Edmonton Journal from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada • 24

C8 The Edmonton Journal. Thursday, March 14, 1996 Career in doubt on the parents, but one COLE look at Tara ana you know the tail isn wag ging this puppy. She hasn't got much going on yet, between the iumDS. but neither 1: VjJ and Shliakhov at the same rink in St. Petersburg where Dmitriev and new pairs Elena Kazakova skate.

"They were doing side-by-side camel spins. He was approaching her, and he didn't stop. So the skate was going very fast when it hit. They say she will recover, but whether she will skate again, I don't know. Her speech is not normal yet." Even if Bereznaia does skate again, Moskvina said it won't be with Shliakhov; with whom she finished seventh at both the 1994 and '95 Worlds.

"No, she cannot," Moskv- ina said. "She is afraid." If you have a question about the world figure skating championships, phone 429-5307, leave your name, phone number and query. A selection of questions and answers will run every day in The Journal starting Saturday. CAM COLE Journal Sports Columnist Edmonton Elena Bereznaia was barely 18 years old when the skate blade of her Latvian pairs partner, Oleg Shliakhov, pierced her skull in January, nearly ending her life. Tamara Moskvina, their legendary Russian coach who guided Natalia Mishkutenok and Artur Dmitriev to the 1992 Olympic pairs title, doesn't know yet what will become of Bereznaia.

"It happened when they were in Riga, so I was not there," said Moskvina, who usually trained Bereznaia to stark Continued from C1 Got a boyfriend or anything? She giggled. A teenager's giggle. "I have a normal life," Lip-inski said. "I'm in eighth grade. I have my friends over on weekends, we do sleepovers and things like that." Well, there's normal, and then there's figure skating normal.

If normal is having your family split, in order to accommodate the skater's needs if normal is not attending school, but having "three tutors, one for algebra and geometry, one for Spanish, and one for social studies, science and English," according to mom if normal is starting skating at age 3, doing "serious competition" by age 4 and being interviewed regularly at age 5 is normal, then Tara Lipin-ski is as normal as heck. "She watches no TV, except Friends. Everything stops for that," said her mother, Pat, who spent three weeks flying around the country with Tara before did Michelle Kwan, at ij, and two years later she's an accomplished artist. "We didn't push, we let her fall into it," said Pat Lipinski. "She knows she can check out any time she wants.

We still have the house in Texas, she's still registered at an academy there, she still plays tennis at the country club. "We know anything could happen an injury, a growth spurt or maybe she just doesn't want to skate any more." Of course, Tara Lipinski hasn't had time to grow nerves yet, either. "Ask her what would happen if it all ended tomorrow," said Pat. "Know what she says? 'I'd start something "I don't worry about Tara. She's strong.

A lot stronger than I am." That's why the rest of the field had better enjoy her at 54 inches. Soon enough, she'll be looking about 10 feet tall. Christmas, looking for a new coach, having fired the old one following Lipinski's fifth-place finish at the world junior championships. They interviewed and auditioned four internationally acclaimed coaches before selecting Todd Eldredge's (and Bobek's former) mentor Richard Callaghan of Detroit, then moving there from Delaware, where Tara's previous coach lived. It would be convenient to blame all this raw ambition mmmmmtmmtm COLOR LAMP GROUPING Beige.

Rose, Green, Blue. Navy Blue. Peach. Burgundy JOANNE IRELAND Journal Sports Writer Edmonton The bus rolled in at 4:15 p.m. and one by one Team Canada members filed off in their red and white jack-cts It was a quick trip from Toronto, but a long wait for Jennifer Robinson.

Canada's new ice queen Robinson was crowned national champion last month has been counting the days until the world figure skating championships. "A little nervous, really excited. I'm glad I'm finally here," she said. "It feels like it's been a long wait. I just wanted to get here and start.

The 19-year-old is Canada lone competitor in the women's singles. In her second season on the seniors' tour, she's not weighed down by the hopes of the country. "Sure there's a little more pressure, but just because it's pressure I'm putting on myself. "I want to finish in the top 10. Last year, I had just hoped to.

Top 10 is the gravy goal, like a bonus." Already, Robinson is ahead of the game, winning nationals with an upset over veteran Josee Chouinard. "Completely gravy with dessert on the side." Robinson hits the practice ice today. So does Sebastien Britten, who arrived with teammate Marcus Christensen. The two finished second and third, respectively, at Canadians, I A 7 halogen TRACK 4Ft. 4 FT.

White or Black Videotaping will help judges judging tSwag I $8495 1 Table 29" Floor $799a $13995 finals, is shot from a camera position just to the left of the first judge or to the right of the last judge on the panel and the footage is used to review judges' performances, to lay down basic ground rules and eventually to educate the public. "It's interesting and it's working," said Moir. "The judges don't guess now. And the coaches now know the judges can look at this." who's now consulting on the project for figure skating's world governing body. "It started at the world juniors in Brisbane and then the Europeans in Sofia were done and there will be something like 320 skates shot here." It's all part of an ISU effort to improve not only judging, but the perception of judging.

So the skaters' programs, in both qualifying and the CAM COLE Journal Sports Columnist Edmonton Every skater's every program at the 1996 world figure skating championships will be videotaped not for posterity, but for analysis. "It's in the latest ISU (International Skating Union) bulletin," said Bob Moir, executive producer of CBC's skating coverage, mmrnm mm ai-t EW class OF Ml WTO. THAT'S EASY TO GET 1996 "Best New Economy Car" behind defending world champion Elvis Stojko. He will meet up with the team this weekend. Christensen is no stranger to Edmonton.

He trained here, and competed at the 1994 nationals at the Edmonton Coliseum. He finished fourth, moved back to Toronto, then posted a 15th-place finish at worlds. "I didn't even know if I was going to keep skating after worlds in 1994. I was just fortunate Kurt retired and I got to go to worlds, so it's kind of been an uphill battle since then. "But this was my goal be here.

I'm just very happy to be back. It's almost like coming home." Stojko is the only Canadian who can sit back and watch the qualifying. He heads straight to the men's short program on Wednesday. The pressure will be on Christensen and Britten, who will be up against a tough field Sunday. "I feel ready, but if you don't lay it down that day," said Christensen, "it doesn't really matter what you do in practice.

That's the key. "Sunday will be a big day, for me anyway. "I can't hold back. I have to go for br0ke there's not much room for mistskcs His sentiments were echoed by Britten, who knows how big the inclusion of a triple Axel is, how it can vault a skater past the challengers. It is not a jump either skater has had in their long programs.

"It's there and I'm going for it, said Britten. "I'm not going to try and make it easier in qualifying. I'm not holding anything back." "We have it planned," said Christensen. "Whether I land it or not that's a whole different story." Pairs Michelle Menzies and Jean-Michel Bombardier and ice dancers Chantal Lefebvre and Michel Brunet also arrived Wednesday. Both the pairs and dance competitions open Tuesday.

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