SALT LAKE CITY -- Todd Eldredge has been skating long enough
to know it doesn't always take a spectacular jump to win.
Eldredge led Wednesday after the men's short program at the Four
Continents figure skating championships, opting against a tricky
quad jump after seeing he could grab the lead with a less difficult
combination.
|  | | Canada's Jamie Sale and David Pelletier led the pairs competition and felt they performed better than their recent Canadian nationals appearance. |
"It worked out, and that's what sports is all about," Eldredge
said. "It's strategic. You don't have to go out and kill yourself
just to prove a point. You go out there to win."
With reigning national champion Tim Goebel skipping Four
Continents in favor of the Grand Prix finals next week in Tokyo,
the night shaped up as a duel between two-time U.S. champion
Michael Weiss and five-time champ Eldredge.
It never happened.
Eldredge took the lead with a safe routine, while Li Chengjiang
of China was second and another American, Matthew Savoie, was
third. Weiss was tied for fifth with Yamato Tamura of Japan.
The short program counts for one-third of the final score, with
the outcome to be decided by Friday's free skate.
Weiss got into trouble early, rotating only twice on an
attempted quad. He recovered nicely, hitting a triple axel-triple
toe loop combination, but hurt himself by two-footing the landing.
Later, he could only manage to do a double axel instead of a
planned triple lutz.
"I rushed the quad and after that, I felt like I had to fight
through everything," Weiss said.
Eldredge was the last competitor on the ice and knew it wouldn't
take much to move into the lead. He decided against a planned quad,
instead doing a set of two quick triples.
The quad has been a problem for Eldredge, who returned to
competition this season after a two-year break. He couldn't hit it
at nationals two weeks ago in Boston, and it dropped him to second
place overall.
So he skated a clean routine that was efficient if not
spectacular, at least until he closed it with a trademark tight
spin. When he finished, Eldredge lifted a fist into the air and
pumped it twice.
"That's a fortunate thing about drawing last," Eldredge said.
"I got to know what went on ahead of time."
The third-year Four Continents is a second-tier event that
doesn't draw the top athletes, but still offers a distinction
between fluid, sharp contenders and unpolished also-rans.
The event is at the Delta Center, which will be the site of
Olympic figure skating next February. The basketball arena has been
criticized by fans and some in the skating community for its poor
sight lines and pit-like atmosphere.
Weiss didn't care. He came to Salt Lake City hoping to cash in
on his history. After all, it was in 1999 at the Delta Center where
he won the first of two national titles.
His finish Wednesday could have been worse, if not for his
higher marks on presentation that clearly stemmed from his
experience. This has been a frustrating season for Weiss, who
missed two months with injuries to his toe and back.
"I felt like this was a good event for me," Weiss said. "I
think it's important to come out and skate well here."
In pairs, defending Four Continents champions Jamie Sale and
David Pelletier led after the short program. They felt their
routine improved from their first-place but "so-so" effort at the
recent Canadian nationals.
"We just wanted to come in and do it better than two weeks ago
and feel more comfortable skating," Pelletier said. "I think we
accomplished that. Everything else was very solid."
In ice dancing, defending champions Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor
Kraatz of Canada led after comfortably winning two opening rounds
of compulsories
"Technically and artistically it felt very good today, both
dances," Bourne said.
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ALSO SEE
Wednesday's complete results
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