Usoc Cleverly Avoids Retrials And Tribulations

Four years after the Nancy knee-knocking, there’s nary a lawsuit, an arbitration or a panel hearing about any of the 207 Olympic athletes the U.S. will bring to Nagano next month.

That’s a modern-day record for the U.S. Olympic Committee, which is usually handling 11th-hour gripes from bobsledders or speedskaters unhappy with the way their trials turned out. Prime reason is the USOC’s insistence that the winter sports federations submit their selection procedures as early as possible in plain English.

“We’ve been insistent about getting them well in advance so they can be reviewed and publicized,” says USOC president William Hybl. “That along with our code of conduct has created an atmosphere where we have fewer and fewer arbitrations.”

Olympic ringers

Last laugh, meanwhile, for sprinter Jenny Thompson. After years of losing to apparently doped Chinese, she had won four world gold medals through Saturday and had the satisfaction of having the world see the Chinese caught red-handed in Perth … Barring injury, a bad batch of strudel or paralyzing boredom, Hermann Maier should become the first Austrian to win the World Cup Alpine title since Karl Schranz in 1970. With only five weekends left in the season, Maier is nearly 500 points ahead of teammate Stefan Eberharter in the overall standings… . The world’s best snowboarder, Norway’s Terje Haakonsen, is boycotting the Nagano Games because he says the IOC is corrupt. Sighs Samaranch: “We’re used to it.” … Why were the judges showering perfect 6.0s (15 of them) on Michelle Kwan at last weekend’s U.S. figure skating championships? Olympic year, says Brian Boitano, who reaped eight 6.0s in 1988 before going on to win the gold medal in Calgary. “America always sends a message with its champion,” he says. “They did that with me. They said, look at this guy - he’s perfect.” … Todd Eldredge isn’t the only U.S. skater who will be unveiling a new program at the Olympics. Elizabeth Punsalan and Jerod Swallow are junking their Elvis-medley free dance for a sultry Argentine tango. Seems the judges at the Champions Series final, where Punsalan and Swallow ended up last, hated the Elvis theme. “We want to raise our artistic marks,” says Punsalan, who is at her best doing Latin numbers. “I hope we’re going to turn a few heads.” … Lost amid all the quad talk at nationals was how dramatically the quality of men’s skating has fallen in one quadrennium. Shepherd Clark of the Skating Club of Boston vaulted from 10th last year to fourth despite a long program that was almost comically botched. Fact was, everybody below him was worse. Injuries explain some of the thinness: Damon Allen was sidelined and rising star Tim Goebel pulled out with an injury. But former world team members Dan Hollander and Michael Chack are shadows of their former selves and two-time champ Scott Davis has never recaptured the stardust he had before Lillehammer. When Eldredge turns pro after the Olympics, 21-year-old skywalker Michael Weiss stands alone … Turned out that ice dancers Amy Webster and Ron Kravette made a smart move by turning pro last year instead of taking a final shot at the Olympics. The couple that ranked ahead of them last year, Kate Robinson and Peter Breen, were beaten out by world junior champs Jessica Joseph and Charles Butler for the second spot on the team… . Lousy break for U.S. luger Chris Thorpe, who broke his wrist in a training spill earlier this month. Thorpe will still compete in Nagano, but he and doubles partner Gordy Sheer didn’t need this. After winning the World Cup title last year, Thorpe and Sheer have made the podium only once this season. Meanwhile, teammates Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin have won three of the first four Cup races and figure to win the first Olympic luge medal in U.S. history in Nagano.

Shimer heads sledders

There’s a fair amount of experience on the U.S. bobsled team: Five of the 12 have competed in the Games. It’ll be the fourth trip for Brian Shimer, who’ll pilot the USA I sled, and the third for Jim Herberich, who’ll direct USA II after dominating the trials (Shimer had a bye). The Yanks are competing in Austria this weekend and will go to Switzerland next weekend before heading to Japan … Sad turn for Finland’s Matti Nykanen, who won four Olympic gold medals and owned ski jumping in the ‘80s. He’s been reduced to stripping in a Helsinki nightclub to make money. “Finns understand that I’m going through some bad times,” said Nykanen, who has sold some of his medals. “Life is such that I have to have a job so that I do not become some social scum.” … Another setback for Athens’ moribund organizing committee for the 2004 Summer Games. Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, the dynamo who sold the Greek capital over favored Rome to the Lords of the Rings last summer, has turned down the committee presidency. Word is she wanted no part of the thorny politics between the government and the country’s sporting hierarchy … After sharing the 1994 and 1998 calendars with the Winter Olympics and soccer’s World Cup, the Goodwill Games people are going from even to odd after this summer’s date in New York. Instead of staging their next event in 2002, they’re almost certain to move to 2001 to get out of the shadow. Brisbane and Hong Kong are possible hosts.