Q&A on the News

By Lori Johnston

For the AJC

Q: Is it too late for Tiger Woods to get in the Masters this year?

—Bonnie Green, Atlanta

A: As a four-time winner of the Masters, Woods has a lifetime exemption to the invitation-only tournament and would need only to show up in time to register before his Thursday tee time, according to the Associated Press. Tee times for the first two rounds are released on the Tuesday before the tournament. The AP said players usually receive invitations in December and are asked to RSVP, but the news service quoted Masters spokesman Steve Ethun saying the tournament hasn’t heard from Woods. This year’s Masters is April 8-11.

Q: When were the school figures discontinued at the winter Olympic games ice skating competition?

—Phil Davis, Powder Springs

A: School figures were eliminated from international figure skating competition in 1990. The New York Times reported that one reason for the move to discontinue school figures, which included the tracings of the figure eight, had to do with their inability to draw television viewers. At one point, they accounted for up to 60 percent of a skater’s score. USA Today’s Christine Brennan wrote in 2008 that the school figures were flawed but served a purpose, “to keep the little teenaged jumpers at bay while actual women won the medals in women's figure skating.”

Lori Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or e-mail q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).