Archive of newspaper articles

[Walt FSHunter]

1981
European Figure Skating Championships

IN THE OPINION OF EYEWITNESSES…​

TO THE CONCLUSIONS OF THE EUROPEAN FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS

(the article published in Ukrainian 'Sportyvna Hazeta' on February 14, 1981)​

"THE BEGINNING of the new Olympic cycle brought not only radical reforms in judging, but also a complete change of champions" - this is the main opinion of most comments. Some attribute the success of the newcomers in Innsbruck (last year, none of the current champions were even medalists) precisely to changes in the calculation of results. But statistics refute this thesis. Experts checked the championship tables for 20 years and found that in 77 cases out of 80, the gold medalists would have retained the championship under any judging system. It became more interesting for the spectators. Now a skater can drop from second place after the "school", for example, to seventh place after the short program, and finish as a champion. Previously, such swings were impossible. And yet, it is too early to give final assessments of the new system. Let's better see how the participants acclimatized to it.
In pair skating, only six duets made it onto the ice. What is this: a coincidence or a loss of coaching interest in finding new ways to develop this sport? After all, it is impossible to compete with representatives of the USSR, the GDR, and the FRG with old weapons. Well, let's wait for the world championship, where American and Canadian pairs will join the argument.
Speaking about a possible crisis, the Austrian Neuekronen-Zeitung emphasizes that it did not affect the Soviet school of figure skating. On the contrary, with extremely complex dynamic programs, “the Soviet masters stunned some rivals.” The Austrian Courier writes that “only the new champions Irina Vorobyova and Igor Lisovsky performed flawlessly in the short program.” The secret of their superiority, believes the ex-world champion Emmerich Danzer, is in the most harmonious combination of grace and acrobatics.
The winners themselves told reporters that now, after so many years of failures, they felt confident and relaxed. The couple from Leningrad believes that they will be able to climb the 1984 Olympic podium.
In general, Olympic motifs were also heard in the final interviews of our Igor Bobrin, English dancers Jayne Torvill - Christopher Dean, and only the winner in women's single skating, Swiss Denise Biellmann, was silent about her plans for the future. The charming 18-year-old figure skater already has 13 years of sports experience behind her. She was fond of acrobatics, gymnastics, skiing and car racing, was the Swiss champion in speed skating at a distance of 500 meters and in between these things she was engaged in figure skating for 11 years!
- I am tired, - Denise recently confessed. - And, as soon as I reach the "golden goal", I will switch to revue. It's much calmer... Due to the illness of Olympic champion Anett Poetszch (GDR), Denise achieved her goal sooner than expected. Maybe now she will change her mind? In any case, at the world championship in Hartford (USA), Biellmann will once again delight us with her art.
Kira Ivanova pleasantly surprised. Seventh place is no longer the limit for our single skaters: Vodorezova was also third. But the fact that Ivanova performed consistently in all three parts of the program indicates her psychological victory over herself. Now we can aim for more noticeable heights.
Almost all eyewitnesses recognized the most interesting competitions among men. The free program of 27-year-old Leningrader Igor Bobrin was called "almost flawless" by a correspondent of the Finnish Telegraph Bureau. "It was that program that allowed the Soviet skater to get ahead of such strong competitors as Simon (France), Schramm (Germany), Schulz (GDR)," says the champion of the 1976 Olympics, Englishman J. Curry.
Experts counted five different clearly executed triple jumps in Igor's program. But, perhaps most importantly, we should add that Igor always creates a holistic image on the ice, using a wide variety of techniques and all the richness of his plasticity and musicality.
The famous coach Carlo Fassi called our Volodymyr Kotin the "discovery of the year". The student of Elena Tchaikovskaya really made an excellent debut. And yet the judges ranked Volodymyr lower than Jozef Sabovčik (Czechoslovakia), whom he confidently beat two months ago at the international tournament in Moscow and who also noticeably prevailed in Innsbruck, despite all the talent of the champion of Czechoslovakia, the purity of his technique and the "airiness" of his jumps. What is the solution? The referees know Sabov čyk better. His international experience is much richer than Kotin's. This should be the basis for further conclusions.
Speaking of the referees, let's note that they are again wearing "birthday hats". The team that served the dancers' competition openly underestimated the scores in the compulsory and original dances of our famous champions Natalia Linichuk - Gennady Karponosov. When one of the most authoritative figures of the ISU, Jozef Dedic (Czechoslovakia), tried to find out from the team leader the reason for the court's harshness, he heard a paradoxical answer: "It's time for them (Natalia and Gennady) to end their careers. They won the Olympics - and that's it!"
I wonder when the judging panel turned into an insurance company that decides who to punish and who to spare? It's no wonder that the upset Linichuk and Karponosov spoiled the free dance a little...
In the unofficial team competition, the USSR team had no equal in Innsbruck. But we cannot relax. Ahead is a dispute with overseas masters, in which Igor Bobrin will obviously have a particularly difficult time. He will face strong Americans (S. Hamilton, S. Сramer) and Canadian B. Pockar. Difficult tasks also face our other athletes. After all, the balance of power after Hartford will be taken into account throughout the entire Olympic cycle.​

G. KUZMIN.​

 

[Walt FSHunter]

1981
ALL-UNION COMPETITION OF YOUNG FIGURE SKATERS "CRYSTAL SKATES"

THERE IS A RESERVE!

(the article published in Ukrainian 'Sportyvna Hazeta' on February 19, 1981)​

ALL-UNION COMPETITION OF YOUNG FIGURE SKATERS "CRYSTAL SKATES". Odesa, Palace of Sports. February 11-15, 105 participants. Chief judge - G. YASHVILI (all-Union category, Tbilisi).

A REAL review of the nearest reserve of the national team was the competition of skaters born in 1967-71, which took place in the Black Sea city. Although Odessa has already hosted many important competitions over the past two months, figure skating enthusiasts have also paid enough attention to the young ones.
The envoys of Moscow, Leningrad, Sverdlovsk, Yerevan, Kazan, Tbilisi, Tashkent, recognized centers of figure skating in Ukraine - Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk and others - demonstrated an increased level of technical skill, confident execution of complex elements. In the younger age group, for example, both boys and girls, at least six to seven athletes performed a double Axel. Representatives of the older age group, boys, showed jumps of two and a half and even three revolutions.
The experts also noted the excellent spin of Muscovite Katerina Ryzhikova, as well as her camel spin, performed in the spirit of this year's European champion Denise Biellmann. The audience was also impressed by the original manner of performing the dances of young Georgian figure skaters Nelly Dvalishvili (dance of the old Georgian merchant) and Lia Samkharadze (oriental dance).
19 representatives of our republic took part in the tournament. According to the state coach of the Sports Committee of the Ukrainian SSR A. Korytek, the skaters who deserve praise are Dynamo Kyiv skater L. Holodivska, Avangard skaters from Odesa V. Solodylov, V. Kadzevych and V. Petrenko, and Dnipropetrovsk skater D. Shkydchenko.​

O. BORYSENKO. ​

Odesa.

 

[Walt FSHunter]

1981
10th WINTER SPARTAKIAD OF THE UKRAINIAN SSR

YOUNG, BUT NOT GREEN!

(the article published in Ukrainian 'Sportyvna Hazeta' on February 28, 1981)​

10th WINTER SPARTAKIAD OF THE UKRAINIAN SSR. Figure skating. Severodonetsk. February 20-28. 147 participants. Chief judge - L. MYKHAYLOVSKA (all-Union category, Kyiv).

The GIRLS category featured athletes who had competed in the USSR Children's (!) Championship in Odesa a week earlier. Among them was Dynamo Kyiv's Oksana Bolila, who became the silver medalist of the Spartakiad. Svitlana Pyrlya ("Avangard", Odesa) won. The dancers' tournament turned out to be intense. The winners were O. Krykanova - E. Platov ("A", Odesa).
In the team standings, skaters from Odesa are still ahead, followed by those from Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk. Among the clubs, Avangard is leading.​

V. MAKSAYEV,
Master of Sports.​

 

[Walt FSHunter]

1981
10th WINTER SPARTAKIAD OF THE UKRAINIAN SSR

ICE PATTERNS

(the article published in Ukrainian 'Sportyvna Hazeta' on March 3, 1981)​

10th WINTER SPARTAKIAD OF THE UKRAINIAN SSR. FIGURE SKATING. Severodonetsk. February 20-28. Palace of Sports. 147 participants. Chief judge - L. MYKHAYLOVSKA (all-Union category, Kyiv).

