Ride Not All Smooth for Skating

When associates of Tonya Harding’s husband struck Nancy Kerrigan on the right knee before the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, they unwittingly did more for the sport than anyone since Sonja Henie.

“I can’t say, quite honestly, that what has happened in the sport since then, and what we’ve received from TV and so forth, hasn’t added to the drama and the popularity among the general public. It did,” said John LeFevre, executive director of the U.S. Figure Skating Assn.

“The short program at the [Lillehammer] Olympics was one of the highest-rated sports events ever. And the result of it was a TV contract for the USFSA and sustainable revenue over a period of years. Of course, as for the integrity of the sport, that’s another side of the picture. I think people understand that despite what you do, things happen, and what they need to be sure of is that we make every effort to make sure those things don’t happen again.”

Sparked by the Tonya-Nancy soap opera, interest in figure skating skyrocketed. The USFSA happily went along for the ride, getting a deal with ABC Sports that will eventually allow it to reap $100 million.

But with growth comes growing pains, and the USFSA faces several issues:

* How can it distinguish between “Olympic-eligible” events, such as this week’s U.S. championships, pro-ams that include Olympic-eligible skaters and those who gave up their eligibility, and the made-for-TV competitions that are often judged on different standards?

* How does it ensure the TV money will get to skaters who need it to continue pursuing a prohibitively expensive sport?

* Where is the balance between advancing the sport technically and safeguarding skaters’ well-being?

The pendulum appears to have swung away from the contrived, made-for-TV events and toward competitions featuring skaters on the Olympic track.

Each segment of the six-competition Grand Prix series was seen on ABC, and more TV hours will be devoted this season to such events than to the “ice wars” that use celebrity judges or different judging systems.

The USFSA, which sanctions only a handful of events each season, has also made an effort to explain its judging system--though probably not enough--and allows referees to comment on controversial decisions after competitions.

“We are very interested in making our events special from the point of view of athletic performance and integrity of judging and essentially being the ones people recognize as part of the road to the Olympic Games, which all our competitions really are,” LeFevre said. “It is a challenge.... We’re sort of headed, I think, toward having just Olympic-eligible skaters in our international and domestic competitions. It probably does tend to confuse people.”

Taking such a road would provide an avenue for Todd Eldredge or Michelle Kwan to reduce their competition schedules while leaving their Olympic options open. “We can continue to provide opportunities for those skaters who perhaps are not continuing to compete in the Olympic Games or already have,” said Phyllis Howard, president of the USFSA.

To sustain the talent stream, Howard said, USFSA executives are working with local rinks to emphasize “the ease of entry into the sport” through learn-to-skate programs.

Clubs often help skaters financially, and the USFSA has a support fund for skaters at the lower rungs of the competitive ladder, in addition to its Memorial Fund.

“Athletic funding is very important,” she said. “It’s a high priority.”

Moving the sport forward while educating athletes about the risks of performing difficult moves is another priority.

Howard said the overall proficiency level has increased, although no woman is performing a triple axel in competition, as Harding and Midori Ito of Japan did a decade ago.

But she and LeFevre expressed concern about the number and severity of back and hip injuries sustained in recent years by young female skaters, particularly, as the result of practicing triple jumps and triple-triple combinations.

“That’s when the association says, ‘Wait a minute here. Nobody’s looking to put somebody in a situation where 10 years from now they won’t be mobile or alive,’” LeFevre said.

“Anyone would say that a wonderful program without a quad could win over a lousy program with a quad. The USFSA is looking for a balance between technical requirements and artistry. We’d love to see a wonderful program with a quad in it. There are skaters who are technically superior but perhaps not as artistically mature as others, and vice versa.... You’ve got to have both sides equally.”

All Bodes Well for Miller

He might change his mind later, but skier Bode Miller said last week he’d prefer a World Cup championship to an Olympic medal.

“A World Cup title is more important,” he said after earning his third circuit victory this season in a slalom race at Adelboden, Switzerland, and became the first American to win three World Cup races in a season since Phil Mahre did it in 1983.

“The Olympic medal is great, but it shows either you were lucky or you picked a great day to rip it. A World Cup title shows you were at the top of your sport all year long.”

The Franconia, N.H., native led after the first run on a steep and inconsistent course that had more than a few holes. He skied aggressively but intelligently on his second run to win with a time of 1 minute 33.24 seconds, ahead of Croatia’s Ivica Kostelic (1:35.16) and Slovenia’s Mitja Kunc (1:35.39).

Miller had previously won a giant slalom at Val d’Isere, France, and a night slalom in Madonna diCampiglio, Italy. “I’ve had confidence for all four years I’ve been on the team, on the World Cup,” he said. “I come into every race ready to win.... You have to minimize the things you can’t control. I definitely have the speed, no question. If I’m skiing as fast as I can, I’m about the fastest in the world. But sometimes I go too fast. I have to know when to take it back.”

Miller credits some of his success this season to being free of injuries last summer and better able to train hard, as well as to new slalom skis custom built to his preferences. “And some of it’s just time and experience,” he said.

But he’s not too jaded to appreciate his good fortune.

“It’s not a bad job,” he said. “You can imagine, basically, what you like to do the most and getting paid for it. It’s good.”

Golden Glow Lingers

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Katarina Witt, now touring with Stars on Ice, thinks back fondly on her competitive days--but she doesn’t really miss them.

“I’m thankful for the experience and I went through three different kinds of Olympics, and I’m able to sit back and be very proud of what I have achieved,” said Witt, who won in 1984 and 1988, and returned in 1994 to finish seventh. “You look at the Olympics and you look at the skaters now and you’d like to be part of it with the knowledge you have now. But in some ways, it’s better to go in and be innocent.”

Stars on Ice will stop in Anaheim Jan. 19 and at Staples Center Jan. 20. Shortly afterward, Witt will take a break from the tour to work as a skating commentator for German TV at the Winter Games.

“I’m always drawn to the Olympics,” the 36-year-old German said. “I’m really excited to be part of it, to be in the building, and to have it take place in Salt Lake City, in America, where they appreciate good skating.”

She also said performing tougher jumps isn’t necessarily the way the sport should go for women.

“I think where it is right now, it is difficult enough,” she said. “Eliminating compulsory figures, in some ways, was good. In some ways, especially for girls, it was not good because they’re doing all those jumps and putting pressure on their bodies.

“I look at the ladies now and I think they have very difficult programs, but I also want them to have movement and grace. I don’t want to watch them run from one triple to another. I don’t want to go ‘Wow! Wow! Wow!’ I want to see beautiful elegance and sexiness too.”

Here and There

More additions to the list of torchbearers who will carry the flame when it arrives in Southern California Monday: former Laker Magic Johnson, Olympic gold medal decathlon winner Rafer Johnson and Olympic soccer gold medalist Julie Foudy.

Angela Williams will compete in the women’s 50 meters at the L.A. Invitational indoor meet Feb. 23 at the Sports Arena. Williams, a senior at USC, has won the NCAA 100-meter championship the past three seasons. She won a gold medal at last year’s world championships as a member of the 400-meter relay team.... USA Track and Field’s Golden Spike indoor tour will consists of four events. Those will be at Boston, Jan. 27; the Millrose Games at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Feb. 1; at Lincoln, Neb., Feb. 9 and the U.S. indoor championships March 1-2 at the Armory track and field center in New York.