Retro Ice Time
With Debbie Wilkes
DW:THE MENS COMPETITION BACK IN 82 WAS A SQUEAKER, AND BRIAN, MAYBE AN OMEN ABOUT THE KINDS OF SQUEAKERS THAT WERE WAITING FOR YOU IN THE FUTURE-DO YOU REMEMBER THE NIGHT?
BO:YEAH, UM, I DO REMEMBER THE NIGHT. AND IT WAS EXTRA STRESSFUL BECAUSE I WAS DEFENDING MY TITLE FOR THE FIRST TIME AND THAT WHOLE SEASON WAS STRESSFUL AND I REMEMBER IT BEING A SQUEAKER AND I REMEMBER BRIAN POCKAR SKATING SO WELL AND IT WAS JUST..UM..YOU KNOW…I JUST WENT ALONG WITH IT. AND IT WAS THE FIRST OF MANY SQUEAKERS IN MY CAREER.
DW: WELL YOU KNOW WHAT, JOHNNY DID AN INTERVIEW WITH YOU AND BRIAN BOTH AFTER AND WE HAVE A LITTLE CLIP OF IT WHICH I WOULD LIKE YOU TO SEE. HAVE A LOOK AND WATCH THE MONITOR.
(JUMP TO INTERVIEW)
JE: ONE OF THE MOST DRAMATIC SKATING MOMENTS I'VE EVER SEEN WAS CREATED TONIGHT BY BRIAN ORSER AND BY BRIAN POCKAR THE TWO BRIANS TIED COMING INTO THE FINAL TONIGHT. WHAT A DRAMATIC MOMENT THAT WAS. HOW DID YOU FEEL INSIDE, BRIAN (ORSER)?
BO: WELL, I'VE NEVER BEEN AS NERVOUS GOING INTO THE LONG PROGRAM AS I WAS TONIGHT, AND IT IS QUITE DIFFERENT GOING INTO IT AS DEFENDING CHAMPION, BUT I FELT CONFIDENT GOING INTO IT, AND A FEW LITTLE SLIP UPS, BUT OTHER THAT THAT IT FELT PRETTY STRONG.
JE: BRIAN (POCKAR), WE SAID IT WAS A DRAMATIC MOMENT BECAUSE WE REALLY DIDN'T KNOW 60 DAYS AGO WHETHER YOU'D EVER SKATE AGAIN IN A CHAMPIONSHIP. I'M WONDERING IF YOU EVER THOUGHT YOU WOULD.
BP: ACTUALLY, UP UNTIL ABOUT CHRISTMAS TIME I WAS WONDERING IF I'D EVEN BE HERE, BUT ON THE CONTRARY TO BRIAN (ORSER), I DIDN'T FEEL NERVOUS AT ALL, I JUST WENT OUT THERE AND GAVE IT MY ALL, AND I SKATED THE BEST PROGRAM I'VE EVER SKATED.
(END OF CLIP)
DW: SO, WHAT DO YOU THINK? DO YOU REMEMBER THAT?
BO:I DON'T REMEMBER THE INTERVIEW-BUT LOOKING BACK, I'M LIKE WOW- I WAS SO YOUNG, WHAT A BABY! WE WERE VERY GREEN FROM THE - TEAM MARIPOSA WAS - THESE WERE SOME OF THE HUMBLING BEGINNINGS OF US, AND UM…I WAS PRETTY GREEN I GUESS EVEN OBVIOUSLY WITH INTERVIEWS, AND THAT, AND EVEN WITH THE PERFORMANCE AND THE COSTUMING, YOU KNOW…
DW: OH SURE, YOU TALKED OFF CAMERA ABOUT THE COSTUME..WHAT WAS THE STORY BEHIND THE COSTUME?
BO:WELL I HAD BEEN WORKING WITH A CHOREOGRAPHER OUT OF LOS ANGELES WHO WAS CONNECTED WITH ICE CAPADES WHO SAID "I'LL GET A COSTUME FOR YOU FROM ICE CAPADES"…
DW: LIKE THEY MADE IT FOR YOU?
BO: THEY MADE IF FOR ME AND SENT TO ME AND I ACTUALLY RECEIVED IT IN BRANDON, SO I NEVER GOT TO PRACTICE IN IT, IT WAS ACTUALLY A LITTLE BIT TOO BIG, IT WAS VERY HEAVY BECAUSE OF ALL THE MIRRORS AND THE THINGS ON IT, AND UM, JUST REALLY NOT MY STYLE BUT I WENT ALONG WITH IT AND I WORE IT, AND NEVER WORE IT AGAIN.