JUNIORS also performed successfully in senior competitions. Vitaliy Egorov from Kharkiv, who was in the lead after the "school", eventually lost to Boris Uspensky ("Avangard", Odesa). Third place went to Yuriy Doluda ("Spartak", Odesa).
Last December, Dnipropetrovsk's Inna Becker and Serhiy Lykhanskyi participated in the World Junior Championships in Canada. Now they are the champions of the Spartakiad in the pairs category. The second place went to Dynamo Kyiv's Tetyana Sydorenko and Serhiy Romanenko.
For the first time, a "passing score" was established among singles: 2.5 - in the compulsory and 3.0 - in the short program. It turned out to be insurmountable for several participants. The title of winner among women was won by Odesa's Lyudmila Yashchuk. She was followed by Inna Cherkasova and Nina Avramova.
10 dance couples started in the Spartakiad competitions.Dnipropetrovsk residents Olena Busygina and Igor Novodran took the gold. "Silver" - from Odesa residents Marina Stepanova - Yuri Klyushnikov, "bronze" - from their compatriots Svitlana Zmiyevskaya - A. Gilnych.
In the team competition, skaters from Odesa, Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk achieved success. Among the DSTs and departments, "Avangard", "Zenit", "Dynamo" distinguished themselves.
Unfortunately, the creation of a qualified team of judges has not yet been completed in the republic. The Spartakiad starts were mostly served by coaches, who for some time turned into judges. This fact, of course, caused a lot of inconvenience in the organization of the competitions.​

V. MAKSAYEV,
Master of Sports.​

 

[Walt FSHunter]

1981
World Figure Skating Championships
Special correspondent of "Sportyvna Hazeta" Georgy KUZMIN reports from Hartford (USA) from the world figure skating championships:

IN ONE-STORY AMERICA

(the article published in Ukrainian 'Sportyvna Hazeta' on March 3, 1981)​

COMMENTATOR of Central Television Georgy Sarkisyants has repeatedly conducted reports from the American continent. But when he learned that a group of Soviet coaches and journalists were going to travel 685 miles from Washington to Hartford by bus, he refused his plane ticket and joined them. Even earlier, Anatoly Shelukhin, a special correspondent for Sovetskiy Sport, had decided to change the route. And our small delegation ("a hell of a dozen", not counting the driver) set off along the paths of single-story America from Washington (plus 10, trees in bloom) through three states to Hartford (plus 8, rain), where the World Figure Skating Championships open today.
... You can see much more from the bus window than from the porthole. 7-8 hours is not a bad time for this. Especially when you are dealing with the Cook's travel agency, a branch of the English mother, which Marshak mentioned.
However, no matter how unusual the landscapes outside the window were, conversations were increasingly centered around events in world figure skating. A kind of pre-start fever was taking hold. We already knew that our athletes had successfully acclimatized, having trained for ten days at the skating rink in the town of Wellesley, a two-hour drive from Hartford. Everyone is healthy, although there are changes in the composition compared to the recent European Championship in Innsbruck. If in pair skating all the faces are familiar, among the women Kira Ivanova will again take to the ice, then only two men have been declared – Igor Bobrin and Vladimir Kotin. The thing is that last year due to illness Vladimir Kovalev did not perform at the world championship in Dortmund, and Bobrin then limited himself to seventh place, and we lost one ticket for next year ... There have also been changes in the dancers. Natalia Linichuk and Gennady Karponosov decided to end their bright sports careers. Their place was taken by other students of Elena Tchaikovskaya - young Olga Volozhinskaya and Andrey Svinin. Help arrived in time.
And here is Hartford, the administrative capital of the state of Connecticut. A fairly small city, known in the United States only because during the Second World War the so-called Hartford Financial Group was formed here, closely connected with the banks of Wall Street. This group profited from making high-interest loans to other provincial financiers and thus gained a solid reputation ...
And the Hartford Financial Group built a cultural center with its own funds in 1978, which has now been transformed into a competition arena. Fourteen thousand spectators will be able to watch the performances of the skaters at the same time, which will open with the men's school exercises and end on March 8 with the dancers' free program.
Soviet wing skaters, as a rule, were lucky on the American continent. In 1975, in Colorado Springs (USA), Sergei Volkov became the first singles world champion. In 1978, in Ottawa (Canada), Linichuk and Karponosov first climbed to the top of the podium. Let's wait for good news now.​

Hartford (by phone).

 

[Walt FSHunter]

1981
Winter Universiade

NEWS FROM UNIVERSIADE

ELEVEN AWARDS ALREADY AVAILABLE!

(an excerpt from the article published in Ukrainian 'Sportyvna Hazeta' on March 3, 1981)​

THE WORLD Winter Student Games continue in the north of Spain in the town of Jaca. …

The figure skating competitions continue. Among the dance duets, Muscovites Elena Garanina and Igor Zavozin won. Natalia Karamysheva and Rostislav Sinitsyn from Dnipropetrovsk became second prize winners.

In men's singles, first place went to Muscovite Konstantin Kokora, third to Oleg Vasiliev.

CONFIDENT, BEAUTIFUL!
(an excerpt from the article published in Ukrainian 'Sportyvna Hazeta' on March 5, 1981)​

TWO MORE medals at the World University Winter Games in Spain were won by Soviet athletes. Leningrad figure skaters Natalia Strelkova and Svetlana Frantsuzova took first and second places in women's single skating. Thus, all three gold medals - in men's and women's single skating and in dancing - went to our students.
​

 

[Diana Delafield]

1981
ALL-UNION COMPETITION OF YOUNG FIGURE SKATERS "CRYSTAL SKATES"

THERE IS A RESERVE!

(the article published in Ukrainian 'Sportyvna Hazeta' on February 19, 1981)​

ALL-UNION COMPETITION OF YOUNG FIGURE SKATERS "CRYSTAL SKATES". Odesa, Palace of Sports. February 11-15, 105 participants. Chief judge - G. YASHVILI (all-Union category, Tbilisi).

A REAL review of the nearest reserve of the national team was the competition of skaters born in 1967-71, which took place in the Black Sea city. Although Odessa has already hosted many important competitions over the past two months, figure skating enthusiasts have also paid enough attention to the young ones.
The envoys of Moscow, Leningrad, Sverdlovsk, Yerevan, Kazan, Tbilisi, Tashkent, recognized centers of figure skating in Ukraine - Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk and others - demonstrated an increased level of technical skill, confident execution of complex elements. In the younger age group, for example, both boys and girls, at least six to seven athletes performed a double Axel. Representatives of the older age group, boys, showed jumps of two and a half and even three revolutions.
The experts also noted the excellent spin of Muscovite Katerina Ryzhikova, as well as her libela, performed in the spirit of this year's European champion Denise Biellmann. The audience was also impressed by the original manner of performing the dances of young Georgian figure skaters Nelly Dvalishvili (dance of the old Georgian merchant) and Lia Samkharadze (oriental dance).
19 representatives of our republic took part in the tournament. According to the state coach of the Sports Committee of the Ukrainian SSR A. Korytek, the skaters who deserve praise are Dynamo Kyiv skater L. Holodivska, Avangard skaters from Odesa V. Solodylov, V. Kadzevych and V. Petrenko, and Dnipropetrovsk skater D. Shkydchenko.​

O. BORYSENKO. ​

Odesa.
View attachment 9531

Now I'm curious to know what a "libela" is in skating, when translated from Ukrainian! I have a bookcase of language dictionaries left over from grad-school linguistics, more reliable than Google translations. All I can find is a Bosnian word for "level" as in the carpentry spirit level.

 

[Walt FSHunter]

Now I'm curious to know what a "libela" is in skating, when translated from Ukrainian! I have a bookcase of language dictionaries left over from grad-school linguistics, more reliable than Google translations. All I can find is a Bosnian word for "level" as in the carpentry spirit level.

Libela is a term used in Ukrainian to denote a camel spin. While translating Google did not change the word but underlined with "red". I suspected that it might be wrong and wanted to change it into "spin" but in the previous part of the sentence the word "spin" had already been used. So, to avoid the repetition I decided not to change it. But it turns out that English-speaking people have some difficulty in understanding it.

 

[Walt FSHunter]

1981
World Figure Skating Championships

Special correspondent of "Sportyvna Hazeta" Georgy KUZMIN reports from Hartford (USA) from the world figure skating championships:​

OVATION FOR IRINA AND IGOR

(the article published in Ukrainian 'Sportyvna Hazeta' on March 5, 1981)​

THE FIRST material released by the championship press center is dedicated to tourists from different countries who came to admire the skill of 115 figure skaters from 25 countries. Interest in the tournament is high. This was evident on Tuesday morning, when an exhibition opened, telling the story of figure skating, primarily American. Among the exhibits you can see the Olympic gold medals of Dick Button, Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, seven costumes of the famous Sonja Henie, in which she starred in the film "Sun Valley Serenade", a huge color photograph of Tai Babilonia crying, saying goodbye to her Olympic dreams, a portrait of Jackson Haines - the man who, 120 years ago, was the first in the history of figure skating to introduce musical accompaniment to performances ...
And within a few hours, spectators were able to see many stars of American and world figure skating in the box for honored guests during the grand opening of the championship. More than 100 students of the local skating club performed an expansive dance on the ice.
The championship organizers, frightened by last year's problems in Lake Placid, are now trying very hard, solving numerous problems, even trying to take into account the whims of tourists.
Yes, the skaters entered the fight. The first, as always, were the men.
European Champion Igor Bobrin performed the first two school figures, but in the third - the "loop" - he got a little confused and showed a fifth result. World Championship debutant Vladimir Kotin closes the top ten, and the leader is Frenchman Jean-Christophe Simon, who was unanimously recognized by the judges as the best "schoolboy". American David Santee was second, and Canadian Brian Pockar burst into third place at the last moment.
In the evening, after Connecticut Governor O'Neal declared the championship open, the pairs performed a short program. As you know, only 6 duets competed at the European tournament in Innsbruck a month ago, and this caused some concern among experts. However, the excitement was probably in vain. Hartford gathered eleven pairs. Moreover, all of them, except for the Chinese, showed a fairly decent skating class.
The rink in the Hartford Cultural Center is narrower, unlike European ones, by a good 4 meters… This, of course, makes it difficult for the skaters to run, does not allow them to develop maximum speed. The first to cope with the rather unusual conditions were the silver medalists of the European Championship - representatives of West Germany, Christina Riegel and Andreas Nischwitz. They performed all six mandatory elements without errors, demonstrating good skating technique and artistry. The scores of the judges were within 5.4-5.6. Then for a long time no one could reach such scores. Although, I repeat, there were almost no frankly weak performances. And so the experienced athletes from the GDR Sabina Baess and Tassilo Thierbach went into battle. This is their first performance of the season, as their male partner suffered a serious knee injury and only thanks to the new method of laser treatment used by doctors of the German Democratic Republic, was able to quickly return to the ice. Even the experts did not know what this couple was capable of today. It turned out that Sabina and Tassilo did not lose anything from their rich arsenal, but on the contrary, they managed to make the short program more spectacular and original in composition. The scores are from 5.5 to 5.8.
Our athletes were finally lucky with the draw this time. They performed after the main competitors, and this allowed, it seems, the judges to assess their capabilities more objectively. Veronika Pershina and Marat Akbarov, the young champions of the USSR, skated much more confidently than a month ago in Innsbruck. And although they ended up only in fifth place, it feels like the duo is accumulating valuable experience from performing in major tournaments by leaps and bounds.
A series of illnesses prevented Marina Cherkasova and Sergey Shakhrai from showing their best in almost all of the tournaments of the season. And in Hartford, they skated much slower than we are used to. However, the technique was impeccable. And before the decisive evening, the world champions had third place.
Ahead are Irina Vorobyova and Igor Lisovsky, who performed with great enthusiasm and once again prove that this year is the best in their sports life. The audience gave the Leningraders a real ovation, the judges did not lower their scores below 5.7, and two even gave 5.9 for artistry.
Two-time Olympic champion Dick Button, a commentator on American television, rightly noted that one must love figure skating very much, sacrificing many life temptations, in order to overcome the path to recognition that Irina Vorobyova has taken. Let's remember: she suffered many injuries, she had to change partners, twice was about to leave the sport and yet her purposeful nature made itself felt.
Among the participants, one can name more than one skater who could claim the title of "Miss Championship". Vorobyova does not seem to stand out from the outside, but as soon as she steps onto the ice and passionately throws herself into the arms of music, there is no one more beautiful than her ...​

Hartford (by phone).

