ELItorial: Great rivals make great athletes

By Albert Chen

After all, we're talking about two teenage girls, one of whom performs to the scores of such dramatic epics of filmmaking as Anastasia and The Rainbow--not really the sweeping music that makes your heart skip. Let's just say that Lipinski and Kwan don't exactly make for the world's greatest trash-talkers, either.

But if you're a sports fan, and if you were able to sit through the CBS coverage last Friday night, you must have appreciated every minute of the women's Olympic figure skating championship. This is what the best rivalries are all about--two of the top athletes in their sport, one performs to near perfection, the other is perfect. It was a clash of styles: artistic elegance versus technical precision, a reserved, business-like approach to carefree exuberance.

The two, even in their youth, have a rich history. At the 1997 World Championships, it was Lipinski who narrowly beat out Kwan. But last month, in a record-breaking performance at nationals, it was Kwan who
was spectacular.

Rivalries make the best athletes better and often define their greatness. Lipinski heard the thunderous ovation that Kwan received after her skate, and knew that it would be difficult to find a way to steal the hearts of the judges. Four minutes later, her program was done. It was a performance that will be forever remembered as one of the greatest moments in Olympic history.

In athletics, the greats always have that special rival who makes them dig deep and land that triple-loop triple-loop combination, reach that impossible passing shot, or hit that unbelievable reverse lay-up. Just as Lipinski has Kwan, Ali had Frazier, McEnroe had Connors, and Navritilova
had Evert.

In fact, no sport has profited from individual rivalries as much as tennis. In the '80s and early '90s, there were the Navritilova-Evert wars, the McEnroe-Connors duels, and the Becker-Edberg grass-court showdowns. Fan interest hit an all-time high. Those days, however, are long over. Pete Sampras, currently ranked number one in the world, is so much better than the rest of his competition that it's hurting his sport and perhaps hurting himself. Ever heard of Petr Korda, Patrick Rafter, Jonas Bjorkman, or Greg Rusedski? Behind Sampras, they make up the men's top five.

Without the rivalries, it's just not all that interesting. Through it all, Sampras himself may be the greatest victim in his sport's lack of competitiveness. In the past three Slams, including last month's Australian Open, he's looked uninspired, and his early round exits are becoming too frequent for such a dominant player. Maybe Sampras should be Andre Agassi's biggest fan during his comeback. A couple of years ago, the Sampras-Agassi rivalry was brewing to become one of the great clashes of the '90s. But with Brooke, nagging injuries, and a year without competition, a return to the top for Agassi would be nothing short of miraculous. The sport of tennis is aching for his return, and for Sampras, it might just be the only change that could give him back his competitive edge.

In Chicago, Michael Jordan has maintained a remarkable level of excellence. But these days, even His Airness could use some rivalry to spice up his game. In his early years, he had Larry Bird (remember that playoff game in 1986 when Jordan scorched Bird's Celtics for 63?) and Magic Johnson (MJ's performance in the 1993 NBA Finals, against the Lakers, was classic Jordan) to push him to higher and higher levels.

These days, with Larry and Magic gone, Jordan's talking of retirement even when he's still by far the best player in the game. Jordan's bored; with no one else threatening his place atop the league, he might as well unlace his sneakers and go find another challenge somewhere else--hopefully somewhere other than the baseball diamond.

Meanwhile, Lipinski's coach, along with her mother, have said that they are considering taking the young skater out of the competitive circuit for a few months. Even with the World Championships coming up, Lipinski seems in no hurry to get back into the grueling world of daily training, and might even do some of those wonderfully exciting ice tours around the country.

Before Tara runs off with Papa Smurf and Aladdin, she'll think twice about taking the hiatus. After all, Kwan has hinted that she'll be back in 2002 in Salt Lake City. Don't be surprised if Lipinski soon returns to the ice, training and competing even harder than she did before.

So four years from now, Tara and Michelle might be back on the ice for an encore, to demonstrate once more the thrill of a great rivalry. Don't worry, NBC will be doing the coverage, and little Tara will be 19, so there's a good chance that she won't still be skating to G-rated music.

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