SENIOR LADIES
Judges
Jon A. Jackson
William S. Smith
Monty Hoyt
Joseph L. Inman
Susan A. Johnson
Linda K. Leaver
Smual Auxier
Larry Kriwanek
Gary A. Clark
SP FS Skater
withdrew
3 Nicole Bobek
Notes on the long program:
You saw it on T.V., of course. What can we say?
Skater comments following the long program:
Kwan on her performance: "I skated my best even though I singled by double axel. It's great to have good second marks. I've been working hard on my artistic expression, the hands and everything. I thought my program was one of my best."
On winning the gold medal: "It feels good to be on top. I didn't expect to win. I trained hard and it's a good moment for me now."
On skating at Worlds with Midori Ito: "I have looked up to her and watched her and admired her triple axel for a long time. I am impressed with her skating and technical ability. She is like a legend to me. I have admired her since I was little."
Kwiatkowski on the difference between her perfromanc this year vs. last: "This year I didn't fall. I always knew I could do it and I proved it today."
On making the World Team: "This win will make up for the other trip to Worlds. I learned a lot from that other trip. I've got a different attitude now. Today's win was a birthday present to Carol (Heiss Jenkins)."
On her education: "Finishing college has given me confidence that there are other things I can do when my skating is done. So now I can concentrate on skating."
Lipinski on the possibility of making the World Team: "I'll be surprised to go but I'm happy with what I've done. This is so exciting."
On skating immediately after Bobek withdrew: "It was fine with me. I like going out early. I just had to get focused and then I was fine." [Lipinski was notified that Bobek had withdrwan while Kwan was on the ice.] Adds Callaghan, "We prepared her for that possibility. We went through a few different scenarios. We wanted her prepared for a few possibilities, just so that she had that 15 seconds she needs in order to focus."
On changing coaches: "At first changing coaches was tough, but then I settled in and now it's fine." Bobek on the abkle injury that forced her to withdraw: "When it first started, it just hurt. It felt sore and then it began hurting more and more. Tonight during the warmup it started hurting and it was not getting any better. I just tried to push throuhg it."
Dr. Warren King on the injury: "She injured the ankle late in November. Just at it starts to get better, she reaggravates it. It finally got to the point where it just would't allow her to continue. So we thought it was in her best interest not to continue and aggravate the condition further."
Jim Disbrow (Cair, International Committee) on the International Committee's deliberations: "We looked at the placements at this Nationals. That is what the International Committee chose to do. The discussion at the International Committee meeting centered around who we thought would best represent us at the 1996 World Championships. The committee looked at all of the issues at hand and they came down to the fact that the team that would best represent us would be these three (Kwan, Kwiatkowski, and Lipinski)."
Notes on the short program:
Michelle Kwan was solid with triple Lutz - double toe, double axel, and triple toe. The program had nice spins good expression, with a variety of tempos. Kwiatkowski skated clean with triple flip - double toe, double axel, and triple toe. Her program (to "Firebird') included fast spins and footwork. We found her choreography, however, frantic. Bobek put her hand down in triple Lutz - double toe, and then completed the double axel and triple toe. Her style and presentation was vintage Bobek. She was sobbing after the program, but later, at the post-event press conference was in better spirits. Sydne Vogel gave a cute, lively performance with triple Lutz - double toe, double axel, and triple toe. She remains our favorite for fourth place, and could move up to third if Bobek's ankle does her in. Lapinski skated a clean, fast program with triple Lutz - double loop, double axel, and triple flip. She remains a skater with great promise, but requires greater maturity, stronger spins, and stronger connecting elements. Skater comments following the short program:
Kwan on her new look: "We made a lot of changes this year including my overall look. I feel very comfortable with the new look. I always had an image in my mind and now it is better than I had hoped for. When I was on tour with all the champions I would see them get prepared so I watched and learned from the best."
On her imporvemanet from last season: "This year we have really worked on perfecting everything from jumps to spins to all the in between skating as well. I think improvement on the ice has to come from inside. You have to feel the music and you have to have that emotion inside and not necessarily get it from outside look."
Kwiatkowski comparing last year's short program to this year's: "In my mind both were really good. I felt great out there and had a lot of fun. I just did what I had to do. Being in first last year was great as is being in second right now. But I still have a four-minute long program to do tomorrow."
On being older than her competition: "People have made me out to be older. I just really don't feel that old. I feel well trained and we have been working very hard. It doesn't matter how old you are. It is how you feel and I feel good."
Bobek on her problem in the triple Lutz: "We considered playing it safe and going with the flip but decided to see how it all goes during the warm up and make the decision then; and I decided to go for it. My ankle collapsed on me and I kind of broke. I told myself to come on, pull up, and I pulled it off alright. It was not the best, but it wasn't the worst."
