SHEDDING THE SKINS?

Now that change is coming anyway to the Redskins, dare we at last consider The Big Question? Should the team change its name?

There are two valid sides to this issue.

Side One: Tradition. The name is venerable. If you change it, much plastic and polyester merchandise instantly would become obsolete.

Side Two: Race libel. The name is brutishly demeaning to an ethnic group that has been indiscriminately plundered for centuries. It defines a proud and accomplished people by the single characteristic of the pigmentation of their skin.

Being typical pandering journalists, we take no position ourselves. We merely suspect the Redskin name is doomed, and when that occurs, we wish to be ready with an alternative.

So give us one. Come up with a new name for the team. Entries will be judged on humor, originality, and appopriateness to Washington.

Here are two examples:

The Washington Rotundas.

The Washington GS-11.

Get the idea? Send your entries by letter or postcard to The Style Invitational, The Washington Post, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071.

Entries must be postmarked on or before Thursday, March 11. Include your phone number. The first-prize winner gets an elegant Timex "Ironman Triathlon" digital watch, valued at $39. Winners and runners-up will be announced in two weeks.

Washington Post employees and members of their immediate families are not eligible for prizes. No purchase necessary.