Edmonton Journal from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada • 6

ports EDITOR: Wayne Moriarty, 429-5303 Stats PageD4-5 WeatherD6 1 Super skater in making CAM COLE Journal Sports Columnist Ottawa A little prudent restraint might be in order, given the tendency of this sport to devour its young. But amid the somewhat gloomy forecast for Canada's figure skating kids this week, the future just may have poked its head above ground Saturday and said hello. And if its name isn't Collin Thompson, the 18-year-old Canadian junior champion from Toronto who trains at Lake Arrowhead, it could very well be a 16-year-old from Edmonton's Royal Glenora club. Ben Ferreira. Nothing is certain, nothing is promised.

This could, as the lad himself pointed out, be the last anyone hears of him. He might never skate well again. But at 16, in his first year out of novice, after just over four years in the sport, Ferreira finished third in the junior men's competition Saturday at the Civic Centre, and along the way, he landed only the second triple Axel ever performed by a junior at the Canadian championships. "Ben's just learned it all in such a short time. He had two triples a year ago.

Now, he has them all," said Ferreira 's coach, Jan Ullmark, who also handled Thompson's fortunes here ..1 Elvis Stojko performs a flying jump during the senior men's free skate en route to the gold medal Cam Cole Naff oials Permission to rephrase, Your Honor. "Why is the gap so big?" "That's putting words in my mouth," said the 23-year-old from Richmond Hill, who won his second Canadian title. "You said it, I didn't. Nice try." But others said it eloquently enough. The game now is about guts and glory, and about both skaters and judges understanding the connection between the two.

Sue Heffernan was judge No. 2 on Saturday night, and when she is forced to defend her judgement, she can be very caustic, indeed. Did Sebastien Britten deserve to finish second despite falling three times? Yes, he did. Unlike last year, when he was the national champion with at least three flops, there was a major difference. "He tried the triple Axel, and that is very important," said Heffernan.

"I have no problem with falls. People have to realize something. Falling is guts. Falling means you're trying it. Trying the triple Axel is guts.

Not trying it is wimping out, and when someone goes for it, you must give credit for it. The Canadian Press Jeff Langdon, from Stojko's Mariposa club in Barrie, tried the triple Axel, too, and landed six triples, but he was too far behind after a sixth place finish in the short program. "There was beaucoup de room at the end for someone to jump in there," said Heffernan, "and in fact, I had Langdon third tonight. Unfortunately, he didn't have a very good skate all-around (in the short program)." So Stojko, despite falling on his Quad combination and failing to complete his triple Axel combination, took the minimum step forward here, with the Champions Series final in Paris in two weeks and Edmonton three weeks after that. He'll dial it up in small increments for each competition.

"That's the smallest part of the whole ordeal here," said Stojko, which was almost like dismissing the Canadian title. "I wanted to take a step here, peel off another layer of the program, and I accomplished most of the stuff I went in hoping to do. But it's never easy when you go out. Never. I'm human." For Christensen, going to Edmonton on the World team is his fondest wish.

"You have no idea how happy I am about that," he said. "I spent four years there, and a lot of positive things happened for me. I qualified for two Worlds there. It's like home to me. And it's going to be the biggest skating competition of all time.

It'll be great to have someone like Elvis there." Even if, practically speaking, he's there all by his lonesome. Heather Godberson of the Grande i Prairie Curling Club became the first Alberta rink to win the Canadian junior women's curling I crown since LaDawn Funk of Spruce Grove won it in 1988. Godberson, a third-year University of Alberta phys-ed student living in Edmonton, will represent Canada at the world juniors March 9-17 in Red Deer. She will be joined by the winner of today's junior men's final between Ryan Fry (9-3) of Winnipeg and Jeff Currie (8-4) of Thunder Bay, OnL, starting 11:30 a.m. at the Granite ahd televised live on CBC.

swept it as soon as it came out of my hand. But I knew they'd bounce back; we're a strong team." Alberta got a break early in the 11th end when Saskatchewan second Allison Tanner wrecked on a guard, causing Alberta's rock to take out Saskatchewan's in the house, and Alberta rolled for shot behind cover. Alberta later was lying four, and on Street's last rock she drew through a tight port, but slid four feet too far, into the back 12-foot giving up a steal of two. All week long, Godberson had derived inspiration from a black book she keeps of quotes and ideas. "I idolize (Canadian women's champ) Connie Laliberte.

