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Goebel's 3 quads not enough to sway judges Sunday, February 13, 2000 By Lori Shontz, Post-Gazette Sports Writer
CLEVELAND -- Rarely has the classic figure skating conundrum -- athleticism or artistry? -- been presented in such stark contrast as it was in the men's free skate yesterday at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
First up, Timothy Goebel, who wowed the crowd by becoming the first man to land a quadruple jump at U.S. nationals ... and the second, and the third.
Goebel proved himself -- again -- the sport's most prolific jumper by hitting a quadruple-salchow, triple-toe-loop combination, then a quad salchow, then a quadruple toe loop ... that's three quads, more than anyone in the world has even attempted in one program, let alone landed.
He didn't labor into the jumps, didn't fight for any of the landings. Goebel leaped with ease. Had he not stepped out in the middle of his triple-axel, triple-toe combination, he would likely have received some perfect 6.0s for technical merit.
Last up, short program winner Michael Weiss. The defending national champion, wearing a sparkly black, V-neck costume and performing to Bizet's Carmen, glided across the ice, each jump perfectly timed with the music, every toe point and arm gesture impeccably placed.
No hint of his troubles -- the stress fracture that kept him off the ice for two weeks, the rumors that he would drop out of nationals, the fall in practice that ripped open his chin, his 4-month-old son's chicken pox -- followed Weiss, 23, onto the ice. He was grace personified, which is why one judge rewarded him with his first 6.0 for presentation.
Both men performed to the best of their ability, although Weiss tripled his planned quadruple toe loop, and Goebel, skating to atonal music from "Seven Years in Tibet," pretty much just skated from one jump to the next.
Both men received standing ovations from the crowd of 10,347 in Gund Arena. Both men lingered on the ice, savoring the moment.
But only Weiss emerged victorious.
Six of the nine judges placed Weiss first, and the man once known as the athletic guy who wasn't as polished a skater as Todd Eldredge won his second consecutive national championship because of his grace and poise.
"Last year it was great to get the title," Weiss said. "But as everyone says, it's much more tough to defend the title."
"He skated a very solid program, and he was the reigning national champion," said Goebel, who was second after the short program. "They just went with the defending national champion. I really don't think they were sending me a message."
Goebel, who trains in suburban Cleveland, thrilled the crowd by landing all but one of his quad attempts in warmups. Then, wearing a rust-colored shirt with a black sash, he made the jumps look even easier under pressure. He received eight 5.9s for technical merit and mostly 5.7s for presentation.
Weiss said he didn't know whether Goebel landed his quads, but he assumed the younger skater hit at least one. "I knew that he skated well, and that put the pressure on me."
He responded. Weiss failed again to hit his quad -- "I opened up with plenty of height left" -- and he was shaky on a few landings. But his performance was mesmerizing, and it resulted in primarily 5.7s and 5.8s for technical merit and nothing lower than a 5.8 for presentation.
As soon as the scores were posted, it was obvious that Weiss had won. The tie-breaking mark in the long program is the artistic one, and Weiss got four of his six first-place votes because his presentation mark was higher than Goebel's.
"I guess you just get to the point that you look at the scores and you're about numb," said Goebel's coach, Carol Heiss Jenkins, who watched her skater finish second at Skate America in October despite hitting three quads there, too.
Both skaters claimed to be pleased with their performances, regardless of the result.
"When I finish my program and I'm pumping my fists and look over and see my family ... nothing can take that away from me," Weiss said. "The judges can do what they want, but they can't take away that feeling."
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