February 19, 1998

Italian takes command of giant slalom Web-posted 2/19/98   SHIGA KOGEN, Japan -- Italy's Deborah Compagnoni, bidding to become the first Alpine skier to win gold medals in three Olympics, took a lead of nearly a full second on the first run of the women's giant slalom.

Witty takes Silver Web-posted 2/19/98   NAGANO - Chris Witty was relaxed. As she watched the other pairings in the 1,000-meter Olympic race Thursday, she skated around inside the track, slapping her coach on the back, talking to other skaters.

Postcard home Web-posted 2/19/98   It is amazing what an extended stay in a foreign country will do to your stereotypes.

February 18, 1998

Nervousness ended gold sweep Web-posted 2/18/98   NAGANO -- U.S. figure skaters were well on their way to setting up a possible Olympic medals sweep Wednesday night when nervousness ended the dream. Michelle Kwan and Tara Lipinski skated near flawless short programs in women's figure skating, and judges had left plenty of room for a third American to finish in the top five.

Freestyle skiers strike gold Web-posted 2/18/98   NAGANO -- U.S. freestyle skiers struck double gold Wednesday, winning both men's and women's aerials.

Dream team has a nightmare Web-posted 2/18/98   NAGANO -- America's dream team became a nightmare, as the men's hockey team took a mercifully quick exit from the Olympic hockey tournament when they lost to the Czech Republic 4-1.

Postcards home Web-posted 2/18/98   Konnichi wa, The big one started, women's figure skating. It's the event everyone goes crazy about. It's the hardest ticket to get in the Olympics.

Notebook from Nagano Web-posted 2/18/98   NAGANO -- Bjoern Daehlie won his record seventh gold medal Wednesday, but he said it wasn't on his mind when Norway won the 4 x 10-kilometer cross-country relay.

February 17, 1998

Olympic notebook: Vice president congratulates lugers Web-posted 2/18/98   NAGANO, Japan -- When you win the first U.S. Olympic luge medals ever, just about anything can happen.

Real Olympic drama begins Web-posted 2/18/98   NAGANO, Japan -- Now it's time for the heavy hitters to take to the ice. It's time for the darlings of the television ratings, the women's singles.

Women score gold Web-posted 2/18/98   NAGANO - The newest miracle on ice team earned a gold medal Tuesday when the U.S. women's team beat Canada 3-1 Tuesday.

A moment to remember for Americans Web-posted 2/18/98   NAGANO, Japan -- This is a team for the ages, this gold medal U.S. women's hockey team. It's a team you'll be telling your children about.

Olympic notebook: Vice president congratulates lugers Web-posted 2/18/98   NAGANO, Japan -- When you win the first U.S. Olympic luge medals ever, just about anything can happen.

Postcards home Web-posted 2/18/98   Ah, it's beautiful lying here on the beach, soaking up the sun, with the warm water lapping at my toes -- beep -- we're sorry to interrupt your dreams, but the baus (bus) has arrived, and it's time to go cover something cold.

February 16, 1998

U.S. men face another loss Web-posted 2/16/98   NAGANO - The U.S. men's hockey team keeps digging a bigger and bigger hole for itself in the Olympic tournament. They lost to Canada Monday and now must face the Czech Republic on Wednesday in a quarter final game of the medal round.

Witty ends medal drought Web-posted 2/16/98   NAGANO - The seventh U.S. medal in the Winter Olympics surprised everyone including the woman who won it.

Hermann still has the hunger Web-posted 2/16/98   NAGANO - Often the difference between an Olympic medal and an Olympic memory is desire. Whoever wants it most wins the medal. If you haven't won a medal, you want it. You want it so bad it's all you can think about. You're hungry.

Notebook from Nagano Web-posted 2/16/98   NAGANO - The rewards keep coming in for the four Americans who won the first Olympic medals for American lugers. Silver medalists Chris Thorpe and Gordy Sheer received $20,000 each from the United States Olympic Committee's Operation Gold program and matching funds from the U.S. Luge Association.

No stopping 'Herminator' Web-posted 2/16/98   NAGANO, Japan - Injured Austrian superstar Hermann Maier came back from a spectacular crash in the men's downhill to win the Olympic Super G today.

Women expecting all-out hockey war Web-posted 2/16/98   NAGANO, Japan - The battle for the first Olympic gold medal in women's hockey will be like Ali-Frazier, the Klingons vs. the Borg, Godzilla vs. Mothra.

It's last-chance time for American stars Web-posted 2/16/98   NAGANO, Japan - With the Winter Olympics entering its final week, several showcase sports will take center stage.