 

[Diana Delafield]

Libela is a term used in Ukrainian to denote a camel spin. While translating Google did not change the word but underlined with "red". I suspected that it might be wrong and wanted to change it into "spin" but in the previous part of the sentence the word "spin" had already been used. So, to avoid the repetition I decided not to change it. But it turns out that English-speaking people have some difficulty in understanding it.

My PhD was in medieval languages, so that was no help at all with a figure skating term! I saw the "spins" and assumed this had to be something different. I tried using Grimm's Law and making "level" out of it, as in "the level of her over-all skating as compared to Bielmann's" but that wasn't working. Nor was going for the base syllable and relating it to "liberate" as in "free program". Didn't work either. I wouldn't have thought of connecting it to the specific camel spin. So maybe it is related after all to the Bosnian word for a carpenter's level, and refers to the ideal flat position in a camel, whereas the English term refers to the position you *don't* want to display with a hump in the middle .

 

[Walt FSHunter]

1981
World Figure Skating Championships
Special correspondent of "Sportyvna Hazeta" Georgy KUZMIN reports from Hartford (USA) from the world figure skating championships:

A DESERVED SUCCESS

(the article published in Ukrainian 'Sportyvna Hazeta' on March 7, 1981)​

A FEW years ago, no major competition was complete without obvious failures in several strong participants, not to mention outsiders. This was explained by the strong competition, which made even the most hardened athletes nervous at the decisive moment. The coaches turned to psychologists for help. Today, we can already say that the skaters have become better at "holding the blow", they are usually able to implement the entire technical arsenal, despite the annoying mistakes on an even, so to speak, level ground.
Let's look at the Hartford Championships for examples. The men's short program, with its numerous riffs, was completely performed by 15 participants! What a two-minute performance! Almost all the pairs skated without noticeable flaws, even the much trickier free skates. Of course, under such conditions, in order to more accurately rank the rivals in the final protocol, the judges paid more attention to the content, emotional content of the program, and especially to whether the performance of complex elements destroyed the plasticity of the dance and its spectacularity.
And here the new world champions - Soviet figure skaters Irina Vorobyova and Igor Lisovsky should undoubtedly be given the palm of the championship. The Leningraders achieved expressiveness even in the performance of ultra-c. "Jewelry work" - this is how the Hartford Courant newspaper, through sports columnist Bruce Berlet, characterized their performance. Let us add that this jewelry was guided by thought, multiplied by emotions. Our champions are also prone to mistakes, so there can be no question of any "programmedness", "automaticity" of actions, which some observers tried to accuse the Soviet couples of.
Let us recall the critical moment of the performance of Vorobyova and Lisovsky. The most difficult part was left behind when, during a parallel jump, Igor was shaken and carried onto his partner. The collision could have resulted in defeat, but Igor, like a caring man, protected his wife, instantly stopping the element. Of course, it was a mistake, but Lisovsky so quickly and accurately rejoined the dance that the judges did not give him a score below 5.7 for the technique. Most of the scores reached 5.8-5.9.
Each of the pursuers had their own highlight. Sabina Baess and Tassilo Thierbach from the GDR inventively varied the spectacular "lasso" jump, which caused admiration among the descendants of real cowboys. Christina Riegel and Andreas Nischwitz from West Germany, who eventually reached the "bronze", relied on the richness of the composition, elegance. But I repeat: the champions surpassed everyone in the complex! It was difficult for the most demanding specialist to criticize any of the components of their program. Their physical condition was also enviable.
Unfortunately, we do not see last year's world champions Marina Cherkasova and Sergey Shakhrai among the medalists. Injuries and illnesses haunted the skaters almost all winter. However, there are more serious obstacles to their return to the leadership. Marina is growing rapidly, while the physical development of the much older Sergey is practically complete. This has had a decisive impact on the speed and ease of performing complex elements, although they cannot be denied impeccable skating skills. After the tournament, a sad Marina announced that she would end her sports career in the spring. Perhaps these words were spoken in the heat of the moment, or perhaps this decision was the result of a realistic assessment of the situation ...
...Thursday morning had already arrived in Moscow, when 14,902 spectators (as calculated by the computer) warmly welcomed gold medalists Irina Vorobyova and Igor Lysovsky. The red flag of the Land of the Soviets majestically floated aloft to the sounds of the National Anthem of the USSR. And we, members of the small Soviet delegation, were indescribably pleased for the glorious people Irina and Igor, for their coach Tamara Moskvina, who brilliantly continued the victorious traditions of domestic pair skating.
... Meanwhile, the championship continues its workdays. Following the pairs and men, female singles and dancers took to the ice. As at the European Championship in Innsbruck, Claudia Kristofics-Binder from Austria proved to be the most skilled "schoolgirl" among the 31 participants, but she is not strong in the triathlon. Therefore, the chances of the charming Swiss Denise Biellmann, who was in fourth place after the compulsory figures, are considered much higher. This was confirmed by the short program, where the Austrian was limited to sixth place, and Biellmann became second, closely approaching Kristofics-Binder. Strangely enough, it was not Biellmann who received the most enthusiastic ovation during the short program. Jutta Müller's student, 15-year-old Katharina Witt from the GDR, won, showing excellent jump combinations and beautiful tracks. Her scores were 5.6-5.8. Kira Ivanova pleasantly surprised. After the "school" she was in 13th place, but she did not get lost, as happened before, and in the short program she became fourth. This allowed Kira to move to the overall eighth place.
In ice dancing after the pasadoble and rhumba, the European champions from England, Jayne Torvill - Christopher Dean, are leading. Irina Moiseeva - Andrey Minenkov are right next to them. The fourth result is for Natalia Bestemyanova - Andrey Bukin, the sixth is for Olga Volozhinskaya and Alexander Svinin.
The highlight of the third day, of course, was the uncompromising dispute between men in free program. Almost ten skaters presented to the judges complete sets of triple jumps, and Canadian champion Brian Orser even performed a jump of three and a half turns.
The competition reached its climax when the Frenchman Simon, the Japanese Igarashi, our Bobrin and the Americans Hamilton and Santee entered the battle. Bobrin was in the most difficult situation. After the "school" Igor was in the top five. And although he was fourth in the short program, this did not allow him to rise higher. However, Igor did the almost impossible. Having received a score of 5.6-5.8 for technique, and 5.8-5.9 for artistry, he literally jumped onto the bronze step of the podium at the last moment, pushing Fumio Igarashi and Simon away.
And the new world champion was 22-year-old American college student Scott Hamilton. He was one of the few who withstood both the physical and nervous strain of five minutes. Scott received eight 5.9 scores, nine 5.8s and only one 5.7. At a press conference, he said that he is also fond of motorcycle racing and skiing, and, of course, dreams of success at the Olympics in Sarajevo.
"Silver" went to American David Santee, and our second participant Vladimir Kotin managed to take an honorable ninth place for a debutant.
The cold weather has unexpectedly returned to Hartford. However, it is hot in the Civic Center. Even the ice cannot withstand the stormy temperament of the skaters ... It has to be resurfaced after every five participants' performance.​

Hartford
(by phone).

​

 

[Walt FSHunter]

1981
World Figure Skating Championships
Special correspondent of "Sportyvna Hazeta" Georgy KUZMIN reports from Hartford (USA) from the world figure skating championships:

WHO ARE YOU, THE FASHION TREND SETTERS?

