Jill Trenary (USA) - 1988 Calgary, Ladies' Long Program

Calgary, Alberta, CANADA - 1988 Winter Games, Ladies' Long Program - Jill Trenary of the United States had a lackluster performance. She placed 5th in the Long Program to finish in 4th Place overall.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• 1988
• figure
• skating
• Calgary
• Jill
• Trenary

[skatingcritic1]

Although not her best performance, for my money Trenary deserved bronze over Thomas as she skated a good short too (combination slightly scratchy but on one foot). She had a God-given grace about her that very few skaters have. No way should Thomas have placed 4th in the free above Trenary.

[libralady1010]

Yeah Sumners didn't have to mess up her SP and she WAS the worst. She ended her LP not even facing the judges. I'm trying to think who the West German was.Think it was Leistner,the 3 Soviets, Roz and Witt. Witt just had such PERFECT technique,was so joyful ALWAYS whenever she skated.Plus she didn't bring a posse' the way Sumners did.It was crazy! Something like 14 people. THere's NO WAY you can concentrate on what you need to do. She had her parents,psychologists,boyfrien­d-it was too bad.

[grafgirl27]

@libralady1010 yeah with Hamilton already winning the gold and Carruthers the silver(, the powers that be were never going to let the U.S win another 2 medals in the ladies event. They would allow Sumners a medal, possibly a gold depending how she skated, but that was it. The ironic thing is I thought Sumners ended up skating the worst of the 3 Americans but still nearly won gold. The final flight was mostly embarasing with the Soviets and West Germans stumbling and clomping around the ice.

[libralady1010]

I can't argue with that. Could not believe in 1984 3 Soviet ladies were in the final 6!

That was such blatant Iron Curtain unity. Kati certainly deserved to be there no doubt. No one worked a room better than she but those 3 Soviets-especially Ivanova w/the dirty skate boots. Like Dick Button said: her program just kind of drizzled out. Zayak being a former World Champion and treated that way was awful.Think after Hamilton won the Men's event that sealed the fate for Chin and Zayak.

[grafgirl27]

@libralady1010 it kind of reminds me of 84 when Chin and Zayak got the message immediately there was no way either would medal with Sumners, Witt, and some random European (most likely mediocre Soviet) already set as the medalists once figures were over.

[libralady1010]

@grafgirl27 Oh Manley definitely benefitted from home ice advantage. She did a superb program but Jill's was just so well packaged-everything: the look, the choreography-such a pretty girl, too. But she had to know on some level they were only going to award one medal to the US and that in all likelihood it would be Thomas.

[grafgirl27]

@libralady1010 The short program also clearly showed Manley would get the benefit of doubt for the other medal if she skated well. I imagine Trenary and Kadavy were both a bit deflated before the long program even began, even before Caryn had to withdraw with illness.

[mjcamck71]

Jill did a truly beautiful job here. It was THE Olympics, after all. The choreography was lovely, her moves spectacular as always. The missed jumps did not distract from how wonderful it is to watch if you just take it out of the context of it being a competitive program. NO ONE ILLUSTRATES ELEGANCE ON ICE BETTER THAN JILL TRENARY.

[libralady1010]

@ronaround74 She probably knew-on some level-that the judges minds' AND marks were waiting for the BIG SHOW of Katarina and Debi. I'll say this: She didn't completely fall apart the way Thomas did after missing HER first jump combo. Thomas received the bronze medal as a "gift" and also for her figures and the SP-which were superb.

[ronaround74]

@metsdudenj Yes, and she left out several connecting steps throughout the program as well, if you compare it to her US Nationals performance. She re-added some of it for Worlds, so nerves probably caused her to delete/simplify some choreo.