TEENAGE COMEBACK VALENCIA SKATER ATTEMPTS AT 17 TO REGAIN FORM SHE SHOWED AS JUNIOR.

Byline: Gideon Rubin Staff Writer

VALENCIA - It wasn't that long ago that Mariam Mohajer-Rahbari appeared to be on the fast track to figure skating stardom.

In 1998, she placed first at the Southwest Regional Championships and fifth at the Junior Olympics (now called the Junior Nationals) as a juvenile-level skater. The next year she won the Southwest Regional and Pacific Coast Sectional titles and placed 11th at the Junior Nationals as an intermediate.

But after a sequence of leg injuries, equipment problems and conflicts with several coaches, the once-rising skating star essentially fell off the prospect map.

Mohajer-Rahbari, who recently turned 17, is now trying to resurrect her once-promising career. She's among about a dozen Ice Station Valencia-based figure skaters involved in regional competition this weekend. Mohajer-Rahbari is competing at the Central Pacific Regionals at Vacaville Skating Center - most Ice Station-based skaters are at the Southwest Regionals in Anaheim. She completed her short program on Saturday, and will perform her long program today.

Mohajer-Rahbari is the only Ice Station-based skater competing at the intensely competitive senior level. If she advances to nationals, among those she'll likely be competing against are Sasha Cohen and Michelle Quan.

``I've really just been building up to this weekend,'' Mohajer-Rahbari said. ``Of course I'd love to go to sectionals and I'd love to go the nationals, that's the goal. But you never know how the judges are going to be, so my goal is just to skate two good programs and be happy with my performance.''

Mohajer-Rahbari's troubles began in the 2001 skating year, when she developed bone spurs on her right foot, affecting her jumping ability. She continued skating despite the injury, and it only got worse. She also suffered a hyper-extended left knee she reinjured several times.

Exacerbating her injury problems were problems with her skates. Mohajer-Rahbari's powerful skating style causes her to wear out boots that last most skaters a year in about two and a half months, meaning she's constantly having to break in new boots.

And then there were the problems with her coaches, several of whom were verbally abusive toward her, according to her mother, Apryl Mohajer-Rahbari.

``It's been really frustrating,'' Mariam Mohajer-Rahbari said. ``It's just been like one thing after another.''

There were times when Mohajer-Rahbari wondered if competitive figure skating was still worth pursuing, but after taking several months off from skating early in the 2002 calendar year to rest her ailing legs under doctor's orders, she regained the passion that drove her to status as an elite skater in the first place.

``Once I was injured and I couldn't skate, I realized how much I loved it,'' she said. ``I missed it, and I was really excited to come back, so I guess (the injuries) came at a good time. I think it helped me a lot.

``Sometimes you don't realize the opportunity that you have until you can't do it anymore.''

Mohajer-Rahbari has regained a lot of confidence under her new coach, Peggy Tamres, who has a background in sports psychology. She's worked with other distinguished coaches including Alexei Michin, Russia's reigning Olympic Silver medalist and defending World Champion Evgeni Plushenko's coach.

Mohajer-Rahbari admits she needs to work on her consistency, but according to Tamres, she still has tremendous upside, and is young enough to eventually resurface as an impact performer on the national, if not international skating scene, once she realizes her potential.

``Mariam is a package skater,'' Tamres said. ``She has all the jumps, great flexibility, power. She's a beautiful spinner and is very interpretive. She's got it all, but she needs to work on consistency, especially under pressure.''

Tamres said Mohajer-Rahbari's many setbacks have contributed to her inconsistency and believes that now, with her injuries and other problems behind her, she is heading in the right direction.

``She's a much happier skater today than she was a year ago, and that's big,'' Tamres said.

Gideon Rubin [phone]

gideon.rubin(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

Mariam Mohajer-Rahbari is attempting to resurrect an ice-skating career sidetracked by injury, equipment problems and conflict with coaches.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer