Athlete profile: Steven Cousins

Posted: Tue February 3, 1998 at 5:00 PM ET

Athlete notes

The figure skating tours are populated by former world and Olympic champions, and then the odd showman, who has never won much of anything except raves from the crowd, is included...that bittersweet paradox has been a boon to Cousins' "self-sufficient" career, but a continual reminder of his inability to infiltrate skating's competitive elite...Steven is reminded of it every day in Barrie, Ontario, where he is coached by Doug Leigh and trains with world champion Elvis Stojko...as Leigh fine-tunes Stojko's quad, he has helped Cousins conquer the nemesis of his career -- the triple Axel...after a flawless performance in the long program at the Worlds (he finished 11th), Cousins exclaimed, "I didn't fall for once! Finally. Finally. It was a rough road, and I finally found where I'm supposed to be mentally before I skate. I see Elvis every day, and it's his mental fortitude that separates him. I need some of that"...the long-program at Lausanne reversed a two-year period in which Cousins career and confidence had spiraled downward...at the 1996 Worlds in Edmonton, Cousins seemed ready to break through...he placed fifth in the short program, but then endured a harrowing long program that plunged him to 15th...Cousins fell on his opening triple Axel (a common thread to his failures), then doubled a Lutz, fell on a triple flip, doubled a triple loop..."I think my worst nightmare was Worlds in Edmonton," recalls Cousins. "I've seen a couple of people explode as I did in the long after being so close and in contention for a medal. And after doing that it knocks your confidence quite a bit"...last year, Cousins relinquished his British crown for the first time in eight years to 17-year-old Neil Wilson...but Cousins placed 11th to Wilson's 16th in the European Championships to earn Britain's lone Worlds berth...to gain a firm footing on ice, Cousins is taking a more relaxed approach backstage..."Behind the scenes, I wasn't having as much fun as I used to and that was a lot to do with the pressure I was putting myself under," says Cousins. "Someone told me, `You're just not having fun anymore,' and that triggered all this reevaluation"..."The guy is fun, and he has to remember that," says Leigh. "People come to see Steven Cousins skate, to perform. And he's not just a performer. He can be a good skater"...Cousins is not related to 1980 Olympic men's champion Robin Cousins..."When I'm in an interview, I make sure I say, `no,' before they even ask the first question," said Steven a few years ago. "I know what the first question will be"...although he has met his namesake several times (Robin is a choreographer for many skaters), Steven's idol was two-time Olympic silver medalist Brian Orser from Canada -- Orser's coach was Doug Leigh...Cousins grew up in North Wales...a precocious figure skater and soccer player as a youth, Cousins decided at age 13 to devote his time to skating...as a junior skater, Cousins received minimal support from the British Figure Skating Association, relying on the skeletal Welsh association...to this day, he and the British Association share a tenuous relationship...many in England believe the Association is rooting for the 19-year-old Wilson to defeat Cousins again next year at the British Championships ("there are five skaters, so it becomes a long program Events,"says Cousins) and secure Britain's Nagano slot...Cousins considers himself Welsh as he grew up in North Wales...an avid golfer, Cousins has been introduced to dirt biking by Stojko...