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Mel's Editorial#21: January 28, 2006Canadians: Lesley & Leung Steal the Ladies' Event On the night of her twentieth birthday, Joannie Rochette was anticipated, and even expected, to defend the crown that she won last year in London. She did just that, winning the free skate by 10.06 points, extending her overall lead to nearly twenty points above her nearest competitor. In a program set to "Les Feuilles Mortes" and "Hymne à l'Amour," Joannie beautifully interpreted David Wilson's almost minimalist choreography. However, the enchanting performance was not without errors, the most costly being a planned triple loop turned into a single. Still, it was more than enough for a golden birthday present, and as the crowd sang "Happy Birthday" to her, before the marks ever came up, we all knew that we were singing to a champion. But Joannie didn't quite recapture the brilliance of London, and as an audience member, I have to say that I was still on the edge of my seat, wanting to see something incredible that evening, something that only the nationals can bring. I had a feeling that I was going to get my wish. With Cynthia Phaneuf sidelined by an injury, it was inevitable that someone new was going to rise to the silver medal position. This year, it wasn't just a silver medal and the coveted spot just below an almost untouchable champion. This year, it was about the Olympics, and the Olympics have a knack at bringing out the best in athletes. The next two skaters, Meagan Duhamel and Tanika Gibbons, let mistakes get the best of them. Both are talented skaters, but this would not be their year. Fourth to skate in the final flight was Lesley Hawker, in third place after the short program. It wasn't really a close third, but since ice is slippery and anything can happen, she knew that she had to skate a top-notch free program and maybe, just maybe, she would move into second place. Always a sentimental favourite of mine, my nerves were clenched as she took the ice. A gorgeous triple lutz opened the program, followed by a triple flip-double toe combination. Tears filled my eyes as the program to Morricone's score from "The Mission" unfolded before me. Lesley skated with such joy, as she always does, and though the program did not have its rough spots, I eagerly leapt to my feet, tears falling freely down my face. It's hard not to cheer for Lesley Hawker. The oldest of ten kids, she's known in Canada as a late bloomer, reaching her first senior nationals at the age of 19. She works hard, loves the sport, respects her competitors, and always has a smile on her face. With half the audience being made up of Hawker's siblings...okay, perhaps an exaggeration, but regardless, I wouldn't have wanted to be in Mira Leung's skates after that ovation. Lesley had skated well and scored high. You can focus all you want, but it's next to impossible to tune out the announcer who's reading the scores as you're standing with your coach, trying to concentrate on your skate, on your game. Fortunately for Mira, one of her greatest strengths is her consistency. And consistent she was, reeling off six triples (though the toe was downgraded to a double), three level three spins, and making only one noticeable mistake - a double axel popped to a single. All three combinations earned her an extra ten percent for being after the halfway mark in her program. But as amazing as her jumps were, it wasn't the triple-double-double combination after four minutes of skating that wowed me. Constantly criticized for her presentation, or lack thereof, Mira had, in the weeks since her Grand Prix assignments, scrapped her long program and traded it in for a new one. The new program was packed with choreography and transitions and better still, Leung learned how to really deliver it. For the first time, she was relating to the music, bringing out subtle nuances with her hands and arms, letting the program build and giving it a definite shape. It was as if she'd made the leap from being a jumping bean to being a true skater right before our very eyes. It's hard not to cheer for Mira Leung as well. An incredibly dedicated worker, she knows her programs like the back of her hand, probably accounting for her astounding consistency, even with such limited experience. And when she received criticism earlier in the season, she didn't ignore it and continue plowing away with her own approach to skating. Instead, she took it into consideration, weeded the good suggestions from the bad, and came back to the Nationals with something new. She took a big risk in bringing a brand new program to Nationals, especially in an Olympic year when she wanted to make the team so badly, to prove all of the doubters wrong. For a couple of years, people have been talking about 2010, about how she could be one of the stars, skating in her hometown. Not good enough for Leung. Why wait for 2010 when 2006 was just around the corner? Sometimes, a dream can be so big that it surrounds you completely, blinding you from the idea that failure is even a possibility. Dreaming like that pushes you harder, gives you a greater confidence in truly believing that the dream will come true. It's dreams like those that are realized at the National championships, dreams like those that bring a crowd to its feet, and it was that kind of dream that is taking Mira Leung to the Olympics next month, at the age of sixteen. As for Hawker...was she disappointed, her shining moment still coming up short of an Olympic berth? Probably. But who could tell? Always gracious and wearing her trademark beaming smile, she quickly found Mira backstage. Leung stopped answering questions from reporters for a moment while they hugged and exchanged words of congratulations. Perhaps even more than the spark displayed in each of their free skates, I was touched by that moment. In such a great sport, it's just nice to know that it really is filled with classy competitors. Best wishes to Joannie Rochette and Mira Leung as they represent Canada in the Olympic Games and World Championships. Although she is the first alternate to both events, Lesley Hawker has likely finished her season on a high note by skating a stellar free program that ended in a fourth place finish at the Four Continents Championship. Archives -- Contact -- Features -- Guestbook -- Links -- Webmistress (c)2004-6 Melanie L. Hoyt All rights reserved. |