Starve.Org Random Usenet Archive: "'The Strong & the Sequined'--a skating serial, pt. 173 "

Igor was in a great mood as walked the streets of Sun Valley,
watching the TV crews setting up their equipment. He'd just come from
the U.S. Nationals where two of his students-- *his* students, not
Mitzi's-- had finished sixth in the novice pairs competition. Plus,
he'd worked extensively with several of Mitzi's pairs, and he had even
helped Kevin Drake a little with some of the elements in his short
program. Today, Igor would begin his career as a judge here at the
Goodwill Games.

Life after skating was pretty good so far. Igor missed the thrill
of performing in front of an audience. But every skater had to give it
up sometime. Besides, Igor wasn't interested in finding a new partner.
There were probably some interested females out there. However, Igor
wasn't looking. Without Dmitra, he did not want to skate again.
Igor heard through the grapevine that one of Dmitra's young Russian
students had qualified for Junior Worlds. Dmitra was teaching singles
and pairs, but so far she seemed to be having better luck with her
single skaters. Igor wondered what would happen if, someday, he and
Dmitra happened to be coaching at the same event. Would she talk to
him? Would she realize that she still loved him? Or would she ignore
him? Or would the two of them end up like Jacques and Mitzi?
"Hello, Igor. How have your Bible studies been coming along?"
Igor turned to face Melody Seafoam. It had been awhile since he'd
seen her. But he assured her that, yes, he was still reading his Bible
regularly.

"And have you been going to church?" Melody persisted. She was
wearing a ski parka over one of her long, flowered dresses. The cold
air made her nose and cheeks turn red, but Igor thought this made her
look strangely attractive.

"I go to church sometimes," he replied. "I try a lot of different
ones, you know." Igor couldn't make up his mind about which religion
he should join. Culturally, he felt most at home in a Russian Orthodox
church, mainly because the people there spoke his language. Igor had
also tried a Ukrainian Catholic church, as well as a Roman Catholic
church whose members were primarily immigrants from Poland. But
spiritually, Igor wasn't sure if he fit into the Catholic or Orthodox
faiths. He started attending services at various Protestant
denominations, ranging from the liberal mainline denominations to the
strict fundamentalist sects. One time, he walked into a Detroit
Baptist church only to find that he was the only white person in
attendance. Although he felt out of place, he stayed because the music
moved him deeply. Now he considered going back there someday.
Melody was concerned that Igor hadn't yet found a "church home."
Wandering from one religion to another was not good for the soul. "You
might pick up unhealthy ideas," she warned. "Why don't you join one of
the churches I wrote to you about?"

Igor shrugged. "I try them. But I don't like it when the preacher
yells."

"Some people need to be yelled at," said Melody. "It's part of the
cleansing process."

Igor decided it was time to end their discussion of spiritual
matters. "So, you doing commentary for Goodwill Games?" he asked.

"No, I am skating," Melody answered proudly. "And you?"

"I am a judge," Igor told her.

"Are you judging the ladies' competition?"

"Yes, I judge all the competitions."

Melody narrowed her eyes. "You mean *you* are one of the people who
decides which skater gets the gold medal?"

Suddenly, Igor realized that judging the Goodwill Games wasn't
going to be an easy job. No matter what he did, he was going to find
himself in big trouble.

Tammy Sue was stunned when she entered the ladies' dressing room
and saw Vivian Stork dressed in a practice outfit. "I-I-I thought
you'd retired," she blurted out. It was a dumb thing to say-- and
rude, too. But everyone had been saying that Vivian wasn't going to
skate anymore. So why was she here?

Vivian did not respond. After all, Tammy Sue hadn't asked her a
real question. However, a few minutes later, Vivian did reveal her
reasons for returning to the ice when a delighted and deferential
Larissa pressed her about the matter.

"I am finished with judging," answered Vivian in her customary
offhand manner. "It was such a tedious job. Besides, I felt that a
holiday in Sun Valley was in order."

A holiday... Tammy Sue didn't believe for one second that Vivian
Stork was taking this competition lightly. Their first practice
session together confirmed it-- Vivian landed two triple salchows and
a triple toe loop. Obviously, she'd been preparing for this event.
Larissa, on the other hand, looked rusty. She probably hadn't
practiced much last week, since she'd been busy trying to keep Sonja
sane at Nationals. But Tammy Sue knew better than to underestimate
Larissa. She'd made that mistake last year at Landover.
Naturally, Larissa's citizenship was the main skating story here at
the Goodwill Games. She wore her red, white, and blue USA warmup
jacket with pride. "I don't know if I'm gonna win or not," Tammy Sue
overheard her telling a reporter. "But I'm happy just to be here."
"This is the same arena where you won your Olympic silver," said
the reporter. "Surely, this must bring back a lot of memories for
you."

"Sure does," Larissa replied. "Winning that silver medal changed my
whole life."

"And this week, you will be skating for the United States of
America," stated the reporter after Larissa failed to elaborate on how
the silver medal had changed her life. "How does that make you feel?"
"I don't know... I can't describe it real well. Not in words. Being
a U.S. citizen is something I been wanting for years and years..."
Larissa's voice trailed off.

