U.S. OLYMPIC FESTIVAL : LOS ANGELES--1991 : ATHLETES TO WATCH : Among 3,000 Competitors, Some Will Stand Out

CATHY A. TURNER

Speedskating

This 29-year-old University of Calgary and Northern Michigan University student from Hilton, N.Y., qualified for the U.S. World Team at 17 but stopped cold and invested nine years composing and performing music. Better known as “Niki” Turner, the 5-foot-2 singing skater finished 10th overall in both the 1990 and 1991 World Championships, but she has proven to be equally adept at endeavors that do not involve skates.

Turner is a member of the West Allis (Wis.) Cycling Team, a champion water skier, a Taekwondo champion, a diving champion, a snow skier, a body builder and a cross-country runner. A former Who’s Who among U.S. high s c hool students, she broke into the music business in 1984 with a demo tape drum track version of “Sexy Kinky Tomboy,” a song she wrote. Specializing in pop songs, Turner also wrote “Popsicle Man.”