They Won’t Let Us Skate on Decisions Like These

Let me see if I have this right. A local athlete [Michelle Kwan] puts on a dazzling, come-from-behind performance to win the world championship in figure skating on prime time television. This young woman has conducted herself with grace and poise, has managed to continue her commitment to education at UCLA despite the onerous time obstacles and is one of the few athletes any parent would be proud of as a role model for their children.

And all The Times can do is a snippet of a wire service report on Page 13 to note her accomplishment?

Would you have put her story on Page 1 if she were covered with tattoos, or she were busted on a drug charge, or she had conspired to have one of her competitors assaulted?

LARRY KUROMIYA, Santa Monica

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In the second paragraph, you state, “Kwan . . . had not won a major title since her second world championship in 1998.”

What about winning the U.S. championship in 1999 and again this year? Do you not consider these “major” titles? Do you realize how difficult it is to win a national title?

SID GRUBER, North Hollywood

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It’s opening day! Why is Dodger baseball not the headline today?

“A Swing Shift for Kobe.” Kobe Bryant and Chris Childs had a little scuffle, big deal. That’s bigger news than opening day? “Play Ball” should have been the headline at the top. Come on, Times, can’t you just pretend to like the Dodgers?

S.K. BLEEDEN, Sherman Oaks

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One of the best track and field meets in the country happened yesterday [April 1] at USC, but The Times failed to cover it. Oh, that’s right--it didn’t involve Pepperdine or Cal State Northridge or any of the high school teams in the Southland. Why the major universities in this metropolitan area continue to get less than adequate press coverage in sports other than football and basketball never ceases to amaze me.

However, I did learn of one woman’s legacy about leaving a women’s boxing program in place at Notre Dame upon her graduation. Thanks, Bill Dwyre. Nice to see the “local” coverage continuing. I guess it will take USC winning its 29th track and field championship to get a blurb in your paper. How soon before the buyout is complete?

RUSSELL GECK, Glendale

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Is it any wonder why track and field is all but an invisible sport in Los Angeles?

Not only did The Times not see fit to assign a reporter to the USC and UCLA meets last weekend, the only mention of them consisted of 13 lines about the UCLA meet and a measly six lines about the USC meet, plus agate results. This is the same section that included 2 1/2 pages of copy about the upcoming NCAA basketball finals.

Hopefully, things will get better for track and field when the Tribune takes over. They can’t get worse.

FRANK J. PETERS, North Hollywood