Walker Will Miss Festival Skating Competition

Tisha Walker of Thousand Oaks, a fifth-place finisher in ladies singles in this year’s national figure skating championships, has pulled out of the U. S. Olympic Festival because of a strained back muscle.

The figure skating competition, which takes place Saturday and Sunday at the Forum, includes five participants from the Valley area.

Tamara Kuchiki of Canoga Park and Joanna Ng of Woodland Hills will compete in ladies singles. Natasha Kuchiki of Canoga Park and Todd Sand of Costa Mesa, the reigning national champions, will skate pairs along with Richard Alexander of Simi Valley and partner Tristen Vega of Torrance.