tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21173533496919542312024-03-19T04:41:43.994-03:00Skate GuardSkate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Skate Guard Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279901701173788400noreply@blogger.comBlogger1486125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117353349691954231.post-35459072150739616412024-03-17T05:51:00.004-03:002024-03-17T06:26:45.554-03:00The 1972 World Figure Skating Championships<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy Canada's Sports Hall Of Fame. Used with permission.</span></i></div>
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Canada had just introduced a capital gains tax and a ban on cigarette advertisements on television, film and radio. In England, unemployment had reached the one million mark for the first time since the thirties, and a miner's strike foreshadowed the oil crisis and Three-Day Week to come. Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's son Justin was only a few months old and Bettye Lavette's cover of Neil Young's new hit song "Heart Of Gold" blared on the 8-track players of Volkswagen Beetles. </div>
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The year was 1972 and sixteen years before the Battles Of The Brians and Carmens and Liz Manley's show-stopping free skate at the 1988 Olympic Games, Albertans herded into the Stampede Corral in record numbers for the 1972 World Figure Skating Championships.</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Layout of arena showing ticket prices. Tickets for school figures and practice sessions (not shown) were $1.00, payable only at the door. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine.</span></i></div>
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George J. Blundun conceived a Canadian bid for Worlds during his stint as CFSA President from 1967 to 1969. Pulling together a copy of the CFSA's financial report and a report of the host committee of the 1960 World Championships in Vancouver, he met with Thayer Tutt, the President of the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, to discuss the budget needed to pull off a successful bid for the World Championships. Tutt, who was directly involved in the organizing of four World Championships, was supportive of Blundun.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">George J. Blundun honoured by the city of Calgary with a plaque commemorating the 1972 World Championships in 1981. Photo courtesy "Canadian Skater" magazine. </span></i></div>
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However, when Blundun met with ISU officials at the 1968 World Championships in Geneva, he learned that Japan was considering a bid and was encouraged to bid for the 1971 World Championships instead. Though Toronto also submitted a bid, Blundun secured a twenty-two thousand dollar grant from the Province of Alberta, a one hundred and twenty thousand advance from the Royal Bank and five thousand, five hundred dollars from the city of Calgary.<br />
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In her book "Reflections On The CFSA: A History Of The Canadian Figure Skating Association 1887-1990", Teresa Moore explained that Blundun "wanted to see Canada as a major force in the skating community and the way to do that, he reckoned, was to bring the world to Canada. He was also a westerner and when he brought the world to Canada, he wanted to make sure it was Calgary they saw. He planned to hold the best World Championships the world had ever seen - not to repeat the success of Vancouver, but to outdo it. His Worlds would be like nothing anyone had ever seen. And he planned to do the unthinkable... he planned to make money doing it."<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Wally Attrill, the building superintendent, spraying white paint at the Stampede Corral in preparation for the competition. Photo courtesy Glenbow Archives.</span></i></div>
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Blundun's Calgary bid beat out Toronto easily, but in June of 1968, it was announced that the 1971 World Championships would be held in Lyon, France. Unphased by the loss, Blundun applied to host the World Championships in 1972. Japan had also applied, citing the logic that it would be easier for skaters to remain in Asia following the Sapporo Olympics than to travel to another continent shortly thereafter. However, the ISU balked at the cost of holding the 1972 World Championships in Japan and finally decided to accept Blundun's bid. The good news was announced by the CFSA in June of 1970.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy Canada's Sports Hall Of Fame. Used with permission.</span></i></div>
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With the assistance of Nancy Southam (the wife of ATCO President Ron Southam), Mel Shannon, Marg Southern, John Francis, Beverley Brodie and ISU judge Joan Maclagan, Blundun secured the Glencoe and Foothills Arena for practice ice, recruited two hundred local volunteers and put together a team to organize every detail of the March 6 to 12, 1972 event.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Left: Official logo of the competition. Right: </span></i><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Commemorative badge. Photo courtesy Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. Used with permission.</span></i></div>
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The 1972 World Championships made a profit of one hundred and forty thousand dollars - no small sum in those days! In a 1989 interview, CFSA President Donald Gilchrist recalled, "He [Blundun] put a whole new lease of life on the World Championships and the money that could be made. The Americans had never made any money because they always held it at the Broadmoor and the arena up there is like a theatre."<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Canada Post's commemorative stamp issued in conjunction with the 1972 World Championships</span></i></div>
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The event was televised internationally on Eurovision and its Iron Curtain satellite Intervision and ABC's Wide World Of Sports. Johnny Esaw and Otto Jelinek called it for CTV. To commemorate the event, Canada Post issued a special eight-cent stamp five days before the competition. It was the first time a Canadian stamp was ever issued in conjunction with the World Figure Skating Championships.<br />
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However, not everything in Calgary was all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows. In "Skating" magazine, Nancy Gupton Aitken recalled, "In the days before the competition, everything that could go wrong, did. Music tapes broke, were spliced, and retaped. Competitors missed buses, were stuck in elevators, caught the 'flu bug', fell and were hospitalized, and misinterpreted practice schedules, but still made lifelong friends while learning each other's languages. Coaches got in the way, yelled at their skaters, and berated music operators. Parents alternately laughed and cried."<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ondrej Nepela and Trixi Schuba</span></i></div>
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With huge thanks to Lindsay Moir of the Glenbow Museum (who went above and beyond with her help with this particular blog), Canada's Sports Hall Of Fame, Marie Petrie McGillvray and the Alberta Sports Hall Of Fame, we'll explore the story of the event played out!<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy Canada's Sports Hall Of Fame. Used with permission.</span></i></div>
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<b>THE PAIRS COMPETITION</b><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pairs medallists in Calgary. Photo courtesy Marie Petrie McGillvray.</span></i></div>
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The required elements for the pairs compulsory short program were side-by-side double Salchows, a straight line step sequence, back outside death spiral, side-by-side flying camel spins and a double overhead lasso lift. Skating to "Metelitza" and "Csárdás", twenty-two year old Irina Rodnina and twenty-four year old Alexei Ulanov made history, receiving the first two 6.0's ever awarded in the pairs compulsory short program at the World Championships. One was for technical merit and the other for artistic impression.<br />
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Rodnina and Ulanov's success was remarkable in that the Sunday before the start of the competition, Rodnina was reportedly hospitalized due to a concussion and shoulder injury after a missed lift in practice. They missed two days of practice as a result. The reported concussion wasn't the only reason that Rodnina was "pale and unsteady" in Calgary. She and Ulanov were barely on speaking terms and this event was when the love triangle between Rodnina, Ulanov and Lyudmila Smirnova reached its apex. Sandra Bezic recalled that as a result, "Her 'Sad Eyes' exhibition number was never more poignant." Between the Sapporo Olympics and the Worlds in Calgary, Smirnova and her partner Andrei Suraikin had been sent back to Leningrad, skipping the exhibition at the Closing Ceremonies. When Ulanov returned, he quickly married Smirnova.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Irina Rodnina and Alexei Ulanov. Left photo courtesy Lindsay Moir, Glenbow Museum; Calgary Public Library Archives. Right photo courtesy "Skating" magazine.</span></i></div>
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Irina Rodnina struggled with her double Axel and double Salchow in the free skate, but the judges still awarded her and Ulanov 421.8 points and 9.0 ordinal placings for their effort... enough to take the overall title by a wide margin based on their result in the compulsory short program. They skated from Alexander Glazunov's "The Seasons" and Aram Khachaturian's ballet "Gayane".<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Lyudmila Smirnova and Andrei Suraikin. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine.</span></i></span></div>
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In what would be their final competition together, Smirnova and Suraikin skated extremely well in both phases of the competition, their only mistake being a missed double flip jump by Smirnova in the free skate. Their marks in the free skate, which ranged from 5.7 to 5.9, were comparable to Rodnina and Ulanov. JoJo Starbuck and Ken Shelley struggled on their lift in the compulsory short program but their come-from-behind free skate upstaged the Soviets. They earned two standing ovations - one after their program and another after their marks - and moved up to take the bronze. East Germans Manuela Groß and Uwe Kagelmann dropped from third to fourth, missing both throw double Axel attempts in their program.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Irina Rodnina and Alexei Ulanov. Photo courtesy Lindsay Moir, Glenbow Museum; Calgary Public Library Archives.</span></i></div>
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The UPI News Agency noted, "The Russian couple [Rodnina and Ulanov] so far outclassed other competitors with their highly original and challenging free-skating exhibition that they were unbeatable despite several stumbles by the faint Miss Rodnina. The petite skater, still pale and unsteady after a slight concussion she incurred during a practice session Saturday, had to be assisted to her dressing room following the couple's performance and a doctor waited to examine her while she returned to the podium to claim her title."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghsTEdTXH8DBH_mJqwm6wu9lOuzU2I4Zs2R4dnr92pN0v97jZk7dkqmSVfhBofFd3jWlt8gTG-ISMANRhhkK2UlTqMdE6O6ukgBLC27Sy7e5kEtmbWspK-JJZtBIYkDhb3oNvhr4e6snI/s1600/Rodnina+Ulanov.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="132" data-original-width="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghsTEdTXH8DBH_mJqwm6wu9lOuzU2I4Zs2R4dnr92pN0v97jZk7dkqmSVfhBofFd3jWlt8gTG-ISMANRhhkK2UlTqMdE6O6ukgBLC27Sy7e5kEtmbWspK-JJZtBIYkDhb3oNvhr4e6snI/s1600/Rodnina+Ulanov.PNG" /></a></div>
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Placing fifth overall, West Germans Almut Lehmann and Herbert Weisinger thrilled the Calgary crowd with a five jump combination in their free skate set to Aaron Copeland's "Rodeo" and "Billy The Kid", but they included a cartwheel lift that some felt might have been illegal. Americans Melissa and Mark Militano finished ninth, landing a throw double Axel late in their free skate after missing one earlier in their program. In the compulsory short program, the Militanos had made an extremely unorthodox music choice, skating to the eerie soundtrack from the Alfred Hitchcock film "Psycho".<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Top: JoJo Starbuck and Ken Shelley. Bottom: Melissa and Mark Militano. Photos courtesy "Skating" magazine.</i></span></div>
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Canadian Champions Sandra and Val Bezic placed eighth in their third trip to the World Championships, but earned a standing ovation for their compulsory short program to "Tin Roof Blues". Sandra Bezic told "Calgary Herald" staff writer Ray Blair, "I could feel the audience behind us. They were just great." Val added, "The ovation touched me. It meant more than the marks." Those marks, in the 5.3 to 5.7 range, were loudly booed by the pro-Canadian crowd. Mrs. Ellen Burka stated that their equally impressive free skate was "the best they could have done." Sandra Bezic recalled, "It was an awesome experience for the Canadian team. Standing ovations for everyone... a rowdy Calgary crowd for all the competitors. It was also a great competition for Val and me." Calgary made such an impression on Mary Petrie (who placed eleventh with partner John Hubbell) that she moved there, married former Glencoe Club President Doug McGillvray and started a summer skating school. She recalled, "It was really fun to skate at Worlds in Calgary. We felt some pressure to skate well in front of a hometown audience but also tremendous support!"<br />
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<b>THE MEN'S COMPETITION</b><b><br /></b>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Men's medallists. Photo courtesy Marie Petrie McGillvray.</span></i></div>
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After the men's school figures, twenty-one year old Ondrej Nepela of Czechoslovakia had a forty-one point lead over twenty-six year old Sergei Chetverukhin of the Soviet Union. The Olympic Gold and Silver Medallists were both widely known for their strength in the compulsories and certainly lived up to expectations in Calgary. Nepela told "Calgary Herald" staff writer Bob Tate, "I always want to do my best in competition and I think I did here. I was very satisfied, particularly with the first three figures, and my total marks were good." Totals perhaps, but on the final figure the American judge Dorothy Burkholder gave Nepela a 3.6, which stood out vastly in comparison to the East German judge Helga von Wiecki's 4.8.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Left: Sergei Chetverukhin. Right: </span></i><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Toller Cranston. </span></i><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy Lindsay Moir, Glenbow Museum; Calgary Public Library Archives.</span></i></div>
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Sergei Chetverukhin wasn't as pleased, telling reporters he planned to retire after this event and that he wasn't as pleased with his final two figures as he was with the first four. He conceded, "It's possible to win, but I don't think so. [Nepela] is a strong free skater, too." Rounding out the top five after figures were Vladimir Kovalev, Jan Hoffmann and John 'Misha' Petkevich. British skater Haig Oundjian withdrew mid-way through the figures, sitting in an unlucky thirteenth place. He complained to reporters, "Any sport that relies on human judgment to decide the competition is not a sport."<br />
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Canada's hopes were dashed when twenty-one year old Toller Cranston - the only skater the CFSA elected to send to Worlds - placed a disappointing eleventh on one figure and ninth overall after he'd performed the other five.<br />
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Though Toller Cranston claimed that he "forgot how to skate" during the warm-up, he delivered one of the finest performances of his career and actually won the free skate ahead of Chetverukhin and Nepela, though Chetverukhin received two 6.0's for artistic impression to Cranston's one from Austrian judge Franz Heinlein. Cranston's performance included two clean triples and his characteristic flair, creative spins and musical brilliance. He didn't just receive a standing ovation from the Calgary crowd - he earned one. There was considerable criticism about the fact that ABC's Wide World Of Sports didn't televise his performance. The consensus was that, by excluding it, an inaccurate perspective of the competition was portrayed to the public. "Nepela, Chetverukhin and Kovalev may have won the medals," noted Nancy Gupton Aitken in "Skating" magazine, "But Cranston's performance was the story of the evening."<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ondrej Nepela and Sergei Chetverukhin. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine.</span></i></div>
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In a column penned for the "Calgary Herald", World Champion Paul Thomas remarked, "The packed Stampede Corral was alive with anticipation Thursday evening as Canada's hope, Toller Cranston, came onto the ice to skate. And how he skated! Off to a great start with a double Axel, double Axel, and off he went... using his music well with great steps, style and poise he brought off his triple Salchow and triple loop with ease... What can one say? He received a standing ovation and moved up to fifth place from ninth, which means Canada can send a full team of men to Worlds next year."<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">John 'Misha' Petkevich practicing in Calgary. Photo courtesy Glenbow Archives.</span></i></div>
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Like Cranston, John 'Misha' Petkevich of the United States also turned in an outstanding free skate in Calgary. However, Nepela, Chetverukhin and Vladimir Kovalev's combined scores were still enough to keep them on the podium and Petkevich in fourth.<br />
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Canadian and American journalists struggled to explain to the public why the two brilliant North American free skaters hadn't won medals. Petkevich retired and focused his attention on his biology Ph. D. at Oxford; Cranston immersed himself in his art and regrouped for a rematch with Nepela in Bratislava the following year. The Olympic and World Champion had announced to the North American press that he wanted to retire from competition but acknowledged he was under pressure from his federation to retain his amateur status for another year and compete in the 1973 World Championships in his home country.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ondrej Nepela, Sergei Chetverukhin and Vladimir Kovalev. Photo courtesy Lindsay Moir, Glenbow Museum; Calgary Public Library Archives.</span></i></div>
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The competition was equally disappointing for John Curry. With Haig Oundjian's withdrawal, the hopes of Great Britain rested on his shoulders. Despite placing a commendable sixth in the figures and seventh in the free skate, he placed ninth overall due to the scoring system in place at the time. Curry received more points than the eighth place finisher, Gordon McKellen, Jr. of the United States, but had one fewer ordinal placing. The Referee and Assistant Referee of the men's event were Donald Gilchrist and Sonia Bianchetti Garbato.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sergei Chetverukhin, Kenneth Shelley, Ondrej Nepela and Toller Cranston. Photo courtesy Sandra Bezic.</span></i></div>
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<b>THE ICE DANCE COMPETITION</b><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ice dance medallists. Photo courtesy Marie Petrie McGillvray.</span></i></div>
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There was a great deal of speculation in Calgary as to how the ice dance competition would play out. At the European Championships in Gothenburg, West German siblings Angelika and Erich Buck simply couldn't make a mistake. Pulling off a rare upset, they handily defeated Soviets Lyudmila Pakhomova and Aleksandr Gorshkov. Seventy-five hundred spectators crowded into the Stampede Corral to watch the two teams go head-to-head in the compulsories, curious to see how things would play out in a rematch. The three compulsories drawn were the Starlight Waltz, Rhumba and Argentine Tango. It was the first time the Rhumba was skated at the World Championships. Another first in Calgary was the introduction of a rotating starting list. After each dance, the groups of skaters rotated so that no couple faced the perceived disadvantage of having to skate in the first or second group every time.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy Canada's Sports Hall Of Fame. Used with permission.</span></i></div>
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Pakhomova and Gorshkov and the Bucks were both less than stellar in the Starlight Waltz, with the Soviets coming out on top. The Bucks finished first in the Rhumba, though many felt that a third team, Americans Judy Schwomeyer and James Sladky should have been the winners. The Soviets rebounded to win the Argentine Tango, etching out a narrow 1.2 lead over the Bucks after the compulsories. Schwomeyer and Sladky, with 248.7 points and twenty-three ordinal placings, certainly weren't far behind the top two teams by much at all. Hal Walker, the sports editor for the "Calgary Herald", reported that the banks of lighting set up for the television crews melted a small section of the ice during one of the compulsory dances.<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Lyudmila Pakhomova and Aleksandr Gorshkov. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine.</span></i></span></div>
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The OSP that year was the flashy Samba, a popular choice with the Calgary crowd, and Pakhomova and Gorshkov's win in this phase of the competition only widened their overall lead. In her book "Figure Skating History: The Evolution Of Dance On Ice", Lynn Copley-Graves described the grand finale of the event - the free dance - thusly: "The Bucks performed moves aimed to excite the crowd - lifts, a fast-moving broken sit spin, and a death spiral that would count against the Duchesnays a decade and a half later. Schwomeyer/Sladky skated the most difficult of the free dances with changes of tempo and a beautiful blues section. They had never been so relaxed. The only thing wrong with their free was their marks. Pakhomova/Gorshkov skated their best free dance yet. Aleksandr, though improved, was still rough around the edges. But nobody watched him anyway... Many thought Judy and Jim should have won or at least come out ahead of the Bucks, whose program contained many illegal and questionable moves and too much arm waving, an effect most intrinsic to Eastern European style. No matter what the rules, the judges showed preference for theatrical skating and mini-pairs over dance." Canadians Louise and Barry Soper placed ninth but delighted the Calgary audience with a juxtaposition of blues and samba music. Japan's Keiko Achiwa and Yasuhiro Noto made history as the first Japanese ice dance team to compete in the World Championships. They finished dead last, almost seventy points behind winners Pakhomova and Gorshkov. Popular with the Calgary crowd, the Soviets closed the exhibition following the competition with a rousing program set to Russian folk music. They were called back for encore after encore.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Group shot following the exhibition</span></i></div>
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A noteworthy aspect of the ice dance competition was the fact the competitors - first through fifteenth places - had the same result after the compulsories and the OSP as they did overall. The only slight change was the fact that Teresa Weyna and Piotr Bojanczyk of Poland bested Anne Wolfers and Roland Mars of France by one place in the free dance, but they remained behind them in unlucky thirteenth overall. The Referee and Assistant Referee of the ice dance event were Lawrence Demmy and George J. Blundun.<br />
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Looking back at the event, Judy Sladky recalled, "We'd stayed in for 1972 in case ice dancing made it into the Olympics but it never even came up. At that point, we were getting twenty-five dollars a show and you had to pay for your food and everything else. We had to make money. We had to turn pro."<br />
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<b>THE WOMEN'S COMPETITION</b><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Left: Women's medallists. Photo courtesy Marie Petrie McGillvray. Right: </span></i><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Trixi Schuba. Photo courtesy Lindsay Moir, Glenbow Museum; Calgary Public Library Archives.</span></i></div>
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After the school figures, twenty-year-old Olympic Gold Medallist Trixi Schuba, the daughter of a Viennese shopkeeper, led nineteen-year-old Canadian Karen Magnussen by a whopping one hundred and thirty-one points. Trixi's seventeen marks of 5.0 or better were more than impressive and relatively unheard of in figures at the time. Eighteen-year-old Janet Lynn of Rockford, Illinois stood third, almost forty-four points behind Magnussen and only slightly ahead of Zsuzsa Almássy of Hungary, whom she'd managed to squeeze ahead of after performing especially well on her final two figures. Fifth in figures was Great Britain's Jean Scott.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
In the free skate, Janet Lynn delivered an outstanding performance, earning six 5.9's and two perfect 6.0's for artistic impression. Karen Magnussen also outdid herself, skating brilliantly to music from "Spartacus" and earning a standing ovation in her home country. Her only error was a stumble on a double Salchow.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXHm6c2oJSBBTKL-B29BYbxepxbA-dQ3zcvht-7Wegeid-tY5IkqF-jCQ8zoPvTlWaXkDTqQipPlAy3E6DQvd8KKEKwB9Y7IoHUfB-gaCJxY8vH_HGCnuRVtxEIuwqKK5umgJMZto_mJU/s700/Karen+Magnussen+at+Cricket+Club+1972+Toronto+PL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="461" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXHm6c2oJSBBTKL-B29BYbxepxbA-dQ3zcvht-7Wegeid-tY5IkqF-jCQ8zoPvTlWaXkDTqQipPlAy3E6DQvd8KKEKwB9Y7IoHUfB-gaCJxY8vH_HGCnuRVtxEIuwqKK5umgJMZto_mJU/w264-h400/Karen+Magnussen+at+Cricket+Club+1972+Toronto+PL.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Karen Magnussen. Photo courtesy Toronto Public Library, from Toronto Star Photographic Archive. Reproduced for educational purposes under license permission.</span></i></div><div>
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Trixi Schuba's performance to selections from "Man Of La Mancha" only earned her the ninth-best free skating scores... but it didn't matter and she repeated as World Champion. Though defeating Schuba would have been practically impossible under the judging system in place at the time, the fact that Magnussen bridged the gap by almost one hundred points was more than impressive, especially because Lynn was the winner of the free skate. In the final tally, she was only thirty-three points behind Schuba and received first-place marks overall from three judges, including the American judge. Lynn, unable to bridge the gap, finished third with twenty-five ordinal placings and two thousand, seven hundred and thirteen points. Almassy finished in fourth, over sixty points ahead of East Germany's Sonja Morgenstern, who was third in the free skate, landing a triple Salchow. Aside from Schuba's win, another key example of the value of figures was the result of East Germany's Christine Errath. Inge Wischnewski's pupil actually finished fourth in the free skate, but an eleventh-place finish in the figures kept her in tenth overall.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Janet Lynn, Christine Errath, Trixi Schuba, Sonja Morgenstern and Janet Lynn</span></i></div>
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Dorothy Hamill, a last-minute replacement for Julie Lynn Holmes, placed fifth in the free skate and seventh overall in her first trip to the World Championships. Her program to music from Stravinsky's "The Firebird" was one of the highlights of the evening. In her book "A Skating Life: My Story", she recalled, "Somehow [my parents] made it seem as if we were on a vacation and put no pressure on me between practices. We drove up to gaze at Lake Louise and then ate at the landmark Banff Springs Hotel. I skated quite well... It probably made my mother feel vindicated about her instincts that I should have been on the Olympic team. I was the fifth-best free skater in the world. Wow! I have to admit, that was a real boost to my confidence. I had officially arrived on the international figure skating scene. Now, if I could only pass ninth-grade English!"<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Top: Trixi Schuba, Karen Magnussen and Janet Lynn. Photo courtesy Lindsay Moir, Glenbow Museum; Calgary Public Library Archives. Middle: As a result of her success at the World Championships, Karen Magnussen was invited to be a special guest at the 1972 Calgary Stampede. Bottom: Janet Lynn, Trixi Schuba and Karen Magnussen backstage. Photo courtesy the 1972 ISU Tour Of Champions program.</span></i></div>
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Toronto's Cathy Lee Irwin placed ninth in her second trip to the World Championships, still recovering from an injury that had sidelined her the previous season. Sixteen-year-old Daria Prychun of Toronto, Canada's third entry in the women's event, was a last-minute replacement for an injured Ruth Hutchinson of Vancouver. She finished fifteenth of the twenty-one entries. The Referee and Assistant Referee of the women's event were Josef Dědič and Elemér Terták.<br />
<br />Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/SkateGuardBlog">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://pinterest.com/SkateGuard">Pinterest</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@SkateGuard">YouTube</a>. If you enjoy Skate Guard, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">please show your support</a> for this archive by ordering a copy of the figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html</a>.</div>Skate Guard Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279901701173788400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117353349691954231.post-83396687134064272032024-03-17T05:37:00.001-03:002024-03-17T05:37:41.197-03:00A Lifelong Devotion: The Suzanne Morrow And Wally Distelmeyer Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMj-aQ3Oq8yssqeWqg394uW3MZwwWQE1ZBddjyW_ONREEYftOzBm0MfnBBZPw1sg8vfzpn79jNy6NqfIn7inbQCNE-2ZgtT6RUcINSr0ZM9sg4cFcO9NZP0teolChirYt2HSGrKaFiQqQ/s1600/tspa_0097485f.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMj-aQ3Oq8yssqeWqg394uW3MZwwWQE1ZBddjyW_ONREEYftOzBm0MfnBBZPw1sg8vfzpn79jNy6NqfIn7inbQCNE-2ZgtT6RUcINSr0ZM9sg4cFcO9NZP0teolChirYt2HSGrKaFiQqQ/s400/tspa_0097485f.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy Toronto Public Library, from Toronto Star Photographic Archive. Reproduced for educational purposes under license permission.</span></i></div>