The way she carries herself is the way I'd like to be." Laliberte is known as The Ice Queen for her lack of emotion. I have that article posted on my walL" Perhaps there's an Ice Queen in waiting. short: trip to worlds Bitter-sweet for JoseeD3 "I think the panel was very ready, more than ready to see different medallists tonight. Believe me, we are well aware of the need to send men to the Worlds who can do the Axel. You're wondering about second and third.

Sebastien tried it. The landing gear didn't quite come down, but Christensen didn't even try it." "I skated better than last year," said Britten. "I did fall, but I tried the triple Axel, and I know I did the hard stuff. I did two Lutzes, two flips and the Axel was really close." And there was the difference Hef-fernam described. "I tried it at Skate Canada (and fell), so I knew I could do it without messing up everything after it.

The only thing I was worried about was, what if I landed it? I'd be like, 'Can I get off That may not sound like much of a confidence statement, but it beats what Christensen said about his Axel. "It was almost ready," he said. "I planned to put it in, but Louis (Strong, his coach) said if you go down, it could screw up the rest of the program. He said better to skate clean and keep working on it. If it had been even 75 per cent ready, I'd have done it.

"I know I've got to have it by Edmonton." You can't blame either Britten or Christensen that none of the other men had the wherewithal to knock one or both of them off the podium. That's just the state of the senior men's division right now. "Sorry for all the tears," she said. "I hope I didn't get anything wet" While Street lamented that her last chance as a junior had fallen short, Godberson felt hers was gravy. "I've had so much fun that if I didnl win, it wasn't a big deal," said Godberson.

Saskatchewan scored a deuce on the second end, which Alberta got back on the fifth. On the 10th, Alberta trailed 54 but had last rock. Godberson had to draw the full four-foot circle for two points and the win, but came up a foot short, counted only one to tie, and gave up last rock in the extra end. "I felt very bad for my team. They this week as a favor to his tnend, Thompson's American coach Frank Carroll.

Elvis Stojko, maybe the most precocious jumper the country has known, didn't land the triple Axel as a junior. Brian Orser was the only junior to do it, in 1979. Ferreira not only landed it cleanly in his short program, he tried it again Saturday in the free skate, and just barely failed to hold the edge. "But he has to do it," said Ullmark, who is keenly aware of what's out there in the rest of the world. "I've told him that at the junior worlds, 19 kids landed the triple Axel.

And I've told him there are two Chinese juniors who have the quad. His eyes light up when he hears that." Thompson, two years older and markedly more polished, skated a terrific long program and was, by quite a margin, the best of the juniors here. Jayson Denomee, 17, of Asbestos, finished second. Ryan Hill, 18, coached by Michael Jiranek at the Glenora, placed fifth. "Ben is just amazing," said Thompson.

"He just pushes all of us. For someone to have been skating just four years and be doing triple Axel, that's an unbelievable talent." Until this year, Ferreira was probably best known as that cute kid who did the vaudeville-style dance number with Kurt Browning in a TV special. He'd only been skating a year at the time. But suddenly, this summer, his jumping blossomed, and as Thompson also learned by training at the high-performance centre in California, that's where the sport is, right now. "Because as much as we all want to watch the skate and marvel at Vinur haaiitifiil it is it rpallv is a triple jump competition.

He who does the most triple jumps usually comes out ahead," said Thompson Ferreira came late to the sport And it hasn't all been easy. Born in Vancouver just a few months after his parents emigrated from England, he is part of a highly academic family his father Patrick is a geneticist, his mother Susan an. anaesthesiologist and Ben has a learning disability which has made it difficult for him. Figure skating has been his confidence-builder. "I think it's been great for me.

