Feeling That Championship Touch

They've been retired from eligible skating for more than four years.
But 2003 world ice dance champions Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz figure to have more than just a small hand in the composition of the team that will wear the red maple leaf next March in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Kraatz and his wife, Maikki Uotila Kraatz, are the coaches guiding the fortunes of Allie Hann-McCurdy and Michael Coreno, who made a quantum leap this weekend with a fourth-place finish at HomeSense Skating Canada.
And Bourne has become a key addition to the team that's working with Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje, who wound up sixth in the final standings at Pepsi Colisee.
Both couples figure to be in the middle of the fierce battle to land the second and third Canadian world team berths when the 2008 national championships are held in January in Vancouver.
Hann-McCurdy and Coreno moved to Vancouver in 2005 to train under Kraatz, and quickly won the Canadian junior title that season. They can't say enough good things about Kraatz.
"We have so much faith in him,” said Hann-McCurdy, 20, who represents the Gloucester Skating Club in Ottawa. "It’s been an interesting season, adjusting our goals and trying to improve. Victor has helped us a lot and we really trust him.”
They were eighth at nationals a year ago in Halifax. But Hann-McCurdy and Coreno have made it clear they'll challenge for one of the the three available world team berths in Vancouver. They finished two places ahead of Weaver and Poje, who were third in Halifax.
"Our technical marks here (at Skate Canada) were a big improvement compared to last year,” said Coreno, 23, of Delhi, Ont.
Weaver and Poje, meanwhile, could smile about a free dance that atoned for what she called "mediocre" compulsory and original dances.
"We knew we could come back with a great free dance, and we just kept that in our heads,” said Weaver, 18, a native of Houston, Tex.
They've brought in Bourne as a "finisher" of sorts, someone to work on what Poje calls "those little things that make a difference.”
"She’s definitely been a big help since she started working with us,” said Poje, 20, of Waterloo, Ont.
Weaver, a striking blonde, admits to feeling more than just a little flattered when some suggest she bears a resemblance to Bourne.
"It’s a great compliment, because (Bourne) is gorgeous,” said Weaver. "She’s a great, great role model, and just fabulous to work with and be around."