Page 61 of The Favorites
I knew that music. But not because I’d heard it during a practice session.
Heath stepped on the ice, dressed all in black, arms bare except for a band of leather across his left bicep. He held out his hand. The spotlight hit his partner, and there was a blinding blaze of gold. The crowd gasped with delight.
I didn’t gasp. I could hardly breathe. Because there was Bella, in her mother’s Cleopatra dress, smiling the same way Sheila had at the Calgary Olympics.
Like she’d already won.
Inez Acton:Even if you don’t know a damn thing about ice dance, you know Lin and Lockwood’s Antony and Cleopatra program.
Sheila Lin and Kirk Lockwood take the ice for the free dance at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, dressed as the tragic lovers Queen Cleopatra and Mark Antony. Kirk’s costume has the look of leather armor molded to his chest. Sheila’s dress is pure gold, as is her headpiece, which is shaped like a serpent with red gemstone eyes.
Francesca Gaskell:I wasn’t even born until 1989, but of course I know that program!
Inez Acton:Their performance from the ’88 Games has millions of views on YouTube. It’s iconic.
Jane Currer:Breathtaking.
Ellis Dean:Motherfuckinglegendary.
Kirk Lockwood:The gold standard, you might say.(He laughs.)
Sheila and Kirk perform a fast-paced footwork sequence to the sounds of crashing cymbals and syncopated war drums from the score of the 1963 Elizabeth Taylor filmCleopatra.The music transitions into the movie’s haunting love theme, and they move into a close dance hold.
Kirk Lockwood:Interestingly enough, our Russian rivals chose a royalty-themed program for the 1987–1988 season as well.
At the 1988 Winter Games, Veronika Volkova and Mikhail Zolotov skate a free dance inspired by the marriage of Catherine the Great and Emperor Peter III. Veronika wears a red velvet dress with glittering gold embellishments. Mikhail is also dressed in red, with a military-style sash.
Veronika Volkova:For us, this was not some cheap cinematic gimmick. My costume was inspired by the Imperial Crown Catherine wore in her coronation portrait. Our music was by Catherine’s favorite court composer, lost to history until the Russian National Orchestra recordedit especially for us. We worked with principal dancers at the Bolshoi on our choreography. We were honoring our heritage. Honoring Russia.
Jane Currer:In the lead-up to Calgary, the rematch of Lin versus Volkova was all anyone could talk about. The media dubbed it “The Battle of the Ice Queens.”
Ellis Dean:I was like six at the time—but yeah, I remember it. Every two minutes on Channel 6, “Don’t miss The Battle of the Ice Queens, broadcast live this Tuesday!”
Veronika Volkova:Catherine was not a queen. She was an empress.
Kirk Lockwood:The whole “Battle” thing was pretty over the top. In my opinion, there was no comparison. Veronika Volkova was pretending to be a queen, but Sheila?
Later in the Antony and Cleopatra program, Kirk takes Sheila’s face in his hands as if he’s drawing her in for a passionate kiss. Before their lips meet, Sheila twists away, taking the lead.
Kirk Lockwood:Sheilawasa queen. And she wasn’t leaving without her crown.
Inez Acton:The absolute lady balls it takes to wear a gold dress to the Olympic final when everyone watching thinks you’re past your prime and couldn’t possibly win.
At the end of the program, Sheila and Kirk collapse dramatically on the ice, pretending to die in each other’s arms. The music fades, and there’s a moment of total silence. Then the audience explodes into a standing ovation.
Inez Acton:Like I said: iconic. No wonder Katarina Shaw idolized Sheila so much.
Sheila and Kirk take their bows, waving to the crowd. The camera zooms in on little Bella and Garrett Lin, sitting with their nannies in the front row.
The twins’ ears are ensconced in toddler-sized noise-canceling headphones. Garrett glances around, bewildered by the commotion. Bella never takes her eyes off their mother.
Garrett Lin:My sister and I were there that day. We don’t remember anything, of course. We were only three years old.
In the kiss and cry, Garrett sits on Kirk’s lap, Bella sits on Sheila’s. The gold medal–winning marks appear, and the arena explodes with applause again. Garrett screws up his face and starts to cry, trying to squirm away from Kirk and all the cameras, but Bella claps her tiny hands and smiles wide. Sheila kisses her daughter on the cheek.
Garrett Lin:It was a lot to live up to. Bella and I had no choice. We were always going to be stuck in the shadow of our mother’s greatness. But Kat…she wanted it. She actuallywantedto spend her life trying to live up to the great Sheila Lin.
Chapter 33
