Kerrigan Attack a Black Mark for Sport, Chin Says : Figure skating: Former Olympian also assails immature athletes with unrealistic attitudes who pay little heed to elegance and charm.

When figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was attacked and injured last week and forced out of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, she was not the only casualty.

The sport also suffered as a result of the assault and the reports that four men associated with U.S. champion Tonya Harding might have been involved.

At least that’s the view of former Olympian Tiffany Chin of Toluca Lake. Chin, 26, who teaches children at the Iceoplex in North Hills, was a freestyle skater who placed fourth in the 1984 Olympics and competed for 11 years before retiring in 1987.

She shares the outrage that others have expressed about the incident and likes little about the sport now, saying that spoiled skaters and twisted attitudes have robbed the sport of much of its charm.

“Things have changed a lot,” she said during a break between lessons Thursday. “It used to be that class and elegance and charm were associated with the sport. That doesn’t exist anymore. Before skaters were more groomed and polished. Now they are willing to say harsh things.”

Chin faults immaturity among current skaters who often experience success at an early age.

“Maybe it’s because kids get to the top faster and at a younger age,” Chin said. “Champions used to be 18 and 22; now they’re real young. You get them at that rebellious stage and they don’t realize the impact they have on kids. There seems to be a general disregard for role models.”

Iceoplex General Manager Susan Bernes says the competition is fierce among prominent skaters. Bernes was on the U.S. national figure skating team in 1966-67 and skated professionally with the Ice Follies for 11 years.

“You basically give up your life,” she said. “Your whole life is focused on skating. You get up at 4 in the morning to skate and you go until it hurts. There’s a lot of pressure to win.”

At the Pickwick Ice Skating Center in Burbank, skaters and their coaches appeared uneasy when they spotted reporters. A television news crew interviewed an instructor while young skaters watched and mumbled.

David Liu, 28, is a two-time Olympian from Taiwan training for the upcoming World Championships in Japan. He hesitated before talking about the incident, saying he is a friend of both Harding and Kerrigan.

“Certainly it’s very competitive, but it’s different off the ice,” Liu said. “But I think it’s more cutthroat with the women than the men.”

Chin fears that the Kerrigan incident will discourage young people from the sport. Already, she sees promising skaters questioning their commitment.

“They’re not dumb,” she said. “They know what’s going on. Already I can see it. There is like a disregard for it.”