Gretchen's Fourth

In the far-from-crowded Chicago Arena, blond Figure-Skater Gretchen Merrill did the "change loop," the "three change three," the "back bracket change bracket." Five judges, stooping over the ice, solemnly scrutinized her "print" for signs of cramped, uncertain or distorted figures. Then their decisions were tabulated and averaged. The verdict: Boston's 20-year-old Gretchen was still the best. It was her fourth national win.

Gretchen shone in "school figures" (rigidly prescribed maneuvers) which call for the most technical skill, but are not much fun to watch. "Free skating," which accounts for 40% in scoring, is more to the public taste: it allows the shimmering pirouettes made famous by Sonja Henie. In this, Philadelphia's pretty Eileen Seigh, 17, outdid Gretchen. But Gretchen had made her points where they counted most.

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