Word: ices
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Once it's time to take to the ice, new doubts and distractions set in. No one skates the same program exactly the same way twice. Each performance is an evolving dynamic that takes shape only as blade hits ice. Underneath the show smiles whir constant questions: "Is there enough speed for this jump? Can I make three revolutions or just two? Since I missed the first jump, should I throw another one in?" Yet skaters must not fall for the easy temptation of deep analysis. Lipinski, a wizardly technician on the ice, says that during her long program, lasting...
...including her national and world titles, in the space of two months. The defeats devastated her. Losing the nationals a year ago was the bitterest of all. She was the favorite for the gold medal, but a few minutes into her long program, she found herself sprawled on the ice after slipping out of a jump. After the first fall came another; then she had to put a hand down on the ice to steady herself after a shaky landing. She had panicked. Coming off the ice, Kwan could only shake her head and ask over and over, "What...
...second to Harding at the nationals and to qualify as an alternate in Lillehammer. The experience was not all she expected. As an alternate, she had to practice on a separate rink alone, once again feeling like the little girl watching her brother have all the fun on the ice. She vowed she would never go to the Olympics again just to watch. Now she is heading for Nagano as not only the American champion but also the overwhelming favorite for the gold...
...current world champion. Lipinski admits to being "puzzled" by her lower technical scores, but in public, at least, she doesn't let it bother her. "I have a lot of confidence in my skating this year," she says. "So when I go out there [on the ice], I put everything that's on the outside away, and I think about my skating and what I need to do to feel happy...
...fierce self-assessment, with its apparent reference to Kwan's spectacular fall last year, is magnified by Lipinski's appearance. There is a moment during every competition when the audience is reminded of just how young--and tiny--Lipinski really is. Just before it's her turn on the ice, as she waits for her name to be called, she skates around with the flower girls. She carves small circles around them, head down, eyes focused, concentrating on the program she is about to perform. At 4 ft. 10 in. and 80 lbs., with her hair pulled back...