>> WELCOME BACK TO WHITE RING.
THE LADIES' SHORT PROGRAM IS 
UNDER WAY.
FORM HAS HELD THUS FAR.
MARIA BUTIRSKAYA FIRST ON THE 
ICE HAS FIRST PLACE.
LU CHEN OF CHINA MIGHT HAVE 
BEEN JUDGED A LITTLE LOW BY 
SOME OF THE JUDGES.
SURYA BONALY OF FRANCE IS 
CURRENTLY THIRD.
I'M VERNE LUNDQUIST ALONG WITH 
SCOTT HAMILTON.
IT SEEMS THERE'S A CONSENSUS 
THAT MICHELLE KWAN IS THE 
OVERWHELMING FAVORITE FOR THE 
GOLD AND TARA LIPINSKI FOR THE 
SILVER.
>> TARA LIPINSKI IS THE 
REIGNING WORLD CHAMPION.
THEY'RE THE TWO BEST SKATERS IN
THE WORLD.
MOMENTUM FAVORS MICHELLE KWAN.
SHE HAD A HUGE SEASON.
THE HUGE WIN AT THE NATIONAL 
CHAMPIONSHIPS.
IT FAVORS HER A LITTLE BIT.
BUT WATCHING THE PRACTICES, 
WATCHING TARA LIPINSKI.
SHE SKATES WITH A LOT MORE 
SPEED IN THE SHORT PROGRAM, HER
COMBINATION IS A LITTLE TOUGHER
AND THE TRIPLE FLIP AS A 
REQUIRED JUMP IS TOUGHER THAN 
MICHELE'S TRIPLE TOE LOOP.
THE BATTLE FOR THE BRONZE, 
HOWEVER, ISNTERESTING.
IT'S ALL OVER THE PLACE.
WHEN A SKATER IS GETTING READY 
FOR THE SHORT PROGRAM, THEY'VE 
GOT JUMP COMBINATIONS AND 
EVERYTHING.
THIS IS WHAT'S GOING THROUGH 
THE JUDGES' MINDS, FLYING NAMES
ALL OVER THE PLACE.
THIS MANY PEOPLE ARE IN IT FOR 
A BRONZE MEDAL.
ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN.
YOU'VE GOT FMER WORLD 
CHAMPIONS ON THIS LIST.
IT'S WIDE OPEN.
EIGHT REQUIRED ELEMENTS, 
MANDATORY DEDUCTIONS, ANYTHING 
AND EVERYTHING CAN HAPPEN.
>> THIS PANEL OF NINE JUDGES 
WILL HAVE THE TASK OF MAKING 
THE ASSESSMENTS.
>> NORMALLY YOU WOULD THINK 
THAT THE FRONT ROW IN ANY 
COMPETITION IS THE BEST SEAT IN
THE HOUSE, I WOULDN'T WANT TO 
BE SITTING THERE TONIGHT, 
THAT'S FOR SURE.
>> AND ON THE ICE IN HER WARMUP
RIGHT NOW, THE WORLD CHAMPION, 
15-YEAR-OLD TARA LIPINSKI.
>> SHE LOOKS LIKE SHE'S GETTING
HER FEET UNDER HER.
A LITTLE NERVES AT FIRST, A 
LITTLE TIGHT.
BUT SHE'S SKATING WITH A LITTLE
BIT MORE EASE.
A COMBINATION THAT SHE'LL BE 
DOING IS TRIPLE LUTZ AND A 
DOUBLE LOOP.
AGAIN, SHE HAS TO CONTROL THE 
LANDING RIGHT HERE, AND SHE 
DIDN'T ON THAT PASS.
>> IT WAS THE FLIP THAT COST 
HER AT THE U.S. NATIONALS IN 
PHILADELPHIA.
>> AGAIN, THE TOE JUST LOOKED 
LIKE IT SLIPPED OUT A LITTLE 
BIT AND DIDN'T GIVE HER THE 
HEIGHT AND THE NORMAL STRAIGHT 
AIR POSITION THAT SHE NORMALLY 
HAS.
IT'S ALL TEMPO.
TEMPO, IT'S RHYTHM, IT'S 
TIMING.
ANY TIME YOU GET INTO A TEMPO 
SITUATION YOU'RE GOING TO BE IN
TROUBLE.
ANOTHER COMBINATION, TRIPLE 
LUTZ INTO DOUBLE LOOP.
THE LUTZ, DOUBLE LOOP, 
BEAUTIFUL.
>> AND WHILE TARA WARMS UP, 
LET'S GO TO TRACY WILSON, WHO 
IS WITH LU CHEN.
>> LU, THE TRIPLE LUTZ 
COMBINATION GAVE YOU SO MUCH 
TROUBLE ALL WEEK IN PRACTICE.
WHAT DID YOU DO TO LAND IT SO 
WELL IN THE PROGRAM?
>> WELL, BECAUSE BEFORE I COME 
HERE, AT HOME I DID, YOU KNOW, 
REALLY GOOD.
AND WHEN I COME HERE, HAVE 
LITTLE TROUBLE.
BUT WHEN I GO ON ICE, I JUST 
THINK, OK, I CAN DO IT.
IT'S TIME TO SHOW OUT.
>> LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT IT.
TAKE ME THROUGH IT.
TELL ME ABOUT IT.
