Canada's best takes a seat
By TERRY JONES -- Edmonton Sun
DORTMUND, Germany -- The reigning Canadian champion sat in the stands trying to tell herself she did the right thing.
"I wish that I was there," admitted 16-year-old Cynthia Phaneuf of the ice surface where Joanne Rochette and Jennifer Robinson finished fifth and sixth in their qualifying group here yesterday.
The phenom Phaneuf won the title at Canadians in Edmonton in January. But the tall foreheads at Skate Canada decided it was in both her and their best interests not to allow her to compete for her country here. As a reward they gave her and her coach a free trip here to sit in the stands and watch as spectators.
You can't help but look at her and wonder if this is not cruel and unusual punishment.
Other than to make that one statement, that she wishes she was out there, the Sorel, Que, skater toes the party line.
"It was the best decision, I think. I have to get more experience. I have a lot to learn and many years to learn it. I'm here to observe how it works. I know it's better for me."
COULDN'T COME CLOSE
She looked out at skaters, a couple dozen of them from around the world who couldn't come close to the great skate she produced at Canadians.
"I know I can do better," she said of them.
At the same time, the kid is having to hold back from asking for skaters autographs.
"This is a dream come true just to be here. I really wanted to see the top competitors in the world. I'm happy to see them skate."
It was that skate in Edmonton which caused all the controversy by keeping her off the Worlds team to send ol' lady Robinson and young Rocket Rochette to get the job done here and earn two spots to the critical Moscow Worlds next year where Turin 2006 Winter Olympics and Calgary 2006 Worlds spots will be earned.
"Being here makes her realize she's not that far from the top," said her coach, Annie Barabe.
Rochette isn't so sure.
She came to Worlds as a 17-year-old last year and finished 17th. That, she says, is why she's tied for ninth (combining the two qualifying groups) going into tonight's short program. The 18-year-old said being here last year, at least for openers, is making a big difference this year.
"I know what to expect," she said. "You've got to go out there to learn.
"I found out what to expect, what to do in every part of the competition. It made me realize how much work I still have to do. You've got to go once to learn."
She didn't mean as a spectator.
We won't find out here if Skate Canada hurt Phaneuf or helped her. What we know already is that they told her she was a lock to win the Junior Worlds, putting a pile of pressure on her arguably as great as she would have had here and taking away the two-month preparation period she would have had if she came here. Phaneuf fell twice in the short program and finished 10th.
What we'll find out here is if the combination of Rochette and Robinson will end up with combined final-position totals of 28 or less.
Going into tonight's short program the two are effectively tied for ninth and tied for 11th which leaves plenty of wiggle room as long as one of them doesn't pull an Emanuel Sandhu.
"It's important that Canada has two spots next year and I think we're going to achieve it," said Rochette.
ROBINSON SKATED WELL
Canadian skating officials, at least to this point, can be congratulating themselves for the move in that Robinson, the six-time Canadian champion who had a sub-par performance at Canadians in Edmonton, skated well.
Still agonizingly slow, the Windsor, Ont., skater who finished ninth at the last two Worlds, did pick up the pace in sections of a revamped program.
"The changes we made were great," she said. "They're calming throughout the program. We just worked on having confidence on the landing of the jumps. Keep your head up and have that confident look."
Like Rochette, Robinson landed six triple jumps.
"I'm thrilled with that," she said.
Robinson said she wasn't too excited to have to skate at 10:30 a.m.
"It was a hard morning having to practise at 6 a.m. and having to compete so early."
She said she was there for Phaneuf's arrival to Dortmund the day before but didn't spend any time with her.
"I watched Ben Ferreira skate and then went to bed really early. Sixteen-year-old's can't do that," said the 27-year-old.
And, no, she didn't stay up late enough to watch Emanuel Sandhu's phenomenal flop in the men's short program the night before, nor did she feel any pressure to help the Canadian team make up for the mess he made with her performance.
"I'm not here to fix anybody's whoopses," she said.
Well, other than Skate Canada's re Cynthia Phaneuf.
"I want to come here and validate their decision," said Robinson. "I want to have a sense of satisfaction but I don't want that to be my overriding thought."
