Word: witts
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...beguiling as she is fickle, Bizet's Gypsy Carmen is a temptress whose passions run the emotional alphabet from A to Z. Even on ice. For Debi Thomas, the accent is on P. Her Carmen is usually powerful, plucky, practical and pretty. Katarina Witt's Carmen is a study in S, at once sensuous, seductive, stylish and shrewd. But last Saturday night, when the long-awaited skate-off between the two Carmens got under way in the Olympic Saddledome, America's sweetheart proved an unexpected B: a bobbly bundle of nerves capable only of bronze...
...back-to-back triple toe loops, she mistakenly touched both feet down on the second jump. That tiny error seemed to sap her usual strength. When, midway through her routine, she faltered and put a hand on the ice, it began to feel as though the Titanic were sinking. Witt, conversely, had held tough, her Carmen enticing and flirting shamelessly. Radiant in a red costume, Witt thrived on audience adulation, tossing provocative smiles. Though she substituted a double jump for one of her five triples, Witt was firmly in command. Her beauty and charisma dominated, even as she lay outstretched...
...Though Witt won, she was not the judges' favorite Saturday night. That distinction went to perky Elizabeth Manley of Canada. Manley, who has a history of inconsistent performances, was all confidence despite a brush with the flu earlier in the week. Smiling broadly as she landed a triple jump early on, Manley skated an exciting, lively routine that drew her compatriots to their feet. The experts echoed the hometown excitement. Seven of the nine judges ranked Manley first on the free-style program, which counts for 50% of the total score. It was enough to give Manley the silver, leaving...
Still, Thomas deserved credit for maintaining considerable poise in the face of all the preshow hype, as did Witt. Everywhere the rival ice queens went, cameras snapped, reporters prodded, fans pursued. Some excess was inevitable, the inescapable glamour of a competition that features svelte young women in scanty costumes. As Thomas sardonically remarked, "It's definitely a Miss America sport...
...least part of the hyperbolic hoopla, however, was fashioned by the skaters and their determined entourages. In the days leading up to the final competition, controversy erupted over Witt's outfits, notably a blue costume that some thought was sliced provocatively high along the thigh. "We're here to skate in a dress, not a G-string," huffed Manley's coach, Peter Dunfield. Witt met the commotion with calm. "We wear costumes that enhance the music," she said. "Why shouldn't we stress what is attractive?" But the flap seemed to give Witt and her coach second thoughts...