Retrospective: The 1988 World Championships

[alchemy void]

Sports Illustrated Article

Thanks for the link, great read! My favorite part: Boitano was offered a part on Perfect Strangers as Balki's long lost cousin!?! Please told me he accepted, what an epic opportunity!

[bardtoob]

My favorite part: Boitano was offered a part on Perfect Strangers as Balki's long lost cousin!?!

"WE DO THE DANCE OF JOY!!!"

[liv]

Brian Orser's LP. It was brilliant and a great way to come back after the devastation fo the Olympics.

Valova/Vasiliev skated an inspired long program. If they had had one mistake the judges probably would have given it to G/G, but they instead took the opportunity to leave on a very high note.

[mustafinabars]

Brian Boitano was robbed of winning the LP at this event I thought.

[Vash01]

Brian Boitano was robbed of winning the LP at this event I thought.

No way Boitano's performance could have beatern Orser's at the 1988 worlds. He stepped out of the attempted quad (3.5 revolutions) and singled his second 3A. His performance did not have the energy and emotion of his Olympics performance. Orser skated a perfect LP, with two 3As, no mistakes, and his usual charm on the ice. He won hands down on both tech and artistic marks.

[Erin]

Orser's FP was unbeatable with the skaters at that event IMO. It was the skate of his career and probably the best FP ever skated to that point. It wasn't quite as technically strong as Boitano had been in Calgary, but IMO had stronger choreography and better performance ability than Boitano. It wasn't even close that night between Boitano and Orser.

Orser and Browning were the main highlight of this event for me - I love Kurt's story about how he thought he'd blown the quad by having the three-turn on the landing, and getting very angry at himself until halfway through the program, when he saw his teammates going crazy and realizing maybe he actually had been successful. I thought it was pretty impressive that Kurt kept the rest of the program together, as I would have thought the roller coaster of emotions could have really thrown him off. Interestingly, I'm pretty sure Browning landed the next clean quad in competition (much more cleanly) so he would have had the first quad even if the ISU had decided that a three-turn meant it wasn't clean, but it probably helped him to have that monkey off of his back and set him up very well for the next season.

[4rkidz]

Thanks Maofan7 for the trip down memory lane.. i remember that year so well for figure skating, it was a great year. I really enjoyed both the Olympics and the Worlds - I think Witt skated much better at the Worlds and Manley certainly had the strongest long program. The Brian's continuing battle was epic - and fitting the way it ended up..

[Vash01]

Orser's FP was unbeatable with the skaters at that event IMO. It was the skate of his career and probably the best FP ever skated to that point. It wasn't quite as technically strong as Boitano had been in Calgary, but IMO had stronger choreography and better performance ability than Boitano. It wasn't even close that night between Boitano and Orser.

Orser and Browning were the main highlight of this event for me - I love Kurt's story about how he thought he'd blown the quad by having the three-turn on the landing, and getting very angry at himself until halfway through the program, when he saw his teammates going crazy and realizing maybe he actually had been successful. I thought it was pretty impressive that Kurt kept the rest of the program together, as I would have thought the roller coaster of emotions could have really thrown him off. Interestingly, I'm pretty sure Browning landed the next clean quad in competition (much more cleanly) so he would have had the first quad even if the ISU had decided that a three-turn meant it wasn't clean, but it probably helped him to have that monkey off of his back and set him up very well for the next season.

The only more difficult thing Boitano did in the Olympics (than Orser's 88 worlds) was the 3f3t combination, which even men were not doing at that time.

About Kurt's next quad in competition- I don't know if he landed a clean one at the Canadian nationals or one of the GPs. He certainly did not land it clean at the 1989 worlds. He two-footed it.

[Erin]

Kurt's quad was clean as a whistle at 1989 Canadians. It's not on YouTube, but I pulled out my DVD to double check and it was definitely one foot and fully rotated...probably the best quad I'd ever seen him do actually. I would assume the ISU would have ratified (or homologated ) the quad at Canadians if the Worlds one had not counted, given that they gave Brandon Mroz credit for the quad lutz at a club competition.

[judgejudy27]

The only more difficult thing Boitano did in the Olympics (than Orser's 88 worlds) was the 3f3t combination, which even men were not doing at that time.

That and Boitano doing a 2nd triple flip (in Calgary), whereas Orser repeated the triple toe, an easier triple. I would still place Orser from Budapest over Boitano in Calgary though, and I am sure the judges would have too considering they very nearly placed the Orser of Calgary which was much weaker than Budapest over the Boitano of Calgary.

[olympic]

Question to all -

Which LP was better for Debi Thomas - '88 Olympics OR '88 Worlds? I'm sure both were ones she'd like to forget, but if you had to choose one as 'better', which would it be? I'd choose the '88 Worlds LP. She at least hit a clean opening combo and squeaked out the 3loop.

[TheIronLady]

Claudia Leistner was an awkward giraffe. She needed someone to tone down her loud German tastes and arm movements.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5C9s0nhPEU

[muffinbiscuit]

[QUOTE=Vash01;3791613]The only more difficult thing Boitano did in the Olympics (than Orser's 88 worlds) was the 3f3t combination, which even men were not doing at that time.

And, the 'tano lutz

[TheIronLady]

Question to all -

Which LP was better for Debi Thomas - '88 Olympics OR '88 Worlds? I'm sure both were ones she'd like to forget, but if you had to choose one as 'better', which would it be? I'd choose the '88 Worlds LP. She at least hit a clean opening combo and squeaked out the 3loop.

The Calgary program was a more serious disaster as a performance because she appeared so crushed and broken during the program.

[Maofan7]

Pairs Medal Ceremony

Karyn Garossino & Rod Garossino (Canada) - OSP, Karyn Garossino & Rod Garossino - FD - 11th in the Ice Dance

Melanie Cole & Michael Farrington (Canada) - FD - 15th in the Ice Dance

Neil Paterson (Canada) - SP, Neil Paterson - FS - 13th in the Men's competition

Men's Compulsory Figures

[Seerek]

They also had a "fours" exhibition by Benning & Johnston and Hough & Ladret in 1988 - not sure if it was meant as an attempt to establish international competitions for fours (it had been part of the Canadian Championships)

[Maofan7]

They also had a "fours" exhibition by Benning & Johnston and Hough & Ladret in 1988 - not sure if it was meant as an attempt to establish international competitions for fours (it had been part of the Canadian Championships)

They did undeed. Here it is:-

Benning & Johnston and Hough & Ladret - "Fours" Exhibition

[Vash01]

Question to all -

Which LP was better for Debi Thomas - '88 Olympics OR '88 Worlds? I'm sure both were ones she'd like to forget, but if you had to choose one as 'better', which would it be? I'd choose the '88 Worlds LP. She at least hit a clean opening combo and squeaked out the 3loop.

At the Olympics she two footed her intended 3t-3t combination and she lost the energy in her skating. At worlds she did a safer 3t-2t combination and she was OK after that, but then she made mistakes and lost. However, the worlds skate was less of a disaster, particularly emotionally for her. She seemed to be in a shock when she placed 3rd at the Olympics, but at worlds she seemed to expect the 3rd place, based on how she skated.

[Vash01]

They also had a "fours" exhibition by Benning & Johnston and Hough & Ladret in 1988 - not sure if it was meant as an attempt to establish international competitions for fours (it had been part of the Canadian Championships)

I don't believe that was the intention. I think they just wanted to skate an entertaining fours program, particularly since the Olympics were in Canada.

[matti]

Boitano made a big big mistake in his Olympic skate: he two-footed his second triple axel (only jumps landed on one foot counted at the time). BB 2-footed his death drop as well...