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"Figure skating has given me an opportunity for over 50 years to work as a volunteer involved with our young and older skaters, and to be at the center of building programs that have led to the evolution of Canadian figure skating." - Suzanne Morrow-Francis, "The Legendary Night Of Figure Skating" program, 1999</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy "Canadian Skater" magazine</span></i></div>
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Wallace 'Wally' William Distelmeyer was born July 14, 1926, in Kitchener; his partner Suzanne 'Suzy' Morrow on December 14, 1930, in Toronto. He was of German ancestry and born in a Lutheran household; she had Irish roots and her family attended the United Church. He started skating at the age of ten, encouraged by a neighbour. She took up the sport at the age of nine at a doctor's suggestion, to strengthen an injured leg.<div><br /><div>
Wally made his debut at the Canadian Figure Skating Championships in 1941, finishing second in the junior pairs competition with partner Floraine Ducharme. The following year, the promising young duo won the junior pairs competition and 'skated up', placing second in the senior pairs event. Floraine and Wally's partnership dissolved when he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. Suzanne made her first big splash at the 1945 Canadian Championships, following in Wally's footsteps and winning the junior pairs event and finishing second in the Waltz... with Frances Dafoe's future partner Norris Bowden.</div><div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Suzanne Morrow. Photos courtesy Hamilton Public Library (left) and "Skating World" magazine (right).</span></i></div>
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Suzanne and Wally's paths converged when he was discharged from the Navy. He made his return to competition at the 1946 Canadian Championships in Schumacher. He finished second and third in the Waltz and Fourteenstep and won the junior men's event; she the junior women's. He won the senior pairs competition with Joyce Perkins; she finished second with Norris Bowden.</div><div>
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By the following year, Suzanne and Wally decided they made better partners than competitors. He finished second in the senior men's event at the 1947 Canadian Championships; her third in the senior women's behind training mates Marilyn Ruth Take and Nadine Phillips. Together, they won the senior pairs title on their first try, defeating a talented Winnipeg brother/sister team, Sheila and Ross Smith. They both made their international debuts at the 1947 North American Championships in Ottawa. She finished fourth in the women's competition; he third in the men's event, sandwiched between Americans Dick Button and Jimmy Grogan and Canadian teammate Norris Bowden. They won the pairs competition, defeating Yvonne Sherman and Robert Swenning, Karol and Peter Kennedy and the Smith siblings. Despite the fact they were a brand new team, their impressive win in Ottawa suggested to many that they had as good a chance as anyone at a medal the following year at the Winter Olympic Games in St. Moritz.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Left: Suzanne and Yvonne Sherman. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine. Right: Suzanne tying her skates.</span></i></div>
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Suzanne and Wally stepped up their game considerably in preparation for the 1948 Winter Olympics. They put in countless hours at the Winter Club of St. Catharine's with Australian coaches Sadie Cambridge and Albert Enders, focusing particularly on improving their unison. Wally even took ballet lessons to improve his 'manner of performance'. At the time, off-ice dance classes were practically unheard of for Canadian men's skaters. </div><div><br /></div><div>Suzanne and Wally's Aussie coaches even helped add a new trick to their arsenal: a one-handed variation of the two-handed death spiral which was a popular 'trick' among professional pairs skaters in the twenties and thirties, first popularized in the amateur ranks by Swiss pair Pierrette and Paul Du Bois. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKhQMFPsb7VKxQWXhfT_aKSIE7kRELLlOT13nkjhG4Lmlt98gJhb3o9A09vffGz80fIgJa1d8F_ni8KQZyq4O7US7Qdoi8e2DZgvcsE3-pChPsgOLN0ozBb66UNmTfE2Os8rOZ5rrpCkQ/s1600/Scan_20190808+%25287%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1005" data-original-width="1388" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKhQMFPsb7VKxQWXhfT_aKSIE7kRELLlOT13nkjhG4Lmlt98gJhb3o9A09vffGz80fIgJa1d8F_ni8KQZyq4O7US7Qdoi8e2DZgvcsE3-pChPsgOLN0ozBb66UNmTfE2Os8rOZ5rrpCkQ/s400/Scan_20190808+%25287%2529.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy "Canadian Skater" magazine</span></i></div></div><div><br /></div><div>The pair toiled away on their secret weapon, eventually perfecting it to a degree that Suzanne reached a low, arched-back position while Wally pivoted her around him. They have been widely credited as the first team to perform this version of the death spiral in amateur competition, though Emília Rotter and László Szollás performed it before World War II and Joyce and Colin Bosley and Gladys Hogg and Edwin Edmonds performed it in the I.P.S.A. Professional Championships in England in 1946. If you're big on 'firsts', it can safely be said they were the first North American pair to master the death spiral and perform it at the Olympics and World Championships.</div><div><br /></div><div>
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At the 1948 Canadian Championships in Toronto, Wally won the senior men's event and Suzanne finished last in the senior women's event. Together, they claimed first in no less than four events: the senior pairs competition, Silver Dance, Waltz and Tenstep. At seventeen and twenty-one, they had both earned spots on the Canadian Olympic Team.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Suzanne signing the City Of Montreal's guestbook. Photo courtesy Archives of the City of Montreal.</span></i></div>
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Both Suzanne and Wally had dismal finishes in the singles event in St. Moritz - twelfth and fifteenth - but together, they gave what many considered the performance of the night in the pairs competition. In the middle of a blinding snowstorm, the Ontario duo put on a brilliant show - side-by-side double jumps, speed galore, death spiral and all - but were placed a disappointing third behind Belgians Micheline Lannoy and Pierre Baugniet and Hungarians Andrea Kékesy and Ede Király. The official story was that they were penalized for starting their program with an illegal lift, but there were grumblings that the Belgian and Austrian judges had done some wheeling and dealing.<div><div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Dick Button, Suzanne and Hellmut Seibt. Photo courtesy Bildarchiv Austria.</span></i></div>
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Modern North American accounts claim Suzanne and Wally were outright robbed; primary sources from Belgium - Lannoy and Baugniet's home country - praise the winner's performance effusively. In a February 11, 1992 interview in "The Ottawa Citizen", Wally recalled, "We thought we would do well... It was so political. We did more things than the first-place team. It hurt us greatly because everyone said we had won." Unfortunately, long before the days of Twitter and computerized scoring, that sort of thing went on more often than not and no one batted an icy eyelash. Suzanne took consolation in watching her good friend Dick Button win the men's title and Wally delighted in cheering on Barbara Ann Scott as she won Canada's first Olympic gold medal in figure skating.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgksxDcbz4JzFU2JFdWG5CDEr4pmXS2VRvjkVZqb3I5vv6y3m93Gx_Z20b1OptxbVVLSVUvYkbsibrwmOe2If4vj1yecUzK76A_ueZsDhiSaBB3sMxy3EXZ6Wt2I1qSVmsqTdn_eu3piVs/s440/Scott+Take+Morrow+1948+Olys.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="335" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgksxDcbz4JzFU2JFdWG5CDEr4pmXS2VRvjkVZqb3I5vv6y3m93Gx_Z20b1OptxbVVLSVUvYkbsibrwmOe2If4vj1yecUzK76A_ueZsDhiSaBB3sMxy3EXZ6Wt2I1qSVmsqTdn_eu3piVs/w305-h400/Scott+Take+Morrow+1948+Olys.jpg" width="305" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Barbara Ann Scott, Marilyn Ruth Take and Suzanne Morrow at the 1948 Winter Olympic Games</span></i></div>
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If losing at the Olympics in St. Moritz was a disappointment, Suzanne and Wally's experiences at the World Championships that followed in Davis added insult to injury. After placing ninth and an unlucky thirteenth in the singles events, Suzanne and Wally again skated their program in a dreadful snowstorm - this time after midnight - but performed so well that they were called back on the ice for another bow after finishing their program. The conditions were so poor that as soon as they were done, nearly a dozen snow-scrapers set to work clearing the ice. As insurance against funny business from the judges, the father of the American pair Karol and Peter Kennedy brought his camera along to photograph the performances of the top pairs. He allegedly took a photograph of Lannoy and Baugniet falling, and according to Beverley Smith's fantastic book "Talking Figure Skating", his "camera disappeared from the room and was returned later, but with the film removed." Though they again skated the performance of the evening, Suzanne and Wally were again placed a decisive third, with ordinals ranging from second to fifth place.</div><div>
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Following their Olympic and World medal wins, Suzanne and Wally gave exhibitions in Paris, London, Bournemouth, Edmonton, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Ottawa and St. Catharines. Wally decided to retire from competition; Suzanne pressed on, determined to make a go of it as a singles skater.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy Joseph Butchko Collection, an acquisition of the Skate Guard Archive</span></i></div>
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As a soloist, Suzanne never quite was able to fill the shoes of Barbara Ann Scott, but it wasn't for a lack of trying. Studying under Gustave Lussi, she greatly improved both her school figures and jump technique and won three Canadian senior women's titles, the silver medal at the 1951 North American Championships in Calgary and finished in the top six at four consecutive World Championships and the 1952 Winter Olympic Games in Oslo. At the 1950 World Championships in London, England, one judge was so impressed by the fact that the fact she did three double loops in a row that he had her in first place in free skating. Incredible accomplishments all, considering that her career was almost sidelined by an automobile accident down in the States that was so serious she required stitches to her face.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwmS8qTPjWNfHMmSHd5-dvMKehkBS6T7z0H9uIh5fOWWnHK8Ptuz87SXk3g1D-0JsRIckIog8r1twoIsHWiLmZV6beyNfcarzQ4uRHh8qUup9JKbTVuqdyhra-2C1Teum-9aY0p_gmOEs/s581/Suzanne+Morrow.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="537" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwmS8qTPjWNfHMmSHd5-dvMKehkBS6T7z0H9uIh5fOWWnHK8Ptuz87SXk3g1D-0JsRIckIog8r1twoIsHWiLmZV6beyNfcarzQ4uRHh8qUup9JKbTVuqdyhra-2C1Teum-9aY0p_gmOEs/w370-h400/Suzanne+Morrow.png" width="370" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Despite the fact she never won a medal at the World Championships as a singles skater, Suzanne remains to this day the only woman in post-War figure skating history to hold Canadian senior titles in singles, pairs and ice dance. By all accounts, she was also a very talented skier.</div><div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy "Canadian Skater" magazine</span></i></div>
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Although Wally earned degrees in Commerce and Finance at Western University and worked at a microfilm company, figure skating was his most important lifelong work. He taught at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club, Centre Ice, Scarborough Ice Galaxy and the Oakville, Port Credit, Niagara Falls and Burlington Figure Skating Clubs and ran his own summer school in Stamford. His many students included Donald Jackson, Karen Preston, Tracey Wainman, Stan Bohonek and Mary Petrie and Bob McAvoy. </div><div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bob McAvoy, Mary Petrie McGilllvray and Wally Distelmeyer in 1969. Photo courtesy Marie Petrie McGillvray.</span></i></div>
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Wally also served on the board of the Figure Skating Coaches Of Canada, was a member of the Ontario Sports Council and was on the committee for the CFSA's Bursary Fund. He married Bette Wrinch, the 1947 Canadian Champion in junior pairs, and had two children and four grandchildren. He skated until he was seventy-one, and was a passionate collector of figure skating memorabilia, including sixty pairs of antique skates dating back to the nineteenth century. In an interview with Lois Carson in the Spring-Summer 1979 issue of the "Canadian Skater" magazine, he likened his fascination with skating history to a "disease" that he hadn't "been able to get out of [his] system." Very sadly, Wally passed away on December 23, 1999, in Oakville, Ontario from two far crueler diseases - Parkinson's and Alzheimer's - at the age of seventy-three.</div><div>
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Suzanne excelled in so many different fields during her post-skating life that it is hard to even keep track of it all. After graduating from the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph and earning her doctorate<span>, s</span>he became the proprietor of the Sainte Claire Veterinary Hospital. She divided her time between her veterinary practice and flipping heritage farmhouses in the area north of Toronto. Her first husband, James Pogue, was a professional horse trainer. She met her second husband, David Worthington Francis, while attending college. For several years, she ran a thoroughbred horse racing stable and showed horses internationally. In 1967, her horse won the prestigious Rothman Puissance Jumping Stake. She was also a German Shepherd and Doberman Pinscher breeder, a show judge for the Canadian Kennel Club and the first female veterinarian in Canada to receive a license to practice at race tracks. Her love of animals extended back to when she was competing when she bred blue Persian cats. </div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Hayes Alan Jenkins and Suzanne Morrow</span></i></div>
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Suzanne was also a mother and an extremely accomplished international judge. Her first of four trips to the Winter Olympic Games as an official was a bit of a bust. The pro-German crowd at the 1964 Olympics in Austria already had a major hate on for her because she was a low marker. When she placed Marika Kilius and Hans-Jürgen Bäumler behind the Protopopovs and Debbi Wilkes and Guy Revell, they went certifiably berserk... and Kilius was furious. The European press dubbed her 'The Red Devil Of Innsbruck' because she wore a bright red coat while she judged. Things got so bad she was getting harassed when she walked down the streets, spat on and shoved. In one effort to avoid the angry throngs, she sent Marg Hyland out in her famous scarlet jacket as a decoy.<br />
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'The Red Devil Of Innsbruck' served her first of two ISU suspensions in 1967 when she rated an American skater over Austria's Emmerich Danzer and gave higher marks than any other judge to Canadian Donald Knight. Her second suspension was served up after the 1976 Winter Olympic Games (again in Innsbruck) where she placed Toller Cranston ahead of John Curry in the free skating. She defended her judging to the 'powers that be' on both occasions. She called things as she saw them and wasn't afraid to go against the grain, even if her opinions were unpopular with some. She defended herself as a judge in an interview in the March 7, 1978 issue of "The Ottawa Citizen" thusly: "I'm not sure it's national bias. We're used to seeing a certain style of skating because we live with it and appreciate it more than styles unfamiliar to us. Some judges are purists - purely technical. Others lean to artistic performance. In most cases, the champion is the right person. One judge out of line doesn't make much difference. The opinion should be accepted without fear of ostracism... You must judge what you see that day." </div><div><br /></div><div>After judging at the 1980 Olympic Games and several other major international competitions, Suzanne became the first woman in history to give the Judge's Oath in the Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Olympics at the Calgary Games in 1988, where she judged the pairs event. Later that same year she was inducted into the Canadian Amateur Sports Hall Of Fame alongside fellow Olympic Medallist Brian Orser. </div><div><br /></div><div>Suzanne put away her clipboard and pencil in the summer of 1993, disillusioned after a referee wrote what she felt was an unfair report about her judging of the dance event at the 1992 Skate Canada competition in Victoria, British Columbia. She went on to survive breast cancer and quadruple bypass surgery before suffering a stroke in 2005 and passing away from respiratory and heart problems in Brantford, Ontario at the age of seventy-five on June 11, 2006. Debbi Wilkes recalled, "Suzy was a wonderful girl... just wonderful. Very clever woman. She was a great ambassador and so knowledgeable and confident in her judging skills. Because she had been a top-notch pair skater herself, she really knew what quality was. Not trickery, but real skating quality, and rewarded it appropriately. She was very generous in explaining to me what she felt true quality was... To have that kind of insight and be able to understand from a judge's perspective, 'Here's what we're looking for', was amazing. I think I had some sort of response one time like, 'Well, you don't understand what we're doing.' She said, 'It's your job to make me understand!' Such a piece of wonderful wisdom."</div><div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG182fk35sUDE-uoNmuA1wXAI3inENWZiv53_lXAwb84su9JVC_BFbmrgM5VhGbpqlcJYcHXYtVe5i4UY7jeC10c8CnY9DmWNHKvimXrKu2B1glyU7i9dhEArnYAoMpJ0arlYBgFD0kxY/s1600/4a4ed075ac48.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="479" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG182fk35sUDE-uoNmuA1wXAI3inENWZiv53_lXAwb84su9JVC_BFbmrgM5VhGbpqlcJYcHXYtVe5i4UY7jeC10c8CnY9DmWNHKvimXrKu2B1glyU7i9dhEArnYAoMpJ0arlYBgFD0kxY/s640/4a4ed075ac48.jpg" width="510" /></a></div>
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Suzanne and Wally were inducted into the CFSA (Skate Canada) Hall Of Fame in 1992 and were featured on a Canada Post souvenir envelope in 1998. However different their journeys might have been, I think you would be hard-pressed to find many other people who exemplified lifelong devotion to the sport more than these two shining stars from skating history past.<br />
<br />Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/SkateGuardBlog">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://pinterest.com/SkateGuard">Pinterest</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@SkateGuard">YouTube</a>. If you enjoy Skate Guard, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">please show your support</a> for this archive by ordering a copy of figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html</a>.</div></div></div></div>Skate Guard Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279901701173788400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117353349691954231.post-48545626348993895722024-03-10T08:48:00.004-03:002024-03-13T15:50:46.034-03:00Beyond Ice Castles: Fascinating Tales Of Visually Impaired Skaters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"We forgot about the flowers." That memorable line is one that is often repeated by long-time fans of figure skating when reminiscing about the 1978 film "Ice Castles", which told the story of a inspiring young visually impaired skater. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Did you know that the real-life history of visually impaired skaters dates back over a hundred years before the concept for "Ice Castles" was even developed? If you want to learn about the fascinating history of visually impaired skaters, look no further than this general timeline of highlights.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1838 - One of the earliest accounts of a visually impaired skater appeared in the January 21, 1838 issue of the "London Dispatch": "On Tuesday evening last, a youth residing at Bennethorpe, near [Doncaster], and who has been blind from infancy, astonished a number of persons in Spring-gardens, by using a pair of skates on the ice with tolerable dexterity; at all events, with safety, as regarded his movements. The only guide he had was his stick, and we question whether he is not the first blind skater who has introduced himself to public notice."</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJVgvKkxaRBxU9MjmYbVeXTSGCxa-TqZEoXliJhyphenhyphenRcHES0LS7RCMR-3ABSvz83IHjbRyxsDR1ir2vqVSheWPy_OE6UMQ5Gy1XkI-lgXLouinPe8XsO3FJE49tKS0BXyyT721iEua5t70M/s1600/Henry_Fawcett.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph of British Member of Parliament Henry Fawcett" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="729" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJVgvKkxaRBxU9MjmYbVeXTSGCxa-TqZEoXliJhyphenhyphenRcHES0LS7RCMR-3ABSvz83IHjbRyxsDR1ir2vqVSheWPy_OE6UMQ5Gy1XkI-lgXLouinPe8XsO3FJE49tKS0BXyyT721iEua5t70M/w233-h320/Henry_Fawcett.jpg" title="Photograph of British Member of Parliament Henry Fawcett" width="233" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Henry Fawcett, M.P.</span></i></div>
<br />1870 - Reverend W.J. Bain of Wellingborough recalled that British Member of Parliament Henry Fawcett skated "with such swiftness and energy that few could keep up with him." The "Cambridge Chronicle and Journal" noted, "Owing to the frost happening during the Christmas holidays, large numbers have been able to indulge of the enjoyment of skating, to say nothing of sliding and walking on the Cam, or watching the fun from the banks. The spectacle of a blind man skating is necessarily a rare one, but Prof. Fawcett might be seen disporting himself on the outside edge, guided by a man holding the other end of a stick which he grasped in one hand."<div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIcH0UQUzGYdTklKaBzqJ17JDhuY9727iFLDgoV5zKkR9ReUHZcaxcRJZw0L7FJp2v1MeFFglvq5Gvlra9MBZfc6oxuBSiTD_yV5SvZUwFJ95VaHHw1tM9Vm8tvEW6gZXH3Hd57SGoag/s1600/Marvin+R+Clark.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Engraving of American journalist Marvin R. Clark" border="0" data-original-height="352" data-original-width="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIcH0UQUzGYdTklKaBzqJ17JDhuY9727iFLDgoV5zKkR9ReUHZcaxcRJZw0L7FJp2v1MeFFglvq5Gvlra9MBZfc6oxuBSiTD_yV5SvZUwFJ95VaHHw1tM9Vm8tvEW6gZXH3Hd57SGoag/s16000/Marvin+R+Clark.PNG" title="Engraving of American journalist Marvin R. Clark" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Marvin R. Clark</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div>1888 - <a href="https://www.skateguardblog.com/2019/02/marvin-r-clark-first-american-skating.html">Marvin R. Clark</a>, one of the first American journalists to write prolifically about figure skating, lost his sight. With the help of a sighted boy, he continued to write articles about the sport.<div><br />1890's-1900's - Though turn of the century accounts from journals dedicated to the education of the visually impaired note that students in Stockholm often skated on ice, many schools in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century included roller - not ice - skating as part of their recreational therapy programs. In the early 1890's, the Royal Normal College for the Blind in Hereford began teaching students how to roller skate in its Fawcett Memorial Gymnasium. In 1895, sixteen year old Nellie Adams, a student at the school, made history by becoming the first woman (visually impaired or otherwise) to pass the Second Class test of the National Skating Association in roller skating. Ten years later, the Western Pennsylvanian Institution For The Blind installed a roller skating rink in their gymnasium as well. In 1911, a roller rink specifically for the visually impaired open in Berlin.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>1896 - A doctor from Glasgow claimed to have seen "dozens of blind men skating together and never coming into collision, which... is more than can be said for their sight-possessing brethren."</div><div><br /></div><div>1909 - One of the first schools for the visually impaired in North America to teach its students to ice skate was the Perkins Institution For The Blind in Massachusetts, which coincidentally was one of the first schools to boast an impressive library of Dickens' books in braille. Discussions had been had amongst the trustees of the school as early as 1897 about creating a skating pond but the school didn't ultimately take on the project until around 1909. In 1913, teacher Mary Esther Sawyer recalled, "Our six pairs of skates were resurrected from a two years' sleep in the schoolhouse attic, four more pairs were purchased, letters were hurriedly sent home asking for skates, with the result that five fortunate girls now have pairs of their own... In the fall of 1911, we had six girls who could skate a little, besides two fairly good skaters - the entering class giving us four more... By February 1, thirty-two girls were willing and anxious to try skates, clinging with deep devotion to their willing helpers. About half of these girls could be persuaded to leave their companions and seek help from a chair - no box at the opera being more in demand than our relic which the attic produced; the next stage before going absolutely alone is the 'broom or brush stage' - equally popular. Besides the thirty-two mentioned, eleven more girls have given up any assistance and go alone... thirteen more skate fairly well and eight more are very good skaters. January 25, 1912, two of the teachers took twelve girls for Jamaica Pond for an afternoon of skating, returning just in time for tea, after having had a glorious time; in fact, the girls all begged to stay longer and go without any supper."</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0PTenQ4GFdW91OgFHqboh_aB-FISHrp69jMjQXkaDGtcr8K5T1ni00YhLG1Uiua4nxbrk-HOEhX0gwvGQegpJzhIRw_sh8v5gCsj2-Q1QaxQi7ZjxNF1id9VQqcx1-bRuUK40zsTuUT8/s1600/Capture.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph of two visually impaired British soldiers skating with attendants at Regent's Park" border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="364" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0PTenQ4GFdW91OgFHqboh_aB-FISHrp69jMjQXkaDGtcr8K5T1ni00YhLG1Uiua4nxbrk-HOEhX0gwvGQegpJzhIRw_sh8v5gCsj2-Q1QaxQi7ZjxNF1id9VQqcx1-bRuUK40zsTuUT8/w317-h400/Capture.PNG" title="Photograph of two visually impaired British soldiers skating with attendants at Regent's Park" width="317" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>1919 - The Blinded Soldiers and Sailors Care Committee in London organized skating outings for British soldiers who lost their sight during The Great War.<div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oxX2W_t7L79ictD8DbNVP6D0UKdH_0CF9fMxkPd5OGLwBpQARGAfsPZRTCg_9K1S6xIgn0h0IQHLpvAvf3qxetFZbvlFH0-9knMaxKWrhSraOlLIckHTd409HZhHsDoVBXG7KVurzHQ/s1600/The_Lord_Fraser_of_Lonsdale.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photograph of Ian Fraser, Baron Fraser of Lonsdale, Member of Parliament" border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="239" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oxX2W_t7L79ictD8DbNVP6D0UKdH_0CF9fMxkPd5OGLwBpQARGAfsPZRTCg_9K1S6xIgn0h0IQHLpvAvf3qxetFZbvlFH0-9knMaxKWrhSraOlLIckHTd409HZhHsDoVBXG7KVurzHQ/w212-h320/The_Lord_Fraser_of_Lonsdale.jpg" title="Ian Fraser, Baron Fraser of Lonsdale, Member of Parliament" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ian Fraser, Baron Fraser of Lonsdale, Member of Parliament </span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div></div><div>1929 - British Member of Parliament Captain Sir Ian Fraser of Lonsdale took up skating at the Westminster Ice Club. In March of 1929, he led a skating parade of visually impaired skaters at Regent's Park in London. Mr. W. Tovell, the general sports instructor at St. Dunstan's, recalled, "Our muster was 70, including Capt. Ian Fraser, M.P. and we all had a most enjoyable time. A large number of the 70 skated like experts, and there were no casualties."</div><div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVTuRvEm_cJJn_mgwI5oi50US4lCzZAyC9_k19n0vMAxhBbT3xwphyCgbu5hM1Yp4_nCTqeaZ1zMasB3pyHnwtPtQpXxgRkCEzAFocaGbv11wE59yfQqsoiVPwed7hMnklNZpDx9-yKHw/s1600/download+%25281%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Rudolph Henning, a resident at Kitchener's Huronia Hall, skating at Victoria Park in 1954" border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="432" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVTuRvEm_cJJn_mgwI5oi50US4lCzZAyC9_k19n0vMAxhBbT3xwphyCgbu5hM1Yp4_nCTqeaZ1zMasB3pyHnwtPtQpXxgRkCEzAFocaGbv11wE59yfQqsoiVPwed7hMnklNZpDx9-yKHw/w363-h400/download+%25281%2529.png" title="Rudolph Henning, a resident at Kitchener's Huronia Hall, skating at Victoria Park in 1954" width="363" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Rudolph Henning, a resident at Kitchener's Huronia Hall, skating at Victoria Park in 1954. Photo courtesy University Of Waterloo Library, Special Collections And Archives.</span></i></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1940s - During World War II, there were several ice carnivals organized to raise funds for soldiers returning home who had lost their sight. One 1944 carnival in Australia - "Fantasy on Ice" - was organized by a blind man, Mr. John Murphy of St. Kilda, who worked with the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind. Mrs. Murray Fahnestock, a member of the Pittsburgh Figure Skating Club, organized a wartime skating program for a group of six visually impaired girl scouts who attended the Western Pennsylvania School for the Blind. Though five of the young skaters were aided by guides, one determined young woman, Hilma Hawk, preferred to go solo.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE8ZPbIydUUgKsgt-qd8CACKVNYv2KD_CqyVWbT329GOgTU6pq3drfF_GlsI1SEcHJOHCIlvbDLk2VpiKNTFraqOqmPoArxFb2u8Sg1zFSCji_9p17qLoX-uGwQYVhRsK2Ufqwfjg_d7Y/s1600/Andra+Paul+Legare+TOR+Public+Library+1975.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Andra McLaughlin Kelly working with visually impaired skater Paul Legare in 1975" border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="554" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE8ZPbIydUUgKsgt-qd8CACKVNYv2KD_CqyVWbT329GOgTU6pq3drfF_GlsI1SEcHJOHCIlvbDLk2VpiKNTFraqOqmPoArxFb2u8Sg1zFSCji_9p17qLoX-uGwQYVhRsK2Ufqwfjg_d7Y/w316-h400/Andra+Paul+Legare+TOR+Public+Library+1975.jpg" title="Andra McLaughlin Kelly and Paul Legare in 1975" width="316" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Andra McLaughlin Kelly and Paul Legare in 1975. Photo courtesy Toronto Public Library.</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>1950s-1970s - Andra McLaughlin Kelly started teaching visually impaired skaters in 1959. In 1975, Andra, her daughter Casey and Pat Soanes began donating their time to teach skaters as part of the North York Parks and Recreation Department's blind skating program, then the only program for visually impaired skaters in Canada. 1957 U.S. Bronze Medallist Claralynn (Lewis) Barnes ran a similar program at the St. Petersburg Figure Skating Club in Florida in the sixties.</div><div><br /></div><div>Margaret (Mitchell) Deering worked with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind to organize a similar program for students at the Jericho Hill School for the Blind at the Kerrisdale, Connaught, Capilano and Burnaby Figure Skating Clubs in British Columbia. The December 1970 issue of "Skating" magazine noted, "The course was so popular that now the classes have been incorporated into the physical education program of the Jericho Hill School. The attendance has grown to eighty-five, with more learning each year. The South-West Vancouver Optimists Club, of which [Henry] Deering is a charter member, supplies most of the transportation, all of the skates, laces, sharpening and pays for the ice time as well at the University of British Columbia Thunderbird Arena." Margaret Deering noted, "I had to forget my former methods of teaching and conceive an original approach. I started by letting them feel the skates and the picks and by putting their hands on the ice. They could tell it was cold and slippery and the youngest ones shivered. Instead of saying 'Watch me', I used their hands and moved them on the ice the way their feet should go, at the same time telling them, 'Your right foot does this. Your left foot does this.' I skated with my eyes closed to get the feel of their problems and found it hard to do! I showed them how to sit down on the ice, to stand up and how to fall relaxed. They gradually lost their feel of falling." Unlike many early teachers, McLaughlin Kelly and Deering didn't skate close to their students or hold their hand. They gave visually impaired skaters space and allowed them to use their senses of balance and sound to help guide their ways.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgma1zDT0tnm7a1O28ocbgwew9L73f-34FvgKaT6UCWhKiq7zbatGroMhwiuAf4JgzxI4Br_cFDw5gsKyAeNogQhoWyT3IKfphh4BGOPcY-e7RA3yij3dFjbi9gIEXSuN2Tk6Rau1VJbgQ/s1600/Scan_20180909+%25283%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Margaret Deering skating with two of her students" border="0" data-original-height="1168" data-original-width="1600" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgma1zDT0tnm7a1O28ocbgwew9L73f-34FvgKaT6UCWhKiq7zbatGroMhwiuAf4JgzxI4Br_cFDw5gsKyAeNogQhoWyT3IKfphh4BGOPcY-e7RA3yij3dFjbi9gIEXSuN2Tk6Rau1VJbgQ/w400-h291/Scan_20180909+%25283%2529.jpg" title="Margaret Deering skating with two of her students" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Margaret Deering and two of her students. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine.</span></i></div>
