`waltz' Crosses Emotional Landscape

1when Harry Met Coach, 
He Got Back His Future 
Meet Harry Barnes, First-year Student At Luzerne County Community College.

Thursday, February 10, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





Who needs history when we've got Tonya and Nancy? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In the main street of Albertville, France, the little town that hosted the &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 1992 Winter Olympics, there is a plaque commemorating those from the town
who formed part of the French Resistance to Nazi occupation during World War
IISomewhere in Lillehammer, Norway, the town that will host the next Winter
Olympics beginning on Saturday, there is probably a similar plaque or statue,
since Norway, like France, was also occupied by the Nazis. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Every town has its plaque or its statue commemorating past battles or great
moments in history. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Ten years ago, when the Winter Olympics were held in Sarajevo, which was
then part of Yugoslavia, the skaters and skiers of the world could no doubt
have visited the site where, in 1914, an Austrian prince was assassinated,
precipitating World War I. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But, no doubt, most of them just never got around to it. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Historians will tell you that the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
of Austria in 1914 was brought about through a series of blunders by his party
as well as by the Serbian conspirators involved. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In fact, the prince survived one bombing attempt earlier in the day, sent a
telegram to his uncle the emperor telling him he was OK and then was shot
dead, presumably before the emperor ever got to read the original telegram. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Here it is 80 years later and, once again, the world seems absorbed not as
much by the current fighting in Sarajevo as by another botched plot, the one
that led to the attack on figure skater Nancy Kerrigan and was allegedly
hatched by the camp of rival skater Tonya Harding. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It is, of course, a bit absurd to compare an event that started the worst
war the world had ever seen to what was essentially a minor assault. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But it is also fairly safe to say that the beating of a figure skater who
was probably a longshot for an Olympic gold medal anyway has already been
analyzed and investigated far more thoroughly than that event. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In 1914, there was no "Hard Copy" or "Inside Edition" to bring out a
never-ending daily parade of "exclusive" witnesses with "new" information on
the big scandal. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Maybe they would have unearthed new links to this party or that, and within
a few weeks' time, the world would have been so confused it would have had
trouble figuring out just who got assassinated in the first place. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Perhaps they would have maintained a 24-hour a day watch on the jail cell
of Gavrilo Princip, who fired the fatal shot. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And, if they were really lucky, somebody would have tried to tow away
Princip's horse -- assuming he had one -- while the cameras were rolling, so
he could break free of his captors and, in working class Serbo-Croatian, say,
"Don't touch my horse!" &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Come to think of it, though, it's not likely any of that would have
happened. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For neither Franz Ferdinand nor his assassin had the sex appeal of either
Tonya Harding or Nancy Kerrigan. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Historians say the prince was a bit of a boor and his assassin somewhat of
an anarchist. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And, the photos suggest, neither one would look very good in tights. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 No, if they could go back to 1914 knowing what they know now, the first
thing the producers of "Hard Copy" or "Inside Edition" would have to do would
be to invent a Tonya and a Nancy. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 After all, people were no different 80 years ago. If you watched the latest
Tonya-Nancy exclusive instead of the coverage of the marketplace murder of 70
civilians in Sarajevo the other day, what makes you think your ancestors would
have done any differently in 1914? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 When the Olympics have left Lillehammer and everyone involved goes back
into the anonymity reserved for most winter athletes, the city's fathers
should immediately start a fund-raising drive for a new plaque. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It's nice to honor war heroes, of course. But every city does that. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 On the other hand, not many can put one up that says "Tonya and Nancy were
here." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bill Savage is a Times Leader sports writer. His column appears Tuesday and
Thursday.

Who Needs History When 
We've Got Tonya And Nancy? 
In The Main Street Of Albertville, France, The Little Town That Hosted The 
1992 Winter Olympics, There Is A Plaque Commemorating Those From The Town Who 
Formed Part Of The French Resistance To Nazi Occupation During World War Ii.

Who Needs History When We've Got Tonya And Nancy? In The Main Street Of Albertville, France, The Little Town That Hosted The 1992 Winter Olympics, There Is A Plaque Commemorating Those From The Town Who Formed Part Of The French Resistance To Nazi Occupation During World War Ii.