Sale, Pelletier in synch on future

Canadian pairs figure skaters Jamie Sale and David Pelletier have tried so hard to put the past behind them.

They'd like nothing better than to never have to answer another question about the judging scandal at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City that resulted in their sharing gold medals with Russians Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze. They look forward to the day when reporters are more eager to ask about their current role with the Stars on Ice tour that will stop in Gund Arena on Feb. 7.

"We were wondering today what kind of questions we are going to get next year," Pelletier said during an interview to promote that show. "Obviously, it's new this year. Everybody asks us about the controversy even though it happened a year ago. So next year I wonder what they're going to ask."

It will be years before the questions about the scandal stop. The story took on a life of its own during the Olympics, prompting proposals to change the judging system that has been in place for decades. Not even the presentation of the duplicate medals stemmed the tide. On Feb. 25, 2002, 10 days after receiving their gold medals, a beaming Sale and Pelletier made the covers of Time and Newsweek.

Pelletier said he has a box full of those magazines and newspapers back in the home he shares with Sale in Edmonton. Someday, they figure they'll go through them with their children and grandchildren and relive the extraordinary fortnight that made them international celebrities.

Not that they need magazines or newspapers to remember.

"It's not that we don't think about it," Pelletier said. "It's hard to believe it has been a year. There's not a day in my life since then that I don't think about that long program. It was such an accomplishment for Jamie and myself."

Sale and Pelletier performed a nearly flawless long program, while the favored Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze had as many as six errors. But when the final marks were announced before a stunned audience, the Russians won the gold and the Canadians were left with silver.

While Sale and Pelletier gamely accepted the outcome, television announcers and newspaper reporters raged. Eventually, a vote-swapping plot was uncovered, and French judge Marie Riene Le Gougne fled the city in shame. She was later suspended by the International Skating Union.

As the controversy continued, Pelletier admitted the pair lost control of their lives.

"We were just going through the motions," Sale said. "We were walking zombies."

They tried to get away after the Olympics, but even a vacation in Hawaii didn't bring much relief. Reporters and fans recognized the pair even in baseball caps and sunglasses.

It wasn't all bad, they admit. There were invitations to parties and dinners. Devoted hockey fans, they were invited to play in charity golf tournaments hosted by Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky. They met Mick Jagger and Michael Jordan. When they appeared on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," fellow guest Charlie Sheen asked them to autograph a copy of Time magazine he'd brought.

In the midst of all that, Sale, 25, and Pelletier, 28, decided to turn pro. It's a completely different schedule than when they were amateurs. Now they get to the arena about 3 p.m., practice, have dinner, warm up, do a show that includes a number with Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze, and then get on a bus to head to the next city.

Granted, they're luxury buses, and they're often heading for Ritz Carltons or similar swanky hotels. But it can be a grind for the 72 tour dates that stretch into May. In addition, there are promotional appearances like yesterday's - squeezed in between shows in Oklahoma City and Grand Forks, N.D.

Still, they look happy, if a bit tired.