<div><br /></div><div>1968 - Visually impaired Stash Serafin took up figure skating in Pennsylvania. Working with coach Uschi Keszler during the 70s, Serafin developed into an excellent skater. For many years, he performed in <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2017/03/another-spring-skating-history-roundup.html">The Vickie shows</a> in Ontario produced by Andra McLaughlin Kelly. Vickie was an acronym for <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "EB Garamond"; font-size: 15.4px;">'Visually Impaired Children's (Kids) Ice Extravaganza'.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "EB Garamond"; font-size: 15.4px;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k2gTyHKIHOk" width="320" youtube-src-id="k2gTyHKIHOk"></iframe></div><br /></div>1971 - The Blind Outdoor Leisure Development (BOLD) program in Aspen, Colorado organized a skating program. In conjunction with the Aspen Skating Club, visually impaired people of all ages learned the finer points of figure skating and ice dancing. Ron Barnett and Arthur Preusch Jr., the club's President, were among those who taught BOLD skaters.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVvABVUX5XKIMVxxjO88UdsnCvnbazAUclBhV9_OKq5bpOsybMb6kioB32RI4nSUpuehLbgG7iiadzVHwcyUSj_3-9S23vE2QfX-3MMB7DXMyX8kmAuse70Zg7cp50bH6q_yNQalBAQNo/s1600/Scan_20180909+%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Charles 'Lefty' Brinkman, John Eyemer and Arthur Preusch, Jr. skating at the Aspen Skating Club" border="0" data-original-height="1212" data-original-width="1600" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVvABVUX5XKIMVxxjO88UdsnCvnbazAUclBhV9_OKq5bpOsybMb6kioB32RI4nSUpuehLbgG7iiadzVHwcyUSj_3-9S23vE2QfX-3MMB7DXMyX8kmAuse70Zg7cp50bH6q_yNQalBAQNo/w400-h302/Scan_20180909+%25282%2529.jpg" title="Charles 'Lefty' Brinkman, John Eyemer and Arthur Preusch, Jr. at the Aspen Skating Club" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Charles 'Lefty' Brinkman, John Eyemer and Arthur Preusch, Jr. at the Aspen Skating Club. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine.</span></i></div><div><br /></div>
1977 - Professional figure skater Elizabeth O'Donnell founded the Skating Association For The Blind And Handicapped/Spirited Athletes Bold At Heart (SABAH) in Buffalo, New York. Ten years later, the Hampshire Association of the Blind took to the ice during public sessions at England's new ice rink in Aldershot. Each skater was assigned their own seeing helper and a group of instructors were on hand to provide guidance. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjruN0amd770yYnhQxH3k_u7zu938_vI0TGFCRHeUt9N1mdKt3JOQHaeUVyTkfQXaKBbNEIyNDpgrVoSU79hEdECsuFNGKpSank4wpaRYg-NIz6mdxmf9wUxh1jDccibxae5BMPmL02xd6nXW9rF1ZNsJEPqW0EN7sDhuDnO7zp3kIHtHqfYyF65BKo8gs/s2080/MV5BYTlhZDY3Y2UtZDQyOS00YWJkLWE5ZGMtMzI5ODc3OWRlOGFkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzc5MjA3OA@@._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Movie poster for "Ice Castles"" border="0" data-original-height="2080" data-original-width="1274" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjruN0amd770yYnhQxH3k_u7zu938_vI0TGFCRHeUt9N1mdKt3JOQHaeUVyTkfQXaKBbNEIyNDpgrVoSU79hEdECsuFNGKpSank4wpaRYg-NIz6mdxmf9wUxh1jDccibxae5BMPmL02xd6nXW9rF1ZNsJEPqW0EN7sDhuDnO7zp3kIHtHqfYyF65BKo8gs/w392-h640/MV5BYTlhZDY3Y2UtZDQyOS00YWJkLWE5ZGMtMzI5ODc3OWRlOGFkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzc5MjA3OA@@._V1_.jpg" title="Movie poster for "Ice Castles"" width="392" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>1978 - "Ice Castles" is released, drawing considerable attention to programs for visually impaired skaters.</div><div><br /></div><div>1980s - Though many visually skaters managed to succeed despite the odds, one skating judge wasn't so lucky. In her 1984 book "The BBC Book Of Skating", British journalist Sandra Stevenson recalled, "One long-serving West German judge was discovered to be almost blind. The revelation came when he was turned down for a driving license after failing his eye-test even wearing glasses." In this case, the old saying "the judges must be blind" was in fact true.</div><div><div><br /></div><br />
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<br />1988 - Three-time West German Champion Ferdinand Becherer was perhaps the first visually impaired skater to compete in the Winter Olympic Games. He placed ninth in the dance event at the 1988 Games in Calgary with his sister Antonia. Becherer had a glass eye, after suffering a serious injury in a car accident.</div><div><br /></div><div>2010 - A remake of "Ice Castles", filmed in Halifax, was released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, introducing the story to a new generation of figure skaters.<br />
<br />2014 - Zoltán Kelemen, the eight time Romanian Champion, competed at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. He lost sight in his right eye at the age of seven after an accident with an aerosol can. Doctors advised him against skating competitively as they were of the belief that it could endanger the sight in his left eye as well. He had to sign a waiver each season stating he was competing "on his own responsibility".<div><div>
<br />Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/SkateGuardBlog">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://pinterest.com/SkateGuard">Pinterest</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@SkateGuard">YouTube</a>. If you enjoy Skate Guard, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">please show your support</a> for this archive by ordering a copy of figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html</a>.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Skate Guard Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279901701173788400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117353349691954231.post-41867370362363790122024-03-10T08:48:00.001-03:002024-03-10T08:48:39.559-03:00Marvin R. Clark, The First American Skating Journalist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIcH0UQUzGYdTklKaBzqJ17JDhuY9727iFLDgoV5zKkR9ReUHZcaxcRJZw0L7FJp2v1MeFFglvq5Gvlra9MBZfc6oxuBSiTD_yV5SvZUwFJ95VaHHw1tM9Vm8tvEW6gZXH3Hd57SGoag/s1600/Marvin+R+Clark.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Engraving of New York City journalist Marvin R. Clark" border="0" data-original-height="352" data-original-width="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIcH0UQUzGYdTklKaBzqJ17JDhuY9727iFLDgoV5zKkR9ReUHZcaxcRJZw0L7FJp2v1MeFFglvq5Gvlra9MBZfc6oxuBSiTD_yV5SvZUwFJ95VaHHw1tM9Vm8tvEW6gZXH3Hd57SGoag/s16000/Marvin+R+Clark.PNG" title="Engraving of New York City journalist Marvin R. Clark" /></a></div>
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"Let us hope that the art of skating may continue its progress in popular favour, and never sigh for new worlds to conquer." - Marvin R. Clark<br />
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Born in January of 1840, Marvin Richardson Clark was the only child of Benjamin and Margaret (Gorge) Clark. His father was a provision merchant and his mother was widely known as 'Mother' Clark for her religious work with female inmates in The Tombs and in the Five Points quarter, a dangerous and disease-ridden slum in lower Manhattan, and with the temperance movement. The Clark family shared a home with a grocer and his large family. Though well-known, they certainly weren't well-to-do.<br />
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Marvin attended the Mechanics' Institute school, where he edited a school newspaper that he wrote by hand called "Young America". When he graduated in 1856, he won first prize in composition among three hundred and fifty competitors, receiving his prize from William Cullen Bryant, the editor of the "New-York Evening Post". <div><br /></div><div>Marvin then began working for a newspaper, and by the age of twenty-three he was on the staff of the "New York Sunday Dispatch". He grew up to be well-known journalist and editor at several Brooklyn and New York papers, including "Truth", "The Morning Journal" and "The Commercial Advertiser". Though by no means a wealthy man, he was socially connected. Through his connections, he learned about Beekman Pond.<br />
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Though there's no evidence to suggest that Marvin was a great skater - or even an especially good one - he became enamoured with 'fancy skating'. He rubbed shoulders with the city's skating elite at the time - <a href="https://www.skateguardblog.com/p/jackson-haines.html">Jackson Haines</a>, E.B. Cook, <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2015/08/axels-in-attic-ep02-callie-c-curtis.html">Callie C. Curtis</a>, William H. Bishop (a.k.a. Frank Swift), and countless others. After thoroughly studying the art, he penned "The Skaters Textbook" with Bishop in 1868, which was one of the first true American textbooks on skating ever written. Clark and Bishop's book covered everything from the technical aspects of performing figures to style, skating poetry and history. They even devised a 'revitalizing tonic' specifically for skaters.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hPKtqpJUFhJNoYMtMIibZz8j7zMX4WZGpWoxnE0YcvcZfqFu-xJvMfI9NGmwtjS_72Ncw-mOEXIWDomklXv0VzK_eJdxSdnIob44V6MzYqRDBl2My5BSr73-cKDOIpdrAw-r4xBBmWY/s1600/Marvin+R+Clark+-+2.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cover of "The Skater's Text Book" by Marvin R. Clark and Frank Swift" border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hPKtqpJUFhJNoYMtMIibZz8j7zMX4WZGpWoxnE0YcvcZfqFu-xJvMfI9NGmwtjS_72Ncw-mOEXIWDomklXv0VzK_eJdxSdnIob44V6MzYqRDBl2My5BSr73-cKDOIpdrAw-r4xBBmWY/s16000/Marvin+R+Clark+-+2.PNG" title="Cover of "The Skater's Text Book" by Marvin R. Clark and Frank Swift" /></a></div>
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During Marvin's lifetime, the skating ponds of New York were a sea of humanity. A common issue was the fact that whenever a skater tried to practice figure skating, they were swarmed by throngs of looky-loos. The large groups caused a safety issue, as the ice could easily crack under their weight. They also crowded the figure skaters, making it difficult for them to practice their 'grapevines' in peace. The police would often intervene by telling the figure skaters to stop "making a spectacle of themselves", rather than dispersing the crowds. Marvin was extremely vocal on this injustice in his columns. He once remarked, "The question seems to resolve into this: Have good skaters any rights at all on the ponds? Certainly not, as they have been regulated this far. If they may have, in the future, it must be by the granting of such a simple favor as the reservation of a small portion of the ice where all good skaters, irrespective of organizations, may skate in peace, and where ladies may be protected from the insolence of men or the obscene epithets of ragamuffins."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3E4T88Z1komCV8Ai__-zGJNIRQl3K4vHM2Dzt5f62T8s7BUIN4Ge7qyk8zk1ezWShhp4WpPd2vrpHmqxLBiV-J-vaOm9iGSqB-xgXnlWTDnpEY26NHakeQlqhNH8fi1li6ipcw5zB7y8LO9PkibgT9E1VkTbKwkqeGBN3bs-_gxw_1ipWLLIcGpG9IZI/s1611/The_skaters'_companion._A_comprehensive_instruction_book_full_of_useful_hints_for_roller_skating_(IA_skaterscompanion00clar).pdf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cover of "The Skater's Companion" by Marvin R. Clark" border="0" data-original-height="1611" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3E4T88Z1komCV8Ai__-zGJNIRQl3K4vHM2Dzt5f62T8s7BUIN4Ge7qyk8zk1ezWShhp4WpPd2vrpHmqxLBiV-J-vaOm9iGSqB-xgXnlWTDnpEY26NHakeQlqhNH8fi1li6ipcw5zB7y8LO9PkibgT9E1VkTbKwkqeGBN3bs-_gxw_1ipWLLIcGpG9IZI/w298-h400/The_skaters'_companion._A_comprehensive_instruction_book_full_of_useful_hints_for_roller_skating_(IA_skaterscompanion00clar).pdf.jpg" title="Cover of "The Skater's Companion" by Marvin R. Clark" width="298" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>
Marvin was one of the first to term skating "the poetry of motion". He wrote affectionately of Jackson Haines, calling him "a celebrated... skater of note in his time" and raving about his spins. He later penned a companion volume of sorts to "The Skaters Textbook" for roller skaters, called "The Skaters' Companion". Eliza Archard Conner, in the November 30, 1894 issue of the "Cortland Evening Standard", noted that Marvin was "the first in the country to write about skating." As most newspaper articles of the time were unattributed and Marvin was a much sought-after journalist, it is impossible to even estimate the number of pieces he wrote about skating... but he was in essence the first American journalist to seriously cover figure skating.<br />
<br />When he wasn't busy churning out articles about skating, he was busy serving as the Archivist of <a href="https://mrsdaffodildigresses.wordpress.com/tag/the-thirteen-club/">The Thirteen Club</a>, a group formed to debunk the superstition that if thirteen people were seated together at a table, one would die within the year. Members of the club met on the thirteenth of every month for dinner... with thirteen people seated at each table. On the thirteenth birthday of the club, Clark's successor J.R. Abarbanell recalled, "Marvin R. Clark devoted himself with a tireless energy that knew neither relaxation nor intermission... It is safe to affirm that no single individual in this country, perhaps in the entire world, has delved and digged into the broad field of superstition with greater pertinacity and unending patience and industry than has Marvin R. Clark... It was due to this fact, perhaps, more than any other, that in his last annual report... he was able to state that the Club had reached its full complement of 1300 members - the limit of its membership."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXoZaY2ApRw4HBbqnhMUScSZwElLKIGHDLzf1qMYKDhnt4362CZ_Eqp5x0wyA2F6qy0TzRen2i-G0qukyl-eDv7ndWNqDiI6ygPkdMf_vDuoq37QKGugOcKnGrVy8-PRbaEQQYvZ7OF3o/s1600/13-club-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Coat of arms of The Thirteen Club" border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXoZaY2ApRw4HBbqnhMUScSZwElLKIGHDLzf1qMYKDhnt4362CZ_Eqp5x0wyA2F6qy0TzRen2i-G0qukyl-eDv7ndWNqDiI6ygPkdMf_vDuoq37QKGugOcKnGrVy8-PRbaEQQYvZ7OF3o/s16000/13-club-2.jpg" title="Coat of arms of The Thirteen Club" /></a></div>
<br />Though Marvin's professional life was rewarding, his personal life was full of tragedy. His wife Lizzie passed away just four years after they married. In 1888, Marvin lost his eyesight. Eliza Archard Conner recalled, "It was working under the gaslight that did it, writing night after night, year after year, in the cruel, yellow, spluttering glare. His sight drew dim very gradually at first. Then he began to use glasses. But the light became dimmer and dimmer somehow... Then the light went out altogether. My friend was blind, stone blind. He couldn't even tell daylight from dark."</div><div><div><br />
Marvin continued to write for a time, hiring a boy to read all of the newspapers to him so he could keep abreast of the daily news. He also learned how to use a typewriter by touch. During this time, he boarded with a German piano tuner, his wife and four children and even spent some time in Bermuda. He earned the moniker 'the blind journalist'. A lover of cats, he penned a book called "Pussy and Her Language" in 1895 which seeked "to prove that the cat has a language of her own" and gave "many cat words with their meanings".<br />
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Eliza Archard Conner offered this picture of Marvin during this period: "One familiar with the neighbourhood of Park row, in New York City, will see at times a fine looking, well-dressed man, accompanied by a bright eyed boy attendant, making his way cautiously across the crowded streets. There is an unutterable pathos in his face and the look of resignation that is born only of terrible suffering. Whether one knows the man or not, he will turn to look again at the haunting face with its dark, sightless eyes. But no melancholy appears in the manner or talk of the blind author. He is as cheerful as the golden throated canary that pours its music on the air of his sunny, south windowed room in Brooklyn. And when people ask him, as they often do, 'How can you always be so serene and hopeful always?' he answers: 'Oh well, one must be a philosopher, you know.'"<br />
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Sadly, by the autumn of 1893, "nervous disorders had incapacitated him" and Marvin was unable to continue writing to support himself. The "New York Athletic Club Journal" claimed that he suffered from locomotor ataxia, a progressive disease of the central nervous system caused by syphilis. He became an inmate at the Home For Incurables in the Bronx, known later as St. Barnabas Hospital, and relied on a fund collected from his friends at The Thirteen Club and money raised at a series of charity fundraisers to support his treatment. The "New York Athletic Club Journal" noted, "Mr. Clark is a marvel of cheerfulness and philosophy, and to those who know him is as much a wonder as the much talked of Helen Keller."</div><div>
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Marvin, 'the last survivor' of The Thirteen Club's first dinner on January 13, 1882, passed away in obscurity in the first decade of the twentieth century, his contributions to both the literary and skating worlds all but forgotten.<br />
<br />Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/SkateGuardBlog">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://pinterest.com/SkateGuard">Pinterest</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@SkateGuard">YouTube</a>. If you enjoy Skate Guard, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">please show your support</a> for this archive by ordering a copy of the figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html</a>.</div></div>Skate Guard Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279901701173788400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117353349691954231.post-35263668234040689912024-03-05T07:43:00.003-04:002024-03-05T07:43:40.745-04:00Book Review - Toller Cranston: Ice, Paint, Passion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAJ0JyScot4aS699_3mIto054cZXod1UyGL6au7XzavQOZ8wvpyCAx-WREpUM951MCP1NwH7QO0yRTZsec-NTcb5lTmn3jxDJGP-vR0oHkwYzh6Hu23-KUjyH8s8o1vA-bKleXOyBlKI60XCrQqc2tsS-4JNsJeCWH8xi8yMYZ2kDHvEiRQFq6dp4Zfrk/s763/9781990823572_FC-600x763.jpeg.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="763" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAJ0JyScot4aS699_3mIto054cZXod1UyGL6au7XzavQOZ8wvpyCAx-WREpUM951MCP1NwH7QO0yRTZsec-NTcb5lTmn3jxDJGP-vR0oHkwYzh6Hu23-KUjyH8s8o1vA-bKleXOyBlKI60XCrQqc2tsS-4JNsJeCWH8xi8yMYZ2kDHvEiRQFq6dp4Zfrk/w504-h640/9781990823572_FC-600x763.jpeg.webp" width="504" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">"Toller Cranston: Ice, Paint, Passion" is the most important figure skating book of the year. </div><div>It not only pays tribute to an extraordinary figure skater, artist, and Canadian, but also serves as a powerful message to all creative individuals - with big dreams and hard work, a bold and successful life is within reach.</div><div><br /></div><div>The book features a star-studded lineup of Canadian figure skating legends such as Kurt Browning, Sandra Bezic, Brian Orser, Tracy Wilson, and PJ Kwong. Not to mention the contributions from other notable Canadians like musicians Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen, as well as fashion icon Jeanne Beker. Tales of a Mexican dinner party with Margaret Atwood and a handwritten letter from Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau are interspersed with magical art and stories that will move you to tears and have you howling with laughter.</div><div><br /></div><div>Phillippa's stories truly shine in the book. The account of Toller's great escape at the tender age of three, clad only in a pair of pumps, had me in stitches. Her narrative of his sixty-sixth birthday celebration in Mexico, where waiters were moved to tears watching a video of his skating for the first time was touching. The late <a href="https://www.skateguardblog.com/2016/09/mrs-ellen-burka-candor-from-canadian.html">Mrs. Burka</a>, Toller's devoted coach, shared a heartwarming tale of her first ten days with him, which turned into many years. </div><div><br /></div><div>Debbi Wilkes' story of meeting Toller before he became the legend he is today was particularly outstanding. She had the perfect words, as she always does. Chapter 8, which delves into the stories of Toller's employees, was equally poignant.</div><div><br /></div><div>The book reveals many fascinating facts about Toller, like the fact he was a Sesquipedalian, which I had to look up. I wonder if he would approve of using the word "Eellogofusciouhipoppokunurious" to describe the book. Go ahead... look it up.</div><div><br /></div><div>The judges who didn't award Toller 6.0's missed the point entirely and were unlikely to ever understand. Similarly, those who might give this book a one, two, or three-star rating would also belong in that same group.</div><div><br /></div><div>At Toller's funeral, he was given a standing ovation. As readers of "Toller Cranston: Ice, Paint, Passion," the highest honor we can bestow upon this remarkable book is a resounding 5-star rating. However, it truly deserves nothing less than a perfect 6.0!</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>"Toller Cranston: Ice, Paint, Passion" can be ordered</b><b> through <a href="https://sutherlandhousebooks.com/product/toller-cranston/">Sutherland House Books</a> or on <a href="https://a.co/d/aROlR34">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/toller-cranston-phillippa-baran/1144280816?ean=9781990823572">Barnes & Noble</a> or <a href="https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/toller-cranston-ice-paint-passion/9781990823572.html">Chapters</a>. </b></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/SkateGuardBlog">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://pinterest.com/SkateGuard">Pinterest</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@SkateGuard">YouTube</a>. If you enjoy Skate Guard, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">please show your support</a> for this archive by ordering a copy of the figure skating reference books "Jackson Haines: The Skating King", "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">https://www.skateguardblog.com/p/buy-book.html</a>.</div>Skate Guard Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279901701173788400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117353349691954231.post-22324554344759700452024-03-02T12:49:00.001-04:002024-03-02T12:49:36.262-04:00The 1934 World Figure Skating Championships<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVYNl1GB7zqQWZjrC5ijLVFoYk7_VHJg7hyphenhyphenRgVDyL5r6MwO9i-7GeObr5_vAIkuDZ4SrLlycBCjk_XGpxUGlvK7ARwTmFXxbTOVUB5guAtFxuntGTb6xtGvv36MekYjFjXmHO_dlzEhpc/s1600/1934+Worlds+-+Deutsches+Sport+and+Olympia+Museum.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="900" height="377" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVYNl1GB7zqQWZjrC5ijLVFoYk7_VHJg7hyphenhyphenRgVDyL5r6MwO9i-7GeObr5_vAIkuDZ4SrLlycBCjk_XGpxUGlvK7ARwTmFXxbTOVUB5guAtFxuntGTb6xtGvv36MekYjFjXmHO_dlzEhpc/s400/1934+Worlds+-+Deutsches+Sport+and+Olympia+Museum.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Signed menu from the banquet at the 1934 World Championships. Photo courtesy Deutsches Sport and Olympia Museum.</span></i></div>
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In February 1934, North America was in the depths of The Great Depression, a new Conservative government was formed in France after riots broke out in the streets of Paris and all eyes were on Scandinavia as the world's best figure skaters convened in a trio of Northern capital cities for the World Figure Skating Championships in men's, women's and pairs skating. <div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ePFwNhvtG0_j_M2cOcfcsH_PhfhQdpsNHVKKUuaVyy5WQ6A68OqUDqJ2vYcfuK6DWo-QvIoj9fsoqqSf1q9vSniuSc6SD09UiSJ82U9IswbD7Zpn-ypZKQ6WSHxpK7hUDkxIy-9W6YI/s691/1934+Worlds+poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="691" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ePFwNhvtG0_j_M2cOcfcsH_PhfhQdpsNHVKKUuaVyy5WQ6A68OqUDqJ2vYcfuK6DWo-QvIoj9fsoqqSf1q9vSniuSc6SD09UiSJ82U9IswbD7Zpn-ypZKQ6WSHxpK7hUDkxIy-9W6YI/w400-h301/1934+Worlds+poster.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki were all accustomed to hosting major international competitions and huge crowds came out in subzero temperatures to watch the events unfold. The women's competition was held in Oslo on February 10 and 11, the men's from February 16 to 18 in Stockholm and the pairs on February 23 in Helsinki. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFm29i2wq4nhCsAC6RgWbHl8OrL4jyeysCoMwplPBavjbaQ-6evTgGXM31KZJMPW8EnaVrPVa620skgw0s7rJ5Kp0n9eSvxEQxw07Jt2ETf5uss-inBHssNygQPc3IHcnKa_uDNcNv7So/s500/Skating_193405_07_001.tif.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="421" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFm29i2wq4nhCsAC6RgWbHl8OrL4jyeysCoMwplPBavjbaQ-6evTgGXM31KZJMPW8EnaVrPVa620skgw0s7rJ5Kp0n9eSvxEQxw07Jt2ETf5uss-inBHssNygQPc3IHcnKa_uDNcNv7So/w268-h320/Skating_193405_07_001.tif.jpg" width="268" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4yCb7Bh86RDTrvtiVYEUnbGbgMESuH-K6aCabKwq2D0rqBnBO_YMF_QrmSQhVqA6y6Z4uxPRvh-t1valE2Phl0WABV3gVUkXKO6UuFgAqiAXCCAHnwgfv2H8VvD7vlAatKoI37-qgpOE/s428/1934+Worlds-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4yCb7Bh86RDTrvtiVYEUnbGbgMESuH-K6aCabKwq2D0rqBnBO_YMF_QrmSQhVqA6y6Z4uxPRvh-t1valE2Phl0WABV3gVUkXKO6UuFgAqiAXCCAHnwgfv2H8VvD7vlAatKoI37-qgpOE/s320/1934+Worlds-1.jpg" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Left photo courtesy "Skating" magazine. Right p</span></i><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">hoto courtesy Julia C. Schulze, The Estate of Mollie Phillips</span></i></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Today, we'll hop in the time machine and take a look back at the stories and scandals from these Scandinavian competitions of yesteryear!</div><div>
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<b>OSLO</b><b><br /></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoNEUFKAtPPPzDnrFBE54QWxmBGnL0L3_zlmp42L7_EAGvhFL4SunTrXLcPZ9s5LRquwTNPgCo-aqbWDudXaIe8pUJzk8HFhLo_w6hYwBclhR23CQT_vpjd2YKrnuPRx0v5FsRvjZyLm8/s1600/Henie-Oslo.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoNEUFKAtPPPzDnrFBE54QWxmBGnL0L3_zlmp42L7_EAGvhFL4SunTrXLcPZ9s5LRquwTNPgCo-aqbWDudXaIe8pUJzk8HFhLo_w6hYwBclhR23CQT_vpjd2YKrnuPRx0v5FsRvjZyLm8/w236-h320/Henie-Oslo.PNG" width="236" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDKYInsty36MN1Y-VMruqPR07CJKQe3b58WMKtpLJVWaabFflrXBg0nS3ivZtAyoYcyQdtBHlyn3q3FDAGSgaG54RW6-jQeV0eW8FyABLtn1MRaM8XvlJ0MIt_huYQ-0dJ7ZNesCiGGcw/s1600/Megan+Phil+Taylor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1083" data-original-width="824" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDKYInsty36MN1Y-VMruqPR07CJKQe3b58WMKtpLJVWaabFflrXBg0nS3ivZtAyoYcyQdtBHlyn3q3FDAGSgaG54RW6-jQeV0eW8FyABLtn1MRaM8XvlJ0MIt_huYQ-0dJ7ZNesCiGGcw/w243-h320/Megan+Phil+Taylor.jpg" width="243" /></span></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Left: Sonja Henie at the 1934 World Championships in Oslo. Photo courtesy National Archives of Poland. Right: Megan and Phil Taylor.</span></i></div>
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Thirteen women vied for the 1934 World title. All eyes were on two-time Olympic Gold Medallist <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.ca/2016/03/how-henie-handled-hedda-hopper.html">Sonja Henie</a> as she went after her eighth consecutive World title in front of a hometown audience at the Frogner Stadion in Oslo. There were allegations that Papa Henie treated the referee to a lavish dinner and gave him a vehicle as a gift prior to the competition. Some speculated that either ISU President Ulrich Salchow or the Norwegian reporter who broke the story might have been in on the scandal as well. <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.ca/2016/01/guy-in-sky-story-of-maribel-vinson.html">Maribel Vinson</a> recalled, "Sonja's popularity at this competition was peculiar. The public had evidently got fed up with six weeks of Pop Henie's ballyhoo for Sonja and were praying for anyone to beat her... The Henie organization is unbelievable and has had as bad an effect on the internals of the sport as Sonja's real virtuousity has had a good effect in spreading the popularity of skating through the world."</div><div><br /></div><div>In the compulsory figures, Sonja Henie took the lead as expected with first place marks from six of the seven judges. Sweden's <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.ca/2016/04/persistence-and-passion-vivi-anne.html">Vivi-Anne Hultén</a> blew her last figure and thirteen year old Megan Taylor capitalized on her mistake and moved up to second. German judge Artur Vieregg had her first, ahead of Henie. Many of the skaters complained about the poor ice conditions. Maribel Vinson recalled, "We skated the figures... on a sunny springlike morning [and] the ice melted before we came to the bracket-change-bracket backwards, so whether there were 'double runners' in our turns was more a matter of intuition with the judges than seeing!"<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIXPbp2Bc_MOYifcApO-TGMOIsMkaAK108OiF8k90lphwlT0kfWT3_X5ksbvqh5bfVjoWgjySUn-V7hiGsLVVr5odHO6XhjsSwE-gWBJhorej5kedNKtEb3HMWSzzD2hwSumUXz5heV8/s2048/Schedule+WC+1934.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1822" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIXPbp2Bc_MOYifcApO-TGMOIsMkaAK108OiF8k90lphwlT0kfWT3_X5ksbvqh5bfVjoWgjySUn-V7hiGsLVVr5odHO6XhjsSwE-gWBJhorej5kedNKtEb3HMWSzzD2hwSumUXz5heV8/w570-h640/Schedule+WC+1934.jpg" width="570" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy Julia C. Schulze, The Estate of Mollie Phillips</span></i></div>
