Nationals Lure Valley’s Top Skaters

The Valley will be well-represented as the lights dim at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver this week for the U. S. Figure Skating Championships.

Among the big names are Christopher Bowman of Van Nuys, second in the nation last year among senior men behind Brian Boitano and seventh in the world, and Cindy Bortz of Tarzana, starting senior ladies competition after winning the 1987 junior world championship. Bortz is coming off a gold-medal performance in the Prize of Moscow News competition.

And, of course, there is former world champion Debi Thomas, now living in Boulder, Colo., but like Bowman and Bortz a member of the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club, headquartered in Burbank.

But there also are some lesser-known Valley-area skaters from the LAFSC worth watching in the Denver event, which runs through the weekend.

Natasha Kuchiki of Canoga Park is expected to do well in novice ladies events and in junior pairs, in which she will team with Richard Alexander of Simi Valley.

On Monday night, Alexander placed 12th in the compulsory segment of novice men.

Others from the LAFSC competing in Denver include: Alex Chang of Seal Beach and Christopher Mitchell of Rolling Hills (junior men); Stephan Laumann of Thousand Oaks, Kara Berger of San Diego, Duane Greenleaf of Long Beach, Elizabeth Punsalan of Sheffield Lake, Ohio, and Wendy and Peter Mirsky of West Orange, N. J. (junior dance); Patrick Brault of Azusa (senior men); and Todd Sand of Panorama City, Kellie Creel of Orange and the team of Jill Watson and Peter Oppegard of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., (senior pairs).

Sand’s partner is Lori Blasko of Thousand Oaks, a local skater but not a member of the LAFSC.

Another Thousand Oaks resident, Tisha Walker, was 13th Monday in the compulsory portion of the junior women’s division.