Elaine Zayak - 1981 US Nationals LP

Elaine Zayak - 1981 US Nationals LP, her first and only US title

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Sports

Tags:

• Elaine
• Zayak
• 1981
• US
• National
• figure
• skating

[kevinvisaman]

I just love Zayak -- her skating was nothing short of brilliance and her personality was just so adorable --- a friend of mine met both Zayak and Rosselyn Sommners in the '80's and said Sommners had "Princess Syndrome"" whereas Zayak was an absolute delight - no pretention at all-she exemplified this at the '84 Games when she said 'it wasn't my turn to make the podium, that is left for Ros so I'm just going to skate for fun and not let the judges get me down - Class Act all the way she was!!

[kevinvisaman]

OMG - Finally someone else who agrees with me on Zayak vs. Summners thing -- I have noticed that people either totally love Zayak and duly recognized her tallent or they totally write her off as a no tallent bimbo -- I personally think Zayak was far more tallented than Summners whilst the 2 were still competing as amatures and that Zayak by far out performed Ros at the '84 Olympics but Elaine's 3rd Place finish at the USA Olympic trials biased the judges against her from the get-go at the games

[Hunterbythesea]

Did you know Elaine Zayak had a foot injury that left her with a half foot. She had to stuff her boot to fill it in. To skate like that with an amputated half foot makes her that much more incredible!!! Loved her in the 80s

[martipellow2]

In Elaine's interview after this performance she said she had a bad short program due to nerves and didn't skate in the last group for the long. What happened to her in the short? Did she miss her combination? It must have been pretty bad for her not to qualify for the last group for the long

[laudese]

haha, somewhat of an awkward interview with miss fleming

[mrjking]

This is the greatest example of the rotten politics of figure skating. I was a skater and I can tell you that talent has nothing to do with titles. This is done in the skating field- tell someone that they are developing and then later on she was dismissed for being a has been. Hello. Linda Fratienne did two triples. They keep saying she is only 15 but so was Linda when she won worlds. What politics!! Such talent, never really recognized.

[greekluv85]

Too bad she stepped out of the loop, otherwise good performance!

[lambielkwanfan]

I am well aware of Witt's low figures placing at the 83 Worlds but she also still would have won the silver overall had she won the LP. It was Sumners beating Witt in the LP despite Witt skating very well (not the crappy LP she did to lose to Zayak in 82) that kept Witt down in 4th overall. Witt wasnt artistic in 84? Yeah what were all those 5.9s for artistry at the 84 Games (8 in total for). Do you really think Zayak was ever going to get that with USFSA support, LOL!

[libralady1010]

Sumners: Queen of the popped jumps. Who wears white anyway on a WHITE sheet of ice -especially @ the Olympics LP. And gloves-she actually wore gloves(!) during the warm-up! No one else did but the Queen couldn't let her hands touch the ice! RPTFLMAO!

[libralady1010]

Just start with the ad Hominem attacks right off the bat-IDIOT! Witt's 4th place was due to her poor showing in Figures. Zayak was a defending World Champion in 1982. Elaine had an off night and still had more triples than the Queen of the popped jumps, Sumners at Nat'ls in 1982. Sumners gets a Nat'l title w/ one-one f**king triple.Witt wasn't known as an artist until post 1984. It started in 86.Actually I picked Witt back in 81 to win it all in 1984 but I'd pick Zayak over Sumners any day.

[lambielkwanfan]

As for Zayak the truth of the matter is after the 81 Worlds Elaine skated average or poor at every event she was in except for the long program of the 82 Worlds. So the USFSA had no reason to be backing her as their #1 anymore when except for the LP of the 82 Worlds Sumners had been outskating her for 2 years, and when rising star Chin badly outskated her too at the 84 Nationals. As for matching Witt's jumps you forget young Chin who had bigger jumps than Elaine and could do a triple flip.

[lambielkwanfan]

LOL nearly everything you say is crap. First of all the judges gave Sumners the World title in 83 and also gave her the LP win over Witt's much more difficult program which bumped Witt from a silver to 4th. They almost gave Sumners the Olympic gold even with a choke performance. So what Sumners had was what European judges did want. Furthermore while Witt from 82-87 was one of the best jumpers she was more known for artistry than her jumping too.