skater anton

With no more models to cast off, an entertainment or sports figure will be next to go as the highly rated Dancing With the Stars shifts to jumpin' jives and torrid tangos tonight at 7 on ABC/Channel 13.

Will aging Vegas showman Wayne Newton be next to go? Yes, if there's any justice. And yes, considering he barely survived last week's public vote and judges' scores, which are weighed equally on results shows at 8 p.m. Tuesdays.

Three stars who should be safe have one thing in common: Each is partnered with a superior pro dancer trained in Houston: brother and sister Julianne and Derek Hough, and Houston native Mark Ballas. All were trained by Ballas' parents, Shirley and Corky Ballas.

Early front-runner Helio Castroneves, a Brazilian two-time champ of the Indy 500, is partnered with Julianne Hough, last season's winner when paired with Olympic gold-medal skater Apolo Anton Ohno.

Hot on Castroneves' heels in judges' scores is Cheetah Girls star Sabrina Bryan, partnered with Ballas. Her hip-hop flairs and their youthful dynamism kick up a clear shot at the finals.

Less likely to finish high but hanging in as a fast learner is actress Jennie Garth, partnered with Derek Hough.

In last week's pre-taped rehearsal footage, Garth giggled and had trouble taking him seriously because of his age. (He's 20; she's 35.) But really, who needs to grow up? Like his sister, Derek is the real deal, and Garth needs to get a grip and try not to trip, as she did last week.

Those tripping out Dancing's door so far have both been models. Last week, model Albert Reed was bounced despite solid judges' scores. In the first week, model Josie Maran had the indignity of being first to go, just as former-model Paulina Porizkova did last season. That leaves 10 dancers vying for the show's disco-ball trophy.

Actress Jane Seymour should return after missing last week's results show. She learned just after her performance last Monday that her mother, who had a stroke earlier this year, died in England. Seymour and her husband, actor-director James Keach, flew to England for the funeral.

Her dance partner, Tony Dovolani, says he expects her to return tonight and dance to "celebrate" her mother ― a big fan of the show.

Seymour has Houston ties, too. A frequent visitor to the city, including twice this year, she's a good friend of former Houston Ballet artistic director Ben Stevenson.

If Newton delays the inevitable by holding on this week, next to go could be Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who finished in the bottom two in week one. Cuban improved his dance moves in week two but not his arrogant personality, and his bragging about his billions won't get him anywhere.

Marie Osmond also is a poser, despite absurdly inflated scores from kowtowing judges, while soap star Cameron Mathison relies more on his physique than his fluidity on the floor.

Far more worthy are former Spice Girl Melanie Brown and boxing star Floyd Mayweather, though the latter can't get a break from judges' negative mind-set. But public votes have offset that so far, and Mayweather, like Brown, at least shows potential.
speedskating has been described as NASCAR on ice.

Advertisement


As bodies fly around the ice inches from one another at 30 miles per hour, thrills, spills, bumps, crashes and wipe-outs are lurking at every turn.


With 20 screws and four plates in his head, Jordan Malone is living proof of the dangers of short track.


Before transitioning from inline skating to short track about four years ago, Malone -- arguably the second-best U.S. short track skater behind Apolo Anton Ohno -- suffered a broken jaw during an inline meet.


"It was a pretty serious injury," said Malone. "I lost four teeth and broke the lower part of my jaw. The plates and screws don't have to be there, but I would have to go through surgery to pull them out. They are just a part of me."


Malone, who has won 14 inline world titles and 19 inline national titles, was racing in Zurich, Switzerland, when the injury occurred.


"It was at the beginning of the race, and a crash occurred involving about 50 people," said Malone. "I swerved to the right to miss it and went right into this two-drawer, filing cabinet size metal box, face first, with my mouth open."


Just before injuring his jaw, Malone sustained an ankle injury that kept him out of competition for four months.


"(After the four-month layoff) I was on skates for two weeks, then injured my face and was off skates for a month," said Malone. "Then, the next year, I came back and was the fastest man in the world."


Then in 2006, a month before the Winter Olympic trials, Malone suffered another serious injury to his ankle.


"I was training in California and ended up taking a fall," said Malone. "You are never really supposed to hit the boards with your feet, so the toe of my foot ended up catching the ice and rotated my ankle in. When (the ankle) snapped back, it shattered a bunch of pieces in my ankle."


Three and a half weeks after surgery, Malone was back on the ice preparing for the 2006 Olympic trials. With only half a week to prepare, he wasn't able to make the team.


How does Malone handle all the injuries?


"I'm a happy guy," said Malone. "I have a positive outlook on life. It takes me to where I am right now. I've had so many injuries, that somebody without a positive outlook would have quit by now. "


So much for the so-called sophomore jinx.
If anything, Avalanche center Paul Stastny is playing at a higher level than he did last season, when he was runner-up to Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin in voting for the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year.

With four goals and four assists in three games - he has had a hand in eight of the Avalanche's 10 goals - Stastny is leading the league in scoring and Monday was chosen its No. 1 star for the season's opening week.