Honestly, it's nice to be good at something," said the unfailingly polite Ferreira. When word came down from national headquarters this summer that risk-taking would be rewarded, Ferreira was all for it. "I figured if they're pushing for us to try the harder stuff, I might as well go for it I wanted to do it anyway," he said. He landed five triples Saturday. Thompson landed six.

"The depth is definitely here," Thompson said. "It may not look like it right now, but when Elvis steps down, we'll push each other to that level and we'll come into our own light" HOCKEY NHL Y. Islanders 4 Anaheim 3 Philadelphia 6 Boston 2 Pittsburgh 6 Chicago 3 New Jersey 3 N.Y. Rangers 0 Detroit 3 Tampa Bay 2 (OT San Jose 6 Los Angeles 1 St. Louis 6 Dallas 3 Ottawa 5 Montreal 3 Buffalo 2 Toronto 2 Winnipeg 3 Calgary 2 Washington at Vancouver Canadian men shaky after Stojko Ottawa Not with a bang, but a whimper.

The Big Ticket of the 1996 Canadian figure skating championships fizzled like a wet match Saturday night. Not a speck of suspense. Not a jolt of joy. Not an iota of emotion. And this time, even Elvis Stojko couldn't lift himself to his usual heights.

He was flat, uninspired, and he treated the rest of the field with the disdain it deserved by winning the men's title going away, despite two fairly major technical flaws. And the new era was put on hold for another year. For the Canadian men's team at next month's world championships in Edmonton is a carbon copy of last year's: Stojko, Sebastien Britten of Brossard, and former Royal Glenora skater Marcus Christensen of Toronto. But really, the team is Elvis. Period.

The others are so far behind, they won't even raise a ripple on the big pond. "How big is the gap?" Stojko was asked. "I couldn't tell you," he said, "because I'm the one skating. That's everyone else's opinion." It'll be a RAY TURCHANSKY Journal Curling Writer Edmonton The idea of getting Heather God-berson's team to next month's world junior curling championship in Red Deer seemed impossible mere months ago. It had nothing to do with abilities, but logistics.

Godberson, 20, grew up in Fort St. John, B.C., but lives in Edmonton as a third-year phys-ed student at the University of Alberta. Third Carmen Whyte, 20, from Tofield, is also at the of A. Second Kristie Moore, 16, attends Grande Prairie Composite High. Lead Terelyn Bloor, 18, was born in Fort St.

John, but attends Grande Prairie Regional College. They curl out of the Grande Prairie Curling Club, although Godberson and Whyte also play at the Shamrock in Edmonton and practise at the Granite. Moore's father Brian, a long-time Peace District curling executive, coached the team, but spent more time as a travel agent "Brian flew us up a lot," said WTivte. "That was an experience in "I didn't like the idea of their driving four or five hours at night in winter," said Brian Moore. Saturday afternoon, it all paid off as Godberson stole two points on the 11th end at the Granite to win the women's final of the Maple Leaf Canadian junior championships 7-5 over Cindy Street of Moose Jaw, Sask.

They earned a trip to the worlds March 9-17 in Red Deer. "It doesnt matter how far apart we live now, we could live across the world and we would still play A ti 1 John Lucas, The Journal Alberta's Heather Godberson, Terelyn Bloor, Kristie Moore and Carmen Whyte (left to right) and coach Brian Moore have a hard time controlling their emotions. More curlingD3, D4 together," said Godberson, who finished first (9-3) in the round robin. Street won the Canadian junior title in 1992 as a 16 year old, and in her fourth appearance at the Canadians, got off to a 5-5 start. "It makes it more difficult because you know exactly what you could have had," said Street, 20.

"Being there before, I know what I'm missing out on. "Wednesday night, we thought we were out We had to count on two big wins Thursday and a couple of losses by other teams." After finishing 7-5, they survived three sudden-death games Friday, two tie-breakers and the semifinal. As she talked after Saturday's loss, her emotions finally flowed..