DW: WELL YOU HAD TO, YOU NEVER WORE IT AGAIN! DO YOU HAVE A WHOLE CUPBOARD THAT'S FULL OF COSTUMES THAT HAVE MEMORIES ATTACHED TO THEM?
BO: YEAH, I DO AND I KINDA GOT OVER IT, AND THAT PARTICULAR COSTUME YOU JUST SAW WENT IN A GARAGE SALE I HAD A FEW YEARS AGO…
DW: OH NO…
BO: YEAH, AND UH…FIVE BUCKS!
DW: AND YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT SINCE ON ANYBODY?
BO: NO…
DW: THAT WOULD BE KIND OF BRING THINGS RUSHING BACK, WOULDN'T IT? LET'S GO BACK TO BRANDON AGAIN BEFORE WE SAW THE INTERVIEW ABOUT HOW DIFFERENT IT WAS BEING THE CHAMPION AND HAVING TO COME BACK AND DEFEND YOUR TITLE. WHAT WERE THE KINDS OF PRESSURES YOU WERE FEELING? AND YOU SKATED FIRST…
BO: DID I?
DW: YES.
BO: OH.
DW: YES YOU DID.
BO: UM, I WAS JUST FEELING PRESSURE ALL SEASON. AND AFTER HALIFAX 1981 WHEN I WON THE FIRST TIME AND IT WAS A SURPRISE, AND YOU KNOW I CAME IN WITH THE TRIPLE AXEL AND BOOM! I WAS THERE AND I HAD TO LIVE UP TO THAT, ESPECIALLY WITH THE TRIPLE AXEL, AND UM..IT WAS OVERWHELMING, ALL SEASON IT WAS OVERWHELMING, AND SUDDENLY I HAD EVERYBODY ON MY SHOULDERS AND EVERYBODY HAD AN IDEA, AND EVERYBODY HAD SOME DIRECTION FOR ME. AND EVERYBODY WAS PULLING AND I JUST COULDN'T TAKE IT, I JUST WANTED TO GO BACK UP TO PENETANG AND HANG OUT AND DO IT THE WAY I'VE ALWAYS BEEN DOING IT, SO I LEARNED SOME LESSONS, AND THAT YEAR WAS A MAJOR TURNING POINT FOR ME AS WELL AFTER 82. WHEN GO ONTO 83 AND 84 YOU CAN SEE JUST A NICE CLEAN UP OF EVERYTHING…CHOREOGRAPHY, COSTUME…
DW: OH, AND A REAL DEVELOPMENT, TOO…WHEN I THINK ABOUT THAT PROGRAM FROM CANADIANS, YOU WERE STILL KIND OF A YMCA SKATER AT THAT POINT.
BO: ABSOLUTELY.
DW: AND THEN, SOMETHING REALLY STARTED TO HAPPEN …
BO: YEAH AND I'M NOT SURE WHAT IT REALLY WAS, AND I KINDA GOT THROUGH 82 AND KEEPING MY TITLE. AND THEN I WAS SORT OF A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH, AND THEN ON THE WORLD SCENE I WAS DOING SOMETHING…AND THEN I JUST STARTED TO MATURE AS A SKATER, AS A MAN, AND I STARTED WORKING WITH USCHI AND SHE STARTED HELPING ME WITH MY STYLE…
DW: USCHI KESZLER.
BO: YES, AND IT WAS REALLY A…IT WAS NEAT TO SEE THE PROGRESSION OVER 8 YEARS.
DW: I ALSO THINK, I MEAN I WAS COMMENTATING ON YOU, AT THAT POINT, WHICH IS SORT OF WEIRD BECAUSE WE WENT ON TO WORK TOGETHER ON CTV'S COMMENTARY TEAM TOO, BUT I REMEMBER LOOKING AT YOU AS A SKATER AND THINKING, "HMM, THAT ONE'S SMART", BECAUSE NOT A LOT OF SKATERS - OH, AND I'M GONNA GET A LOT OF LETTERS FOR THIS - BUT NOT A LOT OF SKATERS ARE NECESSARILY ROCKET SCIENTISTS, AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE, HAVE TO BE, BUT YOU WERE THE TYPE OF SKATER THAT LOOKED AT OTHER PEOPLE, YOU WOULD SEE YOU AT THE BOARDS DURING EVENTS AND YOU WOULD BE WATCHING OTHER PEOPLE, AND IT WAS ALMOST LIKE YOU WERE SOAKING THINGS IN. AM I RIGHT?
