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CNN Saturday Morning News
Interview with top Figure Skaters
Aired January 10, 2004 - 09:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: In the finals for the men's and ladies' singles championship, they're going to be held a little bit later on today, and be sure to join us tomorrow here on "CNN SUNDAY MORNING" for a look at some of the stars in that competition.
But for all of you figure skaters and fans of the sport, it is your lucky day. We are joined now by four of the sport's premier players. Tiffany Scott, Philip Dulebohn, and we also -- Hi, you guys, how are you doing this morning?
(CROSSTALK)
COLLINS: Thanks so much for being with us. We sure do appreciate your time.
And let's go around just so everybody in case people haven't been able to watch some of the competition, and some people who haven't seen it before, let's go around and just introduce ourselves, if we could. Go ahead.
BEN AGOSTO, 2004 U.S. CHAMPION: I'm Ben Agosto.
COLLINS: OK. Ben, and you skate with?
(CROSSTALK)
COLLINS: Nice to see you.
PHILIP DULEBOHN, 2004 U.S. BRONZE MEDALIST: I'm Philip Dulebohn, and this is my partner.
TIFFANY SCOTT, 2004 U.S. BRONZE MEDALIST: Hi, I'm Tiffany Scott.
COLLINS: Wonderful. Thanks so much for being with us, you guys. I know you had a late night, and a busy night last night.
Let's begin with you guys. Tell us what you do, again, there may be some people out there who are not so familiar with ice skating, you know, don't really know the difference between ice dancing and pairs. Tell us a little bit about the differences.
AGOSTO: Well, ice dancing and pairs, we both skate with a partner, but in pairs, he gets to throw her around and lift her over his head, and she's -- I wrap her more around me and... UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) it's maybe a little more theatrical, do a lot, obviously, of more dance and artistry. And pair skating maybe focuses a little more on the technical works.
COLLINS: And we're looking at you guys right now doing that very thing. It's just -- it's so beautiful. And I know that sort of the bottom line between the differences, as you say, no jumps. In fact, there are some very intricate rules about how far apart you can be for how long, right, with ice dancing?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.
COLLINS: Tell us a little bit about that.
AGOSTO: Well, we're not allowed to be apart for more than about five seconds, and usually we want to try to be doing something in sync with each other.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have lift restrictions as well. We do do lifts, but he can't lift me above his head, so we try to incorporate a little more intricacy and creativity to make it interesting.
COLLINS: How long have you guys been skating together? It looks like forever, from this video. This is practice, now, we should clarify.
AGOSTO: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.
COLLINS: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's five years for Ben and I that we've been together, which actually seems not that long, compared to some of the teams that we've competed against, but feels like a lot longer.
COLLINS: Exactly. Tell us what happened last night, you guys?
AGOSTO: Well...
COLLINS: They're shy.
AGOSTO: Last night was amazing. We've been skating really well all week, and we won the compulsories and the original dance. And then last night, we just really wanted to go out and give a great performance, and we really felt like we gave a very emotional and very strong...
COLLINS: OK, but you're burying the lead. What happened last night?
AGOSTO: Oh, we won the national title!
COLLINS: Oh, yes, they won the national title.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For the first time.
COLLINS: Congratulations.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you very much.
COLLINS: First time for you guys. Great job. Really happy for you. What will come next now, since you won that title?
AGOSTO: We will be going on to the Four Continents championship in Hamilton, in Canada. And then after that, we will be going on to the world championships.
COLLINS: Which is really the headline, which is what you've really been practicing for now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
COLLINS: And if worlds go well, you become the world -- the number one in the world, yes? Champions.
AGOSTO: Well, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If it goes well, then absolutely. Anything is possible. Just prove that.
COLLINS: Yes, that's definitely true, we'll keep our fingers crossed, at least.
Now, let's move over to you guys. Last night, you also had your competition. Where -- what time did you skate? Were you first, third, last? And does that have any bearing on your psyche, if you will?
DULEBOHN: Well, Tiffany and I are very experienced, and we've done many competitions. We skated last, actually, in the competitions.
COLLINS: Do you like that?
SCOTT: It was OK. We had a long break after the warmup, so it was nice. We got to relax a little bit and kind of cool, chill out.
DULEBOHN: Settle down. Yes, I mean, it wasn't our best performance last night. We were a little disappointed with how we did. But, you know, you have your ups and downs just like everybody else. And it was just one performance in a whole career.
