Word: kerrigans
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...figure skating eliminated school figures - the art of laying down perfect circles and then retracing the etching exactly - from competitions. The decision changed the nature of the sport - and brought whoops of joy from would-be champions. Now they could concentrate on flashy leaps and spins; certain skaters - Nancy Kerrigan among them - who had trouble with patchwork could surge ahead...
What propels a little child, sometimes just three or four, into this paramilitary life and persuades his parents to change their lives in order to support the endeavor? For one thing, the future stars tend to know right away that they can really excel at this. In Kerrigan's case, her group of 6-year-olds was still sitting on the ice waiting for the teacher to show them how to stand and glide when little Nancy began sketching spins. Skating talent - if not the persistence to perfect it - is almost always obvious...
...changes in adolescence with the growth of hips and breasts, and a skater may gain too much weight. When Tonya Harding added 8 lb. after her 1991 national title, she put herself out of the running. The psyche may also fluctuate: fear of competing, as Fassi notes, is paralyzing. Kerrigan and her coaches, who have lived through her tendency to omit jumps in performance, know this...
...either Kerrigan or Harding does not skate for the U.S. Olympic team, the alternate is Michelle Kwan, only 13. As gold medalist and TV commentator Dick Button observes, she is already "beautifully put together," and she is equally adept at putting together her life. When her coach, Frank Carroll, advised her to spend another year maturing in the junior division, she waited until he went away for a few days, and successfully applied for senior status by herself. Placing second in the Nationals in Detroit two weeks ago was a triumph. On the ice she shows the kind of bravura...
...some other favorites, and he treats them well: good hotels, flights rather than bus hops for distances of more than 200 miles and, best of all, good money. The pay varies - reportedly $5,000 for an Olympic bronze winner, ascending to $15,000 a gig for a gold medalist. Kerrigan has signed for the upcoming hit parade, as have Brian Boitano, Viktor Petrenko, Davis, Baiul and Bonaly...