(the article published in Ukrainian 'Sportyvna Hazeta' on March 10, 1981)​

THE Canadian city of Calgary, which is preparing to host the 1988 Winter Olympics, hosted a reception for the championship participants. In the banquet hall of the Hartford Sheraton Hotel, the lucky ones could dance with Lyudmila Pakhomova and Peggy Fleming, exchange badges with Carlo Fassi and Emmerich Danzer, and get an autograph from Alexander Zaitsev. Champions of all post-war generations gathered in the square at the half-ice rink. There were not only those who had just distinguished themselves in Hartford. They were preparing for the final concert. So the heroes of past battles could express their thoughts and impressions without fear of over-praising or offending anyone. Fleeting interviews flashed in the crowded hall like lights on a Christmas tree. It would have been a sin not to take advantage of such an opportunity.
ALEKSANDR ZAYTSEV – about pairs skating:
- The level of training of the participants has suffered great losses. Thanks to the achievements of Babilonia and Gardner, interest in this sport has revived overseas. I think the American school of figure skaters will still try to contribute to the search for new ways to develop pair skating. So far, the tone is set by Europeans - duets from the USSR, GDR, and FRG. It is very nice that, despite Cherkasova's illness, we did not give up our "legitimate" world "gold". Irina Vorobyova - Igor Lisovsky supported the high domestic mark. Such a margin of safety is pleasing.
For several seasons now, our pairs have been winning at the junior world championships. As soon as the age limit allows, we will run them in senior company, so as not to lose pace and constantly replenish the ranks of potential champions. From this point of view, young Veronika Pershina and Marat Akbarov, who have been performing at major tournaments for two years, lack choreographic training and a variety of musical accompaniment. In other components of skill, they are no less than the prize-winners.
CARLO FASSI - about the male singles:
Of course, I am upset that my current protégé - the Frenchman Simon - did not get on the podium. But he lost to the super masters. Both Americans – Hamilton and Santee – are excellent jumpers, they keep their speed, they have a wide variety of spins in their arsenal, they skillfully weave them into the programs. However, I bow my head first of all to Igor Bobrin. Today he is the embodiment of all the best that is in men's free skating: strength, courage, constant work of thought, inner fire. It is no coincidence that Igor is the most popular in Hartford.
Your champion only needs to improve the technique of performing small compulsory figures. Then he will be able to become the first. However, it is not easy to correct this defect. As far as I have noticed, all Soviet figure skaters perform small compulsory figures much worse than other school exercises. Obviously, their polishing is not given due attention.
Before giving the floor to other commentators, briefly about the events in women's single skating and ice dancing.
No one doubted the victory of the Swiss Denise Biellmann. But the fact that she won with such brilliance was a bit unexpected. Previously, the skater purposely restrained herself on the approaches to the podium, afraid to let go of the "titmouse". In Hartford, she appeared in full glory, showing the best version of her fantastic free skate composition - triple jumps (lutz, salchow, toe loop) are combined with "signature" rotations and bends. If Denise had performed last, the judges probably wouldn't have refrained from giving her a score of 6.0. However, the rules don't allow them to give the highest score if someone else starts later. What if she surpasses her?
Our Kira Ivanova, after her success in the short program, could have easily counted on a place in the top ten, but she only performed a triple toe loop and with scores of 5.0-5.5 ended up on twelfth place.
We were, of course, saddened by Kira's failure, who has significantly improved her skating this winter. Our dancers dispelled our sadness. Although they did not regain the palm tree of the championship (the first place went to the English Jayne Torvill - Christopher Dean), they did not let anyone else onto the podium. The "silver" of Irina Moiseeva and Andrey Minenkov, supported by the "bronze" of Natalia Bestemyanova - Andrey Bukin, the fifth place of Olga Volozhinskaya and Alexander Svinin allowed the Soviet team to surpass the hosts by three points in the unofficial team standings (26 to 23) and confirm the title of the best in the world.
Well, now let's return to the Sheraton Hotel and listen to the "stars".
PEGGY FLEMING (USA) - about the female singles:
- In my time, it was believed that Gabriela Seifert from the GDR personified a purely sports direction on ice, and I was a ballerina. Today, such a division is impossible. The best figure skaters in the world successfully combine acrobatics with plastic. Recently, this was within the power of one or two athletes, and in Hartford, every second participant showed technically rich and at the same time artistic skating. Katharina Witt and Carola Paul from the GDR, Ellen Zayak from the USA can already withstand some comparisons even with Biellmann. I would be glad to welcome a Soviet figure skater of such class.
LAWRENCE DEMY (England), world champion 1952-55 - about the ice dancers:
- We also did not have frankly weak ones. During my long tenure as the head of the ISU technical committee for ice dancing, I don't remember outsiders getting scores lower than 4.3-4.7. The most characteristic thing today is dynamic sports skating. I believe that the new champions - my compatriots Torvill and Dean - are trendsetters here. The ease of skating in them is combined with strength and expression. Bestemyanova and Bukin made amazing progress in a month. The partners refused to abuse parody elements, emphasizing speed and accuracy, which was completely justified.
I liked the two American couples - the filigree work of the skate allows you to demonstrate very effective, sometimes risky tricks. I was also impressed by the technique of Volozhinskaya - Svinin. The plasticity of the female partner in the rumba is simply unique, and their original dance is perhaps the best.
... Last Sunday, the Civic Center clearly could not accommodate all those wishing to enjoy the art of modern "stars" of figure skating. The losers can hope that in three weeks, when a symbolic team of the world's best figure skaters, having completed an exhibition tour of the United States and Canada, will come to Hartford again. They will have better luck.
Hartford (by telephone).
​

 

[Walt FSHunter]

1981

A SIGNIFICANT SEASON

(the article published in russian 'Sport za Rubezhom' in March, 1981)​

The figure skating season ended with the World Championships in the American city of Hartford. Together with the European Championships in Innsbruck, it defined the main features of the new Olympic cycle, outlined the path that this sport will take to the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. As usual, the beginning of the new cycle was marked by a change of names and views. The new judging system emphasized the increased importance of free skating, and therefore creativity in the work of athletes and coaches.
Young talented athletes, who had been invisible for a time behind the leaders who have now left the ice, came to the leading positions. It is noteworthy that there was a change of champions in all four disciplines.In pair skating, without exaggeration the most difficult and labor-intensive discipline, the leading position is still occupied by Soviet masters. Commenting on the performance of the European and world champions, the Associated Press correspondent notes: “22-year-old Irina Vorobyova and 25-year-old Igor Lisovsky demonstrated a magnificent program in Hartford, the most complex and at the same time the most harmonious of all those presented at the competition." Even a mistake made by a partner during a parallel spin in a camel spin could not shake the positions of Vorobyova and Lisovsky. Moreover, observers, referring to Lisovsky's words spoken at a press conference (he explained the reason for stopping because his partner was very close: “I was afraid of hurting Irina”), emphasize the moral character of the athlete, the humane essence of what happened.
The European and world press unanimously notes the growth of the skills of Sabina Baess and Tassilo Thierbach from the GDR, Christina Riegel and Andreas Nischwitz (FRG), Americans Kathleen and Peter Carruthers, Canadians Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini.
At the same time, none of the foreign observers failed to notice that the number of duets participating in the main tournaments continues to steadily decrease. Last year, ten duets were represented at the European Championship, this year - six, at the World Championship, respectively, 15 and 11. And the fact that the Winter Universiade in Spain failed to hold pairs competitions due to the almost complete lack of volunteers looks tragicomic.
It is impossible to find a clear explanation for this phenomenon in the comments of experts. They note both the exceptional complexity of modern pair skating and the richness of the programs - perhaps sometimes excessive - by the huge number of elements, long invented and tested, but difficult to master, and the outflow of young figure skaters to other disciplines, which continues today, especially to dance. Obviously, to some extent, pair skating has been negatively affected by the recently emerging trend towards rejuvenation. "We must bring joy, not worry about a child falling and hurting himself. Spectators do not want to see a tired child's face after three minutes of skating," said three-time Olympic champion Irina Rodnina.
It should be noted that the trend towards excessive rejuvenation has not developed in pair skating, but its consequences are still felt, “and one can assume (this is the opinion of the New York Times columnist Frank Litsky) that parents are still wary of the prospect of their children taking up figure skating in pairs, preferring music or tennis.”
Be that as it may, it is clear from a number of reports that the leadership of the International Skating Union is concerned about the current state of affairs. In search of a way out, it has asked all leading experts and famous athletes to express their proposals on this matter.
Possible changes are a matter for the future. However, the season showed that world pair skating is still searching for new elements (one of them was the twist over the partner's head parallel to the plane of the ice demonstrated by the American duo Carruthers), a new style - softer, more graceful and artistic.
Men's singles skating attracts everyone's attention and, traditionally, evokes perhaps the most comments. One after another, such outstanding masters as John Curry and Robin Cousins (Great Britain), Jan Hoffmann (East Germany), Vladimir Kovalev left the arena, but the top competitions are still illuminated by the glow of talent. Igor Bobrin, who observers call the successor of Curry, Cranston and Ovchinnikov, showed off his outstanding skating at the European Championships this season. Having performed five different triple jumps in his composition on the ice of Innsbruck, Bobrin once again proved that a difficult jump is not the only indicator of a skater's skill, it is only the most visible and considered criterion. The famous former Austrian figure skater, multiple world champion Emmerich Danzer, commenting on Bobrin's success on television, emphasized that his entire program was distinguished by elegance and subtle perception of music, that on the ice Bobrin can be symphonically deep and serious and operetta-like frivolous and comical. In short, he is a universal artist. Former European champion Ingrid Wendl (Austria), now also a TV commentator, spoke warmly of the performance of Soviet debutant Vladimir Kotin, calling him a promising and gifted athlete, who is characterized by courage and poetry.
The palette of European men's single skating has undoubtedly been enriched by such young masters as Hermann Schulz (GDR), Norbert Schramm (FRG), Josef Sabovcik (Czechoslovakia). The latter is the greatest hope of his country since Ondrej Nepela, he took his first steps on the ice under the guidance of Nepela's coach Hilda Mudra.Undoubtedly, Frenchman Jean-Christophe Simon has great prospects. People started pinning their hopes on him not today, but he was preparing for the current season in Colorado Springs with the famous specialist Carlo Fassi.
The USA has put forward many high-class singles skaters. However, in the last decade, only one athlete with the stars and stripes on his suit has managed to climb to the top step of the world podium. It was Charles Tickner, who has since left the ice. And the double victory that 22-year-old Scott Hamilton from Pennsylvania and David Santee from Illinois achieved in Hartford is an unprecedented success. A columnist for the New York Times says that "the skating of the tiny Hamilton (he is 162 cm tall and weighs 50 kg) electrified the hall. The athlete brilliantly performed six triple jumps ... As a child, he suffered from a serious illness of the digestive organs and remained essentially a dwarf until the age of eight. The boy's life was in serious danger, and on the advice of a doctor, he took up skating, thereby saving himself. As for Santee, figure skating helped him overcome his youthful inferiority complex; a psychologist played a major role here, along with his coach.” Having achieved success in Hartford, Hamilton firmly stated that he intended to win the title of Olympic champion. There was no such confidence in Santee's voice. Be that as it may, it is already clear that the battle for the palm of primacy in Sarajevo between the singles skaters of the Old and New Worlds will be one of the most striking sporting spectacles of the White Olympics.
Will Japan intervene in this struggle? In recent years, its skaters have played a noticeable role on world ice, and 22-year-old Fumio Igarashi took fourth place in Hartford. In a conversation with journalists, one of the leaders of the Japan Skating League, Tashiyuki Uchido, noted Igarashi's fighting qualities, as well as his ability to quickly gain speed and amazing endurance, which he developed through tireless training. It is characteristic that Igarashi was second in the short program at the World Championships.
The rapid progress of men's single skating is undoubtedly connected with the fact that there are many contenders not only for each prize place, but also for any line in the upper half of the table of ranks. Extremely high competition is the best incentive for the creativity of coaches and athletes.
Women's single skating is developing quite quickly, although at a much slower pace. While men's high technical level of skating and, therefore, freedom of mastery of the main expressive means opens up scope for searching for new choreographic solutions, staging harmonious programs, female figure skaters are still continuing to accumulate an arsenal of multi-turn jumps. The 18-year-old figure skater from Zurich Denise Biellmann, who was considered one of the main contenders for success throughout the previous Olympic cycle, finally came out on top after the departure of Olympic champion Anett Pötzsch (GDR) and other strong athletes. If in Innsbruck Biellmann conquered the audience only with her unique pirouettes (her jumps were worse), then in Hartford she showed a triple Lutz and two other difficult jumps, and again drew applause with combinations of rotations that flowed from one to another.
Helen Elliott, a columnist for the American newspaper Newsday, in her article “Finishing the Second - Child's Play for Zayak" focuses on world runner-up Elaine Zayak of New Jersey. "Her skill impresses even seasoned athletes, but her tiny voice and childish laughter remind you that she's only fifteen. When she's on the ice, the crowd goes wild with her incredible triple jumps and dizzying spins." This avalanche of epithets was influenced by the newspaper advertising hype specific to the USA. Helen Elliott recalls that at the US Championships, Zayak jumped triples seven times. An impressive figure even for a men's program. True. Elaine is still angular, her program lacks expressiveness. Her coach Peter Burrows understands this: "Another two years will pass, and the picture will be different."
Apparently, in the near future the battle for the world championship will unfold between representatives of Europe and the USA, similar to how Pötszch and Fratianne argued in the past four-year cycle.
Today, the elite includes such interesting European figure skaters as Claudia Christofics-Binder (Austria), Debbie Cottrill (Great Britain), Katarina Witt (GDR), Christina Wegelius (Finland), Sanda Dubravcic (Yugoslavia). Overseas, Priscilla Hill (USA) and Tracy Wainman (Canada) stand out.
For ten years, the Soviet school of ice dancing had not known defeat. And it seemed that the founders of this type of figure skating, the English, had faded into the background. However, last year, Kristina Regöczy and Andras Sallay, who trained with the British specialist Betty Calloway, became world champions. Now, compatriots and students of Mrs. Calloway have won both major titles, and she said of Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean from Nottingham that none of her students worked so hard and so diligently.
Experts have repeatedly noted that over the past four years, English dancers, while remaining in principle faithful to the strict manner, have drawn much from the artistic experience of the Soviet school. The style of Torvill and Dean, by general admission in the press, is distinguished by soft gliding, strictness of dance positions, combined with liveliness and playfulness. In the newspaper "Courier" Danzer states that the second prize winners - Irina Moiseyeva and Andrei Minenkov, whose dance is characterized by elements of ballet, were inferior to the world champions in skating speed. This thesis seems extremely controversial, since the current program of Moiseyeva and Minenkov is characterized by its swiftness, as always combined with the figurative solution of the dance.
“I don’t want to be a prophet, but I still firmly believe that Soviet dancers Natalia Bestemyanova and Andrei Bukin will become world champions in the near future.This rather categorical statement also belongs to Danzer. Experts note the freshness of the manner of the new bronze medalists of the World Championship, their unique coloring, cheerfulness and temperament, literally lighting up the hall.
For the first time, young American dancers Judy Blumberg and Michael Seibert approached the group of leaders. They are called the heirs of the bronze medalists of the 1976 Winter Olympics, Colin O'Connor and Jim Milnes, although their dance eccentricity is more reminiscent of the casual gaiety and acrobatics of Judy Schwomeyer and James Sladky.
In general, as always, the dance tournaments of the European and world ranks were a fascinating spectacle. This type of figure skating continues to progress. It is possible to name at least ten pairs of a very high class, following both the classical and the figurative-artistic, more theatrical style. The dispute between the supporters of both directions is not over, and it is unlikely that anyone will undertake to predict in whose favor it will end. Most likely, further development will still follow the path of synthesis. However, the obvious gravitation towards the synthesis of high complexity and spirituality, a creative approach to creating programs is increasingly characteristic of all types of figure skating, which was confirmed by the past season.​

