21.   A feature look at how some kids make the junior circuit a stepping stone to professional golf.

22.   Abortion rights, the stepchild issue of campaigns past, became a stepping stone to elected office.

23.   Add the right training and mentoring, she said, and the job takes on the appeal of a career stepping stone.

24.   Both systems, with their low tuition, have long been distinguished as educational stepping stones for minorities and the poor.

25.   But he recoiled in horror after he trimmed back some hedges and flipped over three broad stepping stones hidden underneath.

26.   But I implore you not to think of your craft as merely a stepping stone to another level, to directing.

27.   But he said Kris saw the move as a stepping stone to becoming a Green Beret.

28.   But Mrs. Marshall said she saw her company as a stepping stone for her employees, a fresh start after years of unemployment.

29.   But in this, an Olympic year, Millrose and indoor track have become stepping stones.

30.   But the borough presidency is still seen as a stepping stone for officials with mayoral aspirations, like Ms. Messinger, who is seeking to challenge Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.