First things first

Weiss, Plushenko win qualifying at skating worlds

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A world title sure would look nice on Michael Weiss' resume, particularly if he could win it on home ice.

Weiss took a big step toward that goal Monday by winning his qualifying group at the World Figure Skating Championships. But Russian Evgeni Plushenko made an even bigger leap -- nine of them, actually -- to take the other section, worth 20 percent of the overall total.

Weiss, who lives in nearby McLean, Va., has been pointing to these worlds ever since he found out they would be held at the MCI Center. The fact that the building was three-quarters empty when he skated Monday mattered little to the three-time U.S. champion, who owns two bronze medals (1999, 2000) from worlds.

"This is more exciting; there's a lot more focus and adrenaline on my part," said Weiss, who delivered a Tiger Woods-style uppercut at the conclusion of his program. "I want to skate well and do well and show them how well I can compete."

Weiss bought a skybox and expects 70 family members and friends to watch him this week.

"It's always intense in competition," he said. "It being your home crowd makes it more intense. But to me, it's just focus. If we can channel all that in the right direction, it works better for you."

Weiss had to work especially hard after needing only two decidedly mediocre performances to win at nationals in January. He's undergoing two daily sessions of hypnosis to "keep clear what I want to achieve."

"It's more like a deep meditation," said Weiss, who edged Japan's Takeshi Honda and fellow American Ryan Jahnke in Group B despite two-footing three jumps, including both his quads. "It makes you use your mind at optimum capacity."

Plushenko is fighting "a little injury" in his left knee, but he was operating at full capacity when he nailed two quadruple jumps and eight triples to beat American Tim Goebel in Group A. Plushenko, the 2001 world champion and a heavy favorite here, swept the panel of judges. Seven out of 10 marks count, albeit anonymously, so the 6.0 for presentation he received might not have been included.

Halfway through his 4 1/2-minute routine to "Carmen," Plushenko was nearly done with his tricks. He received a rousing ovation from the small crowd that especially appreciated his quad-triple-triple combination, the first time it was done at worlds.

"I like to skate. I like to jump," the silver medalist at the Salt Lake City Games said with a smile.

So does Goebel, but he hadn't done either very well recently. Nationals was a particular disaster for the 2001 U.S. champion, who flopped from first to third in the free skate. He also missed the Grand Prix series with a hip problem.

That made his performance Monday all the more rewarding.

"No matter how it goes, good or bad, when I have more things to do in a given season, I go home and focus on it," he said.

His coach, Frank Carroll, added: "I took him home ... and waved my magic wand over him."

The top 15 from each group advanced to Tuesday's short program, and no one was more excited than Jahnke. A surprise runner-up at nationals -- thanks greatly to Goebel's gaffes -- Jahnke has something to prove this week.

"I love being here," Jahnke said. "I feel like I belong here. I don't feel strange or anything. It's an incredible experience, and I'm glad I am going through it."

Surprisingly, only two American flags waved in the arena. And the small crowd didn't seem disturbed by the interim judging system in use.

Russia's Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin, undefeated this season, won the pairs short program Monday night. With superb synchronization on jumps and spins, they outskated defending champions Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo of China. Third were Russia's Maria Petrova and Alexei Tikhonov.

American pairs skating is in a weak condition right now, as exemplified by none of the U.S. couples finishing in the top 10. National champions Tiffany Scott and Philip Dulebohn were 13th, one spot in front of Kathryn Orscher and Garrett Lucash.

John Baldwin Jr. and Rena Inoue, the third-ranked U.S. pair, wound up best in the short program, worth one-third of the total score. They were 11th.