U. student draws loudest cheers at campus figure skating show

A small but enthusiastic crowd turned out last night to cheer on Wharton senior Lisa Grove and several other nationally ranked skaters performing at the Class of 1923 Ice Rink. Grove and her ice dancing partner Scott Myers were joined by College freshman Heather Hughes and United States silver medalists April Sargent and Russ Wetherby as the rink kicked off its 20th anniversary celebration. A few hundred students, including many from Grove's Chi Omega sorority, and some parents and other spectators cheered on all the skaters, but saved the loudest ovation for Grove. Grove performed twice with Myers. "I think she is amazing," Wharton sophomore Haesin Kim of her sorority sister. "She is really beautiful to watch on the ice. Lisa and her partner dance as one unit." Grove and Myers placed fourth at the U.S. Olympic Festival this past summer and seventh at the 1990 U.S. National Championships last February. She said she participated in the show for practice and because she is skating for the University. Myers said skating in front of a crowd is a good tuneup for competition. He said he and Grove have begun to make significant progress in their partnership. "This is almost our fourth year together," Myers said. "It's clicking now. We've come to terms with each other. It's a lot easier to turn it on out there." Hughes, who qualified for the Eastern Regional Competition at the senior level and has competed up and down the east coast, also said she enjoyed performing for the University crowd. "You can tell people about skating but it's hard for them to understand it until they really see you," she said. "Performing is always fun wherever the crowd is." 1988 Olympic figure skating alternates April Sargent and Russ Witherby headlined the event and closed the show. The pair won the silver medal in the 1990 United States nationals and were the 1989 U.S. Olympic Festival Champions. Although turnout at last night's show was light and well below the 1000 people General Manager Jill Maser had hoped to draw, she and the performers said they considered it a success. The show was marred by several technical problems, including a twenty minute delay in the show's start and a microphone malfunction in the second half. Problems also arose with the music used to accompany the skating routines. "Technical troubles happen at all ice shows," Maser said. "The skaters all had fun -- they're used to the problems, although the audience might not have been." Many students said although they did enjoy the show and the skaters' performances, technical glitches were distracting. "The technical dificulties made the show drag out for longer than necessary," College senior Daphne King said. In addition to the technical difficulties, skater Todd Gairrett suffered a hyperextended tendon in his right arm when he fell in the middle of his performance. "I felt embarrased," he said. "I've never had that happen before."

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