A rivalry that has been growing for over 20 years will come to a head on ice skates and a sheet of ice tonight.

While the idea of an Olympic matchup between Russia and the United States is most often associated with hockey and another version of 1980’s Miracle on Ice, tonight’s battle between the two countries will involve five petite women.

With the men’s hockey tournament still in progress, the first big ice battle between the United States and Russia will take place in the women’s figure skating program when Americans Michelle Kwan, Sasha Cohen and Sarah Hughes take on the Russian duo of Irina Slutskaya and Maria Butruskaya in an all-out war, with the last three standing gaining a place on the podium.

But the artistic display that will be shown in Salt Lake City tonight has roots that grow deeper than the careers of the five figure skaters currently representing their respective countries.

Tonight’s competition represents a rivalry between the United States and Russia that has both political and athletic ties.

The hard feelings between the two nations entered the Olympic Games Jan. 20, 1980. On that day, American president Jimmy Carter gave the Soviet Union an ultimatum.

“I have given notice that the United States will not attend the Moscow Olympics unless the Soviet Union invasion forces are withdrawn from Afghanistan before Feb. 20,” Carter said to the American people.

Whether it was propaganda or bad timing, that date directly coincided with the 1980 Winter Games that were being held in Lake Placid, N.Y. And in attendance was the Soviet Union.

As if the deadline and the ultimatum weren’t enough to create animosity between the two nations, the Olympic Games turned a lot more political Feb. 22, two days after Carter’s deadline.

On that day, the U.S. hockey team made history, and it goes by the name of “Miracle on Ice.” A team that was seeded seventh out of 12 teams entering the Games, the squad of American collegiate hockey players stunned the world when it defeated the Soviet team in the semifinals.

In front of a loud, supportive American crowd that waved its nation’s flag, the 4-0-1 U.S. squad beat the Soviets 4-3, with the game-winning goal coming from team captain Mike Eruzione midway through the third period.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock, ABC announcer Al Michaels screamed out in jubilation and utter shock.

“Do you believe in miracles?” Michaels asked. “Yes-s-s!”

The crowd shouted “USA” and in a form of unity, the host country showed the Soviet Union they were a force with which to be reckoned.

And after the Lake Placid Games, the message came even louder.

Soviet forces didn’t retract their forces from Afghanistan, and the U.S. Olympic Committee voted April 22, 1980, 1,604 to 797 in favor of supporting Carter and boycotting the Moscow Olympics. However, this tally didn’t include votes from the American athletes, people who had trained for four years to reach the Olympic Games.

In May, the appeal by the American athletes was withdrawn, and the United States was officially refraining from the 1980 Summer Olympics.

Four years later, the Soviets got revenge on the United States when they decided to boycott the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles. They claimed that they were concerned about the safety of their Soviet athletes in the anticommunist United States, but more likely the Soviets withdrew from the Los Angeles Games as a result of strained Cold War relations, as well as in payback for the 1980 boycott.

For the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, American politics was again brought to the forefront. With the Sept. 11 attacks and war on terrorism still fresh in the minds of the host country, an American patriotic feeling was set to take over the Games. During the Opening Ceremonies, the World Trade Center flag was brought into the arena, making it clear to all nations that America was well aware of the losses it has suffered recently, but it was fighting back.

Then, to close out the Opening Ceremonies, the U.S. Olympic Committee sent a signal to the rest of the nations in attendance, particularly Russia. Chosen to light the Olympic flame was the entire 1980 Miracle on Ice hockey team.

Back on its home turf with the support of an entire nation behind them, the 1980 team showed the world that the United States is ready to recapture the magic of the Lake Placid Games and win another gold medal for America.

When the United States took on Russia last Saturday, the hype surrounding the game was, of course, buzzing with Miracle on Ice flashbacks. However, times have changed. No longer was the U.S. squad made up of a bunch of young college players, and no longer was the United States a significant underdog.

The 2002 hockey squad is saturated with NHL players, and all eyes are set on the gold.

Other things have changed, too. After the game, a 2-2 tie, there were no hard feelings between the two teams. The rivalry turned out to be just a good hockey game fought out with groups of players that held no political hatred towards each other.

At the figure skating venue tonight, there will be rivalries, but they won’t be political. The American crowd won’t cheer against the Russian skaters because of their political views, but they will instead boo them because of the dominance the Russians have over the figure-skating competitions. And moreover, a Russian medal means one less for the United States.

Tonight the Americans will be rooting for Kwan, Hughes and Cohen, while the Russians look to Slutskaya and Butyrskaya to bring home the gold for them. The athletes are different, and the national anthems are sung to different tunes, but one thing is the same: Both teams will be hunting for a miracle this evening.