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Show Two Utah skaters advance to Figure Skating Championships V j V " - 'N V 7 By TOM HARALDSEN SALT LAKE CITY--Few cities have the pleasure of hosting the United States Figure Skating Championships in their histories, but for Salt Lake City, the second such event in seven years is about the begin. Next weekend, skaters and sports writers from throughout the world will converge on both Salt Lake City and Bountiful as the 1990 Championships begin. And for two local skaters, that event has special meaning. World class women's figure skater Holly Cook of Bountiful will join with Farmington's Clay Sniteman, a finalist in the Novice Men competition, for the weeklong about skating close to home. "It's gonna be scary, I think," he stated from his Farmington home. "This will be bigger than all the other competitions because it's in my backyard, but I'm trying to approach ap-proach it like all the others.' Clay said he'll be happy as long as he 'skates my best." His mother, Nita Sniteman-Forsyth, Sniteman-Forsyth, has also been intricately involved with the Championships, serving as chairman. For the last three years, she has met with a group of local organizers who've worked hard to ensure the success of the event. 4 We're very excited to be hosting the Championships again, CONTINUED ON PG. 2 event. A number of preliminary events will be held at the Bountiful Recreation Department Ice Arena beginning next Tuesday, February 6 (see chart with this story for complete com-plete details). A special preview of the competition competi-tion was held at the Salt Palace last week, when Holly skated during a special Campbell's "Soup on Ice" exhibition. Joining her were national standouts Christopher Bowman, Susan Wynne and Joseph Druar, Kristi Yamaguchi and Rudi Galindo, and five-time national ice dance champions Jim and Judy Sladky. The Campbell Kids, mascot of the soup company for over 86 years, also skated. The Championships have special significance to both Holly and Clay. For Holly, who finished fourth in senior ladies at nationals last year, it means a chance to show her stuff in front of the hometown audience, a fact which has both good and bad implications. "This is going to be the hardest competition for me in some ways," she told the Clipper" want to skate well in front of my family and friends, so there'll be some added pressure." But she takes heart in the fact that Utah gymnast Missy Marlowe gained strength from the partisan hometown crowd when earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic team back in 1988, when the Championships were held in Salt Lake City. Holly's training hasn't changed much since last year, although she did graduate from Viewmont last May and has enjoyed the ease in pressure of not studying while training. train-ing. She plans to utilize every jump in her routine and "skate all the way through the program" as the competition goes on. Though nervous, ner-vous, she's also excited, and conducting con-ducting about two interviews a day as the Championships approach. This will be Clay's third Nationals as a Novice, and, like Holly, he's both glad and nervous ..iwiiwip i 1IPIW- ..il.iniilimiiM L I j - i ! I j 1 CLAY SNITEMAN "We're very excited to be I j hosting the Championships again, t i HOLLY COOK CONTINUED ON PG. 2 v 1 S f ', X t- J r- : f - X 's - ' Holly Cook is looking for this compelition to be her toughest yet because she wants to perform well in front of her family and friends. Clay Sniteman will be participating in his third Nationals as a Novice and is both glad and nervous ner-vous about skating before a home town crowd. Utah skaters advance to championships CONTINUED FROM PG. 1 and of course, having Clay involved as a skater is very, very exciting," she stated. 'Til be sad to see it end when we're finished, but I'm hoping hop-ing my husband and I can go on a long vacation for a while." Competition begins Tuesday and culminates on Sunday. Both the senior mens' and ladies' competition competi-tion will be telecast live on ABC February 10 and 11 from the Salt Palace. |