T A B L E+T A L K Who are the two worst American presidents of the 20th Century. Cast your vote in Headlines. D A I L Y+Q U O T E They shoot actors, don't they? R E C E N T L Y The man behind Paula Jones By Jonathan Broder The head of the Rutherford Institute says he's not political. An examination of his record suggests otherwise (01/13/98) Lord of the dance By William O Beeman The Iranian president's carefully choreographed interview with CNN carried a large message to the U.S., and to his own people (01/12/98) Slaughter of the innocents By Erik Marcus The killing of 1.3 million chickens in Hong Kong is child's play compared to the massacres that occur on American farms every day (01/09/98) The new anti-Christ By Jonathan Broder Republican right gears up to fight human cloners (01/08/98) Taps for Sonny Bono By David Corn He came in to Washington as a joke and went out a mensch (01/07/98) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Browse the Newsreal Archives - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
		DREAM GIRLS AMERICA'S WOMEN FIGURE SKATERS CARRY US TO A PLACE FAR, FAR AWAY. THAT'S WHY WE WATCH THEM GO THROUGH PUBERTY ON NATIONAL TELEVISION. BY JONATHAN BRODER - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - With the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, just three weeks away, America's best hopes for glory rest on the delicate shoulders of three young women -- figure skaters Michelle Kwan, 17, Tara Lipinski, 15, and Nicole Bobek, 20. They placed first, second and third respectively at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Philadelphia last weekend, and some sports commentators suggest that they could sweep the figure skating medals in Nagano -- a feat never before achieved in a single Winter Olympics event. The excitement surrounding these athletes is spurred by more than the prospect of Olympic success. Figure skating has become one of America's most popular spectator sports, commanding huge television audiences, lucrative endorsements and fame for its star performers. It also engenders personal rivalries whose ferocity can stand in sharp contrast to the fluid beauty of the sport. Some 45 million households -- the sixth largest TV audience ever -- tuned in to watch Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan battle each other at the 1994 Winter Olympics after the latter was clubbed on the knee by associates of Harding. This year, according to the media, the rivalry to watch is between Kwan and Lipinski -- a contest that is expected to make the women's figure skating competition the most watched event of the entire games. Christine Brennan, a former sports writer for the Washington Post, takes a close look at the competitive world of Kwan and Lipinski in her forthcoming "Edge of Glory: The Quest for Figure Skating's Olympic Gold Medals" (Scribner). Brennan also wrote the bestselling "Inside Edge: A Revealing Journey into the Secret World of Figure Skating," and will be talking with Salon during the Nagano games. Just how popular is figure skating today? In terms of TV ratings, figure skating is No. 2, behind NFL football. Just to give you an example of how popular it is -- in the women's finals at the U.S. National Championships in 1995, when Nicole Bobek beat Michelle Kwan, more people watched that on television than the NBA All-Star Game, which was played the next day. How do you account for this enormous appeal? There's a couple of reasons. One is the sheer beauty and grace of the sport. It goes right to the core of the dreams of women and girls. It carries them to a place far, far away. It's the music, the gorgeous costumes that appeal so much; it's a little bit of dress-up on the ice. And that's 51 percent of the population right there. And for the guys? For the men who watch -- and there are many -- figure skating is raw, pure sport. There is no sport that has a more non-negotiable moment of decision than figure skating. Football has a fourth down. In basketball, you get a second free throw. In tennis, you get a second serve. In baseball you get a third strike. In figure skating, when Brian Boitano took off from the ice in Norway in 1994 to go into his triple axel combination jump, he was the gold medal favorite. One second later, when he came crashing down to the ice, falling and stumbling, it was over. Gone. There's no other sport where an entire career can be wrapped up in just one second on the ice. That's what keeps you on the edge of your seat and that's what helps explain the ratings. Dramatically, it's good stuff. Now everyone is looking to Michelle Kwan, Tara Lipinski and Nicole Bobek for the drama in Nagano. How do you think they'll do? Let's be clear on something. On the U.S. women's team, there's one legend, and that is Michelle Kwan. Then there are two other good skaters. It's very, very, important to make that distinction. The media has built up this rivalry between Michelle and Tara Lipinski. There is no such rivalry. The rivalry is Michelle vs. Michelle. She may be the greatest skater who has ever lived. Last weekend in Philadelphia, she performed a set of programs greater than anyone in the history of the sport in the United States, male or female. No one has ever had two performances like that back-to-back. Ever. Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, Dick Button, Brian Boitano, Scott Hamilton -- no one. If Michelle Kwan skates at the Olympics the way she did in Philadelphia, her name will never be forgotten by sports fans. She will join the legends of the sport. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - N E X T+P A G E+| Bringing tears to a judge's eyes