BO: NO, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, AND I WOULD LOOK AROUND, AND SIZE UP THE COMPETITION, SEE WHAT THEY WERE DOING, ESPECIALLY AT THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, I WOULD LOOK AROUND AND, YOU KNOW I REMEMBER WATCHING SCOTT HAMILTON, AND NORBERT SCHRAMM, AND THINKING-YOU KNOW-THEY'RE NOT REALLY THAT GREAT…
DW: OR THAT MUCH BETTER THAN YOU ARE…
BO: AND I CAN REALLY COMPETE WITH THESE GUYS…SOON, LIKE NEXT YEAR KIND OF THING…SO YEAH, I DO LOOK AROUND AND TRY TO WATCH WHAT THEIR PROGRAMS ARE LIKE AND SEE THE COMBINATIONS AND THE SPINS AND AREAS WHERE I CAN ACTUALLY WORK ON WHEN I GET HOME TO BE BETTER THAN THEM. SO YES, I THINK I WAS SMART WHEN I TOOK IT ALL IN.
DW: MMM HMM. WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE A SKATER?
BO: OH BOY!
DW: YOUR SISTER USED TO SKATE.
BO: YES. AND AT ONE TIME, MY ENTIRE FAMILY WAS INVOLVED WITH THE MIDLAND FIGURE SKATING CLUB, 2 BROTHERS, 2 SISTERS, MY MOM WAS THE PRESIDENT OF THE CLUB, SO…
DW: YOU DIDN'T HAVE A CHOICE.
BO: I REALLY DIDN'T HAVE MUCH OF A CHOICE. THE FIRST TIME I PUT ON SKATES, OF COURSE I LOVED IT, AND I WAS ACTUALLY HAVING THIS CONVERSATION WITH KURT BROWNING THE OTHER DAY AND JUST ANYTIME THERE WAS ICE - USUALLY OUTDOOR -I WOULD GO ON IT. AND IF MY PARENTS - YOU KNOW IF IT WAS DARK OUT, AND THEY WANTED ME HOME, THAT WOULD BE THE FIRST PLACE THEY'D GO TO, JUST FIND A RINK SOMEPLACE, AND I'D BE OUT THERE BY MYSELF, JUST DOING IT, JUST TWIRLING AND SKATING FAST AND FALLING, AND HAD NO IDEA OF TIME, AND HAD TO HOME AFTER THAT. BUT IT WAS..
DW: IT WAS ALWAYS A LOVE.
BO: OH, A PASSION, I JUST LOVED IT.
DW: AND YOU STILL DO, HUH?
BO: YEAH, I DO.
DW: AND YOU'RE STILL SKATING BRILLIANTLY, I MIGHT ADD. THERE WAS A YEAR OR SO IN THERE WHERE I THINK YOU WERE KIND OF LOSING YOUR MOTIVATION?
BO: YEAH. I KIND OF LOST MY FOCUS, AND UM…I DON'T KNOW, IT WAS JUST SORTA ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN LIFE WITH EVERYTHING. AND I REALLY, REALLY LOVE SKATING NOW, AND I LIKE SKATING WELL…
DW: YOU GOT THOSE OLD TRIPLES BACK.
BO: I GOT A LOT OF THOSE TRIPLES BACK, YOU KNOW, JUST A MONTH OR SO AGO I STARTED DOING TRIPLE AXEL AGAIN…
DW: OH, DON'T SCARE ME WITH THAT!
BO: NOW I JUST ACTUALLY COMMITTED MYSELF TO IT FOR NEXT YEAR! AND IT FEELS GOOD, I'M PROBABLY THE OLDEST GUY IN THE WORLD DOING TRIPLE AXEL.
DW: YOU TAUGHT ME SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT, AND I'M GOING TO END WITH THIS BECAUSE IT'S PROBABLY THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE THAT ANY SKATER CAN GIVE TO ANYONE ABOUT BEING THE BEST AT WHAT YOU WANT TO BE, I ASKED YOU ONCE WHAT YOUR SECRET TO BEING GREAT WAS, AND YOU SAID "I DO HOMEWORK. I WORK HARD, I TRAIN, I NEVER TAKE FOR GRANTED THAT BECAUSE I COULD DO IT YESTERDAY, THAT I WILL BE ABLE TO DO IT TODAY."
BO: HARD WORK. THAT'S IT. I WATCH SOME KIDS IN RINKS, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES THEY ARE HIT AND MISS, BUT IF YOU WORK HARD, EVERY DAY, AND YOU PAY YOUR DUES, IT'LL HAPPEN.
DW: AND IT DID FOR YOU, AND I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR SPENDING THE TIME WITH US TODAY.
BO: MY PLEASURE.
DW: A DELIGHT. BRIAN ORSER.
Home Back to Interviews