Maybe to those insecure souls who check the medals charts to see if the world's last surviving superpower is still stronger than the Netherlands. Maybe to those national governing bodies whose funding fluctuates in direct proportion to their medals production. For the rest of us, America's performance in Nagano is more of a curiosity than a crisis. Few of the winter sports really grip us except once every four years, and fewer of them attract athletes who might pursue more lucrative team sports. Rationalizations are readily available.
Regrets are too few to mention.
If taking part is what really matters at the Winter Olympics, America's got that part down cold. The Cincinnati Enquirer , a Gannett Co. Inc. newspaper.