E. TOKAREVA
(TASS - for "Sport Abroad").

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
3-8 February, Innsbruck (Austria)
SINGLE SKATING
Men: 1. I. Bobrin (USSR) 3.8; 2. J.- Ch. Simon (Fr) 6.0; 3. N. Schramm (FRG) 6.6; 4. H. Schulz (GDR) 6.6; 5. J. Sabovcik (Czechoslovakia) 10.6; 6. V. Kotin (USSR) 11.8.
Women: 1. D. Biellmann (Switzerland) 3.8 2. S. Dubravcic (Yugosl) 5.8: 3. K. Kristofics-Binder (Austria) 7.4; 4. K. Wegelius (Finland) 8.4; 5. K. Witt (GDR) 10.2; 6. D. Cotrill (Great Britain) 10.4.
PAIRS
1. I. Vorobyova - I. Lisovsky (USSR) 1.4: 2. K. Riegel - A. Nischwitz (Germany) 3.2; 3. M. Cherkasova – S. Shakhrai (USSR) 3.8; 4. B. Lorenz - K. Schubert (GDR) 6.0; 5. V. Pershina - Akbarov (USSR) 6.6; 6. S. Garland – R. Daw (Great Br) 8.4.
ICE DANCING
1. J. Torvill - K. Dean (Great) 2.0; 2 I. Moiseeva - A. Minenkov (USSR) 4.0; 3. N. Linichuk - G. Karponosov (USSR) 6.0; 4. N. Bestemyanova - A. Bukin (USSR) 8.0; 5. K. Barber - N. Slater (UK) 10.0; 6. N. Herve - P. Bechu (Fr) 12.0.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
3-8 March, Hartford (USA)
SINGLE SKATING
Men: 1. S. Hamilton (USA) 3.8; 2. Santee (USA) 5.4; 3. I. Bobrin (USSR) 6.6; 4. F. Igarashi (Japan) 8.4; 5. J. Ch. Simon (Fr) 8.6; 6. B. Orser (Can) 12.8.
Women: 1. D. Biellmann (Switzerland) 4.2; 2. E. Zayak (USA) 7.4; 3. K. Christofics-Binder (Austria) 8.0; 4. D. Cottrill (UK) 84; 5. K. Witt (GDR) 10.0: 6. K. Wegelius (Finland) 10.8.
PAIRS
1. I. Vorobyova - I. Lisovsky (USSR) 1.4; 2. S. Baess – T. Thierbach (GDR) 2.8; 3. K. Riegel - A Nischwitz (Germany) 4.6; 4. M. Cherkasova S. Shakhrai (USSR) 5.2; 5. Carruthers - P. Carruthers (USA) 7,8; 6. V. Pershina - M. Akbarov (USSR) 8.8.
ICE DANCING
1.J. Torvill – K. Dean (Great Britain) 2.0; 2. I. Moiseeva - A. Minenkov (USSR) 4.0; 3. N. Bestemyanona - A. Bukin (USSR) 7.0; 4. J. Blumberg - M. Seibert (USA) 7.0; 5. O. Volozhinskaya - A. Svinin (USSR) 11.0; 6. C. Fox - R. Dally (USA) 11.0.

 

[Walt FSHunter]

1981
USSR JUNIOR CUP

YOUTH PATTERNS

(the article published in Ukrainian 'Sportyvna Hazeta' on April 2, 1981)​

IN THE ABSENCE of the first and second numbers of the USSR youth team, the tone in the national Cup among future Olympians was set by skaters completely unfamiliar to the general public.
The competition in Gorky was held with a clear advantage of the students of the CSKA school (director A. Gorelik). Only in single skating did an eighth-grader from Gorky, V. Dvoinikov, win. In other categories, the first place went to M. Avstriyskaya and Yu. Kvashnin (pair skating), N. Annenko and V. Karkachev (ice dance), I. Klimova. It is characteristic that Klimova is a student of coach G. Alekseeva, who at one time found and brought Elena Vodorezova to the master level.
The first team prize went to the army men.​

 

[Walt FSHunter]

1981
USSR CUP

SKATING APRIL TRAIL
(the article published in Ukrainian 'Sportyvna Hazeta'on April 7, 1981)​

WITH THE USSR Cup in Sverdlovsk, our skaters are completing a busy post-Olympic season. The first numbers did not make it to the start. But, as sometimes happens in such cases, this only intensified the fight for places on the podium.
In pair skating, the tone was set by the students of the local school "Trud", the country's champions Veronika Pershina and Marat Akbarov. They won. But six duets competed for the remaining prizes!
Among the male singles, we did not see Igor Bobrin and Volodymyr Kotin. The World Universiade champion Konstantin Kokora and the silver medalist of the USSR championship Alexander Fadeev took turns leading. The free program brought the more experienced Kokora ahead. The third place was taken by Vitaliy Egorov from Kharkiv.
And in the women's category, 18-year-old Kira Ivanova proved that this season she has no equal on the all-Union stage. Even the participation of Elena Vodorezova did not shake her leadership. The winner of the World Universiade, Leningrad's Natalia Strelkova, having also let Vodorezova go ahead, closed the prize-winning top three.​

 

[Walt FSHunter]