COLLINS: Of course. And you guys got the bronze medal, which is certainly nothing to shake a stick at. I mean, that's fantastic. But, unfortunately, I know that it was not what you wanted, because of what we were just talking about, the world championships. What will this mean now with the bronze placing?
DULEBOHN: Well, we get to compete with Ben and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in Hamilton at the Four Continents figure skating championships, but as of right now, I don't think we're competing in the world championships this season, so...
SCOTT: Just the top two go to world.
COLLINS: The top two go. How do you get through something like that? Again, an incredible placement, coming in with the bronze medal. There are so many people who would absolutely kill for that. But when it means that you don't get to go on, and it's really something that you have worked for for many, many years, how long have you guys been skating together?
SCOTT: This is our eighth year.
COLLINS: Eighth year.
DULEBOHN: I think after being national champion last year, I mean, it is a little disappointing for us to be in the bronze medal position, but it is an accomplishment. And, I mean, we are proud of ourselves for, you know, our efforts, and that's pretty much the most important thing in my mind.
SCOTT: It's also incentive to come back stronger next year.
COLLINS: Sure. Absolutely. Now, eight years together, is that a long time to be together for pairs, or is that kind of average?
SCOTT: It is for U.S. pairs, I think. A lot of times in the United States, pairs don't stay together very long. But I think that because of our longevity, we've had success. In other countries, it's more common to stay together longer, and I think that's why there's so many people from other countries who are very successful.
So I think that with Philip and I, we really have common goals, and that's why we've been together for so long.
COLLINS: And how do you maintain that sort of relationship? You know, it's funny, when you guys talk about the ice dancing, you're not allowed to be apart for more than five seconds, I immediately think, If they work that hard together, and they spend that much time together on the ice, maybe when they're off the ice, they want nothing to do with each other.
How do you, you know, stay close on the ice and off the ice? Because I would imagine that that could really affect your performances, how you get along off the ice.
DULEBOHN: We haven't -- we've never gotten sick of each other, never.
(CROSSTALK)
SCOTT: Yes, right.
DULEBOHN: No. I mean, you -- I don't know. Tiffany knows me better just -- knows me better than just about anybody in my life, and, you know, we're so close in such a way, you know, I can't really explain it. It's just, you know, you don't -- I don't really get sick of her, I don't think she gets sick of me, but we've just been through so much, we just know each other so well. We just have a bond.
SCOTT: Yes. But with that bond, we also have our own separate lives too, so...
COLLINS: What do you like to do off the ice? And I want to hear from you guys too about this. What will -- how do you just escape, if you will, or if you need to, from skating?
DULEBOHN: It's funny, because it's -- you know, as we've gotten older, we -- our interests have changed, and even now we're really into, like, you know, home improvements and things like that, where, you know -- I mean, I still like to do the things I did before, like, I like biking, and, you know, we've gone skiing this past year. But, you know, Tiffany (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
COLLINS: So wait a minute. Your coach lets you go skiing?
(CROSSTALK)
COLLINS: Were we not supposed to tell?
DULEBOHN: Well, we have. I just -- I think if you're careful, it's OK, you know. Yes, you got to live.
SCOTT: Yes. I'm also engaged, so I spend a lot of time with my fiance. He's not a skater, so it's nice to have that.
COLLINS: Is that important, to have someone who is not in the skating world?
SCOTT: I think for me, I think for certain people, it's different, but for me, it's nice to have somebody outside of skating who doesn't know exactly what goes on, and is an escape from the skating world.
COLLINS: How do you make him understand what sort of pressures you're under, especially after a competition last night?
SCOTT: He's amazing, he's just always very supportive, and I don't know how he understands. He's just -- he has a gift.
COLLINS: He just gets it. All right. You guys, quickly, we just have a little bit of time left. Tell me what you like to do when you're not skating.
AGOSTO: I like to play the guitar, play paintball, like to spend a lot of time (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
COLLINS: Another dangerous sport.
AGOSTO: Well, you know. It's fun. Just, you know, try to do things that get me away from the ice and maybe be outside a little bit.
COLLINS: Sure, a little bit of relief.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And same for me. I'm outside. I do auto crossing, car racing, with my boyfriend...
COLLINS: Really?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... when I'm not skating. So that's a lot of fun. It's another competitive field, so...
COLLINS: I guess so.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE) something different.
COLLINS: You guys, it's been a pleasure, really appreciate you spending your time with us this morning. And congratulations to the two of you, and to the two of you as well. We wish you continued success in ice dancing and pair skating. Thanks so much.
DULEBOHN: Thank you.
SCOTT: Thank you.