The reporter jumped in to save her. "It must be like a dream come
true!"

Larissa smiled and shrugged somewhat self-consciously. "Yeah, I
suppose you could say it that way. But it goes deeper than that."
If George Kahuna had been Larissa's agent, he would have drilled
her before the Goodwill Games so that she'd know exactly how to answer
those questions. Tammy Sue never had to worry about interviews--
George always made sure she was well-prepared for every possible
question. In fact, he had even told her how to respond if someone
asked her how she felt about Larissa's citizenship. "Tell them you're
happy for her," George had instructed. "It's always a joy to see
someone achieve the American dream."

Tammy Sue thought that last part sounded corny. "That's what you
want me to say?"

"That's what I want you to say," George confirmed.
Tammy Sue wondered if Buddy Lee would be watching her on TV. He
hadn't bothered her in a long time, not since George used his
connections to get Buddy Lee some kind of a job with a Nashville
record company. It wasn't a high-status position, but Buddy Lee was
able to "rub elbows with some of country music's finest," George
claimed. "Plus, they've got a dental plan. I hear he's already gotten
his teeth fixed."

Tammy Sue didn't care if Buddy Lee had teeth or not. All she wanted
was for him to leave her alone. She still felt uneasy, knowing he was
out there somewhere, thinking about her money.

Larissa's interview with the reporter continued, although Tammy Sue
was sure that three-fourths of it would never be shown on TV.
Interviews were not Larissa's forte-- she either said too much or
nothing at all. And her grammar was so awful! According to Fraulein,
both Jacques and Larissa's agent had tried to media-train her when she
first came to America. "But she's like a dog that can't be
housebroken."

None of it mattered, anyhow. Larissa's fans loved her
unconditionally. Unlike the rest of the female skating population, she
could get away with not being perfect.

On the ice, it was a different story. Larissa would have to land
her triple lutz if she wanted to win this competition. Tammy Sue's
lutz was pretty good these days, and she knew her programs were the
kind the judges tended to favor. Larissa's "Tennessee Waltz" would go
over OK, but Tammy Sue wasn't sure how the judges would react to
whatever her other program might be. If it was something weird, Tammy
Sue would get the higher presentation marks.

Or would she? At the last few pro comps, there had been a couple of
younger faces on the judging panel. Vivian Stork, of course, was not
among the judges here at the Goodwill Games. However, Tammy Sue
spotted one former pair skater who was approximately the same age as
Vivian. And right now, sitting next to the referee was...

"No," Tammy Sue whispered to herself. "It can't be him!"

But it was. All of the judges had assembled to watch the ladies'
practice session, and one of them was definitely Igor.

Igor would do his best to follow the rules of his sport and give
out fair marks. But he'd never been a judge before. What if he messed
up? What if he mistook a double for a triple? Or a triple for a
double? And how was he supposed to make sense of the ice dance
competition?

When Igor first agreed to judge the Goodwill Games, he hadn't
thought much about the actual work involved. He just thought it would
be a fun adventure, a chance to try something new. But this was as
serious as the actual skating itself.

It would have been easier to be objective if the skaters were kids,
or if they were adults unknown to Igor. At this competition, however,
Igor had slept with several of the women and had pursued most of the
others. Thank God for the gay men-- Igor would have no trouble with
his personal feelings interfering with the judging there. But some of
the straight guys harbored grudges against Igor because he'd stolen
their women, or because they'd dated girls after Igor had gotten ahold
of them and they didn't like having to deal with what the girls had
learned from the experience.

OK, OK... Igor had to forget the past and concentrate on the
technical programs. The pairs came first. For obvious reasons, Igor
felt more comfortable judging this discipline than the others. But he
also felt a twinge of sadness when he remembered beating all of these
pairs at Landover a couple of years ago. He was sure that he and
Dmitra could have skated better than the Smirnovs did today. When
their marks came up, Igor's were the lone 9.9s in a whirlwind of
perfect 10s.

In the men's event, Jason Beadle made Igor's job easy by nailing
six triple jumps, including a triple axel-double toe combination.
Tammy Sue's ex-boyfriend, Garth Degrassi, fell on his triple axel
attempt and doubled his lutz. Igor took pleasure in rewarding the
Canadian with a pair of 9.6s. Even if Garth skated well in the
artistic program, he wouldn't make the podium. Reece Cunningham and
Kirk Kilpatrick were way ahead of him.

Ice dancing, ice dancing... How the hell was Igor supposed to judge
ice dancing? No jumps, no spins, no overhead lifts. Ah, but when in
doubt, give it to the Russians. So Igor did.

The ladies. This was going to be tough. Hopefully, the jumps would
make Igor's decision for him.

Melody Seafoam had the misfortune of skating first. She looked Igor
straight in the eye as her music began. It was some song about the
blood of Jesus. At one point, Melody knelt down on the ice and assumed
a praying position. She stayed there for too long, in Igor's opinion.
Lots of posturing, not much skating. But Melody did land one lovely
triple toe loop.