>> WELL, I FEEL REALLY GOOD, 
REALLY CONFIDENT.
I KNOW I CAN LAND.
>> IT'S A BEAUTIFUL ONE.
>> YEAH.
>> I UNDERSTAND YOU HAD A 
SPECIAL GOOD LUCK CHARM WITH 
YOU FOR THIS PERFORMANCE.
TELL ME ABOUT THAT.
>> WELL, I HAD THE LITTLE THE 
1995 WORLD FINALS, AND I WIN 
AND IT'S MY FRIEND.
HE GIVE IT TO ME, AND I KEEP IN
MY POCKET.
DURING MY PROGRAM, I PUT IT IN 
MY JACKET, AND I TELL MY COACH,
COCK, DON'T LEAVE ME, HOLD THIS
JACKET.
-- OK, DON'T LEAVE, HOLD THIS 
JACKET.
THERE'S THIS LITTLE PIG WHERE 
SHE'S DOING OLYMPIC.
>> IN LILLEHAMMER WHERE SHE 
WON.
WELL, IT'S OBVIOUSLY BRINGING 
YOU ALL KINDS OF GOOD LUCK.
HOPE YOU HAVE IT WITH YOU IN 
THE LONG PROGRAM.
>> YES.
>> THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU, TRACY.
TARA LIPINSKI BORN AND RAISED 
IN THE PHILADELPHIA AREA.
SHE LIVED IN WASHINGTON TWIP, 
NEW JERSEY.
THE FAMILY MOVED TO SUGARLAND, 
TEXAS, WHERE SHE WAS 9.
SHE NOW LIVES AND TRAINS IN 
DETROIT, WHERE SHE'S COACHED BY
RICHARD CALLAGHAN, TODD 
ELDREDGE'S COACH.
SHE WON A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN
LAUSANNE SWITZERLAND LAST MARCH
AT THE AGE OF 14.
YOUNGEST WORLD CHAMPION EVER.
SHE WAS 32 DAYS YOUNGER THAN 
SONJA HENIE.
>> NOW SHE SKATES TO THE MOVIE 
MUSIC OF "ANASTASIA."
>> THIS IS THE SPIRAL SEQUENCE 
EARLIER.
THE AMERICAN WOMEN REALLY TAKE 
THIS IS HE SERIOUSLY.
THE POSITION, THE EXTENSION, 
FLEXIBILITY.
>> THE COMBINATION COMING UP 
NOW, TRIPLE LUTZ AND THE DOUBLE
LOOP.
THE LUTZ, DOUBLE LOOP, 
BEAUTIFULLY LANDED.
>> NEXT ELEMENT IS THE TRIPLE 
FLIP THAT SHE MISSED AT THE 
U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS.
CONNECTING STEPS HERE.
TRIPLE FLIP.
A LITTLE CAUTIOUS ON THE 
LANDING, BUT WHAT A HUGE 
HURDLE.
ALL THE RISK IS BEHIND HER NOW.
SHE HAS A DOUBLE AXEL.
SHE SHOULDN'T HAVE ANY TROUBLE 
AT THAT.
SHE KNOWS SHE'S DONE IT.
>> LOOK AT THE JOY ON HER FACE.
>> SHE LOOKS SO TINY.
SHE SKATES WITH SUCH MATURITY.
SHE HAS THE HEART OF A 
CHAMPION, AND SHE'S REALLY HAD 
A GREAT TIME ENJOYING HER FIRST
OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE.
FINAL COMBINATION SPIN.
LOOK AT THE SPEED, THE 
POSITION.
PERFECT SHORT PROGRAM.
TARA LIPINSKI.
>> HER TEAMMATE TODD ELDREDGE, 
FOURTH IN THE MEN'S PROGRAM.
HER PARENTS, JACK AND PAT 
LIPINSKI, ARE HERE, BUT THEY'RE
HIDING.
WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIND 
THEM.
TARA LIPINSKI.
SHE CAME AND HAS ENJOYED HER 
OLYMPIC GAMES.
SHE STAYED IN THE VILLAGE, I 
CHATTED WITH TODD ELDREDGE 
YESTERDAY, AND SAID ABOUT TWO 
DAYS AGO SHE BEGAN TO REALIZE 
THAT THIS WAS AN OLYMPIC EVENT.
>> HI, DADDY.
HI, MOM.
HI, JAMIE, LINDSEY, VICTORIA, 
EVERYBODY.
ERIN.
>> SHE REACHES BACK WITH HER 
RIGHT LEG, VAULTS, TIGHT AIR 
POSITION, GOOD COVERAGE OF ICE.
YOU CAN SEE RIGHT THERE, 
CONTROLS THAT EDGE BEAUTIFULLY.
BEAUTIFUL DOUBLE LOOP.
RICHARD CALLAGHAN LOOKS ON 
GOING PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, 
PLEASE, YES!
TODD ELDREDGE, HE DID IT THE 
HER NIGHT IN HIS SHORT 
PROGRAM.
YOU GET PAST THE COMBINATION 
AND EVERYTHING JUST GETS A 
LITTLE BIT EASIER.
>> PEOPLE THINK THIS MIGHT BE A
WEAKNESS OF HERS, BUT SHE DOES 
HAVE INCREDIBLE MATURITY.
>> LATER TONIGHT, MICHELLE KWAN
AND NICOLE BOBEK.
