THE QUAD KING U.S. CHAMP GOEBEL SAYS HE'S GOT MORE TRICKS IN STORE.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

Moms and dads, don't let the kids try this home, but imagine standing on a chair, jumping off and spinning around four times and landing on your feet.

OK, try spinning once or twice and landing perfectly.

It's a broken leg in waiting even if the kitchen floor isn't a tad slippery.

Tim Goebel can do a much more difficult variation. He does it on ice, and tops it off with perfect landings on a cardboard-thin blade of steel.

In the process, Goebel revolutionized the world of figure skating in the United States. Now, any potential winner of a major competition must execute a quadruple Salchow, no easy task considering it took Goebel two years of practice before he pulled it off in a competition. It also set him apart from every other skater in the country since he became the first American man to execute a quadruple jump in competition.

Now known as the ``Quad King,'' Goebel is the favorite to defend his title at the United States Figure Skating Championships, which begin today in Los Angeles and run through the weekend at Staples Center. The top three finishers in the men's division earn spots on the United States Olympic team and will compete next month in Salt Lake City.

``It's made the sport more exciting to watch,'' two-time U.S. champion Michael Weiss said. ``It shows the athleticism of skating. Jumping, spinning four times and landing on a small blade. Maybe it will show the guys watching football the athleticism of skating. The person who does the quad, the spins, the artistry and everything else is going to be the Olympics champion.''

Because of the quadruple jumps, Goebel, who moved from Cleveland to Playa del Rey two years ago, is the favorite to win the nationals. But it came at a steep price filled with nasty falls, countless bumps and bruises and the occasional bout with frustration because of the slow pace at which it developed.

Goebel practiced quadruple jumps for two years, 20 times a day, five days a week. It amounted to more than 10,000 practice jumps before he broke it out in competition.

``I was working toward something that no one had ever done, so there was no time table,'' said Goebel, 21, who trains at HealthSouth in El Segundo under coach Frank Carroll. ``It's something that's never been done before by U.S. skaters. It really set me apart. The triple Salchow was, by far, my best jump when I was younger so (the quadruple) was the next logical step.''

And forced everyone else to play a game of catch-up that still is being played.

Goebel won the U.S. Championships in 2001, won Skate America the past two years and finished fourth in the World Championships last year. He's landed 50 quadruple jumps since that first one in 1999, and since added a quadruple Salchow-triple combination to his repertoire.

Todd Eldredge and Weiss, Goebel's two fiercest rivals, continue to play catch-up. And Goebel knows it.

``Mike and Todd, both have one in competition,'' Goebel said. ``I obviously have a substantial edge in the technical aspect.''

According to Dick Button, the czar of figure skating television commentary, Goebel's consistency comes down to spinning.

``I think it's very exciting. He does so many quadruple jumps and he is so very tight, but it's only one part of skating,'' Button said. ``Many of them are wonderful. They have to have magnificent height in order to make them sing, and exceedingly fast revolutions to get them in. Tim Goebel has wonderful spinning ability.''

Ramifications of Goebel's now-routine jumps also are being felt on the women's circuit, where there is ever-growing pressure to perform triple- triple combinations.

``The men are already doing quads, and that's scary,'' said Tiffany Chin, coach of Beatrisa Liang of Granada Hills. ``Women traditionally follow men, but sometimes it takes a long, long time. Many people will break many a leg, pull many a muscle trying to do it.''

And, like many of the men are experiencing in their quest to match Goebel's quad ability, when the quad finally is executed with regularity, Goebel could have something else in store. He plans on using his dizzying technique to once again transform figure skating, perhaps making an impact on the international level like he's done with his quads on the national level.

``Next year I'm thinking of doing two quadruple Salchows and two quadruple toe loops,'' Goebel said. ``There's a lot of things I want to do in the future.''

AT A GLANCE

Who: Tim Goebel

Age: 21

What: U.S. men's figure skater

Notable: Defending U.S. champion and favorite heading into this week's championships. ... Nicknamed the Quad King for his ability to make four turns during his jumps. ... Became the first American to accomplish a quadruple Salchow in competition in 1999. ... Only American skater to execute three quadruple jumps in one routine. ... In search of first Olympic berth. ... Won his second international senior gold medal at the 2001 Skate America, the second consecutive year he won the title. ... Finished fourth in the World Championships in 2001. ... Finished second at the U.S. championships and Nations Cup in 2000. ... Won the World Junior Selection Competition in 1998. ... Won the Nebelhorn Trophy and the Grand Prix St. Gervais in 1997. ... Lives in Playa del Rey and trains at HeathSouth in El Segundo. Born in Chicago and trained in Cleveland before moving to Los Angeles two years ago.

Quotable: ``When I was learning (the quad jump), the progress was very gradual. It was hard to tell, but I knew I was progressing. That made it easy for me to continue doing it.''

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

Tim Goebel will defend his men's championship in the United States Figure Skating Championships, which start today.

Katsumi Kasahara/Associated Press

Box:

AT A GLANCE (see text)