Grishuk a Skater of a Different Collar

NAGANO, Japan —  We interrupt this Olympic ice dance competition--no, not to wake the judges snoozing through the Americans’ program--for a quick review of how Pasha Grishuk plans to spend Tuesday morning in Nagano after she wins the gold medal Monday night.

“On Feb. 17,” she proposes, “every cute guy comes to the village and we make them stand in a line. Put the cutest on the right side and the not-so-cutest at the left.”

Then, Grishuk says, she can pick out her date for the evening.

“But,” she adds, “only gold medalists, please.”

Grishuk was talking moments after winning the original dance program with partner Evgeny Platov on Sunday at White Ring arena. She had just entered the interview room in a knee-length fur coat, sauntered over to her seat behind a microphone and paused briefly to remove a bothersome piece of her performance ensemble--a studded dog collar.

Someone asked Grishuk where she had purchased the accessory.

“At a Hot Topic store in the United States,” she reported. “Is a funky store.”

Not a pet shop?

“Oh, no,” Grishuk said, bursting into laughter. “Is not a real dog collar. Although someone asks me the other day, ‘Is it a collar for Vanya?’ ”

Vanya is Grishuk’s pet dog.

“Maybe after the Olympics,” Grishuk suggested.

Sunday was jive night for the Olympic ice dancers, an appropriate choice of music for the jive sport of the Olympics. Jive, as interpreted by the dance teams, is moldy 1950s rock ‘n’ roll, a veritable KTEL Presents collection of “Tutti Frutti,” “Rip It Up,” “Great Balls of Fire” and anything off the “Grease” soundtrack.

“Jailhouse Rock” was the dance choice of Grishuk and Platov, with Grishuk tastefully refraining from prison stripes and opting instead for a more subtle black leather and silver lame bondage look.

The second-place Russian team of Anjelika Krylova and Oleg Ovsyannikov danced to “Tutti Frutti” with Krylova, of course, dressed like a stick of gum of the same flavor, a mini-skirted Day-Glo rainbow.

So, how does a dance team from Moscow relate to old-time American rock music?

“We like it,” Ovsyannikov professed.

“We like this rock ‘n’ roll, this Tutti Frutti.”

Americans, however, had a typically difficult time relating to the judges. U.S. champions Elizabeth Punsalan and Jerod Swallow remained in seventh place, same as they were after Friday’s compulsory dances, and Jessica Josephy and Charles Butler made a step climb in the standings--from 22nd to 20th place.

The Canadian team of Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz also remained in fourth place, remarkably not stricken down after making critical comments about judging during the compulsories.

Swallow concurred with the Canadian point of view, but pointed out that “I don’t think many dancers are surprised or talking about [the judging]. We all are on the same wavelength. We all know where the sport’s coming from.”

Where it’s headed is a predictable Monday night showdown between 1994 Olympic champions Grishuk and Platov and their Russian rivals, Krylova and Ovsyannikov, who received five presentation scores of 5.9 and one perfect mark of 6.0--from the Russian judge.

What did Grishuk think of such a potentially ominous signal from the home judge?

“Nothing,” she succinctly replied.

Platov was more expansive.

“They did pretty well,” he graciously allowed. “What can I tell you? We’re first place, they’re in second.”

Grishuk and Platov have planned a “surprise” program for Monday’s free dance competition, the last leg in the Olympic dance marathon. Grishuk was coy about the details, describing the routine only as a “memorial” to her career with Platov--although she did predict the performance would take ice dancing to “a new level. It is the future of ice dancing.”

Pressed for more information, Grishuk playfully turned the question around on the reporter who asked it.

“Who told you to ask me this?” she said. “Who told you I would answer this?

“It’s a surprise. I told you this. You should wait for tomorrow.”

Grishuk laughed.

“I don’t think you’ll sleep well tonight,” she said.