Retrospective: The 1983 World Championships

[Maofan7]

Retrospective moves on to the 1983 World Championships.

The key facts in relation to these championships are:-


For the second year running, Scott Hamilton and Norbert Schramm finish first and second respectively. This was Hamilton's third consecutive world title

Brian Orser medals at Worlds for the first time, winning bronze

Rosalynn Sumners wins the world title. The previous year she had suffered the misfortune of sustaining an injury shortly before the start of the 1982 World Championships which left her with little time to prepare. Consequently, she had finished 6th. However, she put in a commanding performance to win the 1983 Worlds winning both the compulsories and the free skating sections (she finished 4th in the short program). A year later, in 1984, Sumners loaned out her medals to a local bank for display. However, when the bank was taken over, the medals were lost. Fortunately, around 20 years later (in 2004) they were found again in a safe deposit box.

Katarina Witt finished outside of the medals despite winning the SP and finishing 2nd in the FS, on account of a disastrous performance in the school figures in which she finished 8th. Had there been no compulsories section, then her combined SP and FS would have won her the world title, just as her combined SP and FS in the 1982 World Championships (in which she finished 2nd) would have won her that world title as well.

Elaine Zayak had to withdraw from the championships due to injury after having only completed 2 of the 3 compulsory figures (New York Times Report Here (http://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/09/sports/elaine-zayak-s-bid-is-halted-by-injury.html)). Accordingly, she was unable to defend the world title she had won at the 1982 championships. Sadly, she would never again reach the heights she had achieved in 1982 as problems with her foot (part of which she lost in a lawn mower accident) would cause her more and more problems in the school figures

Elena Valova & Oleg Vasiliev win the first of their three world titles. They would ultimately become Olympic champions in 1984 and would undoubtedly have won further world titles and a second Olympic title in 1988 had they not run up against the formidable Gordeeva & Grinkov.

Just as Scott Hamilton won his third consecutive world title at these championships, so did the brilliant Torvill & Dean with their superb Barnum free dance. They had got the idea for the program the year before when they went to see Michael Crawford performing in the Barnum musical at the London Palladium. Their performance in these championships was especially impressive in light of the fact that they had to withdraw from the European Championships only weeks earlier due to an injury sustaining fall in practice to Jayne Torvill. However, she recovered in time for Worlds and with Michael Crawford looking on in the audience, their Barnum program was immaculate - they were awarded a perfect nine 6.0's for artistic impression (i.e. a 6.0 from every Judge). Earlier in the competition, they had been given six 6.0's for their Rock n'Roll OSP


Here are the videos for the medal winning performances:-

MENS

Gold: Scott Hamilton - USA

Free Skate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7y-p5tyOPU)

Free Skate - 2nd Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPttowt6iuA)

Silver: Norbert Schramm - West Germany

Free Skate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGLB0GoTpnI)

Bronze: Brian Orser - CAN

Free Skate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80Cu8cV8eN4)

6th: Brian Boitano

Free Skate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPzIPkYG8jk)

LADIES

Gold: Rosalynn Sumners - USA

Free Skate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I3jCoKn-60)

Free Skate - 2nd Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qarNkVCXPr0)

Silver: Claudia Leistner - West Germany

Free Skate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kYBc-ZioTQ)

Free Skate - 2nd Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvSWGlyd9vs)

Bronze: Elena Vodorezova - USSR

Free Skate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_bk-zqQHak)

4th: Katarina Witt

Short Program (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUxrKrxL1D0)

Free Skate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2NnxTTZdvM)

PAIRS

Gold: Elena Valova & Oleg Vasiliev - USSR

Long Program (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22bMM-TQO5c)

Silver: Sabine Baeß & Tassilo Thierbach - East Germany

Long Program (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi4XdI6TRhU)

Bronze: Barbara Underhill & Paul Martini - CAN

Long Program (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXZMf05xS1I)

ICE DANCE

Gold: Jayne Torvill & Christopher Dean - GBR

OSP (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEHsR679g1M)

Free Dance (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydN5Glf9KI0)

Free Dance - 2nd Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbp1OSGyMZM)

Free Dance - 3rd Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBudeGMGjB4)

Silver: Natalia Bestemianova & Andrei Bukin - USSR

Free Dance (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnjkTNF1Zhc)

Bronze: Judy Blumberg & Michael Seibert - USA

Free Dance (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4dKhA6M_EE)

[skateboy]

Thanks for this. Haven't gotten around to watching all of these yet, but watched the men.

Wow, I'd forgotten how great Scott Hamilton could be! That was a beautifully choreographed program (despite the crazy music cuts, typical of 80s programs). To me, that's exactly how footwork should be--fast, difficult, perfectly timed with the music. Every part of that program had a meaning, as the commentator said. Fantastic!

