Why Elvis Stojko can't hang 'em up
May. 1, 2003. 12:02 PM
At 31, he admits his comeback is `spooky,' but he's just following
his heart
Randy Starkman
SPORTS REPORTER

Elvis Stojko is steamed.

He is near the end of his third on-ice practice yesterday and despite
his best efforts he just can't nail the timing on his triple axel,
the bread-and-butter jump of any top-flight figure skater.

The television cameras, microphones, tape recorders and notepads have
long been packed away. The first official media scrum of his comeback
following a year's absence from competitive figure skating ended more
than an hour before at the arena in Richmond Hill that bears his name.

"Elvis isn't in the building; Elvis is the building," cries manic
Citytv sportscaster John Gallagher in a set-up for his report.

For Stojko, it's back to the unglamorous business of rebuilding his
technique.

The three-time world champion hits the ice on one jump. On another,
he looks like he's about to pull the triple axel off but steps out of
the landing and groans. He pops out of another attempt and kicks at
the ice.

Finally, recognizing he's just too tired, he changes his approach,
deciding instead to do a series of triple loops to help trigger the
timing he needs to get ready for quadruple jumps again. This is
something he hasn't done in more than seven months.

The old spark returns at this point, as Stojko reels off triple loop
after triple loop, each one getting higher, including one that comes
after he has to weave his way through three younger skaters before
executing the move down by the goal crease. He pumps his fists in
celebration.

There is no question Stojko is serious about this comeback. He has
already set his sights on competing in his fifth Winter Olympics, in
2006 in Turin, Italy. But there's also no denying it looked like his
best days were well behind him when he retired after finishing eighth
at the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics and, at age 31, he's a decade older
than reigning world champion Evgeny Plushenko of Russia. There's
never been a skater capture a top figure skating honour at Stojko's
age.

"No one's ventured this far yet so who's to say that it's not
possible," he said. "Part of it is kind of spooky because I'm the
only one doing it so far, but to me I feel it. I follow what my
heart's telling me and go with it."

His new coach, Linda Bridge of the Richmond Hill Skating Club, is
working with him to bring out qualities he hasn't shown for a long
time and will show the fans and judges "a more dynamic, well-rounded
individual on the ice." Stojko has long been pigeonholed as a one-
trick pony, a great technician whose proficiency to nail his jumps
and skate cleanly earned him the nickname "The Terminator."

His short program will feature tribal music with drums to demonstrate
his vaunted power but will contain a pan flute section to display his
calmness within. The long program, to music from the movie The Count
of Monte Cristo, will have a more sophisticated and softer theme than
Stojko has used in the past.

"I'm not reinventing Elvis Stojko but I'm going to bring out some
more stuff that's been sort of dormant there for a little while," he
said.

Bridge, who coaches junior champ Ken Rose and has known Stojko for
years, is a believer.

"He's our most decorated Canadian athlete that should be comfortable
with his place in our sport and move on," she said. "But he's not
done. He's got new business."

It's easy to be skeptical about Stojko's comeback and to place him in
that category of athletes who just didn't know when to stay retired.

But this is an athlete whose inner resources are what always set him
apart. And it is the return of that drive that is fuelling this
comeback. He says it has nothing to do with gold medals, accolades or
anything external.

That drive is in evidence this day. After more than three hours of
practice, Stojko is still out there. The other skaters have left.
It's just him, the Zamboni, and Bridge on the ice, his ever-dedicated
mother Irene manning the video camera.

As the Zamboni goes about its business, Stojko is working on his
spins. He's whirling so fast, it looks like he's going to start
corkscrewing through the ice.

There are hockey players performing at the peak of their craft well
into their 30s. How about a figure skater?

"I'm looking like there's no limits," said Stojko. "I'm just going
for it."