TRYING TO DISTINGUISH THE REAL COMPETITIONS IN SKATING

     "It has become increasingly difficult to distinguish the
real championships [in figure skating] from the myriad skatefests
already held this season," writes Mark Starr in the current issue
of NEWSWEEK.  The '95 Nationals, which takes place this week in
Providence, RI, follows the recent U.S. Open, North American Open
Skating Championships, Ice Wars, Challenge of Champions, Gold
Challenge and Rock 'n' Roll Skating Championships.  Once the
"premier event on the skating calendar," the Nationals remain
"the one path to future Olympic glory."  But they are being
"obscured" by a made-for-TV competitions featuring the same
skaters in a  a variety of formats.  Evy Scotvold, coach of Nancy
Kerrigan and Paul Wylie:  "Right now it's somewhere between
wrestling and American Gladiators" (NEWSWEEK, 2/13 issue).