Sad that Elaine Zayak had to drop out. She'd gained some weight, but still had all her triples (including the loop). As the defending world champion, she very well may have medalled, paving a way to a better Olympic finish than what she got.

[DORISPULASKI]

What a nice copy of T&D's Rock n Roll OSP that is! The copy I have has a Canadian commentator talking nonstop over the top of it (Otto Jelinek, perhaps?)

I've always wondered what the music was for that program. It sounds like Variations on a Theme by Paganini redone with a back beat :lol:

Does anyone know what it really is?

Also, really nice copies of B&B's and B&S's silver and bronze FD's.

[olympic]

Roz always left me cold. I respect her skating basics, but she always looked like the landing of any triples was a chore. Her speed, straight back and great basics yet not entirely secure jumps make me think of her as an American version of Lepisto.

Gutted that Zayak couldn't compete. I think if she were healthy, she would've done well enough to medal but not defend her title.

V/V made their debut this year, didn't they?

[orbitz]

I remember hating Janet Lynn's commentary back then; I thought it was lifeless, but now I don't think it was bad at all. She spoke just enough during the performances, I think.

What was Witt's opening music in her LP? Was it a song from The Four Tops? This was the last time she attempted the 3flip in competition.

Leistner's music cut was a mess, and the choreography was awful.

Love T&D's Barnum, but I like the Mack & Mabel program better.

Didn't know Roz's gold medal was lost for 20 years. She must have been p.o. at the Bank for losing it, LOL.

[Seerek]

What was Witt's opening music in her LP? Was it a song from The Four Tops? This was the last time she attempted the 3flip in competition.


The opening cut was London Symphony Orchestra's version of "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" by the Four Tops from the "Hooked on Rock Classics" album.

Katarina attempted 3 flip one last time in the fall of 1983 at Skate Canada (two-footed).

[skatesindreams]

I've always wondered what the music was for that program. It sounds like Variations on a Theme by Paganini redone with a back beat :lol:

Does anyone know what it really is?



It is from the "Variations" as played by cellist Julian Lloyd-Webber; adapted from the Paganini Variations by Andrew Lloyd-Webber:

http://www.amazon.com/Andrew-William-Lloyd-Webber-Variations/dp/B000008M6H/ref=pd_sim_sbs_m_1

[floskate]

Oh I do wish they hadn't made Witt change her SP costume from Europeans. As kitsch and campy as it seems now, she really was trying new stuff back then.

Other than Barnum, the only thing I ever think of when watching this championships is teh pairs result. To this day I still would give it to Baess & Thierbach over V&V whose sbs 3t's seem to have bedazzled the judges enough to overlook the other major errors.

[skatesindreams]

Oh I do wish they hadn't made Witt change her SP costume from Europeans. As kitsch and campy as it seems now, she really was trying new stuff back then.

floskate, I couldn't agree more.

[Frau Muller]

....pairs result. To this day I still would give it to Baess & Thierbach over V&V whose sbs 3t's seem to have bedazzled the judges enough to overlook the other major errors.

Even so, the most beautiful and musical pairs LP of the competition belonged to Underhill/Martini. I actually preferred this version to the 1984 edition to the same Gershwin Concerto music, even though they won Worlds in 84. The 1983 choreography is, to me, more sophisticated & the black costumes sleeker than the blue-1984. U/M 1983 is still among my top programs of all time, in any discipline.

[Louise]

LOL that the commentator referred to Claudia Leistner as "one of the most exciting athletic female skaters that we have". :scream:

Roz was pretty as a picture. Everything was so refined about her skating.

[olympic]

....
Other than Barnum, the only thing I ever think of when watching this championships is teh pairs result. To this day I still would give it to Baess & Thierbach over V&V whose sbs 3t's seem to have bedazzled the judges enough to overlook the other major errors.

Perhaps the Soviet Fed was pushing really hard for V/V since it was a pre-Olympic championship and all. There was a probably a bit of frustration in the Soviet Union over the lack of a solid pairs team since the retirement of R/Z in 1980: Vorobieva/Lisovski, Cherkasova/Shakrai, Pestova/ Leonovich all tried and failed to deliver any lasting results in the interim.

[skatesindreams]

Scott's 1983 program was my favorite of all he did.
It suited him perfectly.

I really appreciate Robin Cousins' commentary.

[briancoogaert]

Nobert Schramm's and Elena Vodorezova's musics should have been banned/

[olympic]

This is how I remember the results in Ladies -

1. Rosalynn Sumners
2. Claudia Leistner
3. Elena Vodorezova
4. Katarina Witt
5. Anna Kondrashova
6. Kristiina Wegelius
-
-
9. Tiffany Chin

Does anyone recall who finished 7th and 8th?