Show 2B Sta"c!ard-Examne- Tuesday February 15 1S83 r Sports goals lost in TV shuffle was ever discussed but there were probably two reasons it These are supposed to be the didn’t happen First it would have forced the network to preOlympics But apparently there are some empt several popular soap operas Second with the uncertain weaththings een ABC can’t control er conditions on Mount Allan While ABC was showing commercials and a tape of the men’s there was no guarantee the race downhill ski race Monday night would be held as scheduled As it turned out viewers got a viewers missed live coverage of four goals during Czechoslova- double treat Monday night In addition to the wide-ope- n kia's thrilling 5 hockey victory seesaw hockey game they got to over the United States The underdog US team see the dazzling downhill compejumped to a 0 lead in the first tition won by Swiss sensation Zurbriggen period but only one of the goals Announcers Al Trautwig and was shown live The other two were scored while ABC was Bob Beattie captured the tense atshowing commercials mosphere as Zurbriggen raced down the icy mountain with reckTelevision timeouts are common in college and professional less abandon knowing he needed sports but ABC spokesman to beat the leading time posted Cathy Rehl said there is no such earlier by countryman Peter Mueller thing in Olympic hockey “We have to guess the best time During one tight turn Zurbrigto go to commercial" she said gen tilted over so much that his “It's called take your best shot” hand touched the ground “That’s called skiing on the Viewers missed live shots of two other goals while ABC was edge" Beattie said As Zurbriggen crossed the finish showing the downhill which was held earlier in the day Replays line Trautwig reminded viewers were shown of those goals and that the World Cup champion the two earlier ones scored during had finished fourth in the downcommercial breaks but the ex- hill at the 1984 Games in Sarajecitement of live coverage was vo “He’s had everything in his calost reer except an Olympic medal ABC could have shown more of the hockey game if the downhill and now he has that” Trautwig hadn’t been postponed from Sun- said ABC used advanced technology day to Monday oecause of high to bring viewers closer to the winds Obviously the network e microhad no control over the fickle Ca- event Stephen Leach of the US is on course the phones picked up nadian weather But why didn’t it avoid the Monday night logjam the crackling and whooshing sounds made by the skis while a by showing the downhill live durtiny camera attached to a skier ing the afternoon? during a practice run conveyed ABC spokesman Jeff Tolvin the speed and danger of the From IB said he didn’t know if the idea downhill run Don’t tell that to the US athletes They’re not buying early write-of- f Figure skater Brian Boitano for one is ready to go for the gold with a newfound purpose since arriving in the Olympic By RICK WARNER Associated Press made-for-televisi- 7-- 3-- Pir-m- in Highly-sensitiv- Associated Press taken into the boards by a Czechoslovakia defenseman during game Monday night Games Boitano considers rivals his friends CALGARY Alberta (AP) — To spectators Olympic athletes are more than people The fans see nationalities They see heroes and villains They see medalists and failures Brian Boitano sees friends — everywhere “It’s like a big camp and we’re e all having fun" the national US champion figure skater said Monday “It’s not Americans against Canadians That competition rivalry doesn't come from us but from other inputs from the public" Nationalistic fans see the men's four-tim- competition which begins Wednesday with compulsory figures as a fierce three-wa- y battle among defending world champion Brian Orser of Canada Boitano the 1986 champion and Soviet Alexander Fadeev the 1985 world titlist Boitano sees something completely different “You don't skate against the others as much as to be your best" he said “And I don't feel anything negathe about Brian or Sasha (Fadeev)" Boitano said he considers Orser and Fadeev among his closest friends in the sport “1 think Brian and I will be better friends when this is all over" he said “We kind of want to be better friends because we have so much to share But this title is in the way and both of us want it right now “When I'm with Brian it's always a big media thing When I'm with Sasha we can really es- get to do go outside the city” Boitano said “It was a long ride to the outskirts I saw a lake with water skiers on it and I realized the Russian people are no different than any others As soon as we respect it and understand it it will make it easier for each side" The Sunnyvale Calif skater said he rarely talks shop with Fadeev Orser or other skaters “It's so hard to be in such a close competition with someone and discuss skating with him” he said “I don’t want to give away any trade secrets or let them know how I feel and neither do they" Keeping secrets — or trying to stay ignorant of results during an event — is impossible however “There’s no way when you’re backstage that you can’t know what the others do" Boitano said “You spend all your energy on blocking it out and then somebody who is ranked 21st comes in and tells you how they did He comes in shouting ‘Oh my God that guy was awesome he did everything’ " But Boitano said he and Orser and Fadeev won’t be playing mind games with each other “Those things don’t work with the top seven or so" Boitano said “We know each other too was really nervous because Peter (Mueller) had done ‘1 so well knew I couldn’t afford any r’s mistakes I pushed hard I had a slight problem in the first turn but I skied better and better — Pirmin Zurbriggen Village “I used to feel I was skating e just for myself” the US champ from Sunnyvale Calif said “It was just for Brian Boitano But since coming here I feel like going out there to skate for the Americans four-tim- briggen said “I didn’t want to hear the times before my start too” There are no quitters here Unfortunately I heard on the radio that Peter had clocked a “W'e’re gonna go out and kill them” said pairs skater Todd Waggoner who could team with Gillian Wachsman to give the United States its first medal tonight They’re fourth after the short program behind Americans Jill Watson and Peter in third and two Soviet teams but Waggoner isn’t conceding anything Neither are figure skater Debi Thomas and speed skaters Bonnie Blair and Nick Thometz all of whom have good shots at a gold But the