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King Haakon VII, Queen Maud of Wales, Crown Prince Olav and Crown Princess Martha were among the twenty-one thousand spectators in attendance for the women's free skate. Maribel Vinson missed her Lutz jump and had one of the most disappointing free skates of her career, while Austria's <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.ca/2015/02/liselotte-landbeck-and-king-of-belgium.html">Liselotte Landbeck</a> had one of her best. Every single judge had Landbeck second in the free skate behind Henie except Swedish judge <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.ca/2014/12/move-over-pere-noel-this-blogs-about.html">Per Thorén</a>, who had Landbeck and Taylor ahead of the Norwegian ice queen. Henie missed several spins and skated slowly, according to Maribel Vinson, but skated well enough to win her eighth World title. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIE0L2J1LNfn3jnMAZ0OgBXhxglfG2kcqLsus0XhXgSIQsN7HoNYAalPOhD5lWsVygngxdYJpMGzYfF-iIihlt1kGKxf7ljKueToqy_54-gBSH6lJdPjevZNzDqTi003hGxBWdI9jwMM/s527/1934+Worlds.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="527" data-original-width="363" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIE0L2J1LNfn3jnMAZ0OgBXhxglfG2kcqLsus0XhXgSIQsN7HoNYAalPOhD5lWsVygngxdYJpMGzYfF-iIihlt1kGKxf7ljKueToqy_54-gBSH6lJdPjevZNzDqTi003hGxBWdI9jwMM/w275-h400/1934+Worlds.jpg" width="275" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Based on the figures, Taylor (who missed an Axel in her free skate) defeated Landbeck by one ordinal placing for the silver. Hultén's artistry stood out during an era when women's skating was becoming more and more acrobatic. The ideal at the time was to dazzle the crowd and judges with technical highlights... not to waste time on the interpretation of music. Swedish skating historian Gunnar Bang noted how one reporter remarked, "Sure, Vivi-Anne's program was very musical, but if she left the music home on the piano, there is no point." French judge Charles Sabouret had her ninth in the free skate... which didn't go over well with the Swedish press whatsoever. She ended up fourth overall, ahead of Vinson, Austria's Grete Lainer, Germany's <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.ca/2015/03/the-other-world-champions-part-3.html">Maxi Herber</a> and six others. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In her book "Wings On My Feet", Henie recalled the win as "a sentimental victory... The crowd was enormous for Frogner Stadium. Fifteen thousand packed the grandstand, and another three thousand or so stood on the surrounding hills [with binoculars]. Throughout the competition I kept remembering my first World Championship eight years before on the same ice, and the first pink carnations the royal family of my country had ever given me."</div>
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In her book "Maribel Y. Vinson's Advanced Figure Skating", Maribel Vinson recalled, "In 1934 after the world championships at Oslo I had tea with Sonja at her town apartment. There I saw her prizes - and what a collection it was! At the time I wrote in my diary, 'sideboard with special fitted drawers full of a complete silver set, over a dozen of each, marked - a cocktail set, cream and sugar set, tremendous special bowls, myriads of huge cups and vases set in a specially lighted cabinet. Her world-Championship, Olympic, European, and Norwegian medals were all strung out in separate cases.' In addition there was the gift of an electric radio and repeating Victrola to which the tea party danced, and at the country house a Cord convertible coupe, given [to] her after earlier Chicago exhibitions and shipped to Norway... On the table in the living room was a lovely bouquet from King Haakon and the Crown Prince, sent after her victory, and in the billiard room were ten or twelve enormous scrapbooks which Sonja at that time used to put together in the summer. They contained clippings from her earliest skating years from newspapers all over the world and were most interesting."</div><div><br /></div><div>An international men's event was held in conjunction with the World Championships for women in Oslo. The winner was Austria's <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2020/06/those-that-stayed-fates-of-figure.html">Erich Erdös</a>. British skater <a href="https://www.skateguardblog.com/2015/02/whodunnit-mysterious-death-of-jack-dunn.html">Jackie Dunn</a> finished fourth.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRPB_mpVgj8JU-x2Cr6MGHgqIsZmtSYI5M0PJwbNT9X_9JSBYu6lNNSRWWJ68-rpsE1mLJ_RiTm7ZjkmgCp6O6VxSMWWQon1WyiPQ3mw3B7bijDlkVPkTtndlINF7bsYyVG4a-H2UZlQI/s2048/Banquet+Invitation.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRPB_mpVgj8JU-x2Cr6MGHgqIsZmtSYI5M0PJwbNT9X_9JSBYu6lNNSRWWJ68-rpsE1mLJ_RiTm7ZjkmgCp6O6VxSMWWQon1WyiPQ3mw3B7bijDlkVPkTtndlINF7bsYyVG4a-H2UZlQI/w320-h640/Banquet+Invitation.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy Julia C. Schulze, The Estate of Mollie Phillips</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>After the competition, a special banquet was hosted by the Oslo Skøiteklub at the Hotel Bristol. Sonja Henie's picture was included in the invitation and a dessert called 'Bombe Sonja' was made in her honour.<br />
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<b>STOCKHOLM</b><b><br /></b>
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The eight men who sought the 1934 World title in Stockholm ranged in age from fifteen to twenty-nine. Both Austria's <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.ca/2015/03/karl-schafer-viennas-golden-boy.html">Karl Schäfer</a> and Germany's Ernst Baier performed uncharacteristically poorly in the figures but in a sea of mistakes, Schäfer was still able to earn first place marks from all but one of the judges in the first phase of the competition. Though Schäfer was some one hundred and fifty points ahead of his closest competitors, Baier, Finland's <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2017/03/snubbed-in-scandinavia-marcus-nikkanen.html">Marcus Nikkanen</a> and Austria's <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2020/06/those-that-stayed-fates-of-figure.html">Erich Erdös</a> were separated by only forty points. Gunnar Bang recalled, "Ernst Baier was clearly better, but in the paragraph Nikkanen failed as well."<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Karl Schäfer and Ulrich Salchow in Stockholm. Photo courtesy National Archives of Poland.</span></i></div>
<br />Karl Schäfer earned first place marks from five of the seven judges in the free skate, with the Hungarian judge giving the nod to Hungary's <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2020/01/bravery-in-budapest-denes-pataky-story.html">Dénes Pataky</a> and the Finnish judge placing Erich Erdös - who the Stockholm papers proclaimed to be "a better skater than Schäfer" - first. Although Schäfer easily defended his World title, Baier, Erdös and Nikkanen all tied in ordinals. Their point totals ultimately determined their second, third and fourth place results. Pataky, in fifth, was second overall on the scorecards of the Hungarian and Polish judges.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ernst Baier's silver medal from the men's event at the 1934 World Championships</span></i></div>
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Maribel Vinson recalled the event thusly: "The men did their free skating perfectly marvellously. There were only eight in the competition and I have never seen eight such errorless performances. The only one to make any kind of mistake was the World's Champion himself! However, the men's school figures were not up to the standard set by the women; <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2020/09/new-york-city-boy-gail-borden-ii-story.html">Gail [Borden]</a> drew all the figures he likes least and they seemed to bother everyone a bit. Schäfer was of course best with Baier and Nikkanen close behind; all the others were mediocre. But the free skating made up for any figure delinquencies. Gail skated first, jumped faultlessly in beautiful form, lacked only speed, while Erdös, the second Austrian, had an absolutely inspired day and brought the audience to its feet cheering. There were auxiliary competitions for women and pairs as well as exhibitions by the whole troupe [of world level men, women and pairs in attendance] the next day. The Stockholm Stadium is a beautiful structure, justly famed as the handsomest of its kind in the world. It holds twenty thousand and has an ice surface equal to at least five of our standard hockey rinks. Many gay parties by the Stockholm club as well as Gail's birthday party, composed of all the choicest spirits and cosmopolitan as could be, featured the post-competition days. Mrs. [Ulrich] Salchow was our most charming hostess and guide on many occasions. Then, minus Sonja who had not come to Sweden, minus Karli Schäfer who had to go to America for the carnivals, minus Gail who was also returning to America, the rest of the troupe boarded ship to sail through a sea of ice - to Finland."<br />
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<b>HELSINKI</b><b><br /></b>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The pairs in Helsinki in 1934. From left to right: Margit Josephson and Anders Palm, Idi Papez and Karl Zwack, Anna-Lisa Rydqvist and Einar Törsleff, Ms. Kothe and Gun Ericson, Zofia Bilorówna and Tadeusz Kowalski, Randi Bakke-Gjertsen and Christen Cristensen, Emília Rotter and László Szollás and Maxi Herber and Ernst Baier. Photo courtesy National Archives of Poland.</span></i></div>
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Held in subzero temperatures, the pairs competition in Helsinki curiously did not include a couple from Finland! The event was the first time that the ISU tested the use of open marking in an international competition. Of the pairs that entered, the top three were quite close. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrtI3_FDwOoZDwM_MkdFGCMJhidnMGmkeb4eOurOikBbvCyA1O8BYZ9ustpsQJUNzq2zbgWTZVhRbH3Runj6HOqbaQiCZQRhTxBkzBLGtAxLfTSqNsysViig2UKktSDy6FLyxF6anrgDM/s318/1934+Rotter+Szollas.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrtI3_FDwOoZDwM_MkdFGCMJhidnMGmkeb4eOurOikBbvCyA1O8BYZ9ustpsQJUNzq2zbgWTZVhRbH3Runj6HOqbaQiCZQRhTxBkzBLGtAxLfTSqNsysViig2UKktSDy6FLyxF6anrgDM/s0/1934+Rotter+Szollas.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Three judges voted for Hungary's <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2018/02/two-hits-of-hungary-emilia-rotter-and.html">Emília Rotter and László Szollás</a>, two for Austria's Idi Papez and Karl Zwack and two for Germany's Maxi Herber and Ernst Baier. When the marks were tallied, the Hungarians came out on top, with the Austrians second and Germans third. Gunnar Bang remarked that the Polish pair <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2018/05/zofia-bilorowna-and-tadeusz-kowalski.html">Zofia Bilorówna and Tadeusz Kowalski</a>, who placed fourth, skated "a very difficult program [full of] acrobatics". <br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Maxi Herber and Ernst Baier with Maxi's father in Helsinki. Photo courtesy National Archives of Poland.</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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Maribel Vinson recalled the event thusly: "The Pair Championship of The World featured two of the best pair programs I have ever seen, ranking with the Brunets and Badger-Loughran of the 1932 Olympics in my mind. Rotter-Szollás, who won, skated their extremely 'pair' program with uncanny precision, while [Ernst] Baier and Maxi Herber, who are a new combination and had been a trifle ragged up till then, suddenly clicked and gave a daringly difficult program without a flaw. By some freak of judging, they came only third although the audience and all the skaters present agreed they should have been either first or second. Idi Papez and Karl Zwack, the Austrians who normally have the most spectacular program of all and do it beautifully, had an off night and made a good many serious mistakes. Although if they had skated their usual best, their final place (second) would have been justified, their compatriots were the first to say that they did not deserve to beat Baier and Maxi that evening. Another competition for men and women, plus two exhibitions, made a full weekend of skating for us. [Marcus] Nikkanen was a popular winner of the men's competition, as it was combined with a civic contest and he retired a huge cup which he had won twice before. Nikkanen and his friends 'showed us the town' and it was the sixtieth anniversary of the Helsingfors Skating Club, there were many festivities. It is impossible to describe in such a brief summary all that went on - suffice to say that the Finns know how to have a good time and certainly how to give one to their guests!"<br /><br />Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/SkateGuardBlog">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://pinterest.com/SkateGuard">Pinterest</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@SkateGuard">YouTube</a>. If you enjoy Skate Guard, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">please show your support</a> for this archive by ordering a copy of figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html</a>.</div>Skate Guard Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279901701173788400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117353349691954231.post-38072678679117834572024-02-22T10:34:00.004-04:002024-02-22T18:41:05.579-04:00Talking Toller with Phillippa Cranston Baran<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWRw1e8V2xNbDhgbfKRkehHx7H5ZHzHMpVhlSL7Fvt-GdDz9Z4H5NK1KwuObkkuaITU0DvJ2DgmezQ8IFWtFhjKgI7Jc0IZTdTZ8GGg8t2crq1l6I_MwB00znQ1jLpYfM4Xg8Nq17vsyz9Ow7JLDFlK9L8weDa5hlU9ftzu17LYG4S_dSMDs5wwPVvvxQ/s763/9781990823572_FC-600x763.jpeg.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="763" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWRw1e8V2xNbDhgbfKRkehHx7H5ZHzHMpVhlSL7Fvt-GdDz9Z4H5NK1KwuObkkuaITU0DvJ2DgmezQ8IFWtFhjKgI7Jc0IZTdTZ8GGg8t2crq1l6I_MwB00znQ1jLpYfM4Xg8Nq17vsyz9Ow7JLDFlK9L8weDa5hlU9ftzu17LYG4S_dSMDs5wwPVvvxQ/w503-h640/9781990823572_FC-600x763.jpeg.webp" width="503" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>It is not often that a book comes along that absolutely floors you - but I can promise you that the new book "Toller Cranston: Ice, Paint & Passion" will do just that. </div><div><br /></div><div>This wonderfully important book is a step into the Wonderland of Toller's art and a celebration of his life, full of dozens of unexpected stories that will make you laugh and cry. I was absolutely delighted to contribute to this book, alongside a who's who of Canadian figure skating, including Kurt Browning, Brian Orser, Tracy Wilson, Donald Jackson, Sandra Bezic, Debbi Wilkes, Elladj Baldé, Beverley Smith and PJ Kwong.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today I'm talking Toller with the author of the book, Toller's sister Phillippa Cranston Baran!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyvYPIO5MTzd_yqw1rqtI7KkJOfqYs7wflmFGFcDQz8xv36EjmJq6UG-QmTxo1TGcZes52PN4ecc9r6fg5oejApXLoBELf50b097CqejbKdNmbNZIdhGbLFWEUg6aM9wwQEdaBeFgCjA6C9cQ5Z8zO_tIwvldBhcV-kQbC-eKeunM3TmQULgmnIo21bxQ/s768/P%20Scott%201i-TfRmf4f-XL%20copy%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="512" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyvYPIO5MTzd_yqw1rqtI7KkJOfqYs7wflmFGFcDQz8xv36EjmJq6UG-QmTxo1TGcZes52PN4ecc9r6fg5oejApXLoBELf50b097CqejbKdNmbNZIdhGbLFWEUg6aM9wwQEdaBeFgCjA6C9cQ5Z8zO_tIwvldBhcV-kQbC-eKeunM3TmQULgmnIo21bxQ/w426-h640/P%20Scott%201i-TfRmf4f-XL%20copy%202.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Phillippa Baran Cranston</span></i></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Q: When and how did the idea for the book came about and how did it evolve during the writing process?</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> A: Toller suffered a catastrophic heart attack in Mexico on January 23, 2015. In those early days, I didn’t know how or what form preserving his legacy would take, but I knew that the task had fallen to me. A book was an obvious choice. I knew that I could write about Toller as a little boy, and I could write about what it took to clear an estate property in Mexico of 18,000 things in 45 days, but I definitely could not write about figure skating judging, or about the influences and themes in his paintings, or about his impact on people - gay, straight, famous, not famous. I didn’t try. What I did was reach out to individuals with the authority and experience to comment or explain. In the process of creating this book, more than 150 people have contributed deeply personal, incredibly moving, and utterly authentic stories. There are icons like Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen, champions like Don Jackson and Brian Orser, and others who are not so well-known, including skating fans and Toller’s Mexican staff. Collectively, the stories and pictures create a tapestry of the richness, depth, and impact of Toller’s life.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In this book, I set out to present Toller Cranston from a variety of perspectives. I tried to get the hard facts right. I tried to capture the authenticity and the spirit of my brother. The sparkle. The flamboyance. All of it. I have thought many times that had Toller lived another 20 years, which might have been expected since he was only 65, I would be long gone. And so too would a cohort of friends, competitors, collectors, and admirers from all over the world. Who would be left to tell the story? Like in the musical Hamilton, “Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?”</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Q: What was it like growing up with Toller?</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">A: What was it like growing up with Toller? is exactly the question that begins Chapter 2. The first word that comes to mind, is “ordinary” although there was never any doubt that Toller was special. As a child he believed that he was not actually born of parents but was found under a cabbage leaf by the faeries. Maybe he was. Who can be sure? Certainly, there are elements of magic in his life story. There is also a lot of middle-class normalcy. Do your chores, make your bed, feed the dog, finish your homework. No, you do not get rewarded for a decent report card, that is your job. There is also hard work, training, discipline, and an intense drive to create. Chapter 2 describes some of the early influences - his imaginary friend Glunk Glunk, the Raptors and the Rats, the shows, summers at the cottage, discovering figure skating, and the impact of flowers, words, nature, legends, and magical creatures.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBxZ22pLA1v4hav5xY8c9chulSskH-8-ym-4pU2liQMYRRWZCX22TTZu-qBDs7lWjiKN9lBppNo1v_7XOHymWF_0ndn72wy_LJlKz5sgUzOpxOLrzgvnLZgz3mls7abKX4l5mH4UMfd3OXkROEydbvlXI_SPvYKW_AFlsMZJBt3eDY6QG3oY-oGJciwzo/s1200/1988%20Olkympic%20Arts%20Festival%20Opening%20Gala%20Calgary%20January%2023%201988%20copy%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="890" data-original-width="1200" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBxZ22pLA1v4hav5xY8c9chulSskH-8-ym-4pU2liQMYRRWZCX22TTZu-qBDs7lWjiKN9lBppNo1v_7XOHymWF_0ndn72wy_LJlKz5sgUzOpxOLrzgvnLZgz3mls7abKX4l5mH4UMfd3OXkROEydbvlXI_SPvYKW_AFlsMZJBt3eDY6QG3oY-oGJciwzo/w400-h296/1988%20Olkympic%20Arts%20Festival%20Opening%20Gala%20Calgary%20January%2023%201988%20copy%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Toller Cranston</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Q: What do you take away from how Toller was treated by the skating establishment at the time he was competing?</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">A: Back in the day, everyone who watched figure skating knew that Toller Cranston was “cheated” by the judges. We knew it because we saw it with our own eyes. Was it bias, politics, fear of the unusual, or snobbery on the part of the skating establishment? I don’t know. I still don’t know.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Toller has said many times that when he didn’t get the recognition from the judges, he had to work harder. He had to prove himself again and again and again. In many ways, that need to constantly prove himself fueled his career. Maybe it’s the old cliché that “if it doesn’t kill you, it makes you strong." Regardless, Toller became incredibly strong. He stayed true to his vision of what skating could be and he worked like a demon to be creative with everything he did.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">When I was doing research for this book, I tried to gain some understanding of what on earth was going on with the judges all those years ago, and what were they thinking, and did they now, after 40 or 50 years, acknowledge any unfairness? What judge Dorothy Leamen said to me was eye-opening. She said, and I quote, “I remember a competition at Maple Leaf Gardens, when I had just judged the senior men. After the event, Toller stopped me and started ranting and screaming, 'You don’t understand me! You never give me anything!' At the time, I confess I didn’t like a lot of things he was doing especially with the music. When he was finished, I said, 'Toller! It is your duty to make me understand!'”</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Toller obviously took that to heart. He accepted that it was his duty to make people understand and he met that challenge every single day of his life. Half a century later, his influence is still felt, his courage is still admired, his creativity is still acknowledged and respected.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2eyNvOXlCMA4fOoTTWiXCQxbCTVKLS4qZRlYlOVywW0aDsDqpfmb3Ny456RZvA0GT-RwxnDausPHrgfJmOBWEwRRn3XmMyRYkVi3WAuoTui6m1_GHzfvL0WK1Fw4Jz8vovNW6fhIZGVE2AO-rkuSD-QN3MbS7SZO1j3OF2ztIfWhk4i5FrsL9PzTg7nk/s1457/Toller%20-%20Toronto%20Life%20mag%201976-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1457" data-original-width="978" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2eyNvOXlCMA4fOoTTWiXCQxbCTVKLS4qZRlYlOVywW0aDsDqpfmb3Ny456RZvA0GT-RwxnDausPHrgfJmOBWEwRRn3XmMyRYkVi3WAuoTui6m1_GHzfvL0WK1Fw4Jz8vovNW6fhIZGVE2AO-rkuSD-QN3MbS7SZO1j3OF2ztIfWhk4i5FrsL9PzTg7nk/w215-h320/Toller%20-%20Toronto%20Life%20mag%201976-2.jpg" width="215" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQqr1PngwkOJC45rszhAvAYGzAi7rOPkOGUsNuJn26h9Ox0C1lmnQWdGHdgr9t0djECZAkbwMS2COgFwRgUE6Kgwxu8b6OV5yKLvfKyYjWE8KFEw6Ij_U_axX0xcPXx9NZk6hevoBvOFPPcIvkEMLcvNDE84L9LTRYWn16p_YojH8pKFl5obhp4G72b0/s500/John%20Curry%20EX.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="363" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQqr1PngwkOJC45rszhAvAYGzAi7rOPkOGUsNuJn26h9Ox0C1lmnQWdGHdgr9t0djECZAkbwMS2COgFwRgUE6Kgwxu8b6OV5yKLvfKyYjWE8KFEw6Ij_U_axX0xcPXx9NZk6hevoBvOFPPcIvkEMLcvNDE84L9LTRYWn16p_YojH8pKFl5obhp4G72b0/s320/John%20Curry%20EX.jpg" width="232" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Left: Toller Cranston. Photo courtesy "Toronto Life" magazine. Right: John Curry.</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Q: Though their styles of skating were completely different, Toller and John Curry are often compared because they made such significant artistic impacts on figure skating at the same time. What are your thoughts on their intersecting roles in skating history?</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">A: I’m not actually sure that it was ever about a difference in style. It was about a difference in luck, timing, courage, and integrity. All the talk about stylistic difference - the balletic versus the theatrical, is specious. Both Toller and John Curry were expressive, interpretive, and talented. Both were outstanding skaters. Both were committed and passionate about their sport. But here is the truth.<span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #5f6368; font-size: 11.6667px; font-weight: bold;">1</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">There is no question that for Toller, not having won an Olympic gold medal in 1976 ate away at him for years. Toller and his lifelong friend Haig Oundjian, former British Champion, often spoke about how John Curry, Toller’s archrival, had seemingly come out of nowhere and snatched Olympic glory. John Curry was well behind Toller in the days of the old judging system. When a skater was behind, they stayed behind. Going into the Olympics, Toller had every reason to expect that he would remain ahead of the British skater. But then this happened - Italian-born coach Carlo Fassi was looking to bring a male skater to Colorado Springs, where he coached. In 1974, Fassi, who was a very political creature, called Toller and said: “Toller, I have Dorothy Hamill here. I have all the facilities, and I want you to come to Colorado and train with me and my wife and we will make you an Olympic Gold Medallist.” They offered free lessons, free ice, even a car. Toller said, “Does that mean I have to leave Ellen Burka?” “Yes,” Fassi said. “You do. The offer is open right now. There’s a ticket booked with your name on it. Come down.” Toller said “No. I can’t do that. Mrs. Burka has been a wonderful coach and a wonderful friend. She’s given me great guidance and it’s my feeling that between the two of us, I have as good a shot at the gold medal as anyone else.”</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Fassi was on the phone an hour later to Curry, offering him the same thing - an Olympic gold medal. Within a day, John Curry was on a plane and Alison Smith, his coach was dropped.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">John Curry’s life was difficult after his Olympic gold and according to his biographer, he died penniless in 1994. Toller’s career flourished.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Along the way, Haig tried many times to convince Toller that becoming an Olympian is exceedingly difficult. Toller called Haig one morning in January, 2015 shortly before he died, and said, “Haig, I’ve had an epiphany.” “Another one?” said Haig. “Yes,” Toller said. “Do you know who I am?” “No,” Haig said. “Why don’t you tell me?” Toller said: “I’m an Olympian.”</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11.6667px; font-weight: bold;">1 </span><span><span style="font-size: 11.6667px;"><b>With thanks to<a href="https://bevsmithwrites.wordpress.com/2015/04/25/tea-for-toller/"> "Tea for Toller" by Beverley Smith</a> and <a href="https://www.skateguardblog.com/2014/08/triumph-and-tragedy-talking-john-curry.html">"Alone", the 2014 biography of John Curry by Bill Jones</a>.</b></span></span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/136688655?h=c89999fd48&color=ffffff&byline=0" width="540"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Andre Araiz's stunning video of Toller Cranston's home and gardens</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br />
<b>Q: How did you balance writing about Toller the skater, Toller the artist and Toller the person?</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">A: Toller’s tombstone in the gringo section of the cemetery in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico kind of says it all. It is inscribed simply, Toller, Artist, 1949-2015, Zero Tollerance. He was an artist on ice, in the studio, in his life, and in the creation of his property in Mexico. He had zero tolerance for stupidity, rigidity, mediocrity, incompetence, or half-assed effort. He had zero tolerance for giving less than one’s all. This book looks at all aspects of Toller’s life and it unfolds through the voices of those who knew him, competed with him, and were inspired by him.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj309OtkT1eR4lNDnF66Zv7rgvQ9_faVMSuhSJJSYkRh64GiGSCY3ASMx2LBn0piVpETTZenUjCTL20WZU6TZY9BE-udOBT5xcMtE-tU6tSUckM8VN5Vk303e7Zq-c67Cmk3Gs3rAMOupNNC0PIlv5K7D2haUfDX5QWMFmDDpplMcOIhQ8SAhacl_KM8SU/s768/P%20Scott%201i-84j6Lkm-XL%20copy%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="512" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj309OtkT1eR4lNDnF66Zv7rgvQ9_faVMSuhSJJSYkRh64GiGSCY3ASMx2LBn0piVpETTZenUjCTL20WZU6TZY9BE-udOBT5xcMtE-tU6tSUckM8VN5Vk303e7Zq-c67Cmk3Gs3rAMOupNNC0PIlv5K7D2haUfDX5QWMFmDDpplMcOIhQ8SAhacl_KM8SU/w426-h640/P%20Scott%201i-84j6Lkm-XL%20copy%202.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Phillippa Baran Cranston</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Q: What's your own favourite Toller story?</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> A: I would say that my own favourite Toller story is the last story I heard from the last person I talked to. Everyone has a Toller story. Whether they ever met him or not. Knew him or not. Saw him skate or not. Owned a painting or not. Everyone has a story. I write in the book that on the day that he died, it seemed that everyone in San Miguel de Allende was with him. <i>I had lunch with him. I met him for breakfast. I went shopping with him. I met him for dinner. I went to his house. He came to my house. I saw him on the street. I spoke to him at the bank.</i> It isn’t true of course but what is true is that everyone felt a deep personal connection. This book contains a lot of stories, a lot of memories, feelings, and emotion. I hope readers will connect with the various perspectives and see themselves reflected back.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Q: What do you think readers will find most surprising about the book?</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">A: Everything. His humanity, his vulnerability, his capacity to create, his ordinariness. The depth and range of his achievements is astounding. Toller was funny, humble, curious, arrogant, disciplined, outrageous, and, as the last chapter says Quite Simply Human.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">One thing readers will not be surprised to learn from Toller is that Leonardo de Vinci was never the figure skating champion of Italy and Michaelangelo, genius that he was, could not execute a double Axel.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-baJz-a1O5FbUSOboHKXZ-3WHsFeY2fJRmlcloL867C5DWAfiteB1wOmw4IMyNH5_BasmqTVo7i9Cx91_qNXlrar4NrWEAL1ro3yXIPHXhegzxroCwPKXC2axrMC7RPT-khnhI1T0OGKRdXjmmiUuzrx0hj9vToWthPt-Hx527dp9MN3g2K3F_wX0gmQ/s1522/happy%20competitors%20photo_1_155a1312765fbbf595a12c1c8519c186%20copy%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1074" data-original-width="1522" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-baJz-a1O5FbUSOboHKXZ-3WHsFeY2fJRmlcloL867C5DWAfiteB1wOmw4IMyNH5_BasmqTVo7i9Cx91_qNXlrar4NrWEAL1ro3yXIPHXhegzxroCwPKXC2axrMC7RPT-khnhI1T0OGKRdXjmmiUuzrx0hj9vToWthPt-Hx527dp9MN3g2K3F_wX0gmQ/w400-h283/happy%20competitors%20photo_1_155a1312765fbbf595a12c1c8519c186%20copy%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Toller Cranston sharing a laugh with Rosalynn Sumners, Katarina Witt and Brian Boitano</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Q: One of the aspects of the book that I just love is how it incorporates how Toller's story intersected with so many remarkable Canadians - people like Joni Mitchell, Margaret Atwood, Leonard Cohen and Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. </b><b>Why is this book relevant to all Canadians?</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">A: I am incredibly proud (and frankly astounded) at the impact Toller has had on other people: artists, athletes, performers, fans, and his Mexican staff. There is a chapter in the book called The Muse that describes works of art in many different fields - painting, theatre, poetry, music, ceramic, skating of course, even needlepoint - all either inspired by Toller or made as a tribute to him. That is amazing to me. But I think what I am most proud of is his legacy as a human being - his courage, work ethic, and creativity. That is the legacy he leaves for all of us. Inspiring people to dream big, do the work, live without fear, and be creative now.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Writing this book was a challenge. Horrible, scary, awful, uncertain sometimes, but satisfying. What kept me on track was being committed to the goal and being clear about the end result. That, and the love and support of people who cared. I wouldn’t change a thing.
