IN PAIRS, A SMILE OFTEN NOT WHAT IT SEEMS.

Byline: Rich Hammond Staff Writer

Like parents who argue in private but put on a happy face in front of the children, figure skaters who team together often project an feel-good image that belies reality.

That pairs team you see on the ice, smiling and gazing deeply into each other's eyes on the ice? They might be throwing potted plants at each other behind closed doors.

``Oh, of course,'' said a laughing Doug Williams, president of the All Year Skating Club. ``A number of teams will go their entire career together without getting along. It's all about business and making it look good in front of the judges.''

Pairs figure skating, and its distant cousin, ice dancing, are often overshadowed by the more glamorous singles competition. Michelle Kwan, Tim Goebel and other big names command most of the sport's attention, but that doesn't make one who skates with a partner any less of an athlete.

Pairs must be completely synchronized in their skating and jumps, and even though they don't do jumps, ice dancers must navigate complex programs based not only on accuracy but on making the judges ``feel'' the music and the routine.

``Some people don't enjoy the jumps,'' said Janis Engel, a top-level ice dancing judge who lives in Santa Clarita. ``People tend to start out at singles, and they come up to dance and they love dealing with the music and they like having a partner. They like the passion that it takes to create the unison and the expression.

``A dancer is an extremely capable athlete. Just because they don't jump doesn't change the incredible athleticism that they need to have out there. They are very strong skaters.''

Ice dancing is most easily described as ballroom dancing on ice, while pairs skating combines jumps with a series of throws, lifts and spins. Where they intersect is in the need for complete teamwork in order to pull off a strong routine.

For that reason, a skater rarely spends an entire career with the same partner. Williams, an accomplished doubles skater who led the effort to bring the U.S. Championships to Los Angeles, changed partners five times in 14 years.

Differences develop between the partners, the chemistry disappears for various reasons or, as happened to Williams once, one partner simply thinks he could do better with somebody else. Successful partnerships skate through the tough times.

``If you knew how good the other person was going to turn out to be, it would be an easy choice at the start,'' Williams said. ``The U.S. has had a lot of success with brother-sister teams, because their parents won't let them break up, so they stay together.

``Part of being successful is going through the ups and downs together. When you have a bad skate, you need somebody there to support you.''

Pairs skate short and long programs to the music of their choosing, but dancers must first go through a round of compulsories, during which every team performs the same set of moves to the same music.

The dancers also perform an original dance, in which all must skate to the same rhythm but can use different music, and a free skate, in which they must fulfill certain requirements such as lifts and spins.

``We look at the composition, the intricate and difficult footwork and changes of holds and if they are on time,'' Engel said. ``If it's a waltz, does it look like a waltz? If you turn off the music, can you tell what they're skating?''

That's why ice dancing judging can be the most subjective of all the competitions. It's largely a matter of personal taste among the judges.

``Some people will say, 'Wow, I really got that, that was a masterpiece,' and other people are going to go, 'I didn't even catch what they were trying to tell me,' '' Engel said. ``That happens on the panel sometimes.

``One person is like, 'That left me cold,' and the others will go, 'That's a 6.0' and you're looking at each other like, 'Wow.' That's why there's seven or nine of us on the panel.''

TODAY'S SCHEDULE

At Sports Arena

11 a.m. - 12:50 p.m.; Junior dance free dance final

1:10 - 2:50 p.m.; Junior pairs short program

3:25 - 4:55 p.m.; Junior ladies short program

At Staples Center 

5:10 - 8 p.m.; Championship dance compulsory dance

8:30 - 11 p.m.; Championship pairs short program

TICKETS

Sports Arena, $20 for all-day session; Staples Center, $75/$65 for lower bowl, $25 upper bowl. Tickets available at box office.

ON THE ICE

At Staples Center, favorites Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman begin defense of their pairs title as the short program takes place. They've won the last two titles but have finished seventh in the World Championships in each of the last two years. That's preceded by the compulsory dance competition, in which three-time defending champs Naomi Lang and Peter Tchernyshev hope to continue domination of their discipline. At the Sports Arena, Loren Galler-Rabinowitz and David Mitchell will try to hold onto their lead in the junior dance final. Competition begins in the junior ladies and junior pairs.

CAPTION(S):

3 boxes

Box:

(1) TODAY'S SCHEDULE (see text)

(2) TICKETS (see text)

(3) ON THE ICE (see text)