Thursday, April 27th-Sunday, April 30th, 2000
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It was only after I'd purchased my Orlando COI ticket, back in January, that I decided to go to Tampa as well. If I'd had that idea earlier, I would have skipped Orlando and gone only to Tampa. I'm certainly glad that didn't happen, because I actually had a better time in Orlando. Anyway, since both shows were nearly identical, I'll stick to the first one, with only occasional italicized notes about the second. At the venue, I didn't encounter employees quite as rude as I did last year. A polite middle-aged woman checked out my bag instead of the large scowling man who did so last year, and she didn't confiscate my present for Todd, either. That I voluntarily handed over to a different employee. I don't enjoy going on blind faith that these people deliver things, but there's no other way in this town. And of course, I bought a confoundedly expensive program--a clone of the winter tour program with a number of skaters added. They're handy if you happen to encounter skaters other than your favorites, and barring that, they make excellent eBay fodder after a few years. As it turned out, they powers that be at the ex-Orlando Arena (now called the T. D. Waterhouse Center as part of the "naming venues after sponsors" fad) had rearranged the lower seating rows again. It's different every time. I don't think I'm ever going to figure out their system of letters and double letters. At any rate, for the second of three times, the change turned out in my favor; my seat was actually a good bit closer than I expected, about tenth row, dead-center ice. And I do mean dead center--it was in just about the exact middle of the section! This meant excusing my way past half a dozen people. Interesting, annoying people. An enormous (as in just generally huge, not fat in the conventional sense) man who could have taken up two seats sat to my left. In front of me sat a shiny-bald-spot dad whose kid, a baby Robin Williams, was dressed in exactly the same design of Tommy Hilfiger shirt as he was. And to my right, a svelte couple with their noses a mile in the air--who conversed in what I could swear to be Russian. The woman would be preoccupied for the entire evening with her expensive camera. Toward the end, she even started leaning practically into my lap for just the right shot. Not expecting as good a view of the ice as I had, I hadn't brought the good camera I have access to. It probably doesn't matter, since even at front row last year, I only managed to get one good picture--that camera is a trick and a half. Anyway, on to the skating. I'm glad Collins and company haven't messed with the opening music at least--I have come to associate Yanni's Santorini with the little thrill of anticipation the start of COI brings on. Todd, however, had a new intro I was delighted with. The costume was new, too; mostly black, it employed the series of rings--a knockoff of the Olympic rings?--that seemed part of the show's design scheme this year. The following comments on the skaters are listed by division rather than skate order. Usove & Platov skated to the same music Kazakova & Dmitriev used later in the show. Very elegant, very proficient... very typical of them. I felt like I was watching their Moonlight Sonata program set to different music. Punsalan and Swallow and Klimova & Ponomarenko both used the same programs they had in the winter tour. Fortunately for me, that was the extent of the ice dancing. As mentioned, Kazakova & Dmitriev used the same music as U&P, The program had basically the same efficient, well-skated, monotone quality. (In Tampa, Oksana Kazakova put a hand down on the throw jump.) Elena Berezhnaya & Anton Sikharulidze--now there's a pair I've seen too much of. I've nicknamed Sikharulidze "My Stalker" for his habit of appearing in my vicinity at events without ever actually making contact. He didn't look good in whatever program they used--like a beat-up Fox Mulder IMHO, for those familiar with The X-Files. At least this time he didn't almost toss his partner in my lap, though that would've been a trick from where I was sitting. I suppose the on-ice acrobatic duo of Besedin and Plishuk count as a pair. Their routine was the same as in the winter tour, but just as funny. Only this time, when Besedin turned to bow to the other side of the arena at the end, a large slash in the back of his jacket was visible! Apparently Plishuk's skate did that while he was standing on Besedin's back--a mishap that didn't happen the first time I saw them, in February. Naomi Nari Nam was one of the three skaters I'd never seen in person before, skating to a chipmunky (young Michael Jackson?) version of Rockin' Robin--one of my least favorite music selections of the night. She's definitely talented, but I prefer the more mature likes of Sarah Hughes and Sasha Cohen in the "baby ballerina" department. And another thing, someone needs to tell her she's outgrown the tiny red costume she was using back in 1998. (In Tampa, Naomi was the only skater who actually took a fall.) Nicole Bobek was her usual self, with her usual skimpy wardrobe. I have selective amnesia about her performance. It wasn't a good night to be French. Not only did Candeloro fall, but Surya Bonaly stumbled both in the introductions and in her program--but I still like her more than a lot of other female skaters. And she had two one-footed backflips during her performance, which ended with music from a great movie, Star Wars: Phantom Menace. Oksana Baiul, dressed in glittery red, used a catchy Latino number that was one of her winter tour programs. After all the weirdness that has surrounded her since I last saw her, I give her credit for a very normal, well-done program. I was glad to see Dorothy Hamill again, and it seems I was lucky to have--I only later learned she'd been injured earlier in the tour, returning just days before reaching Florida. She has an exquisite layback spin, and overall I have great respect for her ability as a skater, jumps be scragged. In fact, an interesting note: When I saw her in the dark by the skaters' entrance, for a brief moment I thought she was Michelle Kwan. That's a compliment to Michelle for