Ice World: Tribute To Gordeeva & Grinkov
A Class By Themselves
In their thirteen years together, Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov came to define pairs skating: woman and man skating beautifully, as one. They made difficult elements appear simple, natural, even inevitable. There was no reaching or grasping for one another when they skated, no moments when the audience sensed tension. Her hand would go out and his was already there. Their bodies - his tall and strong, hers small and delicate - described identical angles. Each performance has within it the quality of illusion. The hard, cold ice became soft and ethereal. Time became music. Two people became a visual image of love.
Together they won four World Championships and two Olympic gold medals. Their lives flowed as naturally as their skating. They fell in love three years after winning their first world title, married in 1991, and had a daughter, Daria, in September of 1992. When Sergei, 28, died tragically of a heart attack in November, the skating world lost one of its greatest performers. But Katia lost her partner, husband, lover and best friend.
She skates now, not with Sergei, but for him. "It's easier than to write, than to talk, than to think," she says. "I lost myself when I was so long off the ice after Sergei died, and to come back to myself, I have to skate. I cannot not skate."
Making her solo debute at the beautiful and moving A Celebration of a Life tribute to Sergei on February 27 at the Hartford Civic Center, Katia sidcovered she felt his spirit within her when she took the ice. "I thought I'd feel lonely when I skated by myself, but I didn't," she says. "I felt double strong. On the ice, I can feel my strength coming back, my confidence coming back. And this is a good for Daria, too. Scott Hamilton told me, "Fillup the ice with yourself." And he's right. It's perfect, the best way for me to express my emotions. All those memories I have of being on the ice with Sergei, I will hold onto them there very gently." - E.M Swift
*Taken from the 1996 Stars On Ice Program*
Gordeeva & Grinkov Memory Album
Celebration Of A Life Photo Album
My Encounter with G&G
Katia & Sergei joined the cast of the Canadian Stars On Ice Tour in 1995 and it was a show I will never forget to this very day! It was the first time I had seen them skate together during a live performance and sadly it was the last! My memory of that night will never be forgoten. And most of all I will never forget having the chance to meet both Sergei and Katia at the Stars On Ice Reception after the show. The photo to the left is the picture I had take of them during my meeting. They both were very warm, friendly to all their fans. Sergei didn't really say much since he didn't speak to much English however he was always smiling that incrediable smile to everyone!! Looking at these two you certainly saw true love!!
Memories of G&G
The on-ice performances of Ekaterina Gordeeva & Sergei Grinkov were reflections of their off-ice lives said friend Brian Orser.
"It was like something our ot a fairy tale. With me, whenever I was trying to put together a benifit show, they were always the first to say yes. I put together tow 'Skate The Dream's (to raise money for AIDS research), and they came. They knew no one was getting paid, but they didn't care about that. They were just happy to be there. Once, they couldn't do a show in Calgary because their skating federation wouldn't allow them to come. Katya phoned me personally and promised she'd come to the next 'Skate the Dream."
"Sergei loved to eat," said Brian Orser, who befriended the couple on a world tour in 1986. "Quite often on tour, when you wanted to go for dinner, they were one of the first to call. He didn't like turkey, but he liked sushi, and so did Katya. He'd eat his, and finish hers, too."
"Sergei was very sweet," said Kurt Browning, who skated with the Russian pair on 'Stars on Ice' tours. "Once he devoted himself to Katya, he had the impression that other people should do the same. So if you were flirting too much {with Katya}, he's always sort of frown at you, like a grandfather would. He was very traditionalist that way."
"What sticks in my mind the most about {G&G} was how humble they were," said 'Stars On Ice' choreographer Sandra Bezic. "They never made any demands. They were always so thankful for everything. They always thought they were lucky to be in 'Stars On Ice' I'd look at them and say we are the ones that are thankful that you are with us."
As a choreographer for 'SOI' Sandra Bezic had the task of designing a program for G&G in the fall of 1994. She chose "The Man I Love" by Ella Fitzgerald. "I wanted to capture what I watched on a daily basis and the way they looked at each other," she said. "Like lovers stealing kisses in a park. It was a very simple number, I didn't want choreography to get in the way of the relationship. It was the quintessential love song."
NOTE: The following quotes can be found in the book entitles: "A Year In Figure Skating" Written by Beverley Smith
Sergei Grinkov
husband, father, friend
February 4, 1967 - November 20, 1995