On her approach to the free skate: "I don't think I have anything to lose. I am going to go out there and do everything I can. I am not going to anticipate things in my program tomorrow. I know I just have to think about one thing at a time and rush through the program. I am going to go out there and skate the best that I can. I am not going to hold back."
SENIOR MEN
Judges
Joan H. Gruber
Kevin M. Rosenstein
James W. Disbrow
Robert J. Horen
J. Barlow Nelson
Coco Gram Shean
Steve Winkler
Paula M. Naughton
Lorrie A. Parker
SP FS Skater
withdrew
12 Derrick Delmore
Notes on the long program:
You saw it on T.V. too, didn't you? What could we add?
Skater comments following the long program:
Galindo on his feelings of winning the title: "It feels like a dream. All week, like a psychic I had the feeling of a clean long program. I visualized myself walking off the ice with the crowd standing. I can't describe the feeling but it means so much. The jumps seemed so light and easy today, maybe because of the extra training."
On his performace throughout the week: "This is the first competition that I've skated a good short and a good long together. Usually, I don't have a good short and an OK long and then finish in the middle of the pack. This time I had them both together and obviously it paid off."
On his reaction to the crowd's response: "The victory was definitely sweet in front of the hometown crowd. It helped a lot when they roared ... it definitely encouraged me. The last 15 seconds I was spinning so fast that I didn't notice the crowd was standing. It's a lot sweeter being in San Jose."
On his training: "I had been training well all week ... technique was my concentration focus. I was in the same practice group with Todd (Eldredge), so I pretended during each practicee that I was in competition with him. But mostly I just decided to have a good time and whatever happend would happen."
On what the title means to him financialy: "Obviously now I can pay for my training next year. I won't have to stand on the corner with a sign that 'I'll work for food'!"
Eldredge on his free skate: "I felt fine. It was the first time out for this program and it was a little rougher than I would have wanted. I had to concentrate a lot throughout the program. Nothing really went wrong. I just got a little tired at the end."
On his immediate plans: "I'm going to stay home and work hard for Worlds. That's how Rudy got where he is and that's how I got to where I did last year. It takes a lot of hours of repetition. It gives me something to work for." On the difficulties of defending: "There was a lot of pressure, but it was pressure that I was putting on myself. I don't really listen to what other people say and let them put pressure on me. I used to do that, but not anymore. I just go out and do my own work and whatever happens, happens."
Hollander on his pre-championships expectations: "My goal was to make the World Team. Deep down, I really wanted it, but I didn't really think that I would make it."
Notes on the short program:
Perhaps setting a record, 13 of the 17 men in the short program attempted a triple axel combination, of the 13, 7 were successful.
Eldredge skated a stong, clean program with confidence and speed. He was "totally awesome", landing triple axel - double toe, double axel, and triple Lutz. His jumps were huge, his spins fast. Davis landed triple axel - double toe, and triple Lutz, but put his hand down on the double axel. As usual his spins were outstanding. Galindo skated an exquisite program including triple axel - triple toe, double axel, and triple flip. His execution was nearly flawless and his presentation mesmerizing - at least that's the way I saw it. The judges, however, were less impressed, and were not so nearly overwhlemed as was the audience. Hollander skated a clean, precise, and entertaining program. His jumps consisted of triple axel - double loop, double axel, and triple Lutz. Both Clark and Weiss, other favorites in the event, had deductions on their triple axel - double toe combinations.
Skater comments following the short program:
Galindo on his approach to these championships: "Basically, I didn't think about placement. I just wanted to go out, have fun and try extra hard in front of my hometown crowd. I just wanted to avoid putting pressure on myself because that's what got me in trouble in the past."
Galindo on his marks: "Todd and Scott are World-ranked skaters and I'm just happy to be in third place. I thought the marks were appropriate ... I was a little cautious. In practice I was a little bit faster. Tonight I was a little slow."
Eldredge on his performance: "Anytime I go out and skate a clean short program I'm happy. Anybody in the top three has a chance to win the whole thing and this just kind of got me in the running again. Short program and long program are two totally different things. I'm feeling more confident with my long program than with my short because I've been training more on it because it's new. I hope it comes off as well, if not better, than last year's (long program)."
Eldredge on his decision to double the triple toe: "I think everybody that can do a triple axel - triple toe, when they get out there on the ice, that's what their plan is. It's split-second timing. Obviously, if you don't feel just right the double is easier than trying to muscle out a triple."
Davis on his error in the double axel: "It was one of those fluky things. I felt great going into the double axel, but on the landing I pitched forward and had to put my hand down."
Davis on his long program:I feel really good about the long program. I've been working on some changes the last few weeks and I've been training hard."