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Katarina Witt: Programs
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Witt emerged as a natural talent, and was approached by an East German athlete training school. In former Communist nations like East Germany and the Soviet Union, promising athletes were hand-picked by the government, and then were provided training so that they would grow up to perform favorably for their country in competition. Standards for these programs were rigid, and once entry into a state school was gained, the training regimen was strict and demanding. Before a child was offered a place in a training program, every detail of her and her family's physical and behavioral nature was measured and calculated to determine their champion potential. A child who showed a tendency toward heaviness would not be allowed into the program, so Witt's parents were weighed and measured. Officials observed Witt during practice to determine her ability to resist signs of stress or nerves.
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Witt's taste in figure skating costumes sometimes raised eyebrows. At the 1983 European championships she skated her Mozart short program in knee breeches instead of a skirt. Her blue skirtless feather-trimmed 1988 costume for a showgirl-themed short program was considered too theatrical and sexy, and led to a change in the ISU regulations which required female skaters to wear more modest clothing including skirts. In 1994, skating a Robin Hood-themed program, she again pushed the boundaries of the costume regulations by wearing not a skirt but a short tunic over leggings.
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Coming into the final program, Thomas held a slim lead over Witt, with Manley a distant third. Relying on the same ritual that had brought her so much luck two nights earlier, Thomas pounded the hands of Coach Alex McGowan with her fists. "This is your moment," he encouraged. "Now do it!" Alas for Debi, she didn't. Maybe it was the pressure.
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