1981
ALL-UNION CHAMPIONSHIPS OF OLYMPIC TRAINING CENTERS AND SPORT CHILDREN AND YOUTH SCHOOLS OF THE ALL-UNION COUNCIL OF THE TRADE UNIONS

THEY DANCED THE BEST OF ALL
(the article published in Ukrainian 'Sportyvna Hazeta' on April 18, 1981)​

OLYMPIQUE ENTRIES OF YOUNG FIGURE SKATERS OF DNIPROPETROVSK REGION​

ALL-UNION CHAMPIONSHIPS OF OLYMPIC TRAINING CENTERS AND SPORT CHILDREN AND YOUTH SCHOOLS OF THE ALL-UNION COUNCIL OF THE TRADE UNIONS IN FIGURE SKATING. Dnipropetrovsk. Representatives from 10 cities took part. The chief judge - V. Dolgov (all-Union category, Dnipropetrovsk).
THESE DAYS, the stands (520 seats) of the training rink of the Ice Stadium of the Meteor Sports Club were filled to capacity. Competitions of this rank were held here for the first time. And although the participants were no more than 16 years old, they demonstrated good programs.
The students of the Meteor Sports School, which became the center of Olympic training, delighted their compatriots. The participants of the Junior World Championship Inna Becker and Sergey Likhansky confidently won among the pairs, among the dance duets - Oksana Duyunova and Sergey Vasiliev, among the male singles of the younger group - Dmitry Shkidchenko. Among the girls, the most skilled was the Muscovite Marina Tveritinova, and among the older boys - Sergey Boryak from Gorky.​

G. SHEVCHENKO.
Photo by the author.​

​

 

[Walt FSHunter]

1981
ALL-UNION FIGURE SKATING COMPETITIONS "KYIV KASHTAN"

MAY EPILOGUE

(the article published in Ukrainian 'Sportyvna Hazeta' on May 14, 1981)​

ALL-UNION FIGURE SKATING COMPETITIONS FOR THE "KYIV KASHTAN" PRIZE. Kyiv. Palace of Sports. 40 participants. Chief judge - V. MAKSAYEV (all-Union category, Kyiv).

THE TOURNAMENT was held for the eleventh time and brought together representatives of nine cities of the country. The tone was set by Leningraders, who this year also in the USSR national team performed more successfully than others. Let's remember the world and European champion titles of Irina Vorobyova - Igor Lisovsky, the gold medal of Innsbruck and the "bronze" of Hartford of Igor Bobrin. Now two main prizes have gone to the banks of the Neva from the Dnieper. Spartak skater Natalya Isakova and dancers from Dynamo Elena Kornelyuk - Vadim Belevich distinguished themselves. Interestingly, it was three years ago, that the latter debuted at Kashtan in senior competitions. And finally there is a victory. The internship at the famous school of Elena Tchaikovskaya clearly showed its effect.
In the men's category, Sergey Lavrov from Minsk won, and the reputation of the hosts was supported by the Kyiv Dynamo skaters Tetyana Sydorenko and Serhiy Romanenko, who were the best among pairs.
Although this spring the competition dates almost coincided with the flowering of Kyiv chestnuts, it seems that this is not as important as ensuring a strong and authoritative team of not only judges, but also participants. Unfortunately, the spectators once again did not see any of the best on the ice, who were holding their foundation training in Moscow during the holidays. Some compensation was provided by the exhibition performances of young students from Kyiv schools Dynamo and Avangard, which were held every day after the competitions. However, in the future, the organizers should take care first of all of inviting to the Kyiv ice those who future Olympians can follow.​

V. KAMAEV.​

​

 

[Diana Delafield]

1981

A SIGNIFICANT SEASON

(the article published in russian 'Sport za Rubezhom' in March, 1981)​

The figure skating season ended with the World Championships in the American city of Hartford. Together with the European Championships in Innsbruck, it defined the main features of the new Olympic cycle, outlined the path that this sport will take to the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. As usual, the beginning of the new cycle was marked by a change of names and views. The new judging system emphasized the increased importance of free skating, and therefore creativity in the work of athletes and coaches.
Young talented athletes, who had been invisible for a time behind the leaders who have now left the ice, came to the leading positions. It is noteworthy that there was a change of champions in all four disciplines.In pair skating, without exaggeration the most difficult and labor-intensive discipline, the leading position is still occupied by Soviet masters. Commenting on the performance of the European and world champions, the Associated Press correspondent notes: “22-year-old Irina Vorobyova and 25-year-old Igor Lisovsky demonstrated a magnificent program in Hartford, the most complex and at the same time the most harmonious of all those presented at the competition." Even a mistake made by a partner during a parallel spin in a camel spin could not shake the positions of Vorobyova and Lisovsky. Moreover, observers, referring to Lisovsky's words spoken at a press conference (he explained the reason for stopping because his partner was very close: “I was afraid of hurting Irina”), emphasize the moral character of the athlete, the humane essence of what happened.
The European and world press unanimously notes the growth of the skills of Sabina Baess and Tassilo Thierbach from the GDR, Christina Riegel and Andreas Nischwitz (FRG), Americans Kathleen and Peter Carruthers, Canadians Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini.
At the same time, none of the foreign observers failed to notice that the number of duets participating in the main tournaments continues to steadily decrease. Last year, ten duets were represented at the European Championship, this year - six, at the World Championship, respectively, 15 and 11. And the fact that the Winter Universiade in Spain failed to hold pairs competitions due to the almost complete lack of volunteers looks tragicomic.
It is impossible to find a clear explanation for this phenomenon in the comments of experts. They note both the exceptional complexity of modern pair skating and the richness of the programs - perhaps sometimes excessive - by the huge number of elements, long invented and tested, but difficult to master, and the outflow of young figure skaters to other disciplines, which continues today, especially to dance. Obviously, to some extent, pair skating has been negatively affected by the recently emerging trend towards rejuvenation. "We must bring joy, not worry about a child falling and hurting himself. Spectators do not want to see a tired child's face after three minutes of skating," said three-time Olympic champion Irina Rodnina.
It should be noted that the trend towards excessive rejuvenation has not developed in pair skating, but its consequences are still felt, “and one can assume (this is the opinion of the New York Times columnist Frank Litsky) that parents are still wary of the prospect of their children taking up figure skating in pairs, preferring music or tennis.”
Be that as it may, it is clear from a number of reports that the leadership of the International Skating Union is concerned about the current state of affairs. In search of a way out, it has asked all leading experts and famous athletes to express their proposals on this matter.
Possible changes are a matter for the future. However, the season showed that world pair skating is still searching for new elements (one of them was the twist over the partner's head parallel to the plane of the ice demonstrated by the American duo Carruthers), a new style - softer, more graceful and artistic.
Men's singles skating attracts everyone's attention and, traditionally, evokes perhaps the most comments. One after another, such outstanding masters as John Curry and Robin Cousins (Great Britain), Jan Hoffmann (East Germany), Vladimir Kovalev left the arena, but the top competitions are still illuminated by the glow of talent. Igor Bobrin, who observers call the successor of Curry, Cranston and Ovchinnikov, showed off his outstanding skating at the European Championships this season. Having performed five different triple jumps in his composition on the ice of Innsbruck, Bobrin once again proved that a difficult jump is not the only indicator of a skater's skill, it is only the most visible and considered criterion. The famous former Austrian figure skater, multiple world champion Emmerich Danzer, commenting on Bobrin's success on television, emphasized that his entire program was distinguished by elegance and subtle perception of music, that on the ice Bobrin can be symphonically deep and serious and operetta-like frivolous and comical. In short, he is a universal artist. Former European champion Ingrid Wendl (Austria), now also a TV commentator, spoke warmly of the performance of Soviet debutant Vladimir Kotin, calling him a promising and gifted athlete, who is characterized by courage and poetry.
The palette of European men's single skating has undoubtedly been enriched by such young masters as Hermann Schulz (GDR), Norbert Schramm (FRG), Josef Sabovcik (Czechoslovakia). The latter is the greatest hope of his country since Ondrej Nepela, he took his first steps on the ice under the guidance of Nepela's coach Hilda Mudra.Undoubtedly, Frenchman Jean-Christophe Simon has great prospects. People started pinning their hopes on him not today, but he was preparing for the current season in Colorado Springs with the famous specialist Carlo Fassi.
The USA has put forward many high-class singles skaters. However, in the last decade, only one athlete with the stars and stripes on his suit has managed to climb to the top step of the world podium. It was Charles Tickner, who has since left the ice. And the double victory that 22-year-old Scott Hamilton from Pennsylvania and David Santee from Illinois achieved in Hartford is an unprecedented success. A columnist for the New York Times says that "the skating of the tiny Hamilton (he is 162 cm tall and weighs 50 kg) electrified the hall. The athlete brilliantly performed six triple jumps ... As a child, he suffered from a serious illness of the digestive organs and remained essentially a dwarf until the age of eight. The boy's life was in serious danger, and on the advice of a doctor, he took up skating, thereby saving himself. As for Santee, figure skating helped him overcome his youthful inferiority complex; a psychologist played a major role here, along with his coach.” Having achieved success in Hartford, Hamilton firmly stated that he intended to win the title of Olympic champion. There was no such confidence in Santee's voice. Be that as it may, it is already clear that the battle for the palm of primacy in Sarajevo between the singles skaters of the Old and New Worlds will be one of the most striking sporting spectacles of the White Olympics.
Will Japan intervene in this struggle? In recent years, its skaters have played a noticeable role on world ice, and 22-year-old Fumio Igarashi took fourth place in Hartford. In a conversation with journalists, one of the leaders of the Japan Skating League, Tashiyuki Uchido, noted Igarashi's fighting qualities, as well as his ability to quickly gain speed and amazing endurance, which he developed through tireless training. It is characteristic that Igarashi was second in the short program at the World Championships.
The rapid progress of men's single skating is undoubtedly connected with the fact that there are many contenders not only for each prize place, but also for any line in the upper half of the table of ranks. Extremely high competition is the best incentive for the creativity of coaches and athletes.
Women's single skating is developing quite quickly, although at a much slower pace. While men's high technical level of skating and, therefore, freedom of mastery of the main expressive means opens up scope for searching for new choreographic solutions, staging harmonious programs, female figure skaters are still continuing to accumulate an arsenal of multi-turn jumps. The 18-year-old figure skater from Zurich Denise Biellmann, who was considered one of the main contenders for success throughout the previous Olympic cycle, finally came out on top after the departure of Olympic champion Anett Pötzsch (GDR) and other strong athletes. If in Innsbruck Biellmann conquered the audience only with her unique pirouettes (her jumps were worse), then in Hartford she showed a triple Lutz and two other difficult jumps, and again drew applause with combinations of rotations that flowed from one to another.
Helen Elliott, a columnist for the American newspaper Newsday, in her article “Finishing the Second - Child's Play for Zayak" focuses on world runner-up Elaine Zayak of New Jersey. "Her skill impresses even seasoned athletes, but her tiny voice and childish laughter remind you that she's only fifteen. When she's on the ice, the crowd goes wild with her incredible triple jumps and dizzying spins." This avalanche of epithets was influenced by the newspaper advertising hype specific to the USA. Helen Elliott recalls that at the US Championships, Zayak jumped triples seven times. An impressive figure even for a men's program. True. Elaine is still angular, her program lacks expressiveness. Her coach Peter Burrows understands this: "Another two years will pass, and the picture will be different."
Apparently, in the near future the battle for the world championship will unfold between representatives of Europe and the USA, similar to how Pötszch and Fratianne argued in the past four-year cycle.
Today, the elite includes such interesting European figure skaters as Claudia Christofics-Binder (Austria), Debbie Cottrill (Great Britain), Katarina Witt (GDR), Christina Wegelius (Finland), Sanda Dubravcic (Yugoslavia). Overseas, Priscilla Hill (USA) and Tracy Wainman (Canada) stand out.
For ten years, the Soviet school of ice dancing had not known defeat. And it seemed that the founders of this type of figure skating, the English, had faded into the background. However, last year, Kristina Regöczy and Andras Sallay, who trained with the British specialist Betty Calloway, became world champions. Now, compatriots and students of Mrs. Calloway have won both major titles, and she said of Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean from Nottingham that none of her students worked so hard and so diligently.
Experts have repeatedly noted that over the past four years, English dancers, while remaining in principle faithful to the strict manner, have drawn much from the artistic experience of the Soviet school. The style of Torvill and Dean, by general admission in the press, is distinguished by soft gliding, strictness of dance positions, combined with liveliness and playfulness. In the newspaper "Courier" Danzer states that the second prize winners - Irina Moiseyeva and Andrei Minenkov, whose dance is characterized by elements of ballet, were inferior to the world champions in skating speed. This thesis seems extremely controversial, since the current program of Moiseyeva and Minenkov is characterized by its swiftness, as always combined with the figurative solution of the dance.
“I don’t want to be a prophet, but I still firmly believe that Soviet dancers Natalia Bestemyanova and Andrei Bukin will become world champions in the near future.This rather categorical statement also belongs to Danzer. Experts note the freshness of the manner of the new bronze medalists of the World Championship, their unique coloring, cheerfulness and temperament, literally lighting up the hall.
For the first time, young American dancers Judy Blumberg and Michael Seibert approached the group of leaders. They are called the heirs of the bronze medalists of the 1976 Winter Olympics, Colin O'Connor and Jim Milnes, although their dance eccentricity is more reminiscent of the casual gaiety and acrobatics of Judy Schwomeyer and James Sladky.
In general, as always, the dance tournaments of the European and world ranks were a fascinating spectacle. This type of figure skating continues to progress. It is possible to name at least ten pairs of a very high class, following both the classical and the figurative-artistic, more theatrical style. The dispute between the supporters of both directions is not over, and it is unlikely that anyone will undertake to predict in whose favor it will end. Most likely, further development will still follow the path of synthesis. However, the obvious gravitation towards the synthesis of high complexity and spirituality, a creative approach to creating programs is increasingly characteristic of all types of figure skating, which was confirmed by the past season.​

