The ice man cometh

It's a pity. Most of those incredible athletes who overcome legions of competitors just to make it to the Olympics wind up as "losers."

To hear the commentators, you would think being second or third best in the entire world was a disgrace.

So imagine Todd Eldredge's "shame" when he placed sixth in men's figure skating in Salt Lake City.

What did you expect from the skater who --commentators kept reminding us --was, at 30, the oldest male skater in contention?

Don't let his recently announced retirement from amateur (i.e. Olympic) competition, fool you. Todd Eldredge is far from ready for a walker with blades.

"I have settled down and bought a house in Lake Angelus (Mich.)," the bachelor skating star said. But he is not entering an "On Golden Pond" phase of life. He picked that location for career reasons: Richard Callaghan, his coach of 20 years, recently moved there, and the local ice rink can provide him with more rehearsal time than he was able to arrange at previous training sites.

The six-time U.S. National Figure Skating Champion --who is just one win away from setting a new national record --just signed a six-year contract with "Stars on Ice" that brings him to the Hersheypark Arena April 10 and to the Sovereign Center in Reading April 15.

Eldredge will continue to compete in professional as well as pro-am events such as just-for-fun battle of the sexes April 16 in New Haven, Conn. His teammates include Matt Savoie and some recent Olympics rivals: bronze medalist Timothy Goebel (the first to land a quad salchow in Olympic competition) and Michael Weiss, who placed seventh. All four competed in the 2002 U.S. Men's Championships, which Eldredge won, followed, in order, by Weiss, Goebel and Savoie.

"If you get to a high-enough level of any sport, you are a fierce competitor," Eldredge said. "But there is real camaraderie. What the public sees doesn't capture the utmost mutual respect among all the guys out there. You know how hard they worked to get where they are."

That respect also breeds trust, he said. "Every day, on tour and in practice, we can turn to each other for guidance if we are having problems and say, "What am I doing wrong?' "

Most skaters don't quibble about billing and pecking order either, Eldredge said --not even in "Stars on Ice," whose all-star lineup includes Tara Lipinksi, Ilya Kulik, Kristi Yamachuchi, Kurt Browning and Katarina Witt.

"It doesn't matter if I skate first, last or in the middle," he said. "It's all about the audience and having fun."

COMING OUT OF his final, sensational spin in Salt Lake City, Eldredge was greeted with a standing ovation. He didn't win a medal, but he had, once more, captured hearts and the admiration of his audience.

Ironically, Eldredge was not undone by his sport/art's obsession with quad jumps, which was the undoing of several Olympic competitors. He was tripped up by a triple-axel.

"Quite honestly, the quad was not the issue for me this year," he said. "In practice, I missed only two or three (quads) the whole time I was there."

Nevertheless, he decided not to go for a quad in his "Lord of the Rings" program. Unfortunately, since anyone accomplishing a quad today automatically wins a point advantage, that left absolutely no room for error. And Eldredge committed one trying to land a triple-axel jump combination he had executed to perfection so many times in the past.

Eldredge is performing that same program in "Stars on Ice." His second solo is skated to another film score selection, Elton John's "Your Song" from "Moulin Rouge."

Asked which of his many honors, including a 1996 World title, meant the most to him, Eldredge replied without hesitation. "The biggest thrill for me isn't awards --it's the freedom of flying across the ice. And the most important thing for me is having fun out there."