losing is taking its toll with ill feelings that began brewing before it came here fantastic time Jansen’s sister and his poignant defeat helped bring the squad together and briefly assuage some of the problems but they’re far from over Coach Mike Crowe acknowlwell" edged that his team may have Boitano claimed he is experi- lost confidence in him after bitencing the same feelings Orser ter disputes over selection of had heading into last year’s world skaters “It seems that way right championships at Cincinnati now" Crowe said “It disturbs “I knew Brian was hungrier than he had eer been and was me It definitely has affected cape" performances of people inBoitano did exactly that in really up for it" he said “For volved" me it was as if everyone was 1986 at the Goodwill Games m There are never problems looking ahead to here and past Moscow 1987 I don’t know how he is though for winners “He took me to see the Krem- now but I’m really The turns and drops and jarhungry and lin and to his apartment which is more of an adult now Mount ring ruts of 7447-fosomething not many Americans “I’ve never felt so ready" Allan a runt in the Rockies ot I knew I couldn't afford any mistakes I pushed hard I had a slight problem in the first turn but I skied better and better" Franck Piccard of France Op-pega- rd Dissension destroyed much of the team spirit among the men's speed skaters and now the coach says it’s hurting performances The death of Dan i came down immediately after Zurbriggen to claim the bronze in 2:0124 Winds of 98 mph at the top Associated Press Switzerland’s Pirmin Zurbriggen hugs his girlfriend Monika Julen after he won the men’s downhill gold medal Monday dwarfed by taller peaks nearby proved too tough for most of the cocky downhillers but not Zurbriggen Swiss with The y smile tamed that the pernicious slope with a time of 1 minute 5963 seconds the 2 minutes and one under only listened politely as his fans talked of him winning an unprecedented five gold medals in Alpine events “Now I have won a gold I am more relaxed" he said “The others will be a little more nervous than me” ld ever-sunn- Winning five golds though would be “very difficult” he said “The conditions would have to be just right every time" And beyond conditions there stands Italy’s Alberto Tomba almost reck the hard-chargi- ng less favorite in the slalom giant slalom and new super giant lom sla- Only tw’o other Alpine skiers Toni Sailer of Austria in 1956 and Killy of France in 1968 won even three golds — the downhill slalom and giant slalom Zurbriggen has a shot at those plus two new events — the super giant slalom and the combined slalom and downhill starting today Peter Mueller the old man of Swiss skiing at the otherwise youthful age of 30 sought a gold to top off his fine career He put the first tracks of the day on the course and sped through in 2:0014 Twelve skiers followed trying to beat him and all failed Then came Zurbriggen Jean-Clau- “1 de was really nervous because Peter had done so well" Zur- - of the mountain had forced a postponement of the race Sunday When a team of meteorolo- gists on Monday morning determined the winds had abated they issued a decisive “Go" and the race was on “I was trying to find the right line in the new snow" Mueller said “I think I made a fantastic race considering my start number I could not have done any better with bib No There was a little too much snow on the course 1 “I expected Pirmin to be bet- ter on the upper part" he said “but he surprised me being faster on the bottom too Pirmin was strong all the way and he was lucky with a belter num- ber" Zurbriggen allowed himself a rare moment of exultation when his time and “No 1" flashed on the scoreboard He threw his skis in the air then joined his hands together and glanced to the heavens as if to say this victory took a little more than luck Elliott practically invincible in Sunday’s Daytona 500 DAYTONA BEACH Ha (AP) — A year ago Bill Elliott owned Daytona International Speedway Not only did the driver from Dawsonvillc Ga set a dazzling track qualify ing record of 210364 mph on the way to his third straight Daytona 500 pole start but he followed that up with his second victory in three years Sunday however in the 30h running of NASCAR stock car racing’s biggest event defend'ng champion Elliott and ins FoiJ Tliuiidrbiid vn practically invincible “We ran hard gave it our best shot" limit said "Thai's probably as hard us Auto Racing pole-winn- red-hair- oiue-fcaie- d F I've ever run to finish 12th “Bat 1 smd all week who was going to win the race" he continued “The (No) 12 tar was the strongest car" No 12 was the Buick Regal of Bobby Allison who won the race beating his sun Daves who was driving a Tord 'M tar couldn't lead" said Elliott wiiu liau a invkiii ii atiitmissivin III !ii Thursday's qualifying race and never finished a lap He started 31st in Sunr field based on his earlier day's 42-ta- qualifying speed which was more than 1 Ken mph slower than Schrader’s 193823 “1 could run with some of the other cars" he said “As long as I could stay m the middle of other cars and have them drag me along I was OK The car just wouldn't pick up and run and that was disheartening “You run flat out and you get to the guy in front of you and you can’t do anything with him" race also vas the The iciior-cpcrin- g first run w ith the new carburetor restrictor plates mandated by NASCAR to slow the stock cars in the interest of er at Talladega Ala Elliott usually led the speed parade safety both here and when laps were averaging more than 200 mph at those two superspeedways in the past And he wasn’t too crazy about slowing down “There’s so many people beating and banging on you 1 felt less safe than 1 had in a long time" he said “Maybe that’s not the restrictor plate but there were so many cautions that kept everybody bunch up Bobby was the only one who could break away" Elliott who finished the 1987 season with three victories in last four races was quick to look ahead 1 I “We’ll go back and work some more but this is just one of four races that we have to worry about the restrictor anyway" Elliott said “You go to Rich- mond Rockingham Atlanta those places where we'll be like we should be and things should be back to normal “But this is the biggest race of the year and it sure is disheartening to go out there and run as hard as we did and spend as much as we did and run no better than we did" Still Elliott was not totally down “We finished" he said “We ain’t that bad off" |