U. students: Harding's Olympic chances are on think ice

If University students had to decide whether Tonya Harding should attend the Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway, the U.S. figure skater would most likely be forced to stay home. Olympic officials are still mulling over Harding's fate, but just days ago, her ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, implicated her in the Jan. 6 attack of fellow skater Nancy Kerrigan. On that day, an unidentified assailant attacked Kerrigan at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit. While the U.S. Olympic Committee has not decided Harding's fate, many University students who have followed the ongoing saga have already formed their own opinions. "I think that Harding should not be in the Olympics because I don't think she's a good representative of the U.S.," College sophomore Patti Ducoff said last night. "But I don't know if she's guilty or not." Many other students voiced similar sentiments. "I don't think she should be allowed to skate," College freshman Stacie Brensilver said. "I think it would cause a lot of bad sentiment for the US. team if she skated." "There is doubt so she probably shouldn't be allowed to skate," College freshman Shana Seldin said. "But it doesn't seem fair either way. If she gets to skate and she was involved, that's not fair. If she doesn't get to skate and she wasn't involved, that's not fair either." Some students still believe, though, that Harding should be "innocent until proven guilty." "She doesn't have any direct involvement in it that anyone knows of," Engineering sophomore Timothy Gobran said. "If she hasn't done anything wrong, she should be allowed to skate." "Nothing's been proven so they can't take that away from her," Wharton sophomore Jennifer Silva said. "She might want to drop out on her own under these circumstances, but you can't not allow her to skate." Despite the debate over Harding's participation in the Olympics, most University students said last night they believed Harding was involved. "I'd like to think she's innocent, but I think she's guilty," Silva said. "I think she knows more than she's telling," Brensilver said. "I don't think she was involved in it in the beginning, but I think she knew it was going to happen." And many students said they are rooting for Kerrigan. "I hope Nancy Kerrigan will be able to skate well because I think she's a terrific skater in general," Wharton senior Ana Jimenez said. "I think everyone would root for Kerrigan as a sentimental favorite," Gobran said. Pearlman worried that Kerrigan might not do as well as some are expecting. "I just hope she doesn't use the accident as an excuse if she doesn't do well," he said. But most students said Kerrigan might skate even better after going through her ordeal. "I think she's going to come out of this on top," Ducoff said. "I think she'll do well because I think she's more determined now," Brensilver said. "As long as I don't have too much work, I'll be watching [the Olympics] and rooting for her." The figure skating championships begin Feb. 23 in Lillehammer. The Olympics officially get under way Feb. 11.