Notebook from Nagano Web-posted 2/16/98   NAGANO, Japan - The Netherlands nearly swept the medals in the men's 1,000-meter speed skating. Ids Postma took gold with a new Olympic record while teammate Jan Bos took silver.

Postcards home Web-posted 2/16/98   Everywhere you go in Japan you find people in uniforms. Everyone has one, from pink on cleaning ladies on the bullet train to bright blue or blue and yellow on police.

February 15, 1998

U.S. women's hockey team rallies to defeat Canada 7-4 Web-posted 2/15/98   NAGANO, Japan - The U.S. and Canada women played a hockey game on Valentine's Day but instead of exchanging hearts and flowers, elbows, sticks and crashing bodies were being tossed around like candy.

February 14, 1998

Men's hockey team wins despite continued problems Web-posted 2/14/98   NAGANO, Japan -- The U.S. men's hockey team is still adjusting to the bigger playing surface in the Olympics, but they think they're moving in the right direction.

Olympic high points more than winning medals Web-posted 2/14/98   NAGANO -- There comes a low point in any long trip, or any extended business project where you wonder, ``Just what the heck am I doing?''

Postcards home Web-posted 2/14/98   Everywhere you go in Japan you find people in uniforms. Everyone has one, from pink on cleaning ladies on the bullet train to bright blue or blue and yellow on police.

Postcards home Web-posted 2/14/98   Everywhere you go in Japan you find people in uniforms. Everyone has one, from pink on cleaning ladies on the bullet train to bright blue or blue and yellow on police.

February 13, 1998

American luge racers end drought Web-posted 2/13/98   NAGANO - American luge racers know how to handle not winning an Olympic medal. In 34 years of racing the Americans had never reached the Olympic podium.

Swedes beat American hockey team Web-posted 2/13/98   NAGANO - Don't start polishing those medals yet, boys. The U.S. Olympic men's hockey team made up of stars from the professional National Hockey League got a lesson in Olympic-style hockey from the defending gold medalist team from Sweden Friday.

Olympic notebook: Crashes mark men's downhill Web-posted 2/13/98   NAGANO - Jean-Luc Cretier of France won the men's Olympic downhill in a race marked by spectacular crashes. Lasse Kjus of Norway was second and Hannes Trinkl of Austria was third.

February 12, 1998

Call them champions Web-posted 2/12/98   NAGANO - They've been called babes on blades, chicks with sticks, hockey honeys and a lot of other things polite people wouldn't repeat.

Postcards home Web-posted 2/12/98   It seems that everywhere you go you can find little bits of home. Since I'm from Augusta, I always look for something that reminds me of the city, or of Georgia.

Notebook from Nagano Web-posted 2/12/98   NAGANO -- Quirky weather continued to plague the 1998 Winter Olympics Thursday, forcing postponements and creating nasty conditions for some events that went ahead.

February 11, 1998

Americans strike double gold Web-posted 2/11/98   NAGANO -- Americans struck double gold in the Winter Olympics Wednesday, easing the pain of a four-day drought full of disappointing performances.

Hockey star having a ball Web-posted 2/11/98   NAGANO -- Sarah Tueting is having fun. When that happens the U.S. women's Olympic hockey team wins games.

Notebook from Nagano Web-posted 2/11/98   NAGANO -- So if one sport had a gold medalist disqualified for using marijuana wouldn't you know it would be the free spirits of snowboarding?

Postcard home Web-posted 2/11/98   Ohayoo gozaimasu, Japanese is a very difficult language to learn because they don't even use the same alphabet as English. In fact they have a couple of different ways of writing things with symbols.

Mogul skiers win first gold medal Web-posted 2/10/98   NAGANO -- Jonny Moseley broke the U.S. Winter Olympic medal drought with a dramatic gold medal run in the moguls freestyle ski race that brought the screaming crowd to its feet Wednesday.

Kwan looking for better than perfection Web-posted 2/11/98   NAGANO - Michelle Kwan skated as close to perfection as anyone ever has in her last outing at the U.S. national championships. Now she wants to do even better at the Winter Olympics.

February 10, 1998

A battle for hockey supremacy Web-posted 2/10/98   NAGANO - The big boys have arrived to duke it out for world hockey supremacy.

Snow cookies choke Americans Web-posted 2/10/98   NAGANO - U.S. women snowboarders choked on an extra helping of snow cookies Tuesday ending American medal hopes in a sport they were expected to dominate.

Olympic notebook Web-posted 2/10/98   NAGANO - Casey FitzRandolph thought he had finally figured out the new clap skates, but his path to a 500-meter speed skating medal was stopped by a hometown hero and a Canadian juggernaught.

Postcard home Web-posted 2/10/98   Please, please, someone from the United States win a medal. Any kind of medal in any kind of sport.