Junior Wins Second Place Again In Figure Skating Championships

Employing a much faster, more daring style than he has in the past. John Misha Petkevitch '71 captured second place for the second straight year in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships last weekend in Tulsa, Okla.

By gaining second-place finishes in both the compulsory figures and the free-style skating, Petkevich easily compiled enough points to earn second overall, but not quite enough to nip Tim Wood, the defending champion and last year's world champion.

Much comment centered on Petkevich's performance and its acceptability to skating judges. Petkevitch, in sharp contrast to the rest of the men, skated to a contemporary version of the theme music from "On the Waterfront." His lace shirt, another departure from the norm, complemented his skating style.

After watching Petkevich complete a routine highlighted by a flying-open axle sit spin, champion Wood said that Pelkevich is "the most dynamic skater that the U.S. has seen in a long time."

Dynamic

By finishing in one of the top three spots, Petkevich has earned the right for the second straight year to compete in the World Championships on March 2-8 in Ljubljana. Yugoslavia. Petkevich finished fifth in the World Championships last year.

Petkevich is the second Harvard student to achieve world renown for figure skating in recent years. Two years ago Scotty Allen, then a Harvard freshman, finished fourth in the world championships.