Olympics Aftermath -- Nancy Kerrigan Needs Lessons In Graciousness, Etiquette

If you got paid $2 million as Nancy Kerrigan did to work for Disney, wouldn't you know enough to praise your employer and tell of your joy at performing your duties?

And if you didn't know how to say something nice, wouldn't you keep quiet and keep on smiling?

Isn't it what the public came to see: A happy Nancy Kerrigan with that big toothy smile on her face?

Could it be the Rich Little Poor Girl wasn't given the rules of etiquette and a list of duties required in her job description?

Some said she was perfect on ice, others said she was near perfect; then, many discovered she was awful off the ice, acting like a thoughtless, ill-mannered, spoiled brat. She'd just been handed everything one could ever want on a gold platter, except the gold medal. Could it be that no one had clued Kerrigan that some other deserving competitor could win this coveted medal?

It's hardly been a week since the results of the women's skating competition and I am already turned off by the commercials which portray Kerrigan as a sweet, wholesome girl. For the time being, I believe Kerrigan should take a quick course on how to relate to people off the ice, on polishing her act and learn new ways of dealing with others in public, with the diplomacy expected of her.

Perhaps Kerrigan should look to Dan Jensen and Bonnie Blair as role models. She might even want to review the actions of the "bad girl of ice skating," Tonya Harding, who showed more diplomacy under fire than anyone would have ever imagined. At least Harding had the courtesy to watch Kerrigan's entire program and applaud as any gracious team mate would.

No one likes a sore loser, especially a rich one. Jeannine M. Matthews Kent