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m8C_8BEiOZU" width="320" youtube-src-id="m8C_8BEiOZU"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Toller Cranston in "Strawberry Ice"</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>"Toller Cranston: Ice, Paint, Passion" will be published on March 5. </b><b>Readers are invited to attend <a href="https://phillippacranstonbaran.com/news-and-events/ ">public launch events</a> at The Donna Child Fine Art Gallery in Toronto, ON, O'Brien Theatre in Arnprior, ON and Hotel Aldea - Ancha de San Antonio in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>You can pre-order your copy today directly through <a href="https://sutherlandhousebooks.com/product/toller-cranston/">Sutherland House Books</a> or on <a href="https://a.co/d/aROlR34">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/toller-cranston-phillippa-baran/1144280816?ean=9781990823572">Barnes & Noble</a> or <a href="https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/toller-cranston-ice-paint-passion/9781990823572.html">Chapters</a>. Stay tuned to the blog for a review of the book!</b></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/SkateGuardBlog">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://pinterest.com/SkateGuard">Pinterest</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@SkateGuard">YouTube</a>. If you enjoy Skate Guard, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">please show your support</a> for this archive by ordering a copy of the figure skating reference books "Jackson Haines: The Skating King", "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">https://www.skateguardblog.com/p/buy-book.html</a>.</div></div>Skate Guard Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279901701173788400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117353349691954231.post-17754463759002551002024-02-16T07:51:00.003-04:002024-02-16T07:51:40.313-04:00The 1955 World Figure Skating Championships<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5TDygbaqbcZixan1b2ybWICXOJPBe5bJXQoT0W8hyOJ9VRRDZg-HG53JdIFG6s19PMVGxXeqUKfkZffpnlhpvtTYbrTALePsHOpHRWbrpfW25ihOr9TOdlG5S5foIURdtiYCCWC5TyYA/s1600/Scan_20181027.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1324" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5TDygbaqbcZixan1b2ybWICXOJPBe5bJXQoT0W8hyOJ9VRRDZg-HG53JdIFG6s19PMVGxXeqUKfkZffpnlhpvtTYbrTALePsHOpHRWbrpfW25ihOr9TOdlG5S5foIURdtiYCCWC5TyYA/w330-h400/Scan_20181027.jpg" width="330" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Hayes Alan Jenkins and Tenley Albright</span></i></div>
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Held from February 15 to 18, 1955 at the Wiener Eislaufverein in Vienna, the 1955 World Figure Skating Championships marked the first time since <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2017/08/the-1937-world-figure-skating.html">1937</a> that the World Championships were held in Austria. Although <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2017/11/double-salchows-in-dark-how-skating.html">World War II</a> ended ten years earlier, Allied soldiers from France, the Soviet Union, America and the UK still had a visible presence in the occupied city. Despite the fact it snowed almost every day, capacity crowds of up to sixty-five hundred spectators turned out to watch the free skating events that chilly February. In between events, they may have danced to the latest hit, Bill Haley's "Rock Around The Clock", to keep warm.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4V7mVlilRSM" width="320" youtube-src-id="4V7mVlilRSM"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
In attendance were a team of eight Soviet 'observers' led by Alexander Tolmachev, the head of the Figure Skating Federation of Moscow. They came to the event to study "international figure skating technique", with the idea in mind of sending skaters to the 1956 Winter Olympic Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">A murder of photographers taking pictures of Hayes Alan Jenkins. Photo courtesy Bildarchiv Austria.</span></i></div>
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The poor weather affected both practices and competitive events in Vienna. In her book "Indelible Tracings", Patricia Shelley Bushman noted, "Officials cleared the snow off the ice every fifteen minutes for... still, the snow caked under the skaters' blades, stopping them dead in their tracks."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAEiHfb7_lyjRcmBD1GLtlOn8Nlgzqwky6RupXg0mWYQqz6AkK2KjLvLxWqhw81vr4BisBPjIVtddKAfC_ywl0HIsqobeHgtztHQzwtpV5RcMllpcnBZ3r4qAdXqVm3PTMSpdZu_if_PU/s1600/williefricktenleymaribel1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAEiHfb7_lyjRcmBD1GLtlOn8Nlgzqwky6RupXg0mWYQqz6AkK2KjLvLxWqhw81vr4BisBPjIVtddKAfC_ywl0HIsqobeHgtztHQzwtpV5RcMllpcnBZ3r4qAdXqVm3PTMSpdZu_if_PU/s1600/williefricktenleymaribel1.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Willie Frick, Tenley Albright and Maribel Vinson Owen in Vienna. Photo courtesy Dr. Tenley Albright, Elee Krajlii Gardner (personal collection). Used with permission.</span></i></div>
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To prepare for the event, <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2015/03/words-of-wisdom-timeless-advice-from.html">Maribel Vinson Owen</a> took Tenley Albright, Hugh Graham and several of her other students to Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel in New York, which had an outdoor rink. Maribel coached, wrote for "Sports Illustrated" and the Associated Press in Vienna. She was up early every morning for practices and up late at the bar with the other reporters every night. After she went back to her hotel room, she could be heard pounding away on her typewriter. </div><div><br /></div><div>If you're wondering what Maribel might have been writing about, look no further... we're going to hop in the time machine and take a look back at this exciting competition!<br />
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<b>THE ICE DANCE COMPETITION</b><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine</span></i></div>
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The first three compulsory dances (Fourteenstep, American Waltz and Quickstep) were skated in a blizzard, and though crews busily swept the ice, the Wiener Eislaufverein kept getting smaller as snow was packed around the outside. The wind kept blowing the dancers off their pattern and a decision was made by the referee to postpone the final dance, the Tango, until the following day. Despite the trials and tribulations, <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2015/02/interview-with-jean-westwood.html">Jean Westwood</a> and Lawrence Demmy managed to take a commanding unanimous lead in the first phase <span id="goog_903930378"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_903930379"></span>of the competition over two other British couples, Pamela Weight and Paul Thomas and Barbara Radford and Raymond Lockwood. Three American teams, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2020/09/unorthodox-champions-carmel-and-ed.html">Carmel and Edward Bodel</a> of Berkeley, California, Joan Zamboni and Roland Janso of Los Angeles and Phyllis and Martin Forney of Hershey, Pennsylvania, sat in fourth, fifth and sixth places.<br />
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Westwood and Demmy's luck didn't last. In the warm-up prior to the free dance, they had a collision with another team. Westwood was knocked unconscious and attended to by doctors. Demmy left the ice. Mere minutes later, they returned to capture their fifth and final World title, if you count the 'unofficial' dance competition held at the 1951 World Championships... which you really should. The French and British judges actually tied Westwood and Demmy and Weight and Thomas in the free dance, but with compulsories counting for sixty percent of the score, you could hardly call things close. Radford and Lockwood took the bronze in what was the first British sweep of the medals at the World Championships in any discipline.</div><div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jean Westwood and Lawrence Demmy in 1955. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine.</span></i></div>
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Skating to a Wurtlizer organ rendition of Ray Henderson's "The Birth of the Blues", Canada's Lindis and Jeffrey Johnston placed a disappointing eleventh, with marks in the free dance that ranged from eighth to fifteenth place. One of the factors that may have hurt them was the fact that year was the first time the free dance was included at the Canadian Championships. The Johnston siblings actually won the 1955 Canadian title on the strength of their compulsories, having received only one first place ordinal in the free dance.<br />
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<b>THE MEN'S COMPETITION</b><b><br /></b>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Hayes Alan Jenkins signing autographs. Photo courtesy Bildarchiv Austria.</i></span></div>
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The men's school figures were skated in high winds and freezing temperatures. Frequently, skaters were thrown off balance by gusts of wind. One skater was even almost brought to a standstill when the winds faced him. All but the French judge had twenty-two year old college student Hayes Alan Jenkins, the two-time defending World Champion, in first. The one vote Jenkins didn't receive went to France's Alain Giletti, who finished second, some thirty points ahead of another American, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2017/11/the-original-whirling-dervish-ronnie.html">Ronnie Robertson</a>. 1936 Olympic Gold Medallist Karl Schäfer was in attendance, pointing out that though the weather conditions were less than ideal, they were the test of a good skater. Schäfer remarked, "Skating is, after all, a winter sport."</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifPck5v5c4DA8eibimzXUlEoqFmnIQ6PQCCsUzcIPOw80DUL4ISoAx9jGUgrFPP1qimSRPkV2k5EDhQJnJPXQtfzay2HzpOCTu5ZCHcfXOAjvjBGMCA4M0mHVfir_zwcsY2kIdxtlf77D_-JPbDRFxmd-ZD-mxx-zQ0LOAbD9qMGOEgJme8-cbOrGx7w/s286/Screenshot%202024-02-16%20074219.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="286" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifPck5v5c4DA8eibimzXUlEoqFmnIQ6PQCCsUzcIPOw80DUL4ISoAx9jGUgrFPP1qimSRPkV2k5EDhQJnJPXQtfzay2HzpOCTu5ZCHcfXOAjvjBGMCA4M0mHVfir_zwcsY2kIdxtlf77D_-JPbDRFxmd-ZD-mxx-zQ0LOAbD9qMGOEgJme8-cbOrGx7w/s1600/Screenshot%202024-02-16%20074219.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>
The winds prevailed during the men's free skate as well. Hayes Alan Jenkins recalled, "You had to really push and pump if you were going upwind; if you had it downwind it pushed you to the opposite end of the rink too fast. You tried to jump at an angle so you didn't jump directly into the wind. You made those adjustments constantly and instinctively." David Jenkins remembered, "The wind used to whistle through the stadium so that skating against it was like trying to skate up a mountain... The ice sometimes got so cold that it... cracked, leaving cracks an inch or so wide."<br /><br /></div><div>
Skating a technically demanding program brilliantly, Ronnie Robertson received first place marks across the board in the free skate... including a perfect 6.0. Skating to Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue", Hayes Alan Jenkins also delivered an outstanding performance, as did his fourteen year old brother David. All three earned standing ovations for their efforts. Robertson wasn't able to make up enough ground to unseat Hayes Alan Jenkins and finished second in the second American sweep of the men's podium at Worlds in history, the first being in <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-1952-world-figure-skating.html">1952 in Paris</a> when Hayes won the bronze behind <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2014/02/interview-with-dick-button.html">Dick Button</a> and Jimmy Grogan. All three of the 1955 medallists were coached by Edi Scholdan at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. With three mistakes, Giletti dropped from second to fourth with ordinals as low as tenth and eleventh in the free skate from the West German and Czechoslovakian judges. Karol Divín of Czechoslovakia, in his first appearance at the World Championships, placed an impressive fifth. Canada's sole representative in the men's event, Charles Snelling, placed eighth behind British skater Michael Booker and Austria's Norbert Felsinger.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ronnie Robertson. Photo courtesy Bildarchiv Austria.</span></i></div>
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Following the men's event, a correspondent for the "Neue Wiener Tageszeitung" made a point of criticizing the American men for the difficulty they faced in contending with the inclement weather. They wrote, "In the western world ice skating has turned into something that is done in heated and air-conditioned hall rinks. Ice skaters, therefore, are more like hot house plants than winter sportsmen. In the rough winter air, the enthusiasm of the Americans wilted away, and they did not feel so much like showing their high class skating. When gusts of wind swept over the ice during the performance of the second school figures the boys, who are used to drawing their circles without interference, were desperate. On the other hand, the Central European open air ice rink skaters, put up quite well with the unsatisfactory conditions."<br />
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<b>THE WOMEN'S COMPETITION</b><br />
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After winning the World title in 1953 at the age of seventeen, Tenley Albright of Newton, Massachusetts lost her <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2017/06/the-1954-world-figure-skating.html">World title in 1954</a> to West Germany's Gundi Busch. Though Busch had since turned professional, Albright wasn't without her challengers in Vienna. In addition to Ingrid Wendl and Hanna Eigel, two young specialists in compulsory figures from Austria, the pre-med student faced stiff competition from her fifteen year old American teammate Carol Heiss. However, in the figures, Albright took a commanding fifty point lead over Eigel and Wendl... and Heiss placed fifth.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Judges closely examining one of the women's school figures. Photo courtesy Bildarchiv Austria.</span></i></div>
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In the free skate, Albright skated brilliantly to Mischa Spoliansky's score from the 1948 film "Idol of Paris", earning several 5.9's and over one hundred and ninety points. Unanimously first on every judge's scorecard in both the figures and free skating, she reclaimed her spot at the top of the World podium in one of the most resounding wins of her career. Following the competition, she announced, "It is the biggest thrill of my life. Losing something makes you appreciate it all the more."<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Top: Carol Heiss, Tenley Albright and Hanna Eigel. Bottom: Tenley Albright. Photo courtesy Bildarchiv Austria.</span></i></div>
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The skaters ranked second through tenth were separated by less than eleven points. Heiss, a student of Pierre Brunet, moved up from fifth to earn the silver with an outstanding free skating performance that included a double Axel. The fact she was only ten points behind Albright overall was a credit to her ability as a free skater. Heiss' mother had made the trip to Vienna despite just getting out of the hospital, where she'd had cancer-related surgery. She was in tremendous pain but never missed a single practice. That April, she went back to the hospital for another operation. She passed away in October of 1956, having had the opportunity to see Carol win her first World title live the following year. </div><div><br /></div><div>Hanna Eigel took the bronze, less than two points ahead of Ingrid Wendl. Erica Batchelor, who finished fifth, received a third place ordinal from the American judge, while <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2016/01/from-czechoslovakia-to-canada-camel.html">Carole Jane Pachl</a>, who finished sixth, received a third place ordinal from the Canadian judge. Canadian reporters felt that the fact that Pachl had drawn first to skate in her group had made the difference between her finishing third and sixth. While in Vienna, she received an offer to turn professional and skate in one of the British ice pantomimes, which she promptly declined as she wanted to compete in the 1956 Winter Olympics. Tacoma, Washington's Patricia Firth finished seventh, ahead of the UK's <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2020/07/youth-of-yesteryear-yvonne-sugden-story.html">Yvonne Sugden</a>, Canada's Ann Johnston and California's Catherine Machado. Holland's <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-other-olympic-gold-medallists.html">Sjoujke Dijkstra</a> placed dead last in her first trip to the World Championships, but caught the eye of the Canadian and American judges, who had her thirteenth and fourteenth.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Miroslava Nachodská</span></i></div>
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After the competition, Czechoslovakian skater Miroslava Nachodská told Soviet guards she "only wanted to go out and buy a lipstick". Instead, she took a taxi to the city's American Refugee Center, with a plan of defecting to America. In a press conference after her defection she said, "In Czechoslovakia I might be considered as having had everything a person could hope for. Like few others in the country, I was well paid, I could travel, I could sometimes buy things abroad. I was nationally known. I had everything but freedom and security. I felt like a bird in a cage who had the freedom to move about the cage, but not beyond... [Defecting at Worlds] was my big chance because I was not considered politically reliable and had not been permitted to perform in the West since 1947." Maribel Vinson Owen's student Dudley Richards, on leave from performing at the Casa Carioca in Garmisch-Partenkirchen as part of his service with the U.S. military, helped sneak Nachodská out of the city to Linz and got her a job in the revue. The incident had long-reaching implications. The following year when the American team came to Europe to compete in the Olympics and Worlds, they were hassled by Communist officials at the airport "in retribution" for Nachodská's defection. A complaint had to be lodged with the Czechoslovakian federation. Senator (later President) John F. Kennedy investigated the incident.<br />
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<b>THE PAIRS COMPETITION</b></div>
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Though they tied in ordinal placings, Canada's <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-first-queen-of-canadian-pairs.html">Frances Dafoe</a> and Norris Bowden beat Austria's Sissy Schwarz and Kurt Oppelt by one sixth of a point in a five-four split of the judges panel in the pairs event. Newspapers claimed it was "the closest margin ever recorded in world competition". Hungarian siblings Marianna and László Nagy took the bronze medal ahead of Americans Carole Ann Ormaca and Robin Greiner and Canadians <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2016/07/unearthed-barbara-wagner-and-bob-paul.html">Barbara Wagner and Bob Paul</a>. The Czechoslovakian pair of Věra Suchánková and Zdeněk Doležal, who placed sixth, received the most wide-ranging marks in the event. The Czechoslovakian judge had them third, while the Italian judge had them twelfth and dead last.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Barbara Wagner and Bob Paul</i></span></div>
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As in the other disciplines, the pairs contended with some pretty hellish weather conditions, including icy wind and pelting snow. Frances Dafoe recalled, "The snow was falling so fast that the rink had to shovelled before each pair. With no place to put the snow except around the sides, the ice surface shrank in size after each program and it was difficult to tell where the ice ended and the snow bank began. One of the problems of skating in snow is that the pretty soft white stuff builds up under your blades and slows your speed. We were also dealing with a highly volatile political situation as we were competing in the hometown of our closest competitors."<br />
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Despite the fact that the Austrians suffered a fall late in their program, the Viennese press was infuriated by Schwarz and Oppelt's loss. The Communist newspaper "Der Abend" even went so far as to headline one news article "Scandal In The Figure Skating Championships" and write that the Austrians were "the real champions" and that the American had been hailed with snowballs. There certainly was enough snow around that the audience wouldn't have had to look far to make that happen, so who knows?<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photos courtesy "Skating" magazine</span></i></div>
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Following the competition, a number of the competitors including Dafoe and Bowden went on an exhibition tour of Europe. Skaters performed in three Swiss cities, two Italian cities and Paris, France. After returning, Dafoe and Bowden skated in several carnivals and defended their North American title. With the 1956 Winter Olympic Games fast approaching, the best skaters of 'the Atomic age' barely had time to sit down.<br />
<br />Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/SkateGuardBlog">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://pinterest.com/SkateGuard">Pinterest</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@SkateGuard">YouTube</a>. If you enjoy Skate Guard, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">please show your support</a> for this archive by ordering a copy of figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html</a>. </div>Skate Guard Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279901701173788400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117353349691954231.post-40749764646561558862024-02-16T07:50:00.001-04:002024-02-16T07:50:48.757-04:00Howard Bass, Skating Scribe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"You can never stop learning about skating. It is highly specialized and progressively fascinating the more one gets to know it." - Howard Bass, "This Skating Age", 1958<br />
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Born October 28, 1921 in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, England, Howard Bass happened upon skating almost by accident. At the age of nineteen, he was an instructor in the Royal Air Force when Bournemouth's Westover Ice Rink was requisitioned to train pilots. He worked the night shift and slept during in the day in the office of the rink's manager. His 'bedside reading' was a stack of discarded issues of "The Skating Times". He fell in love with the sport, which he had only been briefly exposed to in a trip to Switzerland just prior to the outbreak of <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2019/04/unearthed-world-war-ii-memoir.html">World War II</a>.<br />
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Howard later recalled, "Towards the end of the war, with victory in sight, my job in Germany became redundant and I spent the final month of mobilization at Bückeberg as an R.A.F. educational teacher in English and journalism, at the same time editing the 'B.A.F.O. Times' newspaper for the British Air Forces Overseas. In the latter capacity I had a W.A.A.F. sargeant interpreter, Marion Schreiber, to assist my dealings with German printers. I wrote to several celebrities for articles, and one of these was Cecilia Colledge. She responded admirably with an interesting feature about skating and subsequently invited me to see her when on leave. So, by pure chance, having already befriended Graham Sharp at Bournemouth, the only two skaters I knew in the world, and with whom I now found myself on excellent terms, were also formed World Champions."<br />
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When Howard was on a leave in England, he met Bob Giddens, the editor of "Ice Hockey World" magazine. Giddens invited him to freelance, editing a page on professional skating. One of his first assignments was a trip to the Empire Pool, Wembley. While interviewing <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2020/05/interpretations-herbert-alward-story.html">Herbert Alward</a>, who had won the bronze medals at the 1938 European and World Championships, he was introduced to his interview subject's wife. She was Marion Schreiber, the sargeant interpreter he'd worked with in Germany.<br />
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In the post-War years, Howard emerged as one of the most active sportswriters in England. Covering skiing and hockey but primarily figure skating, he founded a publishing company with his father and produced and edited three magazines - "The Skater", "The Skater, Skier and Ice Hockey Player" and "Winter Sports". In the years that followed, he served as the winter sports correspondent for the "Daily Telegraph", "Evening Standard" and the American magazine "Christian Science Monitor". He also penned entries on figure skating for the "Encyclopaedia Britannica" and "Guinness Book of Records" and produced <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-skaters-radio-programme.html">The Skater's Radio Programme</a> for Radio Luxembourg. He was one of only a handful of journalists to extensivelly travel around the world to provide international coverage of figure skating in the fifties and sixties. His reports on international competitions, which also appeared in "Skating" and "Skating World" magazines, serve as some of the most detailed accounts of these competitions we have today.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Brenda Williams, Jennifer Williams, Pamela Davis, Alex Gordon, Leslie Tear, Courtney Jones, Kathleen Warne, Howard Bass, Diana Kingswood, Antony Swaine and Veronica Blunt. Photo courtesy "Winter Sports" magazine.</span></i></div>
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Over a career that spanned over five decades, Howard wrote prolifically about figure skating. He penned nearly a dozen books on the subject, including "Winter Sports", "Success In Ice Skating", "Encyclopaedia of Winter Sports", "Let's Go Skating", "Tackle Skating" and an excellent biography of Robin Cousins. British skater Erica Batchelor once remarked, "Howard Bass... indeed seems to be every skater's friend... His uncanny understanding of skaters' problems and feelings has been acquired, no doubt, through knowing so many leading performers, whose trust he seems easily to win and never to betray. I learned a long time ago that he never prints anything told in confidence - and of how many writers may that be said truthfully!" Though he admirably never 'scooped' information skaters asked him not to, he was one of the first to tackle one issue head-on that few other sportswriters dared touch with a ten foot pole - the financial hardships skaters faced under the ISU's strict rules of amateurism. He had no qualms with calling English politicians out for not investing in their country's athletes. In 1963, he quipped, "The time has come when British sportsmen should no longer have to suffer the indignity of appearing the 'poor relation'."<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy "Winter Sports" magazine</span></i></div>
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Sadly, Howard's five-year military service during World War II thwarted his own skating dreams. He felt he started skating "too late to be seriously ambitious" and in 1966 remarked, "The opportunities [to skate] are now so few that, when I do escape and dare to perform in public, initial shakiness surely inspires the justified observation, 'And he actually has the nerve to write about it!' So let it be stressed that I am not a star performer but can claim to have spoken and virtually eaten and slept constantly in a winter sports environment throughout the post-war years, enjoying the good fortune to pick very many of the most expert brains. I have witnessed championships, competitions, exhibitions, galas and matches galore, organizing and even compèring some of them. I have learned to recognize the ecstasies, hazards and pitfalls while in the company of the greatest and smallest, and enjoyed rewarding pleasure through being able to accelerate and simplify the progress of new adherents by passing on the wisdom gained from their predecessors. Winter sports enthusiasts are the most unique community in the world, the most fanatical about their respective arts and partly, because of that, the most difficult to understand and misunderstand. Only years of long experience in their company and atmosphere can possibly enable one to appreciate their ways and outlook."<br />
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An extremely important contribution to skating that Howard made that is often overlooked was his work in founding the International Figure Skating Writers' Association. The international co-operative of journalists was founded in March of 1965 at the World Championships of Colorado Springs with the aim of keeping "the world's leading specialized newspaper correspondents in touch with round-the-world ice news." Howard served on the Board Of Directors, along with Canadian journalists George Gross and Brian Pound and American sports editor Lee Meade. Without the Association's efforts, the quantity and quality of figure skating coverage in print and radio in the sixties and seventies would likely have been diminished.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGgJn7wc_rLMHq-J3_DKP0p6PcYkN315hXMqHTs39TQ5IIs3-m1whuBHWo-0U_0B94RQf25El3koszHzLe1D6-FYJINiEuB0IBN1w-qIaX43tVt27t_febFP9rXfRQNiy8t3mPPXLwcY0vZ0_TtFAhigiluGx2YfdrBxAHvyyIigHyrIhIaNMEBAJ2gWY/s433/Screenshot%202024-02-16%20070706.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="54" data-original-width="433" height="40" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGgJn7wc_rLMHq-J3_DKP0p6PcYkN315hXMqHTs39TQ5IIs3-m1whuBHWo-0U_0B94RQf25El3koszHzLe1D6-FYJINiEuB0IBN1w-qIaX43tVt27t_febFP9rXfRQNiy8t3mPPXLwcY0vZ0_TtFAhigiluGx2YfdrBxAHvyyIigHyrIhIaNMEBAJ2gWY/s320/Screenshot%202024-02-16%20070706.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxDOOiAmfvLXkrcPW8QSy5X1PG5fsFfWk9abNL05rKREh7fbf6PfUY2umFFtle4Mk0gDlTdy-VtiIrJ-zK6g7BvjiPyoYF6xFCu2KBlbHdag3QccBAMs4lz4bRlWPz8UBxEWjizK-6ECmJSGTYvxNvxuCb3qw3hjNaJnDUi1iY4IGFdcIhX3UV2BhDYs/s512/Durham_Morning_Herald_Mon__Mar_8__1965_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="506" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxDOOiAmfvLXkrcPW8QSy5X1PG5fsFfWk9abNL05rKREh7fbf6PfUY2umFFtle4Mk0gDlTdy-VtiIrJ-zK6g7BvjiPyoYF6xFCu2KBlbHdag3QccBAMs4lz4bRlWPz8UBxEWjizK-6ECmJSGTYvxNvxuCb3qw3hjNaJnDUi1iY4IGFdcIhX3UV2BhDYs/s320/Durham_Morning_Herald_Mon__Mar_8__1965_.jpg" width="316" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
Howard passed away on October 30, 2007, two days after his eighty-sixth birthday. Though he always wanted to stay out of the limelight, his important contributions to figure skating absolutely deserve our respect and admiration.<br />
<br />Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/SkateGuardBlog">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://pinterest.com/SkateGuard">Pinterest</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@SkateGuard">YouTube</a>. If you enjoy Skate Guard, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">please show your support</a> for this archive by ordering a copy of figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html</a>. </div>Skate Guard Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279901701173788400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117353349691954231.post-35964228136193520792024-02-08T12:12:00.001-04:002024-02-08T12:12:21.162-04:00St. Paul's Prodigy: The Robin Lee Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhdutO9xpNAmPkPhieEP4bzJj1FO4B90Lwqpyete8jZojPlzIo0EeNWfQK0XibTCKdFIFRThisSJ9upoM6-BXeD5f-JYGLPJS4vSSDHKx3bSUNr0rBLxQLhYVmgHMReHw4gZTKDmNiX8/s1107/Robin+Lee+EX-+Hennepin+County+Library.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1107" data-original-width="823" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhdutO9xpNAmPkPhieEP4bzJj1FO4B90Lwqpyete8jZojPlzIo0EeNWfQK0XibTCKdFIFRThisSJ9upoM6-BXeD5f-JYGLPJS4vSSDHKx3bSUNr0rBLxQLhYVmgHMReHw4gZTKDmNiX8/w476-h640/Robin+Lee+EX-+Hennepin+County+Library.jpg" width="476" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy Hennepin County Library</span></i></div>
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"It takes nerve and stamina to be a good figure skater." - Robin Lee, "Jamestown Evening Journal", January 12, 1939<br />
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The only child of Martha (Schroeder) and Ayner Robert 'A.R.' Lee, Robin Huntington Lee was born December 2, 1919 in St. Paul, Minnesota. He grew up on St. Anthony Avenue, a stone's throw from Concordia University. His father was a telegraph operator with the Northern Pacific railroad who moonlighted as a figure skating instructor and salesman for the Olympiad Skate Company. His Norwegian born grandfather Knut was a machine operator in a shoe factory. His uncle Arthur was a well-known sculptor who travelled abroad on a Guggenheim fellowship. After his mother died when he was six following a long illness, his father decided to make him "a little sportsman".<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy Minnesota Historical Society</span></i></div>
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As a boy, blonde-haired, blue eyed Robin golfed, swam, played tennis and attended Mattock Grammar School. He started skating at the age of four on a St. Paul pond wearing a pair of double runners. In no time, the double runners were shelved in favour of a pair of Olympiad skates. Coached by his 'pop', also an accomplished skater and mentored by Chris Christenson and A.C. Bennett, Robin was a fast learner on the ice despite his diminutive size. He later recalled, "I never would have been a champion at all if if hadn't been for Dad. Until I was ten I had no ideas about being a figure skater. But Dad had the ideas and they were serious." Some of Robin's father's ideas were rather unorthodox. In "Skating" magazine in 1996, Robin remembered, "My father took me secretly out on a frozen lake with a couple of nails and a piece of light rope. We drew circles onto the ice. I tried to trace them (it was so windy that I was blown all over the place and we gave up on it). It was the forerunner of the 'scribe' but we didn't know that at the time."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnt4RLnwmFhL7jmRgS5ORAse69vsjlaSevBw-Sw2aATGzh1Km8HGeTZTwvDW3kCisAWQMuoIg46ZIlbP74UVcORhdJgpTf2Ia_5iyr-dvTj5y5nIu4u4Dx9JghRTu6EczxtuuRMsEnp7E/s1600/bw.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="311" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnt4RLnwmFhL7jmRgS5ORAse69vsjlaSevBw-Sw2aATGzh1Km8HGeTZTwvDW3kCisAWQMuoIg46ZIlbP74UVcORhdJgpTf2Ia_5iyr-dvTj5y5nIu4u4Dx9JghRTu6EczxtuuRMsEnp7E/s200/bw.PNG" width="194" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisbDZW9Wh_gbJCAZrDlnspzUR5-T3xYZXzWz7R9vARNK7tA3btBiIi3k9JpGaFav6K9uxePb_XQLakTMHUIGL5muZKXPCaUZfGjBCtfjt7KmWDCwJKm_asLhVIX5oK_57Pcv0rWSrzbNE/s1600/Capture.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="345" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisbDZW9Wh_gbJCAZrDlnspzUR5-T3xYZXzWz7R9vARNK7tA3btBiIi3k9JpGaFav6K9uxePb_XQLakTMHUIGL5muZKXPCaUZfGjBCtfjt7KmWDCwJKm_asLhVIX5oK_57Pcv0rWSrzbNE/s200/Capture.PNG" width="147" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL67xct8qjmxeyRaxBDDhxP7c2trRJj0Q_MzWY8lpnm0U5Lo7kffGDJTlQpJeAURZOQcH1-DV637G0PxcLK4Z10AjVoTg7i5GPQ1Oa_1gfNLZwOc2hNPE4E-DrFy-fWqrHGgaQOWFGwhE/s1600/Leey.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="988" data-original-width="687" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL67xct8qjmxeyRaxBDDhxP7c2trRJj0Q_MzWY8lpnm0U5Lo7kffGDJTlQpJeAURZOQcH1-DV637G0PxcLK4Z10AjVoTg7i5GPQ1Oa_1gfNLZwOc2hNPE4E-DrFy-fWqrHGgaQOWFGwhE/s200/Leey.jpg" width="138" /></a></div>