AGOSTO: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
COLLINS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Benjamin, Tiffany, and Philip.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 10, 2004 - 09:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: In the finals for the men's and ladies' singles championship, they're going to be held a little bit later on today, and be sure to join us tomorrow here on "CNN SUNDAY MORNING" for a look at some of the stars in that competition.
But for all of you figure skaters and fans of the sport, it is your lucky day. We are joined now by four of the sport's premier players. Tiffany Scott, Philip Dulebohn, and we also -- Hi, you guys, how are you doing this morning?
(CROSSTALK)
COLLINS: Thanks so much for being with us. We sure do appreciate your time.
And let's go around just so everybody in case people haven't been able to watch some of the competition, and some people who haven't seen it before, let's go around and just introduce ourselves, if we could. Go ahead.
BEN AGOSTO, 2004 U.S. CHAMPION: I'm Ben Agosto.
COLLINS: OK. Ben, and you skate with?
(CROSSTALK)
COLLINS: Nice to see you.
PHILIP DULEBOHN, 2004 U.S. BRONZE MEDALIST: I'm Philip Dulebohn, and this is my partner.
TIFFANY SCOTT, 2004 U.S. BRONZE MEDALIST: Hi, I'm Tiffany Scott.
COLLINS: Wonderful. Thanks so much for being with us, you guys. I know you had a late night, and a busy night last night.
Let's begin with you guys. Tell us what you do, again, there may be some people out there who are not so familiar with ice skating, you know, don't really know the difference between ice dancing and pairs. Tell us a little bit about the differences.
AGOSTO: Well, ice dancing and pairs, we both skate with a partner, but in pairs, he gets to throw her around and lift her over his head, and she's -- I wrap her more around me and... UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) it's maybe a little more theatrical, do a lot, obviously, of more dance and artistry. And pair skating maybe focuses a little more on the technical works.
COLLINS: And we're looking at you guys right now doing that very thing. It's just -- it's so beautiful. And I know that sort of the bottom line between the differences, as you say, no jumps. In fact, there are some very intricate rules about how far apart you can be for how long, right, with ice dancing?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.
COLLINS: Tell us a little bit about that.
AGOSTO: Well, we're not allowed to be apart for more than about five seconds, and usually we want to try to be doing something in sync with each other.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have lift restrictions as well. We do do lifts, but he can't lift me above his head, so we try to incorporate a little more intricacy and creativity to make it interesting.
COLLINS: How long have you guys been skating together? It looks like forever, from this video. This is practice, now, we should clarify.
AGOSTO: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.
COLLINS: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's five years for Ben and I that we've been together, which actually seems not that long, compared to some of the teams that we've competed against, but feels like a lot longer.
COLLINS: Exactly. Tell us what happened last night, you guys?
AGOSTO: Well...
COLLINS: They're shy.
AGOSTO: Last night was amazing. We've been skating really well all week, and we won the compulsories and the original dance. And then last night, we just really wanted to go out and give a great performance, and we really felt like we gave a very emotional and very strong...
COLLINS: OK, but you're burying the lead. What happened last night?
AGOSTO: Oh, we won the national title!
COLLINS: Oh, yes, they won the national title.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For the first time.
COLLINS: Congratulations.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you very much.
COLLINS: First time for you guys. Great job. Really happy for you. What will come next now, since you won that title?
AGOSTO: We will be going on to the Four Continents championship in Hamilton, in Canada. And then after that, we will be going on to the world championships.
COLLINS: Which is really the headline, which is what you've really been practicing for now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
COLLINS: And if worlds go well, you become the world -- the number one in the world, yes? Champions.
AGOSTO: Well, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If it goes well, then absolutely. Anything is possible. Just prove that.
COLLINS: Yes, that's definitely true, we'll keep our fingers crossed, at least.
Now, let's move over to you guys. Last night, you also had your competition. Where -- what time did you skate? Were you first, third, last? And does that have any bearing on your psyche, if you will?
DULEBOHN: Well, Tiffany and I are very experienced, and we've done many competitions. We skated last, actually, in the competitions.
COLLINS: Do you like that?
SCOTT: It was OK. We had a long break after the warmup, so it was nice. We got to relax a little bit and kind of cool, chill out.
DULEBOHN: Settle down. Yes, I mean, it wasn't our best performance last night. We were a little disappointed with how we did. But, you know, you have your ups and downs just like everybody else. And it was just one performance in a whole career.
COLLINS: Of course. And you guys got the bronze medal, which is certainly nothing to shake a stick at. I mean, that's fantastic. But, unfortunately, I know that it was not what you wanted, because of what we were just talking about, the world championships. What will this mean now with the bronze placing?
