'Wars' Lacking in Drama

Copyright Globe Newspaper Company 1994

Any effort by CBS to transform last night's "Ice Wars" into Olympic drama failed just prior to the first blade hitting the ice when Kurt Browning happily told Pat O'Brien, "We're having fun . . . everyone is having a good time." At moments of truth in the Olympics, skaters are wound far too tight to enjoy themselves.

But this exhibition became almost as pleasing to the eye, anyway, after Viktor Petrenko skated onto the ice and spun through a dazzling technical program marred only by a single triple axel shortcoming. At least that is what analyst Scott Hamilton said.

Last night's made-for-CBS competition, which will conclude on TV Saturday (9-11 p.m.) in Providence, got a lift from interviews of the eight performers, usually before and after they skated. Each performer sounded and looked fine, especially Oksana Baiul, who when last seen nine months ago at Lillehammer was an undernourished Ukrainian teen-ager overcoming impossible odds to win the Olympic gold medal. Last night she was transformed into a beautiful girl speaking passable English.

The program did develop competitively, if not dramatically.Kristi Yamaguchi wore a colorful outfit and almost stole the telecast with energetic skating and bristling confidence. It rendered Kerrigan's mediocre performance incidental.

Verne Lundquist did bring up Kerrigan's romance with agent Jerry Solomon just enough to let the network say it was not ignored. In truth, the TV pictures hinted that the skater having the least fun was Kerrigan.