Cheers To You, Mrs. Doherty

Yes, that was me.
I made Lesley Hawker cry.
I'm the (choose you own adjective) guy who, after the “awful” (to use her word) short program that crushed her Olympic dreams in Ottawa last year, asked Hawker the dreaded 'so, that's not what you expected' question (perhaps you saw it on a CBC mini-documentary that aired just before the Turin Games). Then watched her dissolve into tears before saying emphatically 'I'm so much better a skater than that.'
Mrs. Doherty, I'm happy to report, was in much better spirits tonight.
She skated the short program of her 25-year-old life. And, after being bathed in her second-ever standing ovation at Canadians (and oh, how the only one of the night was so richly deserved), she talked about how that devastating night at the Civic Centre motivated her so much.
“I do not like to make the same mistake twice,” she said. “I like to learn from them.”
This is one spunky lady, you should know, without an ounce of quit in her.
“I'm from tough stock,” she said with a big grin. “I'm the oldest of 10 children. You don't just quit because you fall on your butt a couple times, that's for sure. My parents say when you start something, you want to finish it.
“More than one of my old coaches, and the one I have now (Richard Callaghan), said to me, 'you don't want to go out like that.' You want to show them you can go out on top.”
She just might. With an exquisite skate to music from Les Miserables (“my all-time favourite musical”), Hawker earned a personal best score of 53.57 — the No. 2 performance of the night behind two-time defending champion Joannie Rochette of Ile-Dupas, Que., who totalled 56.89.
Hawker also squeezed a hair in front of Vancouver teen Mira Leung — who was pretty terrific herself with a joyful skate to Pink Panther music — to grab temporary hold on the second Canadian women's ticket to the world championships in Tokyo. Although it's a tenuous edge over Leung, who scored 52.50. Former national junior champ Myriane Samson, of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., is also in the mix at 51.94.
But Hawker, who married Jamie Doherty in June (and became Mrs. Doherty), seems to have the mental strength she needs this time to fight for that coveted world berth in Friday night's free skate final.
“That kind of stuff doesn't come overnight,” she said. “I'm surrounded by people who are willing to be real patient with me and work with me, perservere if you will. Now, it's all starting to show.
“When I skate, I don't skate for medals. I don't skate for anyone else. (Skating) makes me happy. And when you're nervous, you're not happy doing it. I just want to enjoy myself out there and be as good as I can be.”
A standing ovation was the icing on the cake. Hawker's first at this level came at her first Canadians in 2002 in Hamilton.
“I drew inspiration from that,” she said. “A couple of days ago, I thought about it and remembered that was a great moment, and that it would be nice to have one again. But they do say standing ovations can be addictive, so I'll have to be careful about that.”
Then Mrs. Doherty smiled that 100-watt smile of hers.
I'll take that moment over last year's any day.