Dateline, San Jose, CA: 10/17/98 - The format of the competition was two interpretive free skate programs (see the Candid Productions site for a full set of rules). The first program was a technical program with no limitation on jumps. The emphasis for this phase of the competition was on jumps, spins and other technical elements.
Ilia Kulik began the men's competition, skating his Pagliacci program. He opened with a huge double axel (it looked large enough to be a triple, but was definitely a double), and he landed a triple lutz and triple toe, doubled his flip, and in general, turned in a very flat performance. For skating techniques, he received 5.6s across the board, and for presentation, two 5.6s and three 5.7s.
Kurt Browning was next, performing his wonderful Masks and Mourning Dance from Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet. He landed a triple toe, a two-footed triple loop, doubled his salchow, but did a triple toe/triple toe combination. This routine has the most intricate and difficult footwork sequence of any Kurt Browning program. Skating techniques scores ranged from 5.4 to 5.8, and presentation two 5.8s and three 5.9s.
Philippe Candeloro was next with his exciting D'Artagnan program. He doubled his axel, but landed a triple toe, a triple lutz, a triple loop, a backflip, and a triple toe/double toe combination. His skating techniques scores ranged from 5.3 to 5.7, and presentation three 5.9s and two 5.8s.
Todd Eldredge followed, skating to Close Every Door (in a new costume - standard black pants, and a shiny white shirt with flowing sleeves and buttons down the front). He landed a triple flip, a triple axel (very, very scary landing, but he held on), a triple lutz, a triple loop (so tilted in the air that Fran's heart nearly stopped!), and then a triple toe/double toe combination, plus about three double axels. He received a partial standing ovation, and by far the biggest audience response of the competition so far.
Todd's Technical Program Scores
Skating Techniques: 5.8, 5.8, 5.8, 5.9, 5.8
Presentation: 5.9, 5.7, 5.8, 5.8, 5.8
Rudy Galindo rounded out the men's field, skating to Over the Rainbow from the Wizard of Oz. He began with a nice triple axel, landed a triple loop, did a double axel/half loop/half loop/triple toe sequence. Rousing cheers from the home crowd spurred him on. The judges awarded him skating techniques scores of 5.5 to 5.8, and presentation 5.6 to 5.8.
The standings after the technical program were:
1. Todd Eldredge
2. Kurt Browning
3. Philippe Candeloro
4. Rudy Galindo
5. Ilia Kulik
The artistic program phase of the competition began with Rudy Galindo skating his Village People medley. He landed a triple flip and a triple toe/triple toe combination, and the crowd loved the program as always. But the judges were not impressed, giving the performance skating techiques scores of 5.4 across the board, and for presentation, 5.7 across the board.
Rudy was followed by Ilia Kulik, skating his new tango program. He began with a fall-out and a touchdown on his triple axel attempt. He then landed a triple lutz, triple toe and triple flip. Skating techniques scores ranged from 5.6 to 5.8, and presentation ranged from 5.4 to 5.8.
Todd Eldredge was up next, skating his I Love the Way You Love Me program. He skated it flawlessly, better than he has ever skated it. He landed a triple loop, a triple axel, and a triple toe and the crowd really seemed to appreciated his efforts. This performance introduced some nice embellishments that were new to the program, but the program simply did not have the competitive edge over Kurt's That's Entertainment.
Todd's Free Skate Scores
Skating Techniques: 5.8, 5.9, 5.9, 5.9, 5.9
Presentation: 5.8, 5.7, 5.7, 5.8, 5.8
Philippe Candeloro came after Todd, skating his Saturday Night Fever program. He did manage to land a triple flip and a triple lutz, but the presentation included the normal elements such as climbing over the boards to remove his jacket for a member of the audience. This may have resulted in some deduction - his skating techniques scores were 5.3 to 5.6, and his presentation scores were 5.6 to 5.9.
Kurt Browning finished the competition, skating his fabulous That's Entertainment program. Kurt was really on, and along the way, landed his triple salchow/double loop combination, another two-footed triple loop, and a double axel/half loop/half loop/triple toe sequence. Not surprisingly, Kurt brought the house down. Skating techniques scores were two 5.7s and three 5.8s, presentation 5.9 across the board. This placed Kurt in first place overall.
The final standings for the men's competition were:
1. Kurt Browning
2. Todd Eldredge
3. Philippe Candeloro
4. Ilia Kulik
5. Rudy Galindo
