European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 19, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Friday february 19, 1988 the stars and stripes Paga 23 commentary strange things Friese Winter games this is embarrassing. I m watching West Ger Many do a number on Austria in olympic hockey and you know what i d rather be watching figure slating. I m blushing As i write this but i should t is the mood of these Calgary olympic that Jill Watson Drew More noise than the Canadian hockey team. Of. She looks belter. Which makes Valarina Witla cinch in cause louder cheers than a Canadian rus Sian hockey final. Bui come on. These arc olympic games not olympic dances. Hockey should be inc hot stuff of the fortnight Slick team Competition decided by visual substance goals. Then you have figure staling a stage Al decided by votes. A Dubi Thomas trains for years to reach this level. She Ean l grab the Gold with a goal. She s at the mercy of a panel of washed up skaters who give Points Tor performance. Familiarity. Politics. If you re not a name skater you re not getting Bucky Fox medal winning Points. I Learned this fasl. On the first nigh of the pairs i thought Indiana s Kim a Dwayne Schold looked terrific. Then abcs Dick Button reminded us that the Scy Bolds were not con tenders. The voters placed them 10th. I d rather watch hat Over hockey it would never happen in a non leap year. Put in this Way you know the Edmonton oilers won Las year s nil title you probably Don l know who won last year s world pain figure skating a own. Once the Winter olympics Sian figure skating freezes out hockey Peggy Fleming and Dorothy Hamill you remember. The 1968 and 76 olympic hockey champions you Don t. Strange things these Winter games. Must be the cold. Events that normally rank below Kite flying in suddenly grab your attention. Take the luge. You know two things about the luge 1. An East German with a face reminding you Why you re stationed Here will win the Gold. 1. If you were Al the race you would Sec a blur Blaze by and say did you Sec that thai is if you did t freeze first. Then you have Cross country skiing. Hum babe. No thai was t slow to. That was fast for Ward. Actually the Winter olympics do offer ice sports i be mentioned hockey. Add the Alpine ski races and Speed skating. I understand that for 1992, we can expect evermore sizzling Oion in the Winter olympics. Watch for snowball righting and snowman building. In the meantime the hockey game is about to Start. Maybe this will make me forget Jill Watson. To Ulf two celebrities Odd a bit of dash to olympic bobsled Competition l a. Skier Fletcher. Practice run collision Fletcher Hurt out of downhill mount Allan Alberta api ram Fletcher considered he Unnic slates Best Hope for a medal in the olympic women s downhill suffered possible broken leg during practice thursday morning and was ruled out of the race Fletcher 25, of a Lon mass., was injured when she collided with a Volunteer White taking a Warmup run about iwo hours before the scheduled Start of therace. The race was later cancelled because of winds Fust ing Over 60 team spokesman said Fletcher s in jury appeared to be a fracture of the right Fibula the smaller Bone in the lower leg. She was taken to a clinic at Lakiska ski area where her leg was immobilized in a plastic cast. She declined . Saying she wanted to Wadieh the was warming up and when i skied toward the lift 1 collided with a Man Corn ing very fail from the opposite direction Fletcher said. By Enrico Jacomini associated press writer in a pattern familiar to Many sports the East germans arc heavy favourites for both titles in bobsled. American medal Hopes in the bobsled Are Remote but the american sports fan has a recognizable name in Chicago bears wide receiver Willie Cault who caused some controversy by being named to the ii.5. Bobsled learn. And a Royal presence will attract alien lion on the icy Banks of the j.839-foot artificial course at Canada olympic Park. Prince Albert of Monaco a member of the International Jet Sci As Well As the International olympic committee Iscon Ecrett in the bobsled runs. The Prince has been an avid bobsled to a for three years and his presence i Calgary will Mark his debut in a major International race. Ii also will be a very rare appearance by an Ioc member in an olympic event. I was really scared in my first run at St. Moritz three years ago but now i Macool and confident when i drive the sled Down the slopes he said in january Albert said he hoped to do better than20th place in an expected Field of some 40 sleds. The Calgary run generally is Ralpd excellent for Hobs Lis 387-foot drop ensures treat Speed throughout despite three a shaped curves and a full Oval swing in the upper part. It is very technical one of the Best tracks around for bobsled italian bobsled official Ermanno Garde i la said. The Driver s ability is a main Factor not like Many Highway where weight and the initial push prevail. This is a guarantee thai the very Best will win the olympic medals with no Chance for sur Prises from unheralded Al slake Are two olympic titles for the bobsled two Man and four Man sleds. East German veterans Wolfgang hop pc and Bernhard Lehmann Are the favourites in the bobsled although changes in International rules have slightly Cut their Edge Over the Competition. They had a clean sweep of lop Hon ors in Sarajevo four years ago. Wilh hop pc taking both golds and Lehmann both silvers in rocket shaped sleds sport ing Large headings. Bobsled officials have site Sci More rigid standards for the sleds imposing set measures for the St Iuenure and Blades and limitations on the design of the body and the wings which Are now much smaller. But despite the changes Llo pc an Lehmann remain the leading entries in the bobsled runs with the Swiss and the soviets leading the Challenge and Austria and West Germany the dare Hor Sci. The United Stales can rely on Vetera Brent Rushlaw and Man Roy who have not repealed in Early races this year their Good performances in the 1987 world cup. Roy lopped the combined stand Ings a year ago Wilh 134 Points to 116 for my pc and 114 for Fischer. Bench Likely for Gault Calgary Alberta a Willie Gault has the name and the times bul not the of to compete for the . Bobsled team at the Winter games. When olympic bobsledding begins sat urday the Chicago bears receiver Likely will be on the sidelines instead of a sled. Coach Jeff Jost said wednesday tha Gaull whose Laic addition to the learn caused some controversy remains an Al Ternate for the two Man teams. The two top teams have been selected he said at a news conference. Mike Aljoe is the fastest alternate we have. I Don l plan on changing the brakeman on the no. 2 sled. They re that Means Mike Wasko stays with Brent Rushlaw on no. 2 and Jim he rec Rich brakes for mall Roy on no. 1. With Aljoe ahead of Gault in the bullpen. That leaves the four Man races and Josi won t talk about that yet. There Are a lot of people and a lot of be said. The Only thing carved in Stone is Well have the Best american team on the Gault had inc fastest . Push times tuesday with clocking of 5.47 and 5.45 seconds Fot the Fini 50 meters of the course. That was still Well off the clock Ings of other teams however. We be been through 12 training races and our three cams Are still run Ning 1-2-3," Jost said we have to put the Dot team on inc Mountain. The Cali Ber Between the athletes ii very minute. Any changes i make would be for the Best possible Willie a not in Cue of dare it helmet. Olympics on to games hockey viewers complain to Abc new York a Abc received hundreds Al complaints wednesday night after it Cut away from the us so Viet olympic hockey game to show taped skiing and figure skating highlights. Abc spokesman Jel Tolvin said about 800 people called the network to complain about its olympics coverage. He said the majority were upset that Abc did t show the entire hockey game. The network Cut away from the hockey game near Ibe end of he second period when the soviets were leading 6-2. Viewer Mitsud two . Goals Early in the third period before Abc switched Back to the game which the soviets eventually won 7-5. To was inc second time that Abc has drawn viewer complaints for missing goals during a us. Hockey game in Calgary. Four goals were scored during monday night s .-Czcchoslovaku game while Abc was showing commercials or taped High Light of downhill skiing. Friday German second program 6 . And i1s Jav to humus i High lights. German first program s to . Man i 15-Ka pm entry men s luge Diwan win f downhill combined 9 Pau Fruy
