Indiana Gazette from Indiana, Pennsylvania • 20

C-4 The Indiana, PA Gazette OLYMPICS) Sunday, February 27, 1994 Kerrigan plans no reconciliation with Harding By JOE DRAPE "If you were there Cox News Service and saw the crowd's LILLEHAMMER, Norway reaction when I came Obviously bored, her patience on the ice, and when I finally wearing took thin, aim Nancy at Tonya Har- got off the ice, I don't Kerrigan ding and dismissed the whole think anyone upstaged tawdry episode known the world me." over as Skategate. Up until Saturday, America's Nancy Kerrigan sweetheart and silver medalist had been curt but restrained when asked about her rival, and the courtroom antics that surrounded the seven-week drama that opened with her being attacked before the national championships. But a at a news conference with other U.S. medalists, Kerrigan slapped back. Did she watch Harding skate? She intended to, but after Harding's shoelace problems, she was too busy preparing for her own routine.

"They're bending a lot of rules, I guess," she said of the judge's decision to let Harding re-skate four spots later. Did she feel upstaged? "I don't think I was upstaged at all," she said flatly. "If you were there and saw the crowd's reaction when I came on the ice, and when I got off the ice, I don't think anyone upstaged me." The skater also made it clear she had no intention of reconciling with Harding "'There really isn't a relationship" and gave this terse description of their chance encounter early in the Games. "I said, 'Well, it's been a tough month, hasn't she recalled, then indicated she ended the conversation to get ready for the team picture. Kerrigan softened, however, when she turned to podium mates and medalists Bonnie Blair and Dan Jansen and apologized for diverting the spotlight from others.

really didn't like taking anything away from the other athletes," she said. "I felt bad." At Friday night's figure skating awards ceremony, which was delayed while a recording of the Ukraine national anthem could be found, Kerrigan had thought the delay was to allow Baiul to prepare her makeup. "Oh, come on," Kerrigan said, her words audible on CBS. "'So she's going to get out here and cry again. What's the difference?" (Joe Drape writes for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) Silver medalist Nancy Kerrigan performs during an exhibition Saturday.

(AP photo) U.S. reaches 'lucky 13' at Lillehammer er Continued from Page C-1 Saturday. "And I think we proved that." But the U.S. will need some new faces to do the proving in Japan for the next Games. With one day left in Lillehammer, Norway continued to outpace its guests in the medals race.

The Norwegians had 25 medals (10 gold, ,11 silver, four bronze), ahead of Russia's 23 (11-84), Germany's 22 and Italy's 19 (7-4-8). 1. The United States medal count wasn't helped by the hockey team or its bobsledders. The U.S. hockey team lost 4-3 to the Germans, windting up in eighth place in the Olympic tournament its worst finish ever after winning just one of eight games (1-4-3).

A visibly shaken Tim Taylor, coach of the hockey team, blamed himself for the poor showing. "We didn't get the job done hockey-wise," said Taylor, whose team barely made the medal round. "If that's the only measure of their success or failure, then we have to Taylor takes blame for putrid finish By MIKE NADEL AP Sports Writer LILLEHAMMER, Norway The U.S. hockey team had its worst Olympics ever, and a distraught and drained Tim Taylor blamed himself. The coach was so upset after his team ended an embarrassing tournament with a 4-3 loss to Germany in Saturday's game that he could only say a few words to his players.

Then he waited almost an hour to face reporters. "It's hard to see things in total -perspective after the last two -weeks," he said, his voice low and "'The message I'm trying a to convey to my players and my staff wand myself is that success is a journey, not a destination. "It was a great season for these kids. They've done a lot of things both on the ice and off the ice. They represented their well and with pride.

It's just that Ewe didn't get the job done hockeyE wise. "If that's the only measure of their success or failure, then we have to 32 be labeled a failure. I'm the one who selected them and I'm the who trained them and I'll accept the responsibility." It was the first time a U.S. Olympic team had finished as low as eighth place and the first time the Americans (143) had won fewer than two games. The players said it wasn't Taylor's fault.

"He put together a game plan. He knows exactly what he's doing. Us, as players, came up short in performing the game plan," captain Peter Laviolette said. "'He stuck by us all year. He was getting pressure to make changes.

He was very honest to the players. It would have been nice to win that game for Tim, it would have meant a lot to him." It was 2-2 after two periods. Assistant coach John Cunniff asked Taylor to leave the locker room and then gave an impassioned speech, asking the players to win for Taylor. "I just the players what I think of Timmy, Cunniff said. "He's Confucius' description of the superior man.

He's a teacher, he's got all the virtues. That's Tim Taylor." The U.S. team controlled play early in the third period but mistakes led to two German goals in a 2:23 span and the Americans couldn't recover. "It's embarrassing," goalie Garth Snow said. "Our coaches put so much work into it and we really let them down.

