European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 31, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Focus controversy and Harding Are frequent companions by Carol Ann Riha the associated press despite her on ice Success Tonya Harding has always had a lot of personal difficulties. Off the ice the 23 year old figure skater has weathered bouts of asthma a Stormy three year marriage embarrassing brushes with the police and now questions about her role in the attack on Nancy Kerrigan. Harding s reputation As a fighter has served her Well during a decade of National Competition. She began skating in the . Figure skating association senior division at 13. A year later she became the first woman in the world to execute the triple Axel. She was prevented from skating in the Northwest Pacific championships last fall in Portland Ore when an Anonymous caller threatened her life last week despite her admission that she knew More about the attack than she told police Harding pleaded for the t Opportunity to remain on the . Olympic ice skating team and to get a shot at the Gold medal in Lillehammer Norway. A tenacious competitor Harding has returned to the ice to finish performances despite slip  broken skates and torn costumes. But off the ice tenacity becomes obstinacy. In March 1992, Portland police found the 96-Pound skater brandishing a baseball Bat at another Motorist after the two got into an argument in the Street near the shopping mall skating rink where Harding practices. There were no arrests but the two women reportedly traded punches. V in october police seized a handgun from Harding after a neighbor reported a shot fired in their apartment Complex parking lot. Harding and her husband Jeff Gilooly told police the gun went off accidentally. Harding s father Al Harding told sports illustrated in 1992 that he bought his daughter her first .22-caliber Rifle when she was 5, cutting Down the Stock so it would fit her. By 9, she was Hunting with him. At 13, armed with a .243-caliber Rifle she brought Down her first Deer. Harding was 15 when she met Gillooly three years her senior. She was 19 when she married him in 1990. The couple started divorce proceedings just 14 months later claiming irreconcilable differences. Two Days later Harding filed a petition for a restraining order against Cislo oly claiming he wrenched her Arm and wrist pulled her hair and shoved her. By october they were Back together. Since then they have split up and reconciled at least twice More. Short subject Tonya Harding and Jeff Gillooly share apiece of cake at their 1990 wedding. Last March Harding filed a report with Clackamas county sheriff s department accusing Gillooly of assault. No arrest was made officials said. A Friend said Harding moved out the same Day. She again asked for a restraining order last july saying he assaulted her with his open hand and fist. In september her lawyer asked to have the order dismissed. By october she and Gillooly had again reconciled. Harding s Mother Lavona told sports illustrated that she tried to talk tenacious competitor Harding has returned to the ice to finish performances despite slip  broken skates and torn costumes. But off the ice tenacity becomes obstinacy them out of getting married in the first place. I knew Jeff had a violent Streak she said. Once when Tonya was living with me and my new husband he tried to a reak Down the door because he thought she had gone out with another boy. It turned out it was her brother she d been  Harding told sports illustrated two years ago that she had changed schools nearly every year throughout her childhood so i did t have friends hardly at All. I was basically a  she still is. At skating competitions she does t appear to be part of anyone s clique and in t particularly Friendly. Kerrigan by contrast was very close to olympic Gold medallist Kristi Yamaguchi who roomed with Kerrigan at the Albertville olympics Harding rarely pals around with anyone. Growing up Harding spent a lot of time with her father who taught her How to Hunt and fish. The elder Harding also taught his daughter to replace a transmission rebuild an engine and do a Brake Job. He said he had sworn off new cars because each time he bought one he got Laid off. When Al a farming Hurt his Back his 5 foot-1 daughter took Over his chore of splitting Wood which she says helped give her unusual strength on the ice. Harding has her own Pool Cue but gave up drag racing at the Portland International raceway when her automobile insurance company found out. Despite bouts with asthma Harding repeatedly has been seen smoking in Public a penchant that does t please her coaches. She has said she smoked because of stress caused by marital problems. Then there have been Money problems. Not from a Well to do background Harding has struggled to pay for a sport that is very expensive. Last summer she said a Man in Beverly Hills offered to pay her 1994 training costs of $40,000. The offer turned out to be a hoax. In August her four wheel drive pickup was stolen from the shopping mall parking lot. The following month someone mailed the License plate to Portland radio station Kurz pm with the return address Robin Hood and his merry men Sherwood Forest Nottingham  Are . Police taking the fun out of funnies by Kate Bailey the associated press Reading the funny papers is supposed to be fun but some cartoonists say an increasing number of readers have lost their sense of humor for the Sake of political correctness. If somebody slips on a banana Peel it s funny to everybody except the person who slips on it said Bill Rechin who draws the comic strip  recent years some cartoon readers have decided that it might be insensitive to poke fun at a person because he or she slipped on a banana Peel or gained too much weight or at a woman who catches the Eye of a male co worker because she wears a provocative outfit they be written letters of protest some of which have reached Mort Walker s Mailbox. Walker began drawing Keeffe Bailey 43 years ago. Since then a rotund army sergeant has Bumble his Way through the funny papers stopping occasionally to beat up on the Skinny Lazy private for whom the strip is named i be always had criticism said Walker. I Don t think you can do anything without somebody being  but Walker said that his work has been scrutinized recently by readers he characterized As the "p.o.  the first target was miss Huxley a voluptuous Blond Secretary who joined the strip about 30 years ago much to the Delight of Gen. Hal track. They said i was doing the stereotype dumb blonde i was promoting sexual harassment in the office Walker said. The funny thing about it is they were  Walker made a change. Miss Huxley kept her tight fitting Black mini dress but lost the attention of a formerly drooling Gen. Hal track. Gerald Dumas a cartoonist and writer who has been assisting Walker with gags for the strip for 37 years said he was surprised when women began writing letters complaining about the portrayal of an overweight character named sgt. Louise Lugg. We be never had letters about gags we be done about sgt. Snorkel being fat he said. Rechin and his partner Don Wilder went out of their Way to avoid stepping on toes when they added a Black character named Daryl to the Crock strip. When we first started the character i was conscious of making him look Good. More so than i would any other character said Wilder. Lee Salem editorial director for Universal press Syndicate in Kansas City mo., said other cartoonists Are hesitant to add nonwhite characters because it would look like they were patronizing a certain part of the  Walker received such criticism after adding an intelligent motivated asian american character to his strip. People wrote letters saying i was racist. I was perpetuating the stereotype Walker said. I said god you can t do anything " Lynn Johnston creator of the cartoon for better or for worse said she received criticism for a strip that showed children putting a spider in a microwave oven. The spider survived the microwave but later a eaten by a dog. People Are outraged about everything she said. Johnston said cartoonists should resist Calls to change the face of strips that have been popular for decades. I really feel that we re limiting ourselves by trying to make everybody turn into unsalted i Oatmeal she said. 28 the stars and stripes monday january 31, 1994