carrying on a nearly-lost tradition of true grace. Speaking of the 2000 World Champion, she was flawless as ever when she skated second-to-last, before Boitano. I like and support Michelle--but I have to say I'm not too keen on her "The World Is Not Enough" program. It seems much too dark in tone for her nature, and the cat-burglar-ish costume with one sleeve didn't sit well with me. Still, well done. Evgeny Plushenko and Alexei Urmanov are the two Russians I met at the Keri Classic in October 1999, and now I've seen them both with COI--Urmanov last year, Plushenko this year. "Plushy" started out the evening's performances, wearing an eyeball burner of a costume in neon orange and green. He was one of several skaters to use Latino music... pretty appropriate in Florida these days. He did a load of combination jumps. But to me his jumps all looked very short and quick, incomparable to the huge ice-covering leaps of Todd and Elvis. Dan Hollander, one of three skaters I was seeing live for the first time, was hysterical with his program that started out as South Park and abruptly switched to Mrs. Doubtfire. I think he's going to have a great time as a pro. Also in the category of humor, I was delighted to see Viktor Petrenko's Mambo #5 with faux partner again. I'm still amazed he can jump as well as he does with "her" attached to the front of his costume. Michael Weiss... whatever. He's gotten way worse than Stojko with the muscle-flexing machismo routine, and while I've supported him in Todd's absence from the eligible circuit, I won't be shedding any tears when he loses his national title to Todd again next year. Speaking of Stojko, Elvis finally made it to Florida, having not performed here for at least two years--suffering his case of Nagano groin in 1998 and a broken collarbone in 1999. He somehow stayed injury-free this year; I really wish that had been the case last year instead, because I enjoyed his What I Like About You exhibition from then. His program here was repetitive heavy metal, not nearly as good, but he was fairly fun to watch. I will give him this--his jumps are absolutely enormous. (And I was pleasantly surprised to see him perform What I Like About You after all, in Tampa.) Brian Boitano was the last to skate, using the Wild Elephants program that helped me decide I liked him during the winter tour. It was as solid and entertaining a performance as it had been then. (I didn't notice a three-jump combination from him in Orlando, but he did one in Tampa, to my amazement. On the other hand, he doubled his Tano lutz there.) And then there was Rudy Galindo with his Send in the Clowns routine. In light of recent developments with his health, I choose to refrain from any comment. Phillipe Candeloro's Braveheart performance was pretty identical to that on the winter tour, complete with the only fall of the night--possibly even on the same jump. He's long since lost my interest. (He did manage to stay on his feet in Tampa, only stumbling a couple of times.) As for Todd... The Man skated in about the middle of the second act. In his typical contrary nature, after saying he intended to keep using his perfect program The Glory, he went and used Sinatra's New York, New York instead--and so he did in Florida. Still, it was nice to see the program while not ready to drop from lack of sleep, as I had been before. It occurred to me once or twice that something about it reminded me of his old Chaplin long program; perhaps it was the new costume, which I like better than the old. The silver in it makes it easier to see than solid black. All his jumps were clean and solid, including a big double axel. He looked cheerful. COI had a new finale this year, to replace the swing number with which I'd become familiar. The music was Bolero. Some people have loved it, some hated it; I leaned toward the latter. It seemed draggy to me, dull compared to the upbeat fun of the old finale, and it involved a lot of slow motion posing that felt somehow just plain unnatural. Todd also seemed harder to keep track of throughout it. That may have had something to do with his red shirt in the primarily red lighting. At one point during the finale, when Todd was doing a spiral on my side of the rink, I surprised myself a little. I am in fact too shy to purposely call out in complete silence. But expecting that people were going to start applauding the spiral at about the same moment I spoke, I belted out a hearty "Yeah Todd!" Except that there was no applause from the (IMHO) generally non-skatingwise Florida crowd, leaving my cheer to stand quite alone. I don't know if it might have been that which got his attention as well as my TODD pennant. But once again, he was well aware of my presence. When the protracted finale drew to its close, and the skaters lined up to take their bows, Todd pointed directly up at me and waved. That made my night, of course. After getting out of the arena, I made my way almost all the way around the building, to the place where Sarah and I had seen Todd off as he drove away the year before. I was alone at the barrier for a while--but then a gaggle of idiots surrounded me, yelling to the figures by the buses whom they assumed to be skaters, and in general prompting me to try to become as invisible as possible. The experience with them was too ridiculous to go into. To make a long story short, Todd didn't leave alone this time. My ride had just arrived by the time Todd came out, and he and I watched Todd climb onto the bus. It's not a wonder, considering the cast had to be all the way in Fort Lauderdale the next night. However, Todd did have an armload of assorted stuff with him. Hopefully my chocolates were there.
In closing, I know I may sound snippy and belligerent with my comments, but don't get the wrong impression. It's my habit to nitpick. Actually, I watch every performance with interest, most with enjoyment--and I had a terrific time. I have to admit it didn't seem quite as good in Tampa, but then, I had also come down with a sudden headcold immediately after the Orlando show. At any rate, there you have it--the story of how I ended my memorable 1999-2000 season.
Copyright 2000 Jordanna Morgan 
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