlds?

[michaelfsfan]

Was it the 'Love Story' that S/P skated at 2001 worlds?

No, S&P skated to Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde" for their LP.

[skater85]

S/P skated to Tristan&Isolde in 2001 worlds.

And, no I dont think having a Russian judge would have helped B/S. It wasn't a 5/4 split, it was 6/3. So even with a Russian judge(assuming they voted for Elena and Anton LOL) it still would have only been 5/4, with S/P still the winners.

[Mathman]

That was an amazing competition. Although Sale and Pelletier probably did benefit a little from "home cooking" on the part of the judges, still their Tristan and Isolde was perhaps the strongest program of their amateur career. The music was from Franz Waxman's Tristan and Isolde Fantasie for piano and orchestra. It was from one of Lori Nichol's all-time favorite CDs, Humoresque, featuring violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg. Nichols has used music from this CD for several of her skaters, including Michelle Kwan (Carmen Fantasy), Josee Chouinard and Fumie Suguri.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...ce&s=classical

At the time the buzz was that the judges favored the classical lyrical program of Sale and Pelleier (performed in the "Russian" pairs style, LOL) to the quirky, edgy adventure into comedy of "City Lights." I think it was only later that more and more people started recognizing City Lights for the astonishing masterpiece that it is, IMHO.

Anyway, this contest saw both of these pairs at their very best, IMO. It could have gone either way. At the time I thought it was the ISU's way of tossing a bone to the Canadian federation, with the understanding that Russia would get the Olympic gold the next year. Which is just what happened, sort of.

Mathman

[mzheng]

And, no I dont think having a Russian judge would have helped B/S. It wasn't a 5/4 split, it was 6/3. So even with a Russian judge(assuming they voted for Elena and Anton LOL) it still would have only been 5/4, with S/P still the winners.

I would thought if there was a Rusian judge at the panel, it would not be just 'one' vote, he/she could've impose the 'influence' on other judges at the panel.

Besides I read somewhere that there was one judge admmitted that he diddn't notice Jammie singled axel, had he notice that he would put Rusian at the first.

[mzheng]

At the time the buzz was that the judges favored the classical lyrical program of Sale and Pelleier (performed in the "Russian" pairs style, LOL) to the quirky, edgy adventure into comedy of "City Lights." I think it was only later that more and more people started recognizing City Lights for the astonishing masterpiece that it is, IMHO.

Anyway, this contest saw both of these pairs at their very best, IMO. It could have gone either way. At the time I thought it was the ISU's way of tossing a bone to the Canadian federation, with the understanding that Russia would get the Olympic gold the next year. Which is just what happened, sort of.

Mathman

I tend to agree with on both account.

I remembered I diddn't like the 'City Light' myself when they first performed. I thought it was cheesy and 'cheap' but late when I rewatched the competetion I realised how briliant that program is. And how difficult to interprete it like that. They really branched their style. Though it's not my favorate style, but briliant is briliant. Even Peggy gave a majore prop to B/S.

[Hikaru]

In 2001 I couldn't watch the pairs event, so I downloaded the video from B/S and S/P (I'm still looking for S/Z's video of that world championship). Both pairs skated good, maybe S/P were cleaner than B&S (the 3twist and the throw3loop wich were not like completely clean, though Sale had the problem with the 2axel) and I liked S/P "Tristan und Isolde" the had a great presentation and skated with energy, but I enjoyed even more "City Lights", the music, and it's just that the choreography they had blended so well the technical elements, that it looked so efortlessly... I'm trying to find the right word, they just set a mood from begining to end, and really bring to live their characters. When almost at the end they get into the death spiral, and you see Anton's face, it is pure performance (and the camera just loved him, showing all the expressions he would make), I just got tears in my eyes in that moment, I liked it that much. It is a comedy, but is full of emotions.

[aviva_dawn]

I started watching that B/S video a lot over the last few days....and IMHO, they should have won in 2001.

[Vash01]

I was at the 2001 worlds, and watching live, I had a definite feeling that the home field might have influenced the decision. When Jamie singled the double axel, the crowd ROARED with approval, as if she had in fact landed it clean. I heard that some admitted later that they missed that, which is easy to do, with the crowd noise (OK they are supposed to SEE, but some may not have the correct angle, and the slo mo had been turned off during S&P's skate, for some unknown reason). Both pairs skated great, and both programs were great but B&S were unmatched in the speed and ice coverage, interpretation of the character of the music, and unison. Choreographically the program was a masterpiece. B&S should have won on the presentation marks, even with a collision on the split triple twist (a mistake on that move rarely influences the marks) and a shaky but one foot landing on the throw triple loop by Elena. There were so many compensating factors.

Vash

[mpal2]

...and the slo mo had been turned off during S&P's skate, for some unknown reason).

This is news to me. Where was this reported?

[mzheng]

I started watching that B/S video a lot over the last few days....and IMHO, they should have won in 2001.

Me too. Both their short and long were amazing. I rewind several times when I watched. Their ice coverage and speed is amazing too, there were times their boots almost touch the boards. Like Hikaru said I found Anton's expression in City Light is so characterized.

[guinevere]

I loved the pairs competition at 2001 Worlds. I felt it could go either way, was happy for S&P when they won, but would have been happy for B&S too. I really felt it came down to aesthetics - and I wonder if B&S fell a bit victim to the "comedies don't win Oscars" syndrome. But I felt that those programs were probably the best programs of two teams at the height of their abilities, as someone else said earlier.

ps Although I loved B&S' "City Lights" program, I actually thought their accompanying exhibition program "The Kid" was even more brilliant. I could watch that one over and over again and never get tired of it.

[mzheng]

I actually thought their accompanying exhibition program "The Kid" was even more brilliant. I could watch that one over and over again and never get tired of it.

Was that the same program they skated in their COI tour right after that world championship?