U.S. Pair Proves Less Than Picture Perfect : Figure skating: Meno and Sand in fifth place after short program at World Championships.

English figure skating hooligans, moving through the crowd with loaded flash cameras, disrupted the pairs short program at the World Championships on Tuesday night with utter disregard for decorum.

“Please refrain from flashing your cameras while the skaters are performing,” the public address announcer admonished the throng at one point.

“If you really have to flash, we suggest you do it in the car park.”

Once again, British humor saved the day and order was restored.

As for events on the ice, order was never challenged. The five pairs expected to contend finished in the top five positions.

Last year’s silver medalists, Radka Kovarikova and Rene Novotny of the Czech Republic, were in first place. European champions Mandy Woetzel and Ingo Steuer of Germany were second, defending champions Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov of Russia were third, fellow Russians Marina Yeltsova and Andrey Bushkov were fourth, and the U.S. tandem of Jenni Meno and Todd Sand logged in at No. 5.

Meno and Sand, considered the Americans’ best hope for a medal this week, got through their program with no spills, no gaffes, no sweat and no technical score higher than 5.6.

“We came here and did exactly what we wanted to do,” Meno said.

“They couldn’t skate much better,” John Nicks, the duo’s coach, agreed. “I think they have a niche in skating. They skated again in a very attractive, elegant style.”

Last month at the U.S. nationals, however, Meno and Sand skated off with five perfect scores of 6.0 and the gold medal, blowing past the rest of the field. Here, they appeared a tick slower.

“I thought this performance was very similar to that one (at the nationals),” Nicks said. “I didn’t see any errors. But, you know, the opposition is much tougher here.”

Meno and Sand are engaged to be married in July and in case anyone at the National Exhibition Center hadn’t yet heard, they came out dressed for the occasion--she in white lace, he in a black tuxedo.

“Actually, that is her wedding dress,” Sand joked.

Asked about their scores, Sand conceded that “some were significantly lower that we expected. Some of the low scores I don’t particularly understand.”

The other U.S. team, Kyoko Ina and Jason Dungjen, finished the evening in 10th place and seemed pleased to be there, taking into account Dungjen’s fall while trying to land a triple toe loop.

Their goal at this event, Dungjen said, is “to break the top 10. It’ll be a little harder now, missing that jump, but I still think it’s possible.”

Meno and Sand have higher aspirations and heading into tonight’s long program, Nicks remained confident of a medal.

“It’s an open competition, I really think that,” he said, insisting that the Russian pairs positioned above his team can be caught.

“The two Russian pairs skated well, but with all due respect, I don’t think they have the musicality or the flair Todd and Jenni do.”

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The U.S. ice dancing team of Renee Roca and Gorsha Sur was consistent if nothing else in compulsory competition, placing 11th in the rumba and 11th in the Argentine tango for an overall finish of 11th. Russians Oksana Grischuk and Evgeny Platov lead, having placed first in both events.