Stojko won't return to competitive figure skating

By NEIL STEVENS

Elvis is no amateur any more



Figure skater Elvis Stojko practices his routine in Richmond Hill, on
April 30. (CP/Aaron Harris)
(CP) - In the end, Elvis Stojko realized it was useless mounting a
comeback at age 31 in a sport dominated by much younger athletes.

He had hoped he could do it. But it just wasn't in him. "We all felt,
and Elvis finally felt, that it was time for him to move on with his
life," explained Ed Futerman, Stojko's business manager. Skate Canada
announced Friday that Stojko has abandoned a return to the top level
of competitive skating. He had announced on April 29 he was making a
comeback following a 13-month retirement.

Stojko advised the national governing body of the sport of his
decision after returning from a week resting in Florida. He'd stopped
full-time training in early September after a virus sapped his
strength.

"I am truly sorry that I will not be returning as an eligible skater
for Skate Canada," Stojko was quoted in a news release from the
organization's Ottawa office. "I have worked very hard these past six
months.

"I am very disappointed but I have made it clear to Skate Canada that
I will always be available to advise and assist all of the young
skaters who are now part of the national team and those who have
dreams of some day representing Canada."

Stojko spent the summer in his home town of Richmond Hill just north
of Toronto working on new programs he was to unveil at the Skate
Canada International meet in Mississauga at the end of October.

He withdrew from a national team weekend camp in Kitchener, Ont., in
mid-September due to fatigue.

"He had been trying to work through (the problem) but it became too
difficult," Futerman said at the time. "He's probably overdone it."

Futerman was right.

"Elvis gave it all that he could," Futerman said Friday. "He realized
as he went along that it was taking its toll on his strength and his
health.

"While he was (in Florida) he had time to reflect and he decided he'd
given it all he had and there was no reason to come back. He'd made
his contribution to skating and it was time to move on.

"It was a decision that was difficult for him to accept but I think
it was a good one for him to make. Coming back was always going to be
an uphill battle for him."

Stojko won world titles in 1994, 1995 and 1997 and Olympic silver in
1994 and 1998 - the latter despite a serious groin injury. In all, he
won 22 gold medals including seven at Canadian senior championships.

"I consider myself very lucky and fortunate that I have had the
honour of representing Canada for over 12 years and I believe that I
have made some contributions to figure skating in this country," he
said. "It is my intention to skate as a professional and look forward
to many new challenges, and I will continue to appear in various
tours throughout Canada and the United States."

He was the first skater to land a quadruple-double and a quadruple-
triple combination jump in competition, and he added a new dimension
to figure skating by introducing martial arts themes.

His last major International Skating Union competition was the 2002
Olympics. He finished eighth in Salt Lake City. Injuries hampered him
throughout his last two seasons.

"We understand how difficult this decision was for Elvis," Skate
Canada CEO Pam Coburn said. "An athlete's career takes many turns
along its course and the path is sometimes unexpected."

Stojko is a member of the Canadian Figure Skating Hall of Fame. He
has raced dirt bikes and appeared in motion pictures. He was named
after Elvis Presley because his parents were big fans of the singer.


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