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Quoted in "Skating" magazine, Chris Christenson remarked, "He has a rare ability for a boy of his age, being proficient in many sports. He won the Junior Golf Championship of St. Paul... and took second prize in a swimming meet, competing against boys twice is size. He was picked as the best boy singer from a number of different schools to sing at a teachers' convention here. He is also a very good piano player but does not take much interest in either the piano or singing. All these activities have not interfered with his school work for he passes his examinations with better than average marks. He is a modest young man, and his athletic ability has not spoiled him as it does so many young people. He has confidence in his own powers and lots of determination to win."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-l2wToCFAcso4ma0wtutY9cLDGOLcX3xy55GomhtN2y0TmKt_-ocPLvyZOfqkrQwlncfxu59Dju4Nz6qDlv1NQ_v4bfti3k-R93DJE6nRVOjW-uhFhDQHHFo0D2O728H6tWq0ex1TqBc/s1600/Peppe+and+Lee+1931.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="364" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-l2wToCFAcso4ma0wtutY9cLDGOLcX3xy55GomhtN2y0TmKt_-ocPLvyZOfqkrQwlncfxu59Dju4Nz6qDlv1NQ_v4bfti3k-R93DJE6nRVOjW-uhFhDQHHFo0D2O728H6tWq0ex1TqBc/w233-h320/Peppe+and+Lee+1931.jpg" width="233" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSrOuaqU3gT2GKcyPeh394n2sTlA-9Sw5Qj02bPQu4KokkorJmRnkroVprKhRj_uH-1NFsesI48yvrOYcuQcxKZia_aQ2G3Y9tpsJHUZjwYAMKLMR682TZdN4huILD-heNTO3jijg_498/s1901/Robin+Lee-+Hennepin+County+Library3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1901" data-original-width="666" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSrOuaqU3gT2GKcyPeh394n2sTlA-9Sw5Qj02bPQu4KokkorJmRnkroVprKhRj_uH-1NFsesI48yvrOYcuQcxKZia_aQ2G3Y9tpsJHUZjwYAMKLMR682TZdN4huILD-heNTO3jijg_498/s320/Robin+Lee-+Hennepin+County+Library3.jpg" width="112" /></a><br /><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Left: Audrey Peppe and Robin Lee in 1931. Right: Robin Lee holding a golf club. Photo courtesy Hennepin County Library.</span></i></div>
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Robin's father told reporters, "Get 'em while they're young and start teaching 'em: that's the way to make a champion. Experts have told me my boy is one in a million. Maybe he'll get there eventually if he keeps at it. He likes skating - likes it about as much as golf. I picked out those sports for him because a person can get a lot of fun out of them, and they are the two sports that wear best: you can last a long time in each, and the sooner you start in 'em the better."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHP-353jwoCBEJNTidMfsHGAqPfc7grrdSDwNXRO1zW-K54JAdU3Upahg3WcD9YrgFqmcxZ2KnwoI2qdBwXLY790vP1NMjQUuFXyIGXe05WtTVsaRk_jY7s-j8O0dDnqeYV8gpdUwN9CU/s1600/Lee1.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="329" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHP-353jwoCBEJNTidMfsHGAqPfc7grrdSDwNXRO1zW-K54JAdU3Upahg3WcD9YrgFqmcxZ2KnwoI2qdBwXLY790vP1NMjQUuFXyIGXe05WtTVsaRk_jY7s-j8O0dDnqeYV8gpdUwN9CU/w192-h320/Lee1.PNG" width="192" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp06CYdzKIEQoEjO67yWXhCnDcDuCFTMC16moVNuagrSKtakKoVVFOZuw2aaeTcNneMiKY8RWMgzgDi2we8hN6-gP5yurZ86BTq-_ZTsvy9_3AJgkoUJ-mQ2qlK8yVyL18Pbk8K6w_knM/s1428/Robin+Lee+spin+-+Hennepin+County+Library.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1428" data-original-width="687" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp06CYdzKIEQoEjO67yWXhCnDcDuCFTMC16moVNuagrSKtakKoVVFOZuw2aaeTcNneMiKY8RWMgzgDi2we8hN6-gP5yurZ86BTq-_ZTsvy9_3AJgkoUJ-mQ2qlK8yVyL18Pbk8K6w_knM/s320/Robin+Lee+spin+-+Hennepin+County+Library.jpg" width="154" /></a><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Right photo courtesy Hennepin County Library</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
Unlike many 'hothouse' skaters who weren't accustomed to skating outside, Robin had the advantage of much experience skating outdoors in The Twin Cities, as well as in indoor rinks with less than pleasant conditions. His future student Dorothy Snell recalled, "Though under cover and protected from wind or snow, indoor rinks in the Twin Cities lacked equipment until the mid-thirties to freeze water artificially. The cold in these places was outrageous. Heavily wrapped against it, one was too constricted to move well; lightly wrapped and one was too cold. I remember once dashing out to the center of the rink amongst the circling long bladers and carelessly brushing up against one of them. Unhurt, we both went on skating. Later in the warming room for a routine count of fingers and toes, I discovered I had been cut because as my skin approached normal temperature, a small wound in my leg began to bleed... While free skating, we could warm up enough to overcome the inhibiting nature of cold muscles, but school figures, executed with far less exertion and pace, were not comfortably practiced for long at low temperatures. On the other hand, skating on natural ice may have offered training advantage in that the skater had to work harder in cold temperatures to overcome the resistance to the blades than was necessary on artificial ice in air temperatures of 350-400 F. where a moistened surface reduced resistance."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJtvcA5kIpSK_eg1jGMA3VzeMjAJm6r-0sPAHCpg4ct9J6kw2NqGP7Lk3iGgOcQ_0cMnycs_D04lK5iKeg01VN-TT1Ad4ijSxExgjtWlyiPwEkcoRDmkdbnvnQgyijbQLhD2mZrrUHOCc/s1600/2.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="547" data-original-width="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJtvcA5kIpSK_eg1jGMA3VzeMjAJm6r-0sPAHCpg4ct9J6kw2NqGP7Lk3iGgOcQ_0cMnycs_D04lK5iKeg01VN-TT1Ad4ijSxExgjtWlyiPwEkcoRDmkdbnvnQgyijbQLhD2mZrrUHOCc/s1600/2.PNG" /></a></div>
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At the age of eleven, Robin claimed the Minnesota state title in Mankato despite abysmal outdoor ice conditions, the first such championship held in the Midwest under USFSA rules. The following year, he became the youngest skater in history to win the U.S. junior title. All of his competitors were in their twenties and thirties.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdiEQoaog5iJBNgWO3s0BLFxNuySbTD-t-BpemNiSMmX5cjzNRDb5QYBfuu1LNZUafp51t6bjQVPBsBRXdkodEH2bCHX5iFojSRbXsl2NuQZYX6p5vwfmt6TzBQ_etx0QMHWz8xoY5fOw/s908/Henie+and+Lee-+Hennepin+County+Library.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="908" data-original-width="638" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdiEQoaog5iJBNgWO3s0BLFxNuySbTD-t-BpemNiSMmX5cjzNRDb5QYBfuu1LNZUafp51t6bjQVPBsBRXdkodEH2bCHX5iFojSRbXsl2NuQZYX6p5vwfmt6TzBQ_etx0QMHWz8xoY5fOw/w450-h640/Henie+and+Lee-+Hennepin+County+Library.jpg" width="450" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sonja Henie and Robin Lee. Photo courtesy Hennepin County Library.</span></i></div>
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Later that year, twelve year old Robin had the valuable experience of competing in the World Championships in Montreal. His father couldn't make the trip, so he travelled by train alone, with one of his father's friends keeping an eye on him. He placed dead last but showed great promise for the future.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHjFOYbkuHDFp5LVGAmeSWUcTD0YQKDGd_q2JaxR524rWylBqxP5KhEibZ0oSiXxkCgOcNP5G9Q_lM1MLbgV4fXQix2Aa_v7ertsDkDqN2AxuWoJixfmUdAxAjWPq5lF5w-vsW7Ie6dKY/s1600/Robin+Lee+-Minnesota+Historical+Society.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="640" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHjFOYbkuHDFp5LVGAmeSWUcTD0YQKDGd_q2JaxR524rWylBqxP5KhEibZ0oSiXxkCgOcNP5G9Q_lM1MLbgV4fXQix2Aa_v7ertsDkDqN2AxuWoJixfmUdAxAjWPq5lF5w-vsW7Ie6dKY/s400/Robin+Lee+-Minnesota+Historical+Society.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy Minnesota Historical Society</span></i></div><div><br /></div></div><div>
At thirteen, Robin struck gold at the first Midwestern Championships in St. Louis and finished third at both the U.S. and North American Championships. The next year, he took the Middle Atlantic senior title and finished second in the senior men's event at the U.S. Championships by less than a point.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkFKC3ixMDPfXlza5hAfF9biP4qAfemuw336zTp-2_C5g6R7QOIg54zdlmKVmGgMqRUn540wUkKS56Lmuw24HFW_3fsH2TFMJhi6OyAbTvQCKZfBFPe0RSS54nu7h1tEmRMtJLblxwsuo/s628/Robin+Lee-+Hennepin+County+Library2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="433" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkFKC3ixMDPfXlza5hAfF9biP4qAfemuw336zTp-2_C5g6R7QOIg54zdlmKVmGgMqRUn540wUkKS56Lmuw24HFW_3fsH2TFMJhi6OyAbTvQCKZfBFPe0RSS54nu7h1tEmRMtJLblxwsuo/w442-h640/Robin+Lee-+Hennepin+County+Library2.jpg" width="442" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy Hennepin County Library</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div></div>
Robin won his first of five consecutive U.S. senior men's titles in 1935 at the age of fifteen, unseating defending Champion Roger Turner, who was more than twice his age. He made history as the youngest U.S. Champion in history and as the first man to unseat a seven time U.S. Champion. That winter, he also finished second at the North American Championships.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJohzKOnPPzfcFZ4Yas3kmVylMIt9E622gop6evrXxvcDAFOMIvs-XsafXpzPab_QYm-8hZTumPLV3CpOgce1zm990Ep5c-D_40TpAOcIOZ1agDLTR9BamxdCbf9ENv7cYV8YrxwAy9EM/s622/Maribel+and+Robin+Lee+1935+Nats+-+Hennepin+County+Library.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="622" data-original-width="469" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJohzKOnPPzfcFZ4Yas3kmVylMIt9E622gop6evrXxvcDAFOMIvs-XsafXpzPab_QYm-8hZTumPLV3CpOgce1zm990Ep5c-D_40TpAOcIOZ1agDLTR9BamxdCbf9ENv7cYV8YrxwAy9EM/w482-h640/Maribel+and+Robin+Lee+1935+Nats+-+Hennepin+County+Library.jpg" width="482" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Robin Lee and Maribel Vinson Owen. Photo courtesy Hennepin County Library.</span></i></div>
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Robin was praised by Maribel Vinson Owen for his especially well done mazurka, walley and loop jumps. He had also had a Lutz, Axel, double Salchow and double loop in his repertoire and came up with his own free skating choreography, skating as Robin Hood and performing a German slap dance. His father once described him as "a funny kid. Right now I think he'd rather be over there helping those fellows smooth the ice with those trick scrapers. Always into something new... Maybe he doesn't take a bath just as often as he might, because I don't keep after him. Maybe he doesn't eat his spinach or get as many spankings as he might - but he's getting the big things."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNI3GZWGk-A9Y-DTqV1IVi-5Ip-4rq4_j58e9Yjl6Syc2JZpmS0cD11gtJwkjmdEGL9sCW-Bk9vteytB1a-bGcf4rmJNyxEtn-9UsCp0JE_uSVQuijw5PT9qmWOoIHvkSOZnF6s_qtLQU/s1159/Robin+and+AR+Lee-+Hennepin+County+Library2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1159" data-original-width="804" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNI3GZWGk-A9Y-DTqV1IVi-5Ip-4rq4_j58e9Yjl6Syc2JZpmS0cD11gtJwkjmdEGL9sCW-Bk9vteytB1a-bGcf4rmJNyxEtn-9UsCp0JE_uSVQuijw5PT9qmWOoIHvkSOZnF6s_qtLQU/w278-h400/Robin+and+AR+Lee-+Hennepin+County+Library2.jpg" width="278" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">A.R. and Robin Lee. Photo courtesy Hennepin County Library.</span></i></div>
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Prior to winning his first U.S. senior men's title, Robin had left Minnesota to train in New York under World Champion Willy Böckl, first living with his uncle in lower Manhattan and attending a public school and later moving in with his aunt and transferring to Erasmus High School. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIbv-vRUYzXiaTJCZ92pOPe8cTL3qkJyBY2YnU1lADxB8zyBUbYDE1xFOliTGbvHsLxw9um74F6TQXil0UEuz0t74FKVmwXbxPKj5fNyVZIUlSFzwRfvcOVB5zXQFy92aBHbxQrkVNDrw/s615/Robin+Lee+golfing-+Hennepin+County+Library.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="467" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIbv-vRUYzXiaTJCZ92pOPe8cTL3qkJyBY2YnU1lADxB8zyBUbYDE1xFOliTGbvHsLxw9um74F6TQXil0UEuz0t74FKVmwXbxPKj5fNyVZIUlSFzwRfvcOVB5zXQFy92aBHbxQrkVNDrw/w486-h640/Robin+Lee+golfing-+Hennepin+County+Library.jpg" width="486" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Robin Lee. Photo courtesy Hennepin County Library.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Robin's move east resulted in heaps of publicity, largely due to his age and likability. When he appeared on "The Kate Smith Hour", The First Lady Of American Radio introduced him by saying, "He has that odd but romantic name of Robin." He answered, "It seems to me that the way you sing, so nicely, your name should be 'Robin' instead of mine."<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Right photo courtesy "Skating" magazine</span></i></div>
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Robin's results at the 1936 Winter Olympic Games and World Championships - twelfth and eighth - were somewhat disappointing, but he missed valuable training time in the lead-up to his trip to Europe due to a serious case of 'the grippe' (the flu). In an interview in "Skating" magazine in 1991, he recalled, "I remember seeing Hitler and Goering in the stands, and having to squeeze up against buildings in Garmisch while tanks and groups of German soldiers came up narrow alleys... The wind snow and ice conditions kept me down to twelfth... place. Luck and weather were important back in the days of outdoor ice. You could start a figure at the right speed, and a gust of wind might bring you to a complete stop."<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJlx12abfDIAwxv-6jSUXTtbnl5kyacx96OcKs2FsEAQ81297W2B5XfHIt47i4vYFQL-7zdSV-ahkEYBNQYjS-iPfqfE3gfCEA3CWeT27tnAteFkUxZM46OfP_-qqMFXarxRWFpiIQiLI/s462/1938+Lee+Tozzer.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="344" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJlx12abfDIAwxv-6jSUXTtbnl5kyacx96OcKs2FsEAQ81297W2B5XfHIt47i4vYFQL-7zdSV-ahkEYBNQYjS-iPfqfE3gfCEA3CWeT27tnAteFkUxZM46OfP_-qqMFXarxRWFpiIQiLI/w238-h320/1938+Lee+Tozzer.png" width="238" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlFjEUySYkuujE8bXSPS58sJEJfiTCdhWxwcungNlUtnJXEnBiwgZVTD4BnVOLEOrpvw98vl6yvXcxNT73_HxuC0aLBDXgwEcQBtU-z9E9bNZj0L7yfjYNKxp3rXpPr91nJpnadM-tpuk/s1600/Scan_20190528.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1473" data-original-width="1197" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlFjEUySYkuujE8bXSPS58sJEJfiTCdhWxwcungNlUtnJXEnBiwgZVTD4BnVOLEOrpvw98vl6yvXcxNT73_HxuC0aLBDXgwEcQBtU-z9E9bNZj0L7yfjYNKxp3rXpPr91nJpnadM-tpuk/w260-h320/Scan_20190528.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Left: Robin Lee and Joan Tozzer at the 1938 U.S. Championships. Right: Robin Lee. Photos courtesy "Skating" magazine.</i></span></div><div><br />An injury prevented Robin from vying for the 1937 North American title, but he did manage to reclaim the silver at the event in 1939 and win the Midwestern men's title in 1937, 1938 and 1939. At this point in his career, he was training in Chicago with Norval Baptie and Karl Schäfer, the winner of the 1936 Winter Olympics who had since turned professional. He mastered three different double jumps: the Salchow, toe-loop and loop.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDv2njlyHh1jyc3cgOLelBpOiSoLsImI5gGAYnNgXcsFpeMc1w7Iv4I_EvW3SA6hBxfMZFTVPGEr56hDZ7u2jXr8nmPZNL5kgpGuyYxQLe6OH9r7cDqZ08GbNhZ5CYMbob7XWDr4IQvh0/s1600/Scan_20191008.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1298" data-original-width="1130" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDv2njlyHh1jyc3cgOLelBpOiSoLsImI5gGAYnNgXcsFpeMc1w7Iv4I_EvW3SA6hBxfMZFTVPGEr56hDZ7u2jXr8nmPZNL5kgpGuyYxQLe6OH9r7cDqZ08GbNhZ5CYMbob7XWDr4IQvh0/s320/Scan_20191008.png" width="277" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJX539_KycyZlCyJsL_EQfyZciuicJGwOa2CrJF-pwGsjY5zG_n3Wsloop-1PLrFok5Ha3_cHtqNTH_lLRN-VJEXYokAFh0i9RBpfgo6IlN65GE7uUiap0ytTtGQoIwNTj48IqfADDhUQ/s1600/Robin+Lee+and+Belita+1941+Ice+Capades.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="369" data-original-width="261" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJX539_KycyZlCyJsL_EQfyZciuicJGwOa2CrJF-pwGsjY5zG_n3Wsloop-1PLrFok5Ha3_cHtqNTH_lLRN-VJEXYokAFh0i9RBpfgo6IlN65GE7uUiap0ytTtGQoIwNTj48IqfADDhUQ/s320/Robin+Lee+and+Belita+1941+Ice+Capades.PNG" width="226" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Left: Arthur Vaughn Jr., Jane Vaughn Sullivan, Gene Turner, Donna Atwood and Robin Lee. Photo courtesy "World Ice Skating Guide". Right: Belita </span></i><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jepson-Turner and Robin Lee.</span></i></div>
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Robin was named to the 1940 Olympic team, but when the Games were cancelled due to the outbreak of World War II. He decided to turn professional and accept an offer teaching skating at the Winnipeg Winter Club. When his contract at the Manitoba club ended, he toured with the Ice Capades alongside Belita Jepson-Turner and Megan and Phil Taylor. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdFNjsecfPOQ0TbWMukKj7saAMgPsflkwQ3h0oq6O67pQu7rM97YF2KxSAlk_9DsQHWKgtmwkIT77K7H3Cd7JYSNyCeVSDlGb2Z6KyTVS-1XYnXSyohGCCjNkt-04DWMWmiAxRLviDDaE/s546/AR+and+Robin+Lee-+Hennepin+County+Library.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="546" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdFNjsecfPOQ0TbWMukKj7saAMgPsflkwQ3h0oq6O67pQu7rM97YF2KxSAlk_9DsQHWKgtmwkIT77K7H3Cd7JYSNyCeVSDlGb2Z6KyTVS-1XYnXSyohGCCjNkt-04DWMWmiAxRLviDDaE/w400-h311/AR+and+Robin+Lee-+Hennepin+County+Library.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">A.R. and Robin Lee. Photo courtesy Hennepin County Library.</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Try as he might, Robin couldn't escape the press in 1942, when his then sixty year old father was arrested for second degree assault after stabbing his twenty-nine year old housekeeper Elizabeth Birch multiple times in his St. Paul apartment during an argument. It was just months after Robin had married his sweetheart, an Ice Capades skater named Betty Brown.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_-O685UTg5XN3TkYzzYvelqPZTv6WmY7RXUkgjfRNMY0Vdb7JrK315PBbgOwJBx93pefe4MZ51sYvVZCAr8piPSuO6RBLKfnHNV4IBhdlFrglqNzY8modNNGlU3bFMql8aPFlL15a0nE/s1600/Lee+and+Specht.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="226" data-original-width="399" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_-O685UTg5XN3TkYzzYvelqPZTv6WmY7RXUkgjfRNMY0Vdb7JrK315PBbgOwJBx93pefe4MZ51sYvVZCAr8piPSuO6RBLKfnHNV4IBhdlFrglqNzY8modNNGlU3bFMql8aPFlL15a0nE/s320/Lee+and+Specht.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9I9A1DXIi8meauOKTZWMYhBQTOlk2aZspvRnKh2SGLv_Ua-f4lE_1X9aLrnoVIdJw0SWYnSDVIX9N4lwxpf4otC_McmpadxSDZMvAu9-v222eXIsThuk7oq9QACdGOlWbNf0YsxN94FA/s1789/Robin+Lee+draft+card+44018_03_00008-03350.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1190" data-original-width="1789" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9I9A1DXIi8meauOKTZWMYhBQTOlk2aZspvRnKh2SGLv_Ua-f4lE_1X9aLrnoVIdJw0SWYnSDVIX9N4lwxpf4otC_McmpadxSDZMvAu9-v222eXIsThuk7oq9QACdGOlWbNf0YsxN94FA/s320/Robin+Lee+draft+card+44018_03_00008-03350.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Top: Robin Lee and Bobby Specht in the military. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine. </span></i><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bottom: Robin Lee's draft card.</span></i></div>
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After three years of service as a Boatswain's Mate on a destroyer in the United States Navy, Robin was discharged from the military when the ship that he was on hit a reef off of Okinawa, Japan. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF_MyM1DQvfveOf0YULUC8yuQpVkR4_OK02qHSeOjBxGnQ53O0ULfU9GDIyFwWDvmhAkecgXlBzOqxuzeQphQIcX7uwMTnRYM1VsOTOeFXMVnpi0fcRnrrDNjJYPOMKKpy3ZxZfU2BevQ/s1600/11866233_10206423563021319_8435581797276816688_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="738" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF_MyM1DQvfveOf0YULUC8yuQpVkR4_OK02qHSeOjBxGnQ53O0ULfU9GDIyFwWDvmhAkecgXlBzOqxuzeQphQIcX7uwMTnRYM1VsOTOeFXMVnpi0fcRnrrDNjJYPOMKKpy3ZxZfU2BevQ/w400-h315/11866233_10206423563021319_8435581797276816688_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">John Nightingale, Robin Lee and Janet Gerhauser. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine.</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Robin returned to America and joined the cast of the Ice Cycles in 1946. In an era when many men still skated in blacks, whites and greys, Robin performed in a scarlet jacket and azure blue tie. He stopped performing in the late forties, became a father and stepfather and embarked on a lengthy career teaching skating in Chicago and the Twin Cities. Among his students were Janet Gerhauser and John Nightingale, Olympians in 1952.</div><div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgExhm3TwSCobS4iTQ-ellKa7Pv-O66YvOktPUdxTO_i4UZYnnbLUBoBMdusqZwpPTOEubebhmrvxDzCOz7lLqSv1_xgg-aH06kD-d-FevzL8QtnHo5hh2TRZmtYfcESXK-oVBG_RjwVsthTZjN2a-mbxNVrkusFTVy_-wyVleysfuBfzNVGC8zPPoY=s525" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="525" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgExhm3TwSCobS4iTQ-ellKa7Pv-O66YvOktPUdxTO_i4UZYnnbLUBoBMdusqZwpPTOEubebhmrvxDzCOz7lLqSv1_xgg-aH06kD-d-FevzL8QtnHo5hh2TRZmtYfcESXK-oVBG_RjwVsthTZjN2a-mbxNVrkusFTVy_-wyVleysfuBfzNVGC8zPPoY=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame</span></i></div>
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In 1963, Robin was inducted into the Minnesota Sports Hall Of Fame. He retired from coaching in 1991 and was inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall Of Fame in 1995. He passed away of bone cancer on October 8, 1997 in Minneapolis at the age of seventy-seven.<br />
<br />Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/SkateGuardBlog">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://pinterest.com/SkateGuard">Pinterest</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@SkateGuard">YouTube</a>. If you enjoy Skate Guard, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">please show your support</a> for this archive by ordering a copy of figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html</a>.</div></div>Skate Guard Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279901701173788400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117353349691954231.post-79533445720007087642024-02-08T12:11:00.002-04:002024-02-08T12:11:49.847-04:00The 1931 European Figure Skating Championships<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYrdk_ZIuHxkzYywPTQA2dgaqhrkvOp9_GV4NHGxwF3LxfUKYEYteuYhfhD7X3p-PAPV-IMisfciu4fHM4dj7JyLRUkOWP0TfrV2q7rVcYbQwd_z1LU_lEsq-7XbRQ4DaTPU39zDo8XQA/s1600/HenieSchafer2.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYrdk_ZIuHxkzYywPTQA2dgaqhrkvOp9_GV4NHGxwF3LxfUKYEYteuYhfhD7X3p-PAPV-IMisfciu4fHM4dj7JyLRUkOWP0TfrV2q7rVcYbQwd_z1LU_lEsq-7XbRQ4DaTPU39zDo8XQA/s1600/HenieSchafer2.PNG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.ca/2016/03/how-henie-handled-hedda-hopper.html">Sonja Henie</a> and <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.ca/2015/03/karl-schafer-viennas-golden-boy.html">Karl Schäfer</a>. <span style="text-align: center;"><span>Photo courtesy National Archives of Poland.</span></span></i></span></div>
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In the first weeks of 1931, Ulrich Salchow was celebrating his sixth year as President of the International Skating Union, Albert Einstein began his work at the California Institute Of Technology at the same time Thomas Edison submitted his lastest patent application. <div><br /></div><div>Everyone was tapping their toes to George and Ira Gershwin's new tune "I Got Rhythm"... and over the course of seven days, a handful of Europe's best figure skaters convened on two of the continent's most influential 'skating cities' for the 1931 European Figure Skating Championships. <div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SZeoClbYTH0" width="320" youtube-src-id="SZeoClbYTH0"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>It was only the second year that women's and pairs competitions were included in the annual international competition, though they were not held at the same time as the men's event. The men competed on January 24 and 25, 1931 at the Kunsteisbahn Engelmann in Vienna, Austria, while the pairs and women had their turn on January 29 and 30 at the Kulm Rink in St. Moritz, Switzerland.<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Top: Karl Schäfer in Vienna. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine. Bottom: </span></i></span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy Národní muzeum.</span></i></div>
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To generate interest in the men's competition, Vienna's Selenophone Society hosted a screening of film recordings of <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.ca/2016/03/how-henie-handled-hedda-hopper.html">Sonja Henie</a> and <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.ca/2015/03/karl-schafer-viennas-golden-boy.html">Karl Schäfer</a> that included sound. The novelty worked like a charm, with tickets for the men's free skate selling out days prior. In a class by himself, Schäfer won his third consecutive European title in a most convincing fashion, earning first place ordinals across the board in both the figures and free skate. If Germany's <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.ca/2015/03/the-other-world-champions-part-3.html">Ernst Baier</a> only narrowly edged Dr. Hugo Distler of Austria in the school figures, he convincingly defeated his Austrian rival and won the silver medal with a far superior free skating effort. Hungary's Marcel Vadas finished fourth, ahead of another pair of Austrians, Otto Hartmann and Rudolf Zettelmann. Following the event, Schäfer, Distler, Baier, Vadas and others boarded a train for St. Moritz to train for the upcoming World Figure Skating Championships in Berlin.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Olga Orgonista and Sándor Szalay.</span></i> <i style="font-size: small;">Photo courtesy National Archives of Poland.</i></div>
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With Andrée and Pierre Brunet opting not to participate for the second year in a row, only three teams were left in the running for the 1931 European pairs title. In a repeat of the results from the 1930 European Championships in Vienna, Olga Orgonista and Sándor Szalay again decisively came out on top of their Hungarian compatriots Emília Rotter and László Szollás. Austrians <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.ca/2015/03/the-other-world-champions-part-3.html">Lilly (Scholz)</a> Gaillard and Willy Petter took the bronze.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Silver medal from the pairs event </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Yvonne de Ligne, Hilde Holovsky, Sonja Henie, Ilse Hornung, Lilly Weiler, Else Flebbe, Reneé Volpato, Fritzi Burger and Vivi-Anne Hultén</span></i></div>
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After skipping the previous year's European Championships in Vienna and allowing <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.ca/2016/06/searching-for-fritzi-talking-fritzi.html">Fritzi Burger</a> to make history as the first European women's champion, Sonja Henie emerged in St. Moritz to defeat her Austrian rival in what was perhaps one of the most clear cut victories of her career on paper.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Fritzi Burger. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine.</span></i></div>
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Sonja Henie and Fritzi Burger were first and second on every single judge's scorecard in Switzerland that year, but Maribel Vinson, who was in attendance, stated, "Sonja won, of course, but Fritzi Burger was terribly close to her; better on several of the figures and did beautiful free skating." The Austrian and Hungarian judges actually placed Burger's young teammate, <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.ca/2014/11/figure-skating-hodge-podge-volume-2.html">Hilde Holovsky</a>, second in the free skate... adding insult to injury for the elder Austrian star. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjShdAKGCRjikKDwZA8Bpcd5l9zl7GLZ87p6eLTRnfliytj7OFZpx92RlY7Bm61mEo7q0Ga5ZsFQG9X9oFD-sX8u3pIfcGRrLYs4cVcAwjgYIT0Vo29HbAmBuEWHGROmIlnHweFBrCeEWNMWP4jOTElnuOcN8rwa2Gtf3RhEWfTjzV--avr4XgPs_/s1307/Holovsky%20V%C3%A9l'_d'Hiv'_%5Bpatinoire_%5D_12-1-32_%5B...%5DAgence_Rol_btv1b532518696_1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1307" data-original-width="860" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjShdAKGCRjikKDwZA8Bpcd5l9zl7GLZ87p6eLTRnfliytj7OFZpx92RlY7Bm61mEo7q0Ga5ZsFQG9X9oFD-sX8u3pIfcGRrLYs4cVcAwjgYIT0Vo29HbAmBuEWHGROmIlnHweFBrCeEWNMWP4jOTElnuOcN8rwa2Gtf3RhEWfTjzV--avr4XgPs_/w422-h640/Holovsky%20V%C3%A9l'_d'Hiv'_%5Bpatinoire_%5D_12-1-32_%5B...%5DAgence_Rol_btv1b532518696_1.jpeg" width="422" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; font-style: italic;">Hilde Holovsky. Photo courtesy Bibliothèque nationale de France.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>An uncharacteristically shaky free skate kept Sweden's <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.ca/2016/04/persistence-and-passion-vivi-anne.html">Vivi-Anne Hultén</a> off the podium in fourth, ahead of <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.ca/2015/06/he-had-it-coming-yvonne-de-ligne.html">Yvonne de Ligne</a> and four other skaters. The February 10, 1931 issue of the "Wiener Sporttagblatt" noted that Hultén appeared "overtrained, overstrained and maybe not quite well at the start." Rumours swirled that there were financial issues between her mother and her trainer, and when they made the papers, that certainly would have added further duress to an already stressful situation.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Roger Turner, Maribel Vinson and Geddy Hill in St. Moritz. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine.</span></i></div>
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Reporting on the event for "Skating" magazine, Maribel Vinson shared, "The free skating was extremely colourful. Sonja wore baby blue panne velvet and was extremely well groomed as usual. Holovsky was in a deeper turquoise blue; Vivi-Anne in red; Fritzi in bright fuchsia, very striking; and Madame de Ligne wore an orange dress that was perfect with her blonde colouring and beige boots... [de Ligne] is tall and has a statuesque style all her own, she completely won the crowd by her attractive personality. She is very charming; blonde, brown eyes, a ready smile, and is a perfect sport. Everyone is very fond of her here."<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy Bibliothèque nationale de France</span></i></div>
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Held in conjunction with the women's event in St. Moritz was a senior men's competition as well as junior championships for both men and women. In the women's event, Austria's Liselotte Landbeck defeated two young British skaters who would go on to become World Champions... Megan Taylor and Cecilia Colledge.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">A young Megan Taylor</span></i></div>
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In the senior men's event, Hugo Distler took the gold, with Ernst Baier finishing only third. Mr. Grafström is here and has been most nice to me. He has been skating at the Palace rink a lot, and yesterday Fritzi [Burger] and I had great fun, during lunch at the rink, trying to get around on his special figures he patterned out for us. It really was awfully funny to see us, with a bun in one hand and a chicken bone in the other, struggling to get around a double loop change double loop backwards, or a change bracket, change outer back three, change outer bracket figure, continuous! He gave an exhibition Saturday of dance steps to music. He is wonderful, but I don't know whether I can say I think he is more wonderful than Schäfer. They are so utterly different and Schäfer skates with such joy and freedom. Fritzi is very nice, she was down skating with us all afternoon and I do like her so much!"<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.ca/2016/04/persistence-and-passion-vivi-anne.html" style="text-align: start;">Vivi-Anne Hultén</a>, Fritzi Burger and Piri Levitzky. Photo courtesy Bildarchiv Austria.</span></i></div>
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Following the women's and pairs events in St. Moritz, the medallists from both the Viennese and Swiss events were celebrated at a lavish banquet at the Kulm Hotel attended by Francis Curzon, 5th Earl Howe. The February 10, 1931 issue of the "Wiener Sporttagblatt" reported that at this reception, "Mrs. Hultén made a protest and [Ulrich Salchow] the Swedish President of the IEV ripped it up and threw the shreds under the table."<br />
<br />Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/SkateGuardBlog">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://pinterest.com/SkateGuard">Pinterest</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@SkateGuard">YouTube</a>. If you enjoy Skate Guard, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">please show your support</a> for this archive by ordering a copy of figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html</a>.</div></div></div>Skate Guard Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279901701173788400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117353349691954231.post-17224221436903645112024-02-01T14:36:00.001-04:002024-02-01T14:36:34.770-04:00Black History Month 2024<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnPdQgRANXBn85KSy2KeZCllFf_cyGhvKrwbhTHCpRgIavqedVBmXGHKciizp3N_HTT2C_yWEB0rIUOmUaBEMfSr-djN1pobWeFEGisQD_zZSw43qZKd8w76cF0q26fiuUONYlFiiJnb7XiqyRFqHbXGG13yjmjkmOGCd82dG0fe_MnfgiLzD5qKeT=s960" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="960" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnPdQgRANXBn85KSy2KeZCllFf_cyGhvKrwbhTHCpRgIavqedVBmXGHKciizp3N_HTT2C_yWEB0rIUOmUaBEMfSr-djN1pobWeFEGisQD_zZSw43qZKd8w76cF0q26fiuUONYlFiiJnb7XiqyRFqHbXGG13yjmjkmOGCd82dG0fe_MnfgiLzD5qKeT=w400-h125" width="400" /></a> <span style="text-align: center;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">February is Black History Month in Canada! Skate Guard celebrates key milestones of black and brown people in figure skating with extensive timelines from Canada and around the world and a required reading list of past stories featured on the blog. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">You can find all of the Black History Month content by tapping on the top menu bar of the blog or <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/black-history-month.html">clicking here</a>. For an extensive timeline of American firsts not listed here, head on over to your bookshelf and pull out your copy of the February 2022 issue of <a href="https://www.usfigureskating.org/about/skating-magazine">"Skating" magazine</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">You can also check out Skate Guard's <a href="https://www.pinterest.ca/SkateGuard/black-lives-matter/">Black Lives Matter</a> Pinterest board, for photographs, newspaper clippings, videos and more. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">To nominate black and brown skaters to the Skate Canada Hall Of Fame, <a href="https://skatecanada.wufoo.com/forms/s174klcm0t3iy4l">click here</a>. </div>Skate Guard Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279901701173788400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117353349691954231.post-41441395141367974822024-01-29T16:30:00.002-04:002024-01-29T16:30:34.602-04:00A Skating Surgeon: The Arthur Gaetano Keane Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"The... modern skating figures are all interesting in conception, daring in performance, and beautiful in successful accomplishment. To gain proficiency in them one must be strong of ankle, fairly muscular, with a well developed sense of balance. Without constant practice over a prolonged period, no man may hope to enter the championship class in skating. To excel, one's physical tone must be perfect as a juggler's." - Arthur Gaetano Keane, "Munsey's Magazine", 1902<br />