E. TOKAREVA
(TASS - for "Sport Abroad").

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
3-8 February, Innsbruck (Austria)
SINGLE SKATING
Men: 1. I. Bobrin (USSR) 3.8; 2. J.- Ch. Simon (Fr) 6.0; 3. N. Schramm (FRG) 6.6; 4. H. Schulz (GDR) 6.6; 5. J. Sabovcik (Czechoslovakia) 10.6; 6. V. Kotin (USSR) 11.8.
Women: 1. D. Biellmann (Switzerland) 3.8 2. S. Dubravcic (Yugosl) 5.8: 3. K. Kristofics-Binder (Austria) 7.4; 4. K. Wegelius (Finland) 8.4; 5. K. Witt (GDR) 10.2; 6. D. Cotrill (Great Britain) 10.4.
PAIRS
1. I. Vorobyova - I. Lisovsky (USSR) 1.4: 2. K. Riegel - A. Nischwitz (Germany) 3.2; 3. M. Cherkasova – S. Shakhrai (USSR) 3.8; 4. B. Lorenz - K. Schubert (GDR) 6.0; 5. V. Pershina - Akbarov (USSR) 6.6; 6. S. Garland – R. Daw (Great Br) 8.4.
ICE DANCING
1. J. Torvill - K. Dean (Great) 2.0; 2 I. Moiseeva - A. Minenkov (USSR) 4.0; 3. N. Linichuk - G. Karponosov (USSR) 6.0; 4. N. Bestemyanova - A. Bukin (USSR) 8.0; 5. K. Barber - N. Slater (UK) 10.0; 6. N. Herve - P. Bechu (Fr) 12.0.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
3-8 March, Hartford (USA)
SINGLE SKATING
Men: 1. S. Hamilton (USA) 3.8; 2. Santee (USA) 5.4; 3. I. Bobrin (USSR) 6.6; 4. F. Igarashi (Japan) 8.4; 5. J. Ch. Simon (Fr) 8.6; 6. B. Orser (Can) 12.8.
Women: 1. D. Biellmann (Switzerland) 4.2; 2. E. Zayak (USA) 7.4; 3. K. Christofics-Binder (Austria) 8.0; 4. D. Cottrill (UK) 84; 5. K. Witt (GDR) 10.0: 6. K. Wegelius (Finland) 10.8.
PAIRS
1. I. Vorobyova - I. Lisovsky (USSR) 1.4; 2. S. Baess – T. Thierbach (GDR) 2.8; 3. K. Riegel - A Nischwitz (Germany) 4.6; 4. M. Cherkasova S. Shakhrai (USSR) 5.2; 5. Carruthers - P. Carruthers (USA) 7,8; 6. V. Pershina - M. Akbarov (USSR) 8.8.
ICE DANCING
1.J. Torvill – K. Dean (Great Britain) 2.0; 2. I. Moiseeva - A. Minenkov (USSR) 4.0; 3. N. Bestemyanona - A. Bukin (USSR) 7.0; 4. J. Blumberg - M. Seibert (USA) 7.0; 5. O. Volozhinskaya - A. Svinin (USSR) 11.0; 6. C. Fox - R. Dally (USA) 11.0.
View attachment 9552
View attachment 9553

An interesting look back, especially, for me, his worry about the pairs discipline. But 40+ years later there are still enough insane skaters to keep it going . (I figure if the Protopopovs could still perform at c80, I've got close to another 20 years to go as a pairs girl -- if my partner also keeps going, of course!)

 

[Walt FSHunter]

1981

IN SUMMER - ABOUT WINTER​

WHAT'S NEW WITH THE FIGURE SKATERS?

(the article published in Ukrainian 'Sportyvna Hazeta' on August 18, 1981)​

IN SUMMER, in the off-season, the masters of winged skates prepare behind closed doors of training rinks and, unlike hockey players, are in no hurry to appear in public. The curtain will rise only at the end of September, when a seminar of international judges will traditionally be held in Zaporizhzhia, and the new programs of the national team members will be presented. But a true fan wants to know about changes in his favorite sport as soon as possible! Well, let's go for news.​