We were probably the most well-prepared team. This was our last chance to turn it around on up note and we didn't do it." Germany (44-0) beat America for the first time in eight Olympic meetings. West Germany had defeated the U.S. team twice. The Germans took the lead at 9:57 of the third period, when Raimond Hilger got behind Laviolette for a breakaway.

Snow got a pad on Hilger's shot but the puck trickled under Snow and toward the goal line. Laviolette, who dove in an attempt to catch Hilger, then crashed into the goalie. The momentum carried both Snow and the puck into the net. Then, at 12:20, David Sacco's pass was intercepted at the blue line by Dieter Hegen, who beat Snow with a wrist shot to make it 4-2. After Peter Ferraro scored, German goalie Klaus Merk held off a last-minute U.S.

furry. Winter olympics Leading medal-winning nations, 1924-92 Team Total Points 88 63 67 218 457 Norway 63. 66 59 380 USA 48 50 34 132 278 Finland 36 44 37 117 233 Austria 34 45 40 119 232 Unified Team medals points: gold-3, silver-2, bronze-1 Sture 1904 Spade A -AS NF a Graph Legal troubles still await Harding Continued from Page C-1 U.S. championship as long as Kerrigan was there. Gillooly has admitted he helped engineer the plot that resulted in the assault on Kerrigan.

She was clubbed above the right knee with a metal police baton Jan. 6 in Detroit prior to the U.S. championships. Harding went on to win the competition in Kerrigan's absence, although Olympic team Kerrigan anyway was and named won to the silver medal. Harding, who filed suit to stay on the U.S.

team after revelations about her alleged involvement became known, went to Norway and won nothing. Gillooly, has in deal pleaded with guilty to racketeering a prosecutors, saying that Harding was in on the plot and gave the final go-ahead. She denies any prior knowledge. But she admits she found out when she returned from Detroit that people around her were involved and that she did not immediately come to authorities. She acknowledges she lied during the initial part of her interview with the FBI on Jan.

18, then changed her story and implicated Gillooly when confronted by her interrogators. Lying to investigators is itself a crime, but Harding could face more serious racketeering or conspiracy charges if the grand jury believes there is sufficient evidence to prove she was in on the plot. Gillooly and Harding's occasional bodyguard, Shawn Eckardt, have implicated Harding, but both could be shaky witnesses because they have been known to lie in the past Gillooly to FBI investigators in Detroit, and Eckardt in wild claims made on his resume. As far as hard evidence goes, investigators have a note found in a trash bin that included the name of the suburban Boston arena where Kerrigan practices and her practice times. Gillooly has said he watched Harding write down the times after she obtained the information from a free-lance skating writer in Pennsylvania.

Several sources have handwriting matches that of Harding. Pennsylvania writer also has confirmed that Harding called her to get the information. The attack was to have been carried out in Massachusetts, but that plan fell through, according to those already charged in the case. Investigators also have telephone cM David Roberts of the United States gives Germany's Richard Amann a shot to the head. records that show several calls to Eckardt from Harding's hotel around the time of the attack.

Harding's attorneys have said there are reasonable explanations for the evidence, although Frink has said he wishes they would tell him what they are. A Portland television station also has said Harding has failed two of three lie-detector tests, although those results are not admissible in court. Gillooly has taken a lie detector test as well, and his attorney, Ron Hoevet, has said he would make the results available to the figure skating association if asked. Judge Donald Londer has refused to allow Gillooly to go to Colorado Springs for the figure skating association's hearing, raising the possibility that the session might be switched to Portland. If Harding faces any criminal charges, Weaver has laid the groundwork for using the "battered wife syndrome" as a possible defense, a tactic that was successful in the Lorena Bobbitt case.

He mentioned that possibility during a hearing on Harding's lawsuit against the U.S. Olympic Committee that led to her being allowed to compete in the Winter Games. Harding also recalled being beaten by Gillooly'd during her interview on "Eye to Eye With Connie Chung." Just where Harding will live when she is unknown. She had been returns. with her friends John and Stephanie Quintero, but the management at the apartment building, fed up with all the attention, reportedly wants that arrangement to end.

Harding apparently has plenty of money to find other living quarters. The syndicated TV "Inside Edition" reportedly has paid her $500,000 for a series of exclusive interviews. In fact, Harding and Gillooly both apparently have gotten some of the riches that, if his story is to be believed, they so desperately wanted. Each night prior to the Olympics skating finale, Gillooly could be found on another show, "A Current Affair," telling the sordid details of the couple's long, stormy relationship. be labeled a failure.

I'll accept the responsibility." And in a game that meant nothing in the medals race but plenty in emotion, the Czech Republic squashed its former countrymen from Slovakia 7-1. It was the first major sports meeting between the two since they became separate nations 14 months ago. The Czechs finished fifth in the tournament, and Slovakia sixth. The U.S. four-man bobsled team's day was ruined when they realized they had left their cold-weather runners back home for this race, 380 miles below the Arctic Circle.

