Aired February 5,
2006
at 7pm
on CBC-TV
WATCH the fifth estate ONLINE
Watch this story online 
WEB EXCLUSIVE: FIGURE SKATING FIRSTS
For decades, Canadian singles figure skaters have more than left their mark on
the sport in competition.
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On The Edge of Glory follows five Canadian figure skaters, each with a dream
of making the Canadian Olympic team. Our cameras were with the skaters for
eight months, in the dressing room, at home and on the ice.
- Jeff Buttle is the top-ranked male skater. He put his university career
on hold to focus on skating.
- Emanuel Sandhu is a naturally gifted athlete whose rivals whisper he
doesn't
have the discipline to make it.
- Chris Mabee, ranked fifth, is the underdog who needs to learn how to
handle pressure.
- Joannie Rochette has seemed destined for stardom since she was a little
girl.
- Lesley Hawker is 24 and this is her last shot at a spot on the Olympic
team.
Top-ranked skater, Jeff Buttle prepares for competition with a vigorous training
routine.
This documentary is an intimate look at the skaters – the physical
and psychological challenges they face as the months tick by and competitions
become more fierce. The final pre-Olympics event is the Canadian championships
in Ottawa.
Our cameras are backstage with the skaters and in the audience
with their families as they learn their fate.