New York Islanders center Mike Comrie (four goals, two assists) was selected the second star and Nashville Predators goalie Chris Mason (2-0 record, 0.50 goals- against average), who posted a 4-0 shutout against the Avalanche on Thursday, was the third star.

"I don't think they're coming easy," Stastny said of his points. "I've gotten a couple of good bounces and I'm playing with some good linemates."

So far, it hasn't mattered which wings he has skated with.

After producing a hat trick against Dallas on opening night while anchoring a line with Jaroslav Hlinka and Andrew Brunette, Stastny had a career-high five points (one goal, four assists) Sunday against San Jose while playing alongside Ryan Smyth and Milan Hejduk.

Stastny, 21, didn't score his first goal last season until the Avalanche's eighth game, and it took him nine games to accumulate eight points.

He set an NHL record for rookies with a 20-game points-scoring streak and finished the season with 28 goals and 50 assists.

"I thought last year he played at a pretty impressive level," coach Joel Quenneville said. "Just to keep getting better is a great sign. Those are pretty lofty standards to set to come in as a youngster, but his approach to training camp this year was he looked quicker and as determined as he was last year. His intelligence and the way the puck follows him around is pretty unusual.

"Paul's got really good hockey sense, and with the puck his patience level is definitely at the highest end of the game."

Stastny, who left the University of Denver after his sophomore year, is a member of a famous hockey family. His father, Peter, starred for Quebec, New Jersey and St. Louis and is in the Hockey Hall of Fame; his uncles Anton and Marian also played for the Nordiques; his brother, Yan, is in the Blues organization.

"I think he learned a lot from his dad," Smyth said. "This guy is determined to win. You can see in all zones, whether it starts from the faceoff or when he's holding onto the puck or we're going to the net, his vision is very good. He's just a well-rounded hockey player."

WEIMAN TO CLEVELAND: The Avalanche assigned goalie Tyler Weiman to the Cleveland-based Lake Erie Monsters in the American Hockey League.

Weiman, 23, was Peter Budaj's backup for the first three games, but Jose Theodore has been activated after recovering from knee surgery and is expected to start Friday in St. Louis or Saturday against Columbus at the Pepsi Center.

Weiman made his NHL debut in Thursday's 4-0 loss at Nashville when he relieved Budaj in the third period. He stopped all 10 shots he faced.
Toppenish school officials have launched an online school program aimed at students who have been home-schooled or have dropped out entirely.

The district launched its public school on the Internet this week. The Computer Academy Toppenish Schools (CATS) is open to children from kindergarten to 12th grade. Children could complete their educational requirements without attending the brick-and-mortar school at all.

Assistant Superintendant John Cerna said the free virtual school will provide an alternative learning method for children who don't do well in a regular education setting or whose parents don't want to send them to a regular school. CATS students will have a chance to earn their high school diploma and even get college credits if they take online advanced placement classes.

"There are students out there we've identified we can't reach," Cerna said. "I believe there are kids that will thrive on this."

The program also will help families who want to continue teaching their children at home. It will offer a free online curriculum that meets state standards, and will include home visits and tutoring from state-certified teachers. The school district reported that it had 22 home-based students in 2006, the most current information.

But Cerna said the program is open to all students -- whether they're from Toppenish or not -- who seek a flexible school schedule. Students can log on at any time or place, as long as they have computers and Internet access. They are required to work four to six hours a day, taking the same courseload as pupils in the regular school program.

By spring, Cerna plans to have laptop computers available for students to take home to use for course work and for e-mailing instructors.

Online students will have access to the full range of course offerings. Art, biology, English, foreign language, math and social studies classes will be available online to high schoolers, while elementary students will tackle math, reading, science, social studies and
writing. The curriculum incorporates online games and video clips as teaching tools. The students will take tests online as well.

"Technology has come so far," Cerna explained. "To not use it -- we'd be crazy."

Virtual schools aren't new. Internet Academy in Federal Way, Wash., hit the Web in 1996, making it one of the oldest virtual schools in the state. Earlier this year, the Yakima School District kicked off free online classes for Washington students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Insight School of Washington has offered online educational services to more than 500 high school students throughout the state since last year.

Internet Academy principal Ron Mayberry said virtual schools became more popular after the state Legislature passed a law in 2005 allowing the expansion of virtual schools. It's the flexible class schedule and independent learning style, he said, that attracted the nearly 380 kids to his school. Many students need the flexibility because they have full-time jobs, are members of sports teams, or have children.

Mayberry said five-time Olympic gold medalist and speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno was enrolled in the Internet Academy for several years. Andrew Allen, an actor who's appeared in the TV shows "Grey's Anatomy," Malcolm in the Middle," "Seventh Heaven," and "Lizzie McGuire," continues to take classes there.

Mayberry, who grew up in Ellensburg, said virtual schools provide students and their families with more options, particularly for those who live in small cities such as Toppenish that lack lots of educational alternatives.

He cautioned, however, that there's little opportunity for online students to socialize or interact personally with teachers and other students. Most communication between students and teachers are via e-mail and phone calls. Although teachers try to pair up students for projects, he often urges parents to enroll their children in separate youth activities.