DULEBOHN: Well, we get to compete with Ben and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in Hamilton at the Four Continents figure skating championships, but as of right now, I don't think we're competing in the world championships this season, so...
SCOTT: Just the top two go to world.
COLLINS: The top two go. How do you get through something like that? Again, an incredible placement, coming in with the bronze medal. There are so many people who would absolutely kill for that. But when it means that you don't get to go on, and it's really something that you have worked for for many, many years, how long have you guys been skating together?
SCOTT: This is our eighth year.
COLLINS: Eighth year.
DULEBOHN: I think after being national champion last year, I mean, it is a little disappointing for us to be in the bronze medal position, but it is an accomplishment. And, I mean, we are proud of ourselves for, you know, our efforts, and that's pretty much the most important thing in my mind.
SCOTT: It's also incentive to come back stronger next year.
COLLINS: Sure. Absolutely. Now, eight years together, is that a long time to be together for pairs, or is that kind of average?
SCOTT: It is for U.S. pairs, I think. A lot of times in the United States, pairs don't stay together very long. But I think that because of our longevity, we've had success. In other countries, it's more common to stay together longer, and I think that's why there's so many people from other countries who are very successful.
So I think that with Philip and I, we really have common goals, and that's why we've been together for so long.
COLLINS: And how do you maintain that sort of relationship? You know, it's funny, when you guys talk about the ice dancing, you're not allowed to be apart for more than five seconds, I immediately think, If they work that hard together, and they spend that much time together on the ice, maybe when they're off the ice, they want nothing to do with each other.
How do you, you know, stay close on the ice and off the ice? Because I would imagine that that could really affect your performances, how you get along off the ice.
DULEBOHN: We haven't -- we've never gotten sick of each other, never.
(CROSSTALK)
SCOTT: Yes, right.
DULEBOHN: No. I mean, you -- I don't know. Tiffany knows me better just -- knows me better than just about anybody in my life, and, you know, we're so close in such a way, you know, I can't really explain it. It's just, you know, you don't -- I don't really get sick of her, I don't think she gets sick of me, but we've just been through so much, we just know each other so well. We just have a bond.
SCOTT: Yes. But with that bond, we also have our own separate lives too, so...
COLLINS: What do you like to do off the ice? And I want to hear from you guys too about this. What will -- how do you just escape, if you will, or if you need to, from skating?
DULEBOHN: It's funny, because it's -- you know, as we've gotten older, we -- our interests have changed, and even now we're really into, like, you know, home improvements and things like that, where, you know -- I mean, I still like to do the things I did before, like, I like biking, and, you know, we've gone skiing this past year. But, you know, Tiffany (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
COLLINS: So wait a minute. Your coach lets you go skiing?
(CROSSTALK)
COLLINS: Were we not supposed to tell?
DULEBOHN: Well, we have. I just -- I think if you're careful, it's OK, you know. Yes, you got to live.
SCOTT: Yes. I'm also engaged, so I spend a lot of time with my fiance. He's not a skater, so it's nice to have that.
COLLINS: Is that important, to have someone who is not in the skating world?
SCOTT: I think for me, I think for certain people, it's different, but for me, it's nice to have somebody outside of skating who doesn't know exactly what goes on, and is an escape from the skating world.
COLLINS: How do you make him understand what sort of pressures you're under, especially after a competition last night?
SCOTT: He's amazing, he's just always very supportive, and I don't know how he understands. He's just -- he has a gift.
COLLINS: He just gets it. All right. You guys, quickly, we just have a little bit of time left. Tell me what you like to do when you're not skating.
AGOSTO: I like to play the guitar, play paintball, like to spend a lot of time (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
COLLINS: Another dangerous sport.
AGOSTO: Well, you know. It's fun. Just, you know, try to do things that get me away from the ice and maybe be outside a little bit.
COLLINS: Sure, a little bit of relief.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And same for me. I'm outside. I do auto crossing, car racing, with my boyfriend...
COLLINS: Really?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... when I'm not skating. So that's a lot of fun. It's another competitive field, so...
COLLINS: I guess so.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE) something different.
COLLINS: You guys, it's been a pleasure, really appreciate you spending your time with us this morning. And congratulations to the two of you, and to the two of you as well. We wish you continued success in ice dancing and pair skating. Thanks so much.
DULEBOHN: Thank you.
SCOTT: Thank you.
AGOSTO: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
COLLINS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Benjamin, Tiffany, and Philip.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