"I don't have cool-weather runners. Too late for that," said Randy Will of the U.S. team. If it gets warmer, we're lucky. doesn't, we're back where we started." It hasn't warmed up all month in Lillehammer, home of the coldest Games history.

There are two seasons in Lillehammer: Winter and the Fourth of July. The U.S. teams finished 10th and 11th after two runs, with the medals awarded after Sunday's runs. TV ratings still high By RONALD BLUM AP Sports Writer (AP photo) rated program of any kind. Short-track tiffs mar growing popularity NEW YORK Friday night's women's figure skating finals got a preliminary national rating of 43.9, 76 percent above two years ago but 9.5 percent below Wednesday night's first round.

About 4.33 million fewer homes tuned in to watch Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding on Friday than did on Wednesday, Nielsen Media Research said today. Each rating point represents 942,000 homes, percent of the television households in the United States. The share, the percentage of televisions on at the time that are watching a particular program, remained the same at 64. That means that the Olympics drew the same percentage of those watching television on both nights, but that fewer people had their televisions on Friday night than Wednesday night. The women's figure skating finals on CBS two years ago at Albertville got a 25.0 rating and a 40 share.

The numbers released today were preliminary. Final national ratings won't be available until Monday, If the final rating remains the same, Friday night would be the 16th highest-rated sporting event on U.S. television behind 14 Super Bowls and Wednesday night's figure skating, which was the third highest-rated sporting event and the sixth highest- By RON LESKO AP Sports Writer HAMAR, Norway If diving into hairpin turns at 30 mph on a pair of skates looks hard, imagine what it's like for referees who have to make split-second decisions that often determine the outcome. a been The referees in short-track speedskating American have nearly as unpopular as pesky Cathy Turner during these Olympic Games. The International Skating Union plans to test TV replays at next month's World Championships in an attempt to eliminate some of the debate.

ISU vice president Ottavio Cinquanta said Saturday he was satisfied with the judging this year despite complaints after several races. "But to be satisfied doesn't mean that it has been perfect," Cinquanta said. "You must realize that it's a very difficult sport to judge. The hottest arguments surrounded Turner, the 500-meter gold medalist and a member of the 3,000 relay bronze medal team. Two opponents said Turner should have been disqualified for her aggressive tactics in several heats of the 500.

She was DQed in Saturday's 1,000 for obstructing another skater during the semifinals, which Turner won with an aggressive move from third to first with a lap to go. Turner nearly didn't make it to the semifinal. She slipped while leading her quarterfinal heat, then collided with Russia's Yelena Tikhanina as she tried to get back in the race. Short-track officials have balked at using In Thursday's 500, she bumped Canadian replays to assist the three judges at the center of Nathalie Lambert in one heat, and Lambert the track. One of the biggest arguments against spilled moments later when the two women's the replays is the delays they could cause, skates collided.

In the final, Turner jockeyed with Cinquanta said, citing one of the criticisms that China's Zhang Yanmei before nudging her way eventually got replays booted from the NFL. into the lead, and eventually to the gold medal. Although the replays will be tested at the world Zhang stomped off the medal stand in protest, championships skeptical in Guilford, can England, alleviate Cinquanta then agreed with Lambert's assessment that was whether they the Turner was the dirtiest woman in the sport. inevitable debate that accompanies the they're doing really hurts the sport," paced sport. He said the judges' decisions are just Turner said.

"I watched the tape (of the Zhang part of short-track's excitement. collision) and I couldn't believe it. I didn't do "This is just the spirit of short-track speedskating," he said. Zhang apologized a day later for leaving the There also had been speculation the short-track anything wrong." medal ceremony, but the Canadians apparently competition would be scratched for the 1998 still were not over the disappointment. Games in Nagano, Japan.

Cinquanta said that has not been considered. Turner received several nasty electronic mes- Short-track's growing worldwide appeal to sages on the Olympic computer from Canadian athletes and television viewers makes it attracskaters, said U.S. speedskating spokeswoman tive to Olympic organizers, he said. Susan Polakoff Shaw. She couldn't say which "Don't forget that this sport is practiced on five Canadians sent the notes.

continents," he said. "This is a sport that is Lambert, who applauded the planned experi- developing very, very fast." ment with TV replays, and Zhang say the Several skaters said Saturday they hoped last controversy could have been avoided if the judges week's controversy would not harm their sport. to had disqualified Turner, but the referees refused "Maybe there will have to be some changes, budge. but that's the way short-track goes," American "I blame the referees more than Cathy Turn- Eric Flaim said after winning a silver medal on er," Lambert said after winning the silver medal the 5,000 relay team. "Especially in the Olymin the 1,000.

"If she can get away with it, why pics. Everybody goes all out, and things shouldn't she do it." sometimes.".