When Wainman resumed skating in the spring of 1984, she returned to her old coach, Ellen Burka, at the Toronto Cricket Club. Burka taught her from scratch—the teenager had lost most of her skills and had a fear of jumping. Returning to the Canadian Championships in February 1986, Wainman won her second national title and was assigned to her third international championships, the 1986 Worlds. After placing 5th in compulsory figures and 11th in both the short and free programs, she came in 9th overall at the event in Geneva, Switzerland.