JUDGING AND RULES

JUDGING in figure skating is rightly considered one of the most conservative. A talented newcomer needs to spend several seasons to gain recognition from judges on the international stage. But even this does not guarantee objectivity, because the rules often lack evaluation criteria, and with approximately the same level of skill, emotions and personal preferences are more often the deciding factor.
The Technical Committee of the International Skating Union (ISU) has long developed and in June of this year at a meeting in Cannes (France) approved several reforms that should contribute to clearer judging. The changes were primarily in pair skating. Already at the European Championships-82, an experiment will be conducted: the competitions in the compulsory program will be served by one team of referees, and in the free program - by another.
Increased attention will be paid to the artistic level, choreography, synchronism of skating, the use of the entire ice surface by the athletes, and the organicity of the musical accompaniment. At the initiative of the delegates from Western countries, the technical complexity is barely limited. Skaters are recommended to include in their free program up to three different lifts, a twist, a throw jump, several pair and separate rotations and jumps, two different death spirals, a combination of jumps and steps, "spread eagle", etc. At the same time, the repetition of the named elements may vary, but excessive enthusiasm for any element or ignoring it will be penalized in the evaluations for technicality of performance and artistic impression.
There were proposals to shorten the duration of the free programs for men and pairs in order to make the compositions more dynamic. So far, only pairs have been lucky. The duration of their performance is now not 5, but 4.5 minutes.
The Technical Committee strictly assessed the biased refereeing in the 1980-1981 season of the Englishmen M. Groombridge and J. Yeats, warning their federation in writing not to send these specialists to serve major international competitions in the future. For the same offense, American J. Sullivan was disqualified for a year, who openly gave alms to her compatriots during the 1981 world championship in Hartford.
THE BREATH OF THE SPARTAKIAD
THE MOST INTERESTING events of the new season, in addition to the world junior championships (Norway, December 14-20, 1981), the USSR championships (Moscow, January 5-10), Europe (Lyon, February 2-7), the world (Copenhagen, March 9-14), and of course the finals of the V Winter Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR (March).
Three and a half years ago in Sverdlovsk, Ukrainian skaters took fifth place in the team competition, scoring 385 points. Only V. Egorov from Kharkiv returned home with an award, he became a bronze medalist in the junior competitions.
Over the past time, a lot has been done in the republic to popularize the sport. This primarily concerns the Odessa and Dnipropetrovsk schools. However, there are no guarantees that new Spartakiad achievements will be more significant. The scoring system is such that points will be brought to the team's piggy bank (both among senoirs and juniors) only by participants who made it to the top ten. Considering that strong teams from Moscow, Leningrad, and the Russian Federation received the right to field three representatives in each category at the end of last season, one can imagine the intensity of the upcoming competition.
Our compatriots will also be widely represented on the Spartakiad ice in Krasnoyarsk. But will quantity turn into quality? After all, comparing the lists of candidates for the republican national team in 1978 and 1981 causes concern. Only N. Avramova from Kharkiv and the same Yegorov remained in it. The rest are new names.
However, there have also been leaders whose skill can be compared - champions of the IV Winter Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR in ice dancing from Dnipropetrovsk N. Karamysheva - R. Sinitsyn. But this summer the young couple was left without a coach and is now under the care of Tatyana Tarasova. Let's hope that the experienced teacher will help the original dancers in the best way possible in difficult times.
Stronger positions in the junior category. In order to bring promising young men and women to the right path, the coaches of our republic in recent years have been willing to go to the heads of specialized brigades of the USSR national team for training, sending their wards there for internships. Here is a recent fact: in the Dynamo group under the wing of Irina Rodnina herself young pairs from Dnipropetrovsk (I. Becker – S. Lykhansky) and Odesa (I. Butkova – S. Khudyakov) are preparing. Well, let's see if the results of the partnership (there are many other similar examples) will be noticeable already in the Spartakiad season. Only this form of work should not discourage specialists in the field who work with sports skill groups. The current incentive system practically guarantees laurels to everyone who deserves them.
ACCOMMODATION - PARTING
THE ATTENTIVE reader must have raised his eyebrows when he read about Irina Rodnina's new role. Saying goodbye to active performances last year, the famous athlete did not associate her further biography with coaching, worked for some time in the apparatus of the Central Committee of the Komsomol, and now she is back on the ice.
Here is what the three-time Olympic champion thinks about this:
- Love grows stronger in separation. After taking a break from sports life, I felt that I could not mentally part with figure skating for a day. I accumulated several interesting discoveries and wanted to implement them on the ice. I was lucky to have wonderful teachers. Now it's time for me to share my experience.
We should add that Irina Rodnina leads the Dynamo pair skating group under the leadership of Elena Tchaikovskaya, to which skaters were selected after several all-Union reviews. But there are also familiar faces there. For example, ex-world champion S. Shakhrai. After his long-time partner M. Cherkasova finished performing, Sergey is trying his hand at a pair with I. Shalimova, representative of single skating. Another news. The famous I. Moiseeva - A. Minenkov are now training with Natalia Dubova.
At the traditional international tournament in Moscow in December of this year, we will, unfortunately, say goodbye not only to Marina Cherkvsova. The Olympic champions in ice dancing N. Linichuk - G. Karponosov have completed their glorious journey in competitions. They recently got married, then went on a show in France. Ahead is a tour of Canada, Japan and, finally, a farewell concert in Luzhniki, where we will once again enjoy the high art of dance of Natalia and Gennady.​

G. KUZMIN.​

 

[Diana Delafield]

1981

IN SUMMER - ABOUT WINTER​

WHAT'S NEW WITH THE FIGURE SKATERS?

(the article published in Ukrainian 'Sportyvna Hazeta' on August 18, 1981)​

IN SUMMER, in the off-season, the masters of winged skates prepare behind closed doors of training rinks and, unlike hockey players, are in no hurry to appear in public. The curtain will rise only at the end of September, when a seminar of international judges will traditionally be held in Zaporizhzhia, and the new programs of the national team members will be presented. But a true fan wants to know about changes in his favorite sport as soon as possible! Well, let's go for news.​

JUDGING AND RULES

JUDGING in figure skating is rightly considered one of the most conservative. A talented newcomer needs to spend several seasons to gain recognition from judges on the international stage. But even this does not guarantee objectivity, because the rules often lack evaluation criteria, and with approximately the same level of skill, emotions and personal preferences are more often the deciding factor.
The Technical Committee of the International Skating Union (ISU) has long developed and in June of this year at a meeting in Cannes (France) approved several reforms that should contribute to clearer judging. The changes were primarily in pair skating. Already at the European Championships-82, an experiment will be conducted: the competitions in the compulsory program will be served by one team of referees, and in the free program - by another.
Increased attention will be paid to the artistic level, choreography, synchronism of skating, the use of the entire ice surface by the athletes, and the organicity of the musical accompaniment. At the initiative of the delegates from Western countries, the technical complexity is barely limited. Skaters are recommended to include in their free program up to three different lifts, a twist, a throw jump, several pair and separate rotations and jumps, two different death spirals, a combination of jumps and steps, "ships", etc. At the same time, the repetition of the named elements may vary, but excessive enthusiasm for any element or ignoring it will be penalized in the evaluations for technicality of performance and artistic impression.
There were proposals to shorten the duration of the free programs for men and pairs in order to make the compositions more dynamic. So far, only pairs have been lucky. The duration of their performance is now not 5, but 4.5 minutes.
The Technical Committee strictly assessed the biased refereeing in the 1980-1981 season of the Englishmen M. Groombridge and J. Yeats, warning their federation in writing not to send these specialists to serve major international competitions in the future. For the same offense, American J. Sullivan was disqualified for a year, who openly gave alms to her compatriots during the 1981 world championship in Hartford.
THE BREATH OF THE SPARTAKIAD
THE MOST INTERESTING events of the new season, in addition to the world junior championships (Norway, December 14-20, 1981), the USSR championships (Moscow, January 5-10), Europe (Lyon, February 2-7), the world (Copenhagen, March 9-14), and of course the finals of the V Winter Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR (March)
Three and a half years ago in Sverdlovsk, Ukrainian skaters took fifth place in the team competition, scoring 385 points. Only V. Egorov from Kharkiv returned home with an award, he became a bronze medalist in the junior competitions.
Over the past time, a lot has been done in the republic to popularize the sport. This primarily concerns the Odessa and Dnipropetrovsk schools. However, there are no guarantees that new Spartakiad achievements will be more significant. The scoring system is such that points will be brought to the team's piggy bank (both among senoirs and juniors) only by participants who made it to the top ten. Considering that strong teams from Moscow, Leningrad, and the Russian Federation received the right to field three representatives in each category at the end of last season, one can imagine the intensity of the upcoming competition.
Our compatriots will also be widely represented on the Spartakiad ice in Krasnoyarsk. But will quantity turn into quality? After all, comparing the lists of candidates for the republican national team in 1978 and 1981 causes concern. Only N. Avramova from Kharkiv and the same Yegorov remained in it. The rest are new names.
However, there have also been leaders whose skill can be compared - champions of the IV Winter Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR in ice dancing from Dnipropetrovsk N. Karamysheva - R. Sinitsyn. But this summer the young couple was left without a coach and is now under the care of Tatyana Tarasova. Let's hope that the experienced teacher will help the original dancers in the best way possible in difficult times.
Stronger positions in the junior category. In order to bring promising young men and women to the right path, the coaches of our republic in recent years have been willing to go to the heads of specialized brigades of the USSR national team for training, sending their wards there for internships. Here is a recent fact: in the Dynamo group under the wing of Irina Rodnina herself young pairs from Dnipropetrovsk (I. Becker – S. Lykhansky) and Odesa (I. Butkova – S. Khudyakov) are preparing. Well, let's see if the results of the partnership (there are many other similar examples) will be noticeable already in the Spartakiad season. Only this form of work should not discourage specialists in the field who work with sports skill groups. The current incentive system practically guarantees laurels to everyone who deserves them.
ACCOMMODATION - PARTING
THE ATTENTIVE reader must have raised his eyebrows when he read about Irina Rodnina's new role. Saying goodbye to active performances last year, the famous athlete did not associate her further biography with coaching, worked for some time in the apparatus of the Central Committee of the Komsomol, and now she is back on the ice.
Here is what the three-time Olympic champion thinks about this:
- Love grows stronger in separation. After taking a break from sports life, I felt that I could not mentally part with figure skating for a day. I accumulated several interesting discoveries and wanted to implement them on the ice. I was lucky to have wonderful teachers. Now it's time for me to share my experience.
We should add that Irina Rodnina leads the Dynamo pair skating group under the leadership of Elena Tchaikovskaya, to which skaters were selected after several all-Union reviews. But there are also familiar faces there. For example, ex-world champion S. Shakhrai. After his long-time partner M. Cherkasova finished performing, Sergey is trying his hand at a pair with I. Shalimova, representative of single skating. Another news. The famous I. Moiseeva - A. Minenkov are now training with Natalia Dubova.
At the traditional international tournament in Moscow in December of this year, we will, unfortunately, say goodbye not only to Marina Cherkvsova. The Olympic champions in sports dancing N. Linichuk - G. Karponosov have completed their glorious journey in competitions. They recently got married, then went on a show in France. Ahead is a tour of Canada, Japan and, finally, a farewell concert in Luzhniki, where we will once again enjoy the high art of dance of Natalia and Gennady.​

G. KUZMIN.​

View attachment 9561

I'd forgotten that that was when the seniors pairs free was shortened by half a minute, just before we moved from juniors to seniors. My parents would have encouraged me to retire otherwise, stamina never having been my strong point thanks to mild asthma.

What do you suppose they mean by "pairs 'ships'"? I can't think of anything we do that would translate thus .