9.7 for technical merit, 9.8 for presentation were the marks Igor
decided on. His were the highest of the bunch.

Next came Stasha Tomczyk of Poland. Igor didn't even want to look
at her. He remembered how she used to cry after they'd had sex. She
felt so bad about being with a married man. "And I like Dmitra," she
used to say. "Why am I doing this to her?" But how could Stasha have
known any better? She was only seventeen at the time.

The skating, Igor told himself. Concentrate on the skating.
Stasha was several years younger than Melody and still had a bunch
of triple jumps on her arsenal. But she, like Melody, spent a lot of
time posing at center ice. 9.8, 9.8 were Igor's marks. Again, his were
the highest.

"Representing the United States of America, let's give a warm
welcome to Larissa Lyubovskaya..."

The crowd went absolutely insane. There were many Larissa
supporters here in Sun Valley. Her fans were always easy to spot-- not
only did they dress funny, but they also had a tendency to hold up
banners and signs. For a moment, Igor felt as if he were watching pro
wrestling.

Finally, Larissa was able to skate. If Melody and Stasha did too
much posing, Larissa didn't do enough. Her program was too fast, too
frenzied. But it was technically sound. This time, Igor's 9.9s
corresponded with the other judges' marks.

Vivian Stork. One triple toe loop, one triple salchow. The other
jumps were all doubles. Technically, she was somewhere in between
Melody and Stasha. But Igor didn't have the heart to mark Melody last.
And anyway, Melody's program was much more heartfelt and expressive.
Vivian was just plain old Vivian.

Yoko Shimizu. She was capable of winning this competition. But she
needed the triple lutz. Did she have it...? No, it was doubled.
Everything else was OK, though. 9.8, 9.9. Yoko was currently in second
place, ahead of Stasha Tomczyk, but behind Larissa.

Now it was Tammy Sue's turn to skate. That red hair-- Igor couldn't
get enough of it. A lot of skaters, such as Larissa and Anya Smirnova
and both of the Bittner sisters, had dyed their hair red over the
years. But none of them could compare to the real thing.

Of course, Tammy Sue didn't care what Igor thought anymore. He
couldn't even remember the last time he'd talked to her. He hadn't
seen Julie Ann lately, either, so there was no chance to ask how
things were going with their ex-convict father. Igor wondered if the
man was still trying to blackmail Tammy Sue? His instincts told him
no. Tammy Sue seemed more at peace with herself. She no longer snapped
at people, or walked around like a New Yorker who was five minutes
late for an appointment. (That was the way Reece described her-- Igor
still couldn't come up with such phrases in English.)

Yes, Tammy Sue seemed better, on the ice as well as off the ice.
Igor was pretty familiar with her Dixie Chicks program. (He sure did
like those Dixie Chicks!) The number was choreographed by Astrid and
Bjorn Persson, who did most of Tammy Sue's choreography. Those two
were the best in the business. If Tammy Sue skated well, Igor figured
she ought to get higher marks than Larissa.

Her first jump was the triple lutz. Larissa had landed hers. Would
Tammy Sue...? Yes, triple lutz, and... double toe loop. So far, so
good.

But it still wasn't an easy decision. Tammy Sue had a triple lutz
combination, whereas Larissa just did the triple lutz by itself.
However, she did land her trademark double axel-triple toe
combination, which Tammy Sue didn't do. Physically, Larissa was a lot
bigger than tiny Tammy Sue, and her skating was much more powerful and
explosive. Yet, Tammy Sue was more polished, more refined, more
feminine.

And, well... Igor hated himself for this, but he couldn't help but
take into consideration that he could never have Larissa for his own.
He'd been attracted to her since the first day he laid eyes on her all
those years ago. She was a beautiful woman, but she was not available
to him. Tammy Sue, on the other hand, might change her mind someday.
And she did have that red hair...

No, no, no. It was the lutz and not the lust that was the deciding
factor. Tammy Sue was first, Larissa was second.

Neither Fraulein nor Elsa had been able to accompany Tammy Sue to
the Goodwill Games. But Astrid and Bjorn were here, and they sat in
the kiss-and-cry area as the announcer read Tammy Sue's marks for
technical merit. "9.9, 9.9, 10, 9.9, 9.9, 10, 10." With each perfect
10, the audience cheered.

"The marks for presentation... 10, 9.9, 10, 10, 9.9, 10, 10."

"Larissa will have a tough time beating you in the artistic
program," Astrid told Tammy Sue afterward. "Even if she does do the
Tennessee Waltz."

"I'm just glad I skated well," said Tammy Sue. But who was she
kidding? She was an athlete and she loved to win. "I still have to
think about tomorrow," she reminded Astrid.

"You'll be fine," said Astrid. "You've got five of the seven judges
on your side. Including Igor."

Tears filled Larissa's eyes as she stood on the podium, listening
to the "Star-Spangled Banner." The anthem was playing for Tammy Sue,
and not for herself. But still, there were two American flags being
flown right now, and one of those was for Larissa.
Larissa's American flag, Larissa's silver medal. She felt that
she'd done her country proud.

TO BE CONTINUED...

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