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Arthur Gaetano Keane was born March 16, 1876 in New York City. He grew up in a brownstone on East 142nd Street in the Bronx. His mother Josephine passed away when he was quite young, and his three siblings (Paul, Edwin and Adele) helped raise him while his father John, an enterprising Irish immigrant, brought in the bacon. John - or M.J.A. - Keane manufactured scrubbing and blacking brushes and actually patented a brush and mop holder and combined soap-holder and cleaning brush. Through John's sales of brushes and brush holders to the city, the Keane's lived quite comfortably.<br />
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As a teenager, Arthur joined the New York Athletic Club. His brother Edwin, an oarsman for the club's unbeaten 'chippy' crew, was at the time one of the club's most popular members. 'Fancy' skating was a popular winter pastime of many of the New York Athletic Club's members, and soon Arthur found his way to the St. Nicholas Rink.<br />
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Arthur started skating 'for his health' in February 1895 at the age of eighteen, finding it "as natural to skate as it was... to walk". After two weeks of practice, he entered the Championships Of America, organized by National Amateur Skating Association of America and Amateur Skating Association Of Canada, on a whim... and placed third. He earned the most points for the grapevine twist, a figure that he didn't even know how to perform. He just watched his competitors, gave it a go, and came out on top. It was clear to the throngs of avid skating fans in attendance that he had something special.<br />
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After placing fourth and second at the 1896 and 1897 Championships Of America, Arthur was victorious at the 1898 event, with a score of one hundred and eleven out of a possible one hundred and fourteen points. In winning, he defeated <a href="http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2020/09/figure-skating-in-edwardian-era.html">Irving Brokaw</a> - the man who would go on to popularize the Continental or International Style of skating in New York.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Arthur Keane and his competitors at the 1898 Championships Of America</span></i></div>
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Arthur also earned the praise of 1879 Champion James B. Story, who said his performance "was the finest exhibition of the kind [he] had ever seen" and offered him instruction. Perhaps most impressive about Arthur's 1898 win was the fact that "for some time prior to the competition, he had been confined to his home with an abscess on his face, and disregarding the orders of his physician, competed with his face bandaged."<br />
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Arthur retained his title as the Champion of America for the next four years. At the 1900 event, he won by over twenty points... in a blinding snowstorm. The January 26, 1901 issue of "The World" raved, "Keane's movements were as graceful as those of a swan, and the most difficult figures looked to be little more than child's play when executed by him. There was an ease and balance about everything he did that was somewhat lacking in the other contestants."<br />
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In 1902, the New York Athletic Club's journal noted, "Keane's performances conclusively proved that he has no peer on this side of the water... Keane's demonstration.. was marked by energy and accuracy, while his figures were considerably larger than those of his rivals. At the same time, his action was graceful, especially in managing his unemployed legs and hands."<br /><br /><div>
The Championships Of America weren't held in 1902 or 1903, and the following year when they resumed, Arthur was in Arizona "for his health". However, he returned in 1905 to win the competition for a sixth time, again defeating Irving Brokaw. Arthur's 'specialities' as a 'fancy' skater were his toe-spins and pirouettes and his Achilles heel was the spread eagle, which he claimed he couldn't perform well because he "wasn't built right".<br />
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<br />Arthur's successes as a figure skater weren't his only athletic accomplishments. In 1906, he won the New York Athletic Club's fall handicap tennis tournament on the club's courts on Travers Island as well as a four-man Quadruple Scull race in the club's annual regatta. The following year, he won two matches in the second round of the New York State Tennis Tournament, only to lose to a young man from the Kings County Lawn Tennis Club in the finals.<br />
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Perhaps most impressively, Arthur earned his medical degree from the University and Bellevue Hospital Medical College in 1900, interning at Bellevue Hospital while he was actively competing as a figure skater. He went on to serve as Chief of Clinic and Assistant in Operative Surgery at Bellevue Hospital before opening his own private practice on West 87th Street.<br />
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Arthur never married and lived with his brother Paul and sister Adele at the family home on East 142nd Street in the Bronx his entire life, passing away on November 25, 1949 at the age of seventy-three. At the time of his death, he was one of the New York Athletic Club's oldest surviving members.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxkfgVAnoOuTOlUjo4P0puMhustibMJY9RnrHppiRzft50isqyQz2Nx4AimEiI2gka3HQjnDhVDb6me8dR88M5JT0RAbqSf9jXafJDr-EBzABWa4m-QX73VMvZjvsjDTdlffsvyvy7Qk/s447/AJ+Keane+crossfoot.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxkfgVAnoOuTOlUjo4P0puMhustibMJY9RnrHppiRzft50isqyQz2Nx4AimEiI2gka3HQjnDhVDb6me8dR88M5JT0RAbqSf9jXafJDr-EBzABWa4m-QX73VMvZjvsjDTdlffsvyvy7Qk/s16000/AJ+Keane+crossfoot.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Paul Armitage discussed Arthur's impact on the sport in "Skating" magazine in 1949, just months before both Arthur's death and his own: "I knew him well. Many a day I gazed, in speechless wonder, on his performances at St. Nicholas Rink in New York. To my untutored gaze that saw not "the vision of the world and all the wonder that would be" Keane's skating was the Ultima Thule. He was a pond skater, glorified in excelsis. Keane's great contribution to figure skating was precision, exactitude and complete control. He was an ice draughtsman. To him, the tracings on the surface were the ultimate index of efficiency and skill. Grace, beauty of attitude or form, rhythm, or harmony to him were naught. There was an absence of all spiritual, aesthetic, and ethereal elements. His favorite costume was a derby hat and tweed business suit; in competitions, he conceded knickerbockers. In iteration and reiteration of simple and compound figures lay his art. Among these were loops, cross-cuts, bell-stars, kicked one foot eights, forward and backward, with embellishments at the apex, trefoils, hatchments, escutcheons, arabesques, heel, toe and cross-foot spins and spread eagles in bewildering repetition. These original designs, by endless retracing, stood out in grooves on the ice. The spectre of this repetitious dexterity haunts skating today in the requirement of triple tracings of the school figures. On two feet Keane developed an end-less variety of grapevines, effortless, without pushes, stops or runs. It produced the mysterious illusion of perpetual motion. Keane's was a studied art, 'cabin'd, cribb'd, confined.' It lacked joy and spontaneity. It had too much cerebration. I don't recall he ever 'let go' in a long spiral or run. He was no pair or group skater, nor had he any interest in dancing - only the conventional waltz. In essence, he was ego-centric, an individualist, and concentrated on self-effectuation - essentially, a showman. Like his progenitor, the Pond Skater, he interred his knowledge in silence and darkness. He wrote no book, no articles, gave no discourses, had no disciples. He believed ignorance in the spectators was the mother of admiration. If a tyro like myself asked a question, he nonchalantly skated aside."</div><div>
<br />Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/SkateGuardBlog">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://pinterest.com/SkateGuard">Pinterest</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@SkateGuard">YouTube</a>. If you enjoy Skate Guard, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">please show your support</a> for this archive by ordering a copy of figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html</a>.</div></div></div>Skate Guard Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279901701173788400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117353349691954231.post-45852380712501236282024-01-29T16:26:00.004-04:002024-01-29T16:26:51.219-04:00The Daffy Duo: The Larry Jackson And Bernie Lynam Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy "World Ice Skating Guide"</span></i></div>
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"The average skater does his skating from the knees down; the figure skater skates from the hips down; but the comic must do his skating in all sorts of off-balance, bent-over backwards and awkward positions. We have to do the unorthodox type of skating to get laughs and without laughs, well..." - Larry Jackson, "Lockport Union-Sun and Journal", November 5, 1953<br />
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Bernard 'Bernie' Franklin Lynam and Lawrence 'Larry' Alvin Lynam were both born in Seattle, Washington to working class families - Bernie on November 18, 1918 and Larry on October 30, 1916. <div>As children, both spent time living outside of the Seattle area - Bernie in Tacoma and California and Larry in Portland, Oregon. Despite the fact they were born in the same city and had a lot in common, their paths never crossed until they were adults.</div><div>
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Both Bernie and Larry were athletic young men who achieved success in multiple sports. Bernie won the amateur featherweight title of Seattle in boxing and the U.S. junior four hundred and forty yard title in speed skating. He also excelled in swimming, diving and figure skating. Larry's first 'real' taste of athletics was at the age of ten, when he became a horse jockey. He went on to play baseball, hockey and box lacrosse and was the one hundred and five pound amateur champion of the Pacific Coast in boxing in 1931. He later recalled, "My four sisters babied me. I came home with black eyes too often. So one day my father took me to the YMCA and told them, 'Teach this kid to defend himself.' The next step was to the Washington Athletic Club, of Seattle... My coach there was Stanley Frey, who had been a good middleweight prospect. His career ended while he was training with the loggers. He had his upper leg caught in a 'choker' hook which is used to lift logs... Frey was an excellent coach. He impressed me with the fact that a good big man is taken for granted, but that a little man must prove himself. I still remember the bout in which I won the title. I got hit in the Adam's apple in the first round, and I couldn't close my mouth, so I was breathing like a guppy. But I managed to put my man away in the second." He got his start on the ice thanks to a hockey player. "One of the hockey players [at the local rink] gave me my first skates. The only trouble was that I wore a size three and the skates were size seven, so I wore them over my tennis shoes. But it saved me time, anyway. A bunch of us used to go down to the skating rink early in the morning before anyone else was up. We found out that a certain window was left open so we would boost one guy up there and he would let the rest of us in. Then we'd play hockey for an hour before going home to breakfast. The owner of the skating rink never did find out but he always wondered why his light bill was so high." Soon, Larry became the locker room and 'stick boy' for the Seattle Sea Hawks.<br />
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Larry got his start in the skating world performing in between hockey games and in club carnivals in Seattle in the mid-thirties. Encouraged by Evelyn Chandler, he headed to Hollywood, where he met Bernie. They were both cast in bit parts in the Sonja Henie film "My Lucky Star". The story of how they teamed up to form the famous 'Daffy Duo' is wild. Larry recalled, "We had just finished making a picture - 'My Lucky Star' - with Sonja Henie and we were sitting in the audience at an ice show in San Diego. It seems all three of the show's ice comedians were out. One had pneumonia, another was injured and the third one was sick. We were asked to fill in. We were rehearsing the music with the orchestra as the people were coming for the show that night." Bernie added, "There was only one costume shop and all we could find there was a pair of old-time straw hats. So we thought up the idea of a rube number and it's been part of the act ever since. We went to the Goodwill Industries and the Salvation Army and bought some old clothes, then stopped at a music store for a stock arrangement of 'Yankee Medley. At 7:30, while the audience was coming in, Larry and I were up on the orchestra platform pacing out the steps while the director scored the music." Their last-minute effort earned them a standing ovation and five encores.<div>
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Following their performance in San Diego, Larry appeared in a bit part in the RKO Pictures film "Everything's On Ice". John H. Harris was looking for a comedy act for his upcoming skating tour and gave Larry and Bernie the job. They appeared in the very first Ice Capades show in New Orleans in June of 1940 and two Republic Pictures films based on the tour in the years that followed.<br />
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Bernie and Larry came up new acts for the Ice Capades every year. They appeared as clowns, in drag, as Davy Crockett's, Keystone Kops, silent film stars and hockey players and were wildly popular with audiences. In one of their best-loved numbers, they attached skis to their skates. Their rough and tumble antics led to many bumps and bruises. Larry had huge scars on both of his knees and claimed the one on his left leg came from Bernie and the one of his right came from Sonja Henie. Bernie once fell and hit his head on the ice, knocking himself unconscious. Another time he broke his leg. In an interview with Jack Laing in 1958, Larry recalled, "I broke Bernie's leg one night when I threw him, and he landed off-balance. He said, 'My leg! My leg!' I tossed him over my shoulder and carried him off the ice. The fans never realized what happened. Thought that it was part of the act. He was out for eight weeks. <br />
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One time one of Larry and Bernie's gags backfired. They were wearing the khaki 'doughboy' uniforms of Great War soldiers and each of them were to wander into the crowd and loudly complain to audience members about the scratchiness of the fabric. Bernie asked a man, "Don't you have the same trouble, buddy?" He responded, "I certainly do, son." The audience member was famous General George C. Marshall, who served as President Harry Truman's Secretary Of State and Secretary Of Defense.<br />
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Bernie was the Ice Capades' top bowler and both he and Larry were huge fans of boxing and football. They travelled with a small television set they'd set up in their dressing room so they wouldn't miss any of the sports. Larry recalled, "We see fights every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and occasionally on Saturday. The fights and the football games occupy our spare time in the arena, when we are not on the ice."<br />
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The War temporarily interrupted Larry and Bernie's stint with the Ice Capades. Both Bernie and Larry had flying licenses and were recruited as bomber pilots in the Army Air Corps. After flying several missions in Europe, Larry was wounded flying over Italy, discharged and returned to America and the Ice Capades. While waiting for Bernie to return home, he skated a pair act with Patti Phillippi and a comedy duo with Leo Loeb, who later starred in the Ice Cycles tour. Bernie was stuck in Europe longer and skated in the shows at the Casa Carioca nightclub in Garmisch-Partenkirchen for a time.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photos courtesy "National Ice Skating Guide"</span></i></div>
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Near the end of the War, Bernie and Larry reunited and resumed skating together with the Ice Capades. They retired from the tour in 1956, after entertaining audiences off and on for sixteen years. Larry took a job as the tour's advance man, travelling ahead of the tour to handle the publicity for the next show date. He recalled putting Catherine Machado and Ronnie Robertson on a plane in Los Angeles to compete at the I.P.S.A. World Professional Championships in England and picking them up three days later so that they could rejoin the Ice Capades. In the fifties - still the early days of commercial air travel - this was a really big deal. After his days working as an 'advance man' ended, he managed the Skate N' Spur nitery in Los Angeles with baseball player Jerry Priddy and jockey Ray York for a time before taking up part ownership in an industrial printing company. He remarried to a fellow Ice Capades skater named Alyce, having divorced his first wife Virginia in 1947. He had two sons - one from each marriage.<br />
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Bernie settled in Wilton, Connecticut and bought The Flower Pot at Crossways. He coached several local baseball teams and later became the general manager of the Greens Farms Ice and Golf Center in Westport, where Gretchen Van Zandt Merrill taught for a time. Though he'd married an Ice Ca'pet' named Carol Brown, he had a son with Nate Walley's wife Edythe. When Bernie and Carol got divorced, Carol married Nate. Both passed away in Los Angeles - Bernie on April 6, 1968 and Larry on October 10, 1981. Though their skating may have lacked the finesse of their co-stars, The Daffy Duo were true pioneers in ice comedy whose important contributions to skating history deserve recognition.<br />
<br />Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/SkateGuardBlog">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://pinterest.com/SkateGuard">Pinterest</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@SkateGuard">YouTube</a>. If you enjoy Skate Guard, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">please show your support</a> for this archive by ordering a copy of the figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html</a>.</div></div>Skate Guard Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279901701173788400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117353349691954231.post-39775546271167735992024-01-21T11:34:00.004-04:002024-01-21T11:34:18.949-04:00Happy Landing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Released on January 28, 1938, Twentieth Century-Fox's dramedy "Happy Landing" was reported as the eighth highest grossing film of that year; the relatively new studio's second highest. It was three-time Olympic Gold Medallist and ten time World Champion Sonja Henie's third major Hollywood film. Produced by Darryl Zanuck and David Hempstead, the film was directed by Roy Del Ruth, who had previously directed the Oscar nominated MGM film "Broadway Melody Of 1936".<br />
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Sonja was reunited with Don Ameche and Jean Hersholt, whom she'd worked with in her first film "One In A Million". Cesar Romero, then better known for more serious roles, and singer extraordinaire Ethel Merman also headlined the cast. wo drums called "War Dance For The Wooden Indians".<br />
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Milton Sperling and Boris Ingster wrote "Happy Landing". The script went through at least three working titles including "Happy Ending", "Hot and Happy" and perhaps most amusingly, "Bread, Butter and Rhythm". The plot of the film involved an orchestra leader named Duke Sargent (played by Romero) and his manager Jimmy Hall (played by Ameche) accidentally landing their plane in Norway and meeting Trudy Ericksen (Henie's character).<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cesar Romero</span></i></div>
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The trio end up in America, where Trudy's figure skating talent is discovered and Jimmy becomes her manager. Trudy, the two men and Flo Kelly (Ethel Merman's character) become entangled in a series of romantic mishaps and misunderstandings and a double marriage ultimately occurs. As was the case in many of Henie's films, musical, dance, skating and specialty numbers often overshadowed the plot.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Don Ameche, Sonja Henie and Cesar Romero. Photo courtesy National Archives Of Poland.</span></i></div>
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The bulk of the filming for "Happy Landing" was done on stage fifteen of the Twentieth-Century Fox lot in Hollywood. "Silver Screen" magazine reported, "A section of a Norwegian street [on the lot] was covered by a huge black tent for shooting a night sequence in 'Happy Landing'. A man with a red flag kept all unauthorized persons away whenever shooting started. Inside this nocturnal tent was a bit of recreated Norway in midwinter. Snow - of the Hollywood variety, a mixture of gypsum and salt - lay deep on the ground. A bevy of comely blonde lassies in bright Norwegian costumes were dancing with the young bloods of the village to the spirited music of a native orchestra. The dancing platform was festooned around with swinging Japanese lamps."<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy National Archives Of Poland.</span></i></div>
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Sonja worked hard to develop a new 'trick' for the film, a cannonball position sit spin where she held her leg as she pulled up into the upright position. In rehearsals, she tripped over a piece of cotton on the ice and flew backwards and hit her head, suffering a slight concussion and reportedly knocking herself unconscious for several minutes. Dr. William Branch told reporters "the injury was not serious and she would return to work within a day or two." <br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sonja Henie, Don Ameche, Ethel Merman and Cesar Romero</span></i></div>
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A number of rumours (many cooked up by Twentieth Century-Fox) helped fuel the 'publicity machine' until filming wrapped up on December 11, 1937. First and foremost of course was the tabloid's field day over a Sonja/Janet Gaynor/Tyrone Power love triangle. Sonja's appearances with Romero, Richard Greene and Jimmy Stewart gave gossip columnists cause to speculate over who the lucky man in Sonja's life really was. There was even a rumour about Sonja having a man back in Norway by the rather unimaginative name of 'Carl Carlson'. The mystery man likely never even existed.<br />
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A second rumour was that Sonja wore a beaded cap, bodice and a three hundred year old embroidered skirt in the film that had been passed down as a dowry in the Henie family. Sonja laughed this one off by saying, "How could I wear a dress three hundred years old? The silk would be all torn, wouldn't it?" A third rumour suggested that Sonja was being 'difficult' on set. In her column, Louella Parsons wrote, "I've heard everything. Sonja Henie is asking for her release from Twentieth Century-Fox. The little ice skater had never made a picture and could barely speak English when Darryl Zanuck signed her and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars building her to stardom and now Sonja, who was the sweetest thing I ever met when she first came to Hollywood, is going temperamental on us. Her grievance is the long working hours at the studio and her annoyance at being asked to close her highly successful personal appearance tour."<div><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ethel Merman and Cesar Romero</span></i></div>
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Perhaps most amusing was the rumour that Ethel Merman sent herself a corsage on set... and the bill for said corsage to Cesar Romero.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Don Ameche and Sonja Henie on set</span></i></div>
<br />At one point, Sonja was visited on the set by Viggo Christensen, the mayor of Copenhagen, who requested her autograph. After polishing off a slice of pineapple with shredded carrot and fruit compote for lunch, she agreed to speak to a reporter from "Silver Screen" magazine. She told them, "Figure skating for the screen is the hardest of all because you have to hit certain marks and always be within range of the camera. You don't have the freedom you enjoy on skating rinks elsewhere... I make up all my dance numbers. Figure skating is nothing but dancing on ice. I have a wonderful dance director to work with, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2020/05/dayton-denishawn-and-double-takes-harry.html">Harry Losée</a>. I first outline on paper what I want to do, and then talk it over with him. He knows everything about camera angles."<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy National Archives Of Poland.</span></i></div>
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One three-minute scene took ten working days, none shorter than ten hours, to film. The sequence was an ice ballet with Sonja and an ensemble of thirty skaters, inspired by Rimsky-Korsakov's "The Snow Maiden". The set was an artificial 'Norwegian lake' surrounded by pine trees and snow covered mountains, with two twenty five foot high Papier-mâché snow figures as props. Some of the reasons there were so many takes were lighting problems, noises made by lookers-on which made their way on the soundtrack and timing issues by skaters. During filming, Sonja reportedly wracked up a bill in excess of two thousand dollars on hosiery alone. She wore out at least two pairs of stockings a day, which cost thirty-five dollars each.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bert Clark</span></i></div>
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Sonja's stand-in for "Happy Landing" was a forty-five year old veteran named Bert Clark. Clark hailed from Winnipeg, Manitoba and competed against Norval Baptie and Everett McGowan in speed skating races in the roaring twenties. Clark first came to Los Angeles in 1924 to manage an ice rink. Two years later, he already was instructing and doubling for film stars with no skating experience. "Motion Picture" magazine noted, "Bert has to don clothes like hers, and do her stuff... They couldn't find a gal for the job so they hired Bert as the only male stand-in for a female players - and while Sonja rests as lights and cameras are set up, Bert goes through the routine to assure that when Sonja steps out, they'll get the best angle on her. Sonja's legs are neater." Bert was the only one on set Sonja would trust with her 'good' seventy dollar blades. The "Los Angeles Herald And Express" reported, "When Bert Clark called the ensemble together a spokesman politely informed him that no member of the chorus would rehearse until new skates – like those worn by Miss Henie – had been provided. Stumped because it is rather difficult to replace 80 trained skaters, the studio promptly agreed to supply the chorus with skates costing $45 per pair. One hundred pairs of skates arrived early Friday morning, long before the rink had been frozen. The 80 girls and boys are now skimming along in a very happy mind."</div><div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Leif, Sonja and Selma Henie at the premiere of "Happy Landing"</span></i></div>
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When "Happy Landing" was released, Twentieth Century-Fox spared no expense in promoting the film, which faced stiff competition from Walt Disney's first full-length feature film, "Snow White And The Seven Dwarves". </div><div><br /></div><div>In Washington, an airplane towing a "Happy Landing" banner flew over the city. Ads appeared in every major newspaper and when the show premiered in New York City, the Roxy had one of its biggest ever showings - a fifty-two thousand dollar take in its first week.<br />
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The fact that Sonja was in town skating at Madison Square Garden at the same time with her Hollywood Ice Revue didn't hurt whatsoever. Publicists claimed, "So many telephone calls were received at the Garden for information on the show that one of the operators, Miss Sally Dunn, became 'temporarily deaf' and had to consult and ear specialist. It was estimated that 18,000 calls have been received by the Garden concerning the revue in the last 20 days."<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Westhampton Cinema in Richmond, Virginia. Photo courtesy Dementi Studio Archives.</span></i></div>
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The reception to "Happy Landing" was overwhelmingly positive, with many theatre managers remarking on how patrons all seemed to leave with a smiles on their faces and reviewers applauding the picture's catchy melodies, comedic touches and production value. "Picture Play" magazine raved, "Sonja Henie is a latter-day phenomenon, an ace attraction on the screen and in the rink. The public is ice-skating mad, or is for Miss Henie's particular brand of gliding. In her case it is rhythmic grace, technical precision and brilliance, and what counts perhaps more than anything, a winning, infectious personality. She is at her best in the new picture. The ice sequences are splendidly staged. They have verve, beauty and imagination. Never do they partake of a gaudily mounted stunt."<br />
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As is always the case, there were a handful of negative reviews of the film to balance things out. One "Motion Picture Daily" reviewer complained, "Believe that her next picture would please even more if there was not quite so much skating. Sonja doesn't need skates to put over her pictures." Others bemoaned the fact the film was too long and that Sonja's acting was rather 'one-note'.</div><div><br /></div><div>Even back then, you could always count on the fact that when it came to skaters, everyone had an opinion... and even Sonja Henie herself was fair game.<br />
<br />Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/SkateGuardBlog">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://pinterest.com/SkateGuard">Pinterest</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@SkateGuard">YouTube</a>. If you enjoy Skate Guard, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">please show your support</a> for this archive by ordering a copy of figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html</a>.</div>Skate Guard Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279901701173788400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117353349691954231.post-62817968888584078692024-01-21T11:33:00.002-04:002024-01-21T11:33:26.663-04:00 Director's Seat: The Sad Story Of Adrian Pryce-Jones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7BFWyX24OM2oC1z_O_fU6bIFPQijWL5RG5cLjk8jKNs8SqQN_K2oHK4RanPYXKiyM6qvD9FT6nQCoIqpFt0H7S4TtEThAtSnpYX6bIYBdouf8RHZNjnS93cnyYPKeTd81HfQQQ512yk/s750/bfi-00m-lwx.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="750" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7BFWyX24OM2oC1z_O_fU6bIFPQijWL5RG5cLjk8jKNs8SqQN_K2oHK4RanPYXKiyM6qvD9FT6nQCoIqpFt0H7S4TtEThAtSnpYX6bIYBdouf8RHZNjnS93cnyYPKeTd81HfQQQ512yk/w400-h310/bfi-00m-lwx.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Adrian Pryce-Jones (right) on the set of the film "Hobson's Choice". Photo courtesy British Film Institute.</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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The son of Marion (Dawnay) and Henry Morris Pryce-Jones, David Adrian Pryce-Jones was born September 13, 1919 in the town of Windsor, England. He had a privileged, upper-class upbringing. His father was a decorated Colonel in the Coldstream Guards. His grandmother was Lady Victoria Alexandrina Elizabeth Gray. The Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne and the Earl of Wharncliffe were his uncles. He was also related to the managing director of the Pryce-Jones Department Store in Canada - once the Hudson's Bay Company's biggest competitor.</div>
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Adrian took up figure skating as a teenager and began pursuing the sport seriously while studying at Eton College. He regularly travelled to London to train with <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2021/06/maker-of-champions-arnold-gerschwiler.html">Arnold Gerschwiler</a> at Richmond Ice Rink and within a few short years, earned the NSA's Gold Medal in Figures. In 1938, he won the bronze medal in the junior men's event and finished sixth in the senior men's event at the British Championships. In 1939, he repeated as the junior men's bronze medallist. He was hailed by reporters as the next 'big thing' in British men's skating - the heir apparent to the likes of <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2015/09/henry-graham-sharp-from-world-champion.html">Graham Sharp</a> and Freddie Tomlins. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiirH3FngFxemQzask5dW83DDBYXw-u6nowRRLFA78VAyBC9NfVHDNjYw15c2m57nfMXdYhOkPRSZzrpqSnsre3gUvOX0G9zBHM289A0Tk3kFt3woSq2k6RmIGqXwVN29fls8mduDQsETWxflLPuUp8vycL7GhnZNXMECrIF0_vIlYEVzL069dLEYGC=s1802" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1802" data-original-width="1482" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiirH3FngFxemQzask5dW83DDBYXw-u6nowRRLFA78VAyBC9NfVHDNjYw15c2m57nfMXdYhOkPRSZzrpqSnsre3gUvOX0G9zBHM289A0Tk3kFt3woSq2k6RmIGqXwVN29fls8mduDQsETWxflLPuUp8vycL7GhnZNXMECrIF0_vIlYEVzL069dLEYGC=w526-h640" width="526" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy "Skating World" magazine</span></i></div>
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Just as Adrian's star was rising in the figure skating world, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2017/11/double-salchows-in-dark-how-skating.html">World War II</a> broke out in Europe. Like so many other young British skaters, he joined the military. He served with the Welsh Guards in North Africa and Italy, reaching the rank of Captain. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoct4bJHVlyUtzii1yT9n97AV0hEfVnvBsZrmpxng8jyimV4yitlFIMUibrJ0cs40ClgblYf25cHM93utI_gfdy3nvfbQpxV0XXy4Y2MZ6SBmN36lWghnZArD78iVfr-rro63kjT9KAc0/s320/1946+British+Champs.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="275" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoct4bJHVlyUtzii1yT9n97AV0hEfVnvBsZrmpxng8jyimV4yitlFIMUibrJ0cs40ClgblYf25cHM93utI_gfdy3nvfbQpxV0XXy4Y2MZ6SBmN36lWghnZArD78iVfr-rro63kjT9KAc0/w344-h400/1946+British+Champs.jpg" width="344" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Henry Graham Sharp, Adrian Pryce-Jones and Arthur Apfel. Photo courtesy "Ice Skating" magazine.</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div>After the War ended, Adrian staged a comeback to the figure skating world and won the bronze medal in the senior men's event at the 1946 British Championships, behind fellow servicemen Graham Sharp and Dennis Silverthorne. None of the men who entered had much practice, recalled Sharp, and "rehabilitation to civilian and family life [took] time." For Adrian and his rivals, participating in such an event before a large, clapping crowd may have been therapeutic to some; jarring to others. Adrian fell into the latter category, but still chose to return to compete one last time in 1948 in a bid to make the Olympic team. He again took the bronze, but dazzled the audience with his "well-known and surprising sit spin with his hands clasped behind his back." Retiring from competitive skating, hre served as a judge and on the NSA's Ice Figure Committee for a time. </div><div><br /></div><div>At the same time he was competing, Adrian embarked on a career as a director. His credits included a stage adaptation of Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians" and the films "Moulin Rouge", "Summertime", "Time Without Pity", "Deep Blue Sea" and "Hell Is Sold Out". He worked with dozens of 'A List' stars including Katharine Hepburn, Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh, Rex Harrison, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Charles Laughton.</div>
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Adrian's success in the figure skating, film and theatre worlds and the fact he was a jovial man - the kind to entertain friends with impromptu piano performances at parties - made him quite popular. However, his private life led to his ultimate (premature) downfall. In his memoir "The Bonus Of Laughter", Adrian's brother (the author) Alan Pryce-Jones wrote, "It was only... in my forties that I came to know my brother. After the War, he went into the world of cinema, impelled by a brother-officer, Terence Young, and for some twenty years led a successful career with Carol Reed, Otto Preminger, and other good directors, working on such movies as 'Moulin Rouge' and 'Summertime', but never given the chance of setting up film on his own. To direct stars needs a special temperament; and it is on the first assistant-director that this need falls with special harshness. He had to calm the star's tantrums. He had to set up a location in, say, Tobago. He had to undertake prodigies of organization. And not this Adrian was not really suited. He was very efficient and very well-liked. But the strain of constant movement led him to drink a little, then to add to pills to vodka, then to drink a lot. Finally, he was going from nursing-home to nursing-home, too often becoming engaged to a fellow-alcoholic on the second floor. What can a brother do? I tried cajolement, tyranny, warning, sympathy. And at times all went well. Adrian was a delightful companion [though] he was unexpectedly shrewd, but years later, towards the end of his life, I remembered the advice of an American friend who had worked on 'Horizon' with Cyril Connolly, and suffered from a sister afflicted with periodical bouts of drunkenness. 'There is only one thing to do,' Tony Bower had said, 'with an alcoholic. Ask them to stay. Furnish their room with cases of liquor and bottles of pills, and hope it won't take too long' - brutal advice, but comprehensible." After Adrian's father's death in 1952, his mother gave him a small inheritance, which he apparently squandered on brandy. He passed away in St. Moritz, Switzerland on December 15, 1968, at the age of forty-nine.</div>
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<div>Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/SkateGuardBlog">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://pinterest.com/SkateGuard">Pinterest</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@SkateGuard">YouTube</a>. If you enjoy Skate Guard, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">please show your support</a> for this archive by ordering a copy of figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html</a>.</div>
Skate Guard Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279901701173788400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117353349691954231.post-19568758449739179202024-01-15T13:00:00.004-04:002024-01-15T13:04:16.292-04:00The 1972 European Figure Skating Championships<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnzbJAm0a4rLfrIUnmJH8tSIbfppibfjQnQQCzO95AKxe6_UvFMffwdjK-WLqMnEEjdjWKqCYq0VhXkqkau1BK56K3xnYsajiMIAwRPwnOkzzOWJq9iqPUAG1t9b-TmZWrasL8wExNYnc/s1600/s-l500.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="374" data-original-width="368" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnzbJAm0a4rLfrIUnmJH8tSIbfppibfjQnQQCzO95AKxe6_UvFMffwdjK-WLqMnEEjdjWKqCYq0VhXkqkau1BK56K3xnYsajiMIAwRPwnOkzzOWJq9iqPUAG1t9b-TmZWrasL8wExNYnc/s320/s-l500.jpg" width="312" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Commemorative pin from the 1972 European Championships</span></i></div>
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Platform shoes and high waisted, flared boot cut pants were all the rage for men, Don McLean's "American Pie" topped the music charts and the Tequila Sunrise was the latest cocktail fad. 1972 may have been an Olympic year, but from January 10 to 15, all that mattered to many skating buffs was the European Figure Skating Championships.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTq4naqvG_Mno8VtCHV3yudCk2cJIjLoxEIpIHjYBuklfYDouy5aYt0yu-vj8HD4xNbxXLB-vWHITdbv3epVpSAVw5RtrjJ8H2q2euovGBAdtTgxFPXiBvyGuM77qNTsEC-Gh0gv1avSQ/s500/Skating_197204_07_004.tif.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="328" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTq4naqvG_Mno8VtCHV3yudCk2cJIjLoxEIpIHjYBuklfYDouy5aYt0yu-vj8HD4xNbxXLB-vWHITdbv3epVpSAVw5RtrjJ8H2q2euovGBAdtTgxFPXiBvyGuM77qNTsEC-Gh0gv1avSQ/w263-h400/Skating_197204_07_004.tif.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Christine Errath. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine.</span></i></div><div><br />
The event was held at the newly completed, state of the art Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden as part of the city's three hundred and fiftieth anniversary celebrations. The two hundred by one hundred foot arena, which had completed construction less than a year prior and seated up to ten thousand spectators, was the largest indoor rink in Scandinavia at the time. Ticket sales were astronomical, proving that Swedish skating fans were just as enthusiastic as they were in the days of Ulrich Salchow and Gillis Grafström. The thousands of spectators that showed up certainly weren't disappointed, for the competition proved to be every bit as engrossing as the Olympics and World Championships that followed. Let's take a look back at all of the excitement!<br />
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<b>THE ICE DANCE COMPETITION</b><b><br /></b>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The ice dance podium</span></i></div>
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West German siblings <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2017/12/get-buck-in-here-angelika-and-erich.html">Angelika and Erich Buck</a> took a three point lead the compulsory dances and increased it through the entire event. They did the unthinkable in beating the unbeatable Lyudmila Pakhomova and Aleksandr Gorshkov, earning a string of 5.9's and one 6.0 in the free dance. It would prove to be the one and only time in the height of their career that Pakhomova and Gorshkov would ever be defeated in international competition and the crazy thing about it all was that it wasn't even particularly close in Gothenburg. In her book "Figure Skating History: The Evolution Of Dance On Ice", Lynn Copley-Graves noted, "Angelika and Erich Buck had never skated so well. Betty Callaway had guaranteed their content, style and musical interpretation."<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Janet Sawbridge and Peter Dalby in 1972. Photo courtesy "Skating World" magazine.</span></i></div>
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The bronze medal went to Britons Janet Sawbridge and Peter Dalby, who were students of the legendary <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2017/08/the-magnificent-miss-hogg.html">Gladys Hogg</a>. Though they were an unlucky thirteen points back of the winners, Sawbridge and Dalby earned a 5.9 from the West German judge in the free dance and a great reception from the Swedish crowd. Only a fifth of a point separated the fourth and fifth place teams, Hilary Green and Glyn Watts of Great Britain and Tatiana Voituk and Viacheslav Zhigalin of the Soviet Union. As was more often than not the case back in those days, the results of the top ten teams didn't change a wee bit from the start of the competition to the end.<br />
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<b>THE PAIRS COMPETITION</b><br />
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<span style="text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Liudmila Smirnova and Andrei Suraikin</span></i></span></div>
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As the three time and defending European Champions, Irina Rodnina and Alexei Ulanov were heavily favoured to win again in Gothenburg. They took a lead in the compulsory short program with an outstanding performance and coasted to victory with an almost perfect free skate. Irina's two-footing of a double Axel and Alexei's difficulty on the second jump in their side-by-side four jump combination were their only errors. The silver medal went to their Soviet teammates Liudmila Smirnova and Andrei Suraikin, who challenged Rodnina and Ulanov artistically but failed to offer the same level of technical content.<br />
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East Germans Manuela Groß and Uwe Kagelmann claimed the bronze, with completing Groß completing two throw double Axels and a throw single Axel on a bandaged knee. West German Erich Zeller students Almut Lehmann and Herbert Wiesinger were fourth and a second East German pair, Annette Kansy and Axel Salzmann, moved up from sixth after the compulsory short program to fifth overall. Only two pairs in the top team weren't from East or West Germany or the Soviet Union... a testament to the utter dominance of Eastern Bloc pairs at the time.<br />
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<b>THE WOMEN'S COMPETITION</b><b><br /></b>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The women's podium</span></i></div>
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The women's competition in Gothenburg boasted a whopping twenty-eight entries, the largest field since the 1959 European Championships in Davos. 'Human scribe' <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2014/06/interview-with-trixi-schuba.html">Trixi Schuba</a> showed her utter superiority in the school figures, amassing an insurmountable one hundred and thirty point lead in the school figures. Eminent skating historian Dennis Bird remarked, "It is doubtful that such a decisive advantage has ever before been achieved since the European Championships began in 1930; not even <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2018/02/a-legend-from-liverpool-jeannette.html">Jeanette Altwegg</a> or Sjoukje Dijkstra were ever so far ahead."<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Trixi Schuba. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine..</span></i></div>
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Trailing Schuba by some margin after the first round of competition were Switzerland's Charlotte Walter, Italy's Rita Trapanese, Hungary's Zsuzsa Almássy and the UK's Jean Scott. In the free skate, a pair of Jutta Müller students - Sonja Morgenstern and Christine Errath - claimed the top two spots. Morgenstern landed a triple Salchow and received a 6.0 for artistic impression from the Italian judge; Errath wowed the crowd with her technical difficulty and panache.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SkcDlgR6j08/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SkcDlgR6j08?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Video courtesy Frazer Ormondroyd</span></i></div></div>
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However, the duo of young East German women had only been sixth and seventh in figures - well behind Schuba and the others - and were only able to move up to third and fifth respectively. Despite a fall in her fifth place free skate to music from "Man Of La Mancha", Schuba still claimed the gold, defeating Trapanese by one hundred and twelve points.<br />
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Though she had more points than Morgenstern, Almássy lost out on the bronze by one ordinal placing. Walter finished sixth, Scott seventh and Maria McLean of Great Britain eighth. After the event, a German newspaper reporter who clearly had no understanding of the judging system in place at the time cruelly pointed out that Schuba was a "champion without a double Axel"... because of course, the judging system was totally her fault.<br />
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<b>THE MEN'S COMPETITION </b><b><br /></b>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The men's podium</span></i></div>
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The biggest story of the men's competition didn't happen on the ice at all. It was, of course, the defection of <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2017/10/gunters-great-escape.html">Günter Zöller</a>. Minus one East German boarding a boat to freedom, the twenty-three remaining men's competitors played out a game of chess on ice in the school figures. Many of the men shuffled positions considerably from figure to figure, but it was three time and defending European Champion <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-boy-from-bratislava-ondrej-nepela.html">Ondrej Nepela</a> who was most consistent. Though he lost the RFO Paragraph Three to Sergei Chetverukhin of the Soviet Union, Nepela held a solid forty three point lead heading into the free skate. Chetverukhin, Patrick Péra, Vladimir Kovalev and <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2019/12/unearthed-ode-to-john-curry.html">John Curry</a> followed in places second through fifth.<br />
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In the free skate, Péra fell on a double Axel and failed to complete any triples. Chetverukhin fell on a triple Salchow but skated an otherwise elegant and masterful performance. Curry tumbled on a triple loop but succeeded in landing a double Axel and triple Salchow. Yuri Ovchinnikov, only seventh in figures, took advantage of the mistakes of the others and claimed second place in the free skate... but wasn't even able to move up one spot overall.</div><div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/fRiQOqGnUE0/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fRiQOqGnUE0?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Video courtesy Frazer Ormondroyd</span></i></div>
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Nepela delivered one of the most outstanding performances of his entire career, landing a triple Salchow, triple toe-loop, double Axel and double Lutz within the first minute of his program. When he landed a double Axel/double loop combination later in his program, it was clear that no one was going to touch him. He claimed his fourth European title with an impressive lead of sixty four points and fourteen ordinal placings over Chetverukhin. Péra, seventh in free skating, took the bronze ahead of Haig Oundjian, Curry and Kovalev.<br />
<br />Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/SkateGuardBlog">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://pinterest.com/SkateGuard">Pinterest</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@SkateGuard">YouTube</a>. If you enjoy Skate Guard, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">please show your support</a> for this archive by ordering a copy of the figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html</a>.</div>
</div>Skate Guard Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279901701173788400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117353349691954231.post-59642571204806965202024-01-15T12:52:00.000-04:002024-01-15T12:52:00.089-04:00A Man By Any Other Name: The Ferdinand G. Chatté Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy Flin Flon Heritage Project</span></i></div>
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Ferdinand Georg Chatté was born on January 23, 1886 in Riga and in order to understand a key part of his story, it's only right to start with a short Latvian history lesson. At the time of Ferdinand's birth, Riga was part of the Governorate of Livonia, an administrative unit of The Russian Empire. At the time, Livonia wasn't ruled by Russian laws but instead was administered by the local German Baltic nobility. These nobles insisted that the German language be preserved in the region and it was common for German pastors to issue birth certificates with Germanized names. Ferdinand Georg Chatté was given the name Carl Waltenberg.<br />
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A talented and largely self-taught young skater, Ferdinand left the Livonia and weaved his way through the skating centers of Europe, making a living teaching in the early ice rinks of Petrograd (St. Petersburg), Antwerp, Brussels, Paris, Berlin, Manchester and Grindelwald. A personable young man with brown hair and blue eyes who spoke four languages, he had no trouble making friends along the way.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Left: Hala Kosloff and Ferdinand G. Chatté performing in California during the Great War. Right: Ferdinand </span></i><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">G. Chatté at the Manchester Ice Palace.</span></i></div>
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Ferdinand emigrated to America in 1913 and made a name for himself in the skating world during <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-lost-years-skating-and-great-war.html">The Great War</a>. He performed at the Zoological Gardens in Cincinnati, the Arcadian Garden of the Multnomah Hotel in Portland, the <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2020/05/cocktails-in-chicago-college-inn-and.html">College Inn</a> in Chicago and the Panama-California Exposition in San Diego and taught skating in New York City and Seattle. To supplement his income from skating, he worked as a lifeguard in the warmer months.<br />
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After the war ended, Ferdinand moved north to Canada and taught at the Rideau and Minto Skating Clubs in Ottawa, the Toronto Skating Club and Montreal Winter Club - working with many of the top skaters of the day, as well as teaching upper-class socialites and their children the finer points of figures. Most notable was the impact he made on Western skating clubs. He began teaching at the Winnipeg Skating Club in 1925 and was largely responsible for the breakthrough successes of Manitoban skaters during The Great Depression.<br />
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Ferdinand's most famous student was North American and Canadian Champion Mary Rose Thacker, whom he coached from the age of three to twelve, before she began working with German coach Leopold Maier-Labergo. <div><br /></div><div>Ferdinand went on to coach at the Royal Glenora Club in Edmonton, Vancouver Skating Club and Flin Flon Figure Skating Club. He also taught at several Eastern clubs including the Copper Cliff Skating Club in Sudbury and the Winter Club of St. Catharines. He passed away in Vancouver, British Columbia on January 24, 1958, one day after his seventy-second birthday - having paid a direct or indirect role in the development of thousands of skaters on two Continents.<br />
<br />Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/SkateGuardBlog">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://pinterest.com/SkateGuard">Pinterest</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@SkateGuard">YouTube</a>. If you enjoy Skate Guard, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">please show your support</a> for this archive by ordering a copy of the figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html</a>.</div>Skate Guard Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279901701173788400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117353349691954231.post-82275351511571659122024-01-08T08:09:00.003-04:002024-01-08T08:09:40.074-04:00The 1945 Canadian Figure Skating Championships<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On January 25, 1947, the Battle Of The Bulge ended in a victory for the Allied Forces. Two days later, Soviet forces liberated the last seventy five hundred inmates from the Auschwitz concentration camp in Nazi occupied Poland. During this same three-day period, seemingly a world away, a contingent of Canadian figure skaters gathered at the Varsity Arena in Toronto to compete in the 1945 Canadian Figure Skating Championships.<br />
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Though a long list of men - including Donald Gilchrist, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2020/05/veterans-in-threes-trio-of-canadian.html">Sandy McKechnie, Jack Vigeon</a>, Ralph McCreath and <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2019/08/a-winning-winnipeger-philip-lee-story.html">Philip Lee</a> - were serving in the Canadian military, senior men's, pairs and dance events were included at the Canadian Championships for the first time since 1942. Two other important 'firsts' also occurred in 1945. <div><br /></div><div>The event marked the first time Canadians were held in a public arena and the first time the school figures skated were printed in the programs. In order to accomplish this, figures were drawn in advance but the programs weren't announced to the skaters until fifteen minutes before the start of events. As senior men's and women's figures were on different days, the program had to be printed twice. Melville Rogers, the referee for all of the events, presided over all the events.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Hugh Godefroy (left) and Frank Hillock (right), fighter pilots with the Royal Canadian Air Force and members of the Toronto Skating Club</span></i></div>
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It was Olympic Medallist <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2019/08/a-winning-winnipeger-philip-lee-story.html">Theresa Weld Blanchard</a>'s first time attending an event in Canada since the War started. In "Skating" magazine, she wrote, "I was struck by the youth of all the skaters (but this is true everywhere) and by the fact that they were all new since 1939... Canada should be proud of the new flock of skaters and can look to a good future, as the Juniors are all of a high quality." </div><div><br /></div><div>Just who were these 'youthful new' skaters and what were their stories in Toronto in 1945? Let's take a look back and find out!<br />
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<b>THE JUNIOR EVENTS</b><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Frank Sellers</span></i></div>
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Eighteen year old Norris Bowden teamed up with fourteen year old Suzanne Morrow to unanimously win the junior pairs event. Bowden was in his first year at the University Of Toronto and opted to skip the singles events due to his studies. Sixteen year old Frank Sellers of Winnipeg won the junior men's event four judges to one over Giles Trudeau of Montreal. Sellers started skating when he was five, and trained in Kitchener with Otto Gold in the summers. He was five foot nine, with brown hair and blue eyes, enjoyed swimming, bowling and badminton and aspired to study medicine when he went to university. What made his victory in 1945 incredibly remarkable was the fact he skated with his left arm in a plaster cast!<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Doreen Dutton</span></i></div>
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History was made in the junior women's event, when nineteen year old Doreen Dutton of Drumheller, Alberta became the first woman from west of Winnipeg to win the Canadian junior women's title. Most of Dutton's competitors were competing at the Canadians for the first time, and she had finished second the year prior. She reminded Theresa Weld Blanchard of Cecilia Colledge. She had skated for many years at the Glencoe Club, but was representing the Porcupine Skating Club, where she'd been training under Madge Austin. She was an only child and according to her mother, her biggest concern was "how she was going to be an aunt." The bronze medallist in the junior women's event, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2020/04/mademoiselle-from-minto-club-pierrette.html">Pierrette Paquin</a> of Ottawa, went on to be a distinguished judge.<br />
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<i style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Left (top to bottom): Doreen Dutton, Suzanne Morrow and Norris Bowden, Gloria Lillico and William de Nance, Jr. Right (top to bottom): Nigel Stephens, William de Nance, Jr., Joan McLeod, Olga Bernyk and Alex Fulton, Olga Bernyk and Alex Fulton. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine.</span></i></div>
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<b>THE PAIRS AND ICE DANCE COMPETITIONS</b><br />
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Olga Bernyk and Alex Fulton of the Porcupine Skating Club unanimously defeated Winnipeg's Sheila and Ross Smith in the pairs event. Twenty-one year old Fulton had been serving as a bombardier with the Royal Canadian Air Force since 1943 and only had four years of skating under his belt before he began his military service. He and nineteen year old Bernyk had only practiced their program for three weeks prior to the event.<br />
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Six couples entered the dance events - the Waltz and Tenstep. There were three judges for dance, unlike the other events which had five. The winners of the Waltz were Toronto's Gloria Lillico and William de Nance Jr. Seventeen year old de Nance was the son of the event's chairman and an accomplished tap dancer. The couple trained under Albert Enders. They had two firsts and a third, the other first going to third place team Virginia Wilson and Will White Jr. Olga Bernyk and Alex Fulton won the Tenstep, with Lillico and de Nance Jr. second. As was the case in the Waltz, the winners had two firsts and a third. Again, third place team Wilson and White received the other first.<br />
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<b>THE MEN'S COMPETITION</b><br />
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With most of Canada's top men's skaters away at War, the return of the senior men's event in 1945 was a contest between two talented teenagers. Frank Sellers, 'skating up' in senior, won the figures and for a time, it seemed he was destined to win both the junior and senior men's title. In a three-two split of the judging panel, the gold went to nineteen year old Nigel Stephens of the Granite Club. Stephens was a student at the University of Toronto, studying economics. <br />
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<b>THE WOMEN'S COMPETITION</b><br />
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In 1944, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-beliefs-of-barbara-ann-advice-from.html">Barbara Ann Scott</a> had a runaway victory in the school figures, trouncing <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2020/09/a-canadian-coryphee-marilyn-ruth-take.html">Marilyn Ruth Take</a> by one hundred and fifty points. Scott wore a ruby red velvet sequined dress, perhaps inspired by the famous slippers in "The Wizard Of Oz", for her free skating program. She skated brilliantly, again easily capturing the Devonshire Cup unanimously by a considerable margin. Marilyn Ruth Take again placed second. In a three-two split, fifteen year old Gloria Lillico topped Nadine Phillips for the bronze. Lillico was only fifth in juniors the previous years, hampered by a poor showing in figures. Her work on figures with Albert Enders with paid off. Later that year, Scott became the first female to win the Lou Marsh Trophy and the youngest woman to win the North American Championships.<br />
<br />Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/SkateGuardBlog">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://pinterest.com/SkateGuard">Pinterest</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@SkateGuard">YouTube</a>. If you enjoy Skate Guard, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">please show your support</a> for this archive by ordering a copy of the figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html</a>.</div>Skate Guard Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279901701173788400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117353349691954231.post-84879202231231127492024-01-08T08:00:00.002-04:002024-01-08T08:00:14.630-04:00Extra, Extra, Wrede All About It: The Ludwig Wrede Story<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCC6RRtckGf9tEXSrEwaertTeUXSp_INCw5PJXLpg17d1kwOlEj37O2_bJov9-cTntKQL8jkbdMRD0B5eoeRnJQJYOMflm8Dd_L2UZmcGkrIeXG1uUeSBR5OywYcIvKhQIA4iX33wNmlU/s506/Szabo+Wrede+EX.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="494" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCC6RRtckGf9tEXSrEwaertTeUXSp_INCw5PJXLpg17d1kwOlEj37O2_bJov9-cTntKQL8jkbdMRD0B5eoeRnJQJYOMflm8Dd_L2UZmcGkrIeXG1uUeSBR5OywYcIvKhQIA4iX33wNmlU/w390-h400/Szabo+Wrede+EX.png" width="390" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>"Magnificent posture, huge swing and impressive jumps worked together to make his freestyle level with Grafström." - "Wiener Sport-Tagblatt", March 11, 1924</div><div><br /></div><div>Ludwig Wrede was born on October 28, 1894 in Vienna, Austria. He first took the ice as a youngster at Eduard Engelmann's rink and soon joined the Training-Eisklub, where he excelled in both hockey and figure skating. In his youth, he was good friends with Alfred Berger, the pairs partner of Eduard Engelmann's daughter <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2023/08/zerr-woman-helene-engelmann-story.html">Helene</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rxJCeUSm2A1J8B3mc35kLmBkZAORYn_amdKTy_dDJhviP2hrI5orycyBTCHqcm6be-kx_jjqPgMBGRB1jL6iyk7Tf_TaQUs2RxsWLguyKJ1N23s7XiZmbJSDHksMLzb5I-PhpqQH9Dk/s540/Ludwig+Wrede+1912.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="463" data-original-width="540" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rxJCeUSm2A1J8B3mc35kLmBkZAORYn_amdKTy_dDJhviP2hrI5orycyBTCHqcm6be-kx_jjqPgMBGRB1jL6iyk7Tf_TaQUs2RxsWLguyKJ1N23s7XiZmbJSDHksMLzb5I-PhpqQH9Dk/w400-h343/Ludwig+Wrede+1912.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Ludwig made his competitive debut prior to the <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-lost-years-skating-and-great-war.html">Great War</a>, winning the Wanderpreis competition at the his home club in January of 1912. In the process, he defeated two-time World Bronze Medallist Leo Horwitz and Rudolf Kutzer, the future coach of many Austrian World Champions. He suffered an injury the following season, but managed to finish second behind Ernst Oppacher at the Wanderpreis des Arbeitsministerium in Troppau. At the age of nineteen in 1914, he finished fifth in his first trip to the European Championships. Three judges had him in the top three in free skating, and it really looked like he was going places. Then the War broke out. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nuabdSsMvardf7ZXzqQ5p6Mg1JWvZOziwL3Izx4NVWtKECeufcrQXwfknnuQ3NsOPEGv7EZy2dkKD2P-1sFdApQQd-CYDfL-zfwUfdOJRUXsD9vQI3FhGJTnQlEp_I_kGvWK_eslA4E/s2048/2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nuabdSsMvardf7ZXzqQ5p6Mg1JWvZOziwL3Izx4NVWtKECeufcrQXwfknnuQ3NsOPEGv7EZy2dkKD2P-1sFdApQQd-CYDfL-zfwUfdOJRUXsD9vQI3FhGJTnQlEp_I_kGvWK_eslA4E/s320/2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Great War military record for Ludwig Wrede. Photo courtesy Carl Kotlarchik.</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Like many other young men in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Ludwig joined the kaiserlich-königliche Landwehr, which was the Austrian faction of the Landstreitkräfte Österreich-Ungarns. He served in the Schützen-Regiment 1 of the Wehrmacht, reaching the rank of Fähnrich but was wounded more than once. It was actually quite remarkable he continued to skate afterwards as his injuries took a toll on his overall health and strength.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4EyKX2dUSOewEqPBtlQWIUeQ5Unx9XyvkLAbiwQjJ2Buiz4SAlWVkDVxxU0v01eabkDk5L_MtaHab7JkQVXiPmpCl3s8qkgiFar3WN371BRDYkdK8yG_QTQRGQQHXhKwRXonhdoD3y20/s260/Wrede2.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4EyKX2dUSOewEqPBtlQWIUeQ5Unx9XyvkLAbiwQjJ2Buiz4SAlWVkDVxxU0v01eabkDk5L_MtaHab7JkQVXiPmpCl3s8qkgiFar3WN371BRDYkdK8yG_QTQRGQQHXhKwRXonhdoD3y20/s0/Wrede2.PNG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Ludwig returned to competition in 1922, placing third in the men's and pairs events at the Austrian Championships. With <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-magical-melitta-brunner.html">Melitta Brunner</a> as his partner, he took the gold in both pairs and men's the following year. He placed fifth in his first trip to the World Championships in 1923, but was a strong second in the free skating. A talented athlete, he was known for his strong Axel and loop jumps and fast spins. He even created his own jump - the Wrede - which took off from a back outside edge, with one and a half revolutions in the air, landing on a forward outside edge on the opposite foot. His downfalls were that he tended to get nervous when doing his school figures and lacked a sense of presentation in his free skating. Gunnar Bang recalled, "Ludwig Wrede skated with speed and made many respond to [his] jumps and pirouettes, but he did not succeed in captivating the audience. Despite his skill, his program became dull and dry."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwQzpDVBewl7RRSt1gs8IMyqPAeJNgcBN6rB8kkXYLNzj2_JFDLr2hHbM0cHXxvgOQAi7rGeq8bNwtcb4qCaCVq8OFEYOy-Y953B64clmZmRppfWy6KKRdMCbSgyVrXhIToze45WPKPYQ/s473/Wrede6.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="289" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwQzpDVBewl7RRSt1gs8IMyqPAeJNgcBN6rB8kkXYLNzj2_JFDLr2hHbM0cHXxvgOQAi7rGeq8bNwtcb4qCaCVq8OFEYOy-Y953B64clmZmRppfWy6KKRdMCbSgyVrXhIToze45WPKPYQ/s320/Wrede6.png" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFwa7__XFwPZC5Ao1FrGf4QKXU15xVcBMuVGkMFCRUWydC2Z0GCog77RRteAwSXVAmBGoDTs-7D7h1tb4Zyd3kTMJ7_7It6608tf61S4zYvQXQ-K-pEPs1Mh1YFgUruhGO_R0RqZiUf8s/s673/18664702_10211575815944422_9204866195684008951_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="673" data-original-width="530" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFwa7__XFwPZC5Ao1FrGf4QKXU15xVcBMuVGkMFCRUWydC2Z0GCog77RRteAwSXVAmBGoDTs-7D7h1tb4Zyd3kTMJ7_7It6608tf61S4zYvQXQ-K-pEPs1Mh1YFgUruhGO_R0RqZiUf8s/s320/18664702_10211575815944422_9204866195684008951_n.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Ludwig lost the Austrian men's and pairs titles in 1924, but rebounded to take the silver medal at the European Championships and place fifth once again at the Worlds. Had he not had momentarily forgotten how to do one of his figures, he might have placed even higher. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw3LizZuXsztiCATHW9qvGwnuLEY0-xPKFGQwL2_haQV-qsCBDoxiZMa6zFyB5a6Yja0x5YJ4OjqcKFqIAV6R8G1Nnu51Nl-CB9RbCDOUV2IBLF0a6jcQIQfb9K-0qDuuyrNxZiEDP9Mg/s435/Szabo+Wrede+POL2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="331" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw3LizZuXsztiCATHW9qvGwnuLEY0-xPKFGQwL2_haQV-qsCBDoxiZMa6zFyB5a6Yja0x5YJ4OjqcKFqIAV6R8G1Nnu51Nl-CB9RbCDOUV2IBLF0a6jcQIQfb9K-0qDuuyrNxZiEDP9Mg/s320/Szabo+Wrede+POL2.png" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpxXSwjKut_lJTKku_QcCvH6v2vPlZDFleLUmYkbMwdihMxUxUdpPIyuRPIUX0KxEYI8zmRoF8kQMK-jD2KtwQ1CXk30R9UUZhJQNeO6VrMR5YRa9EaMvVhaJiNfObvoOi0fA2P6iAWA0/s499/Szabo+Wrede+POL3.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="311" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpxXSwjKut_lJTKku_QcCvH6v2vPlZDFleLUmYkbMwdihMxUxUdpPIyuRPIUX0KxEYI8zmRoF8kQMK-jD2KtwQ1CXk30R9UUZhJQNeO6VrMR5YRa9EaMvVhaJiNfObvoOi0fA2P6iAWA0/s320/Szabo+Wrede+POL3.PNG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Herma Szabo and Ludwig Wrede. Photos courtesy National Archives Of Poland.</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div>The following year, Ludwig formed a new pairs partnership with Herma Szabo, the reigning Olympic Gold Medallist and World Champion. Herma and Ludwig were a great match and from 1925 to 1927, they won two Austrian and two World titles, as well as the bronze medal at the 1926 World Championships. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-_1LNb_0FNSbZn_eFZ1rcYw9XLzQ54uGOJejA-mCgtZGxdNuOGywcBHzc7-sgd6kizQypokMI8W-O-I9S_dHZzVnSWZ-SjFcnXxiVE8XLAnHhfkaugBQhhAGbWnFwcEef323MPwRL04/s650/Szabo+Wrede.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-_1LNb_0FNSbZn_eFZ1rcYw9XLzQ54uGOJejA-mCgtZGxdNuOGywcBHzc7-sgd6kizQypokMI8W-O-I9S_dHZzVnSWZ-SjFcnXxiVE8XLAnHhfkaugBQhhAGbWnFwcEef323MPwRL04/s320/Szabo+Wrede.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgYP1Pw26YiI1Vv0x5bMvEclWpSS9hZCyOPRVwbt1b_IHtPr-U1V-pAHiiDG81aCNev4KQnrXnzx99QN1rvnndZ4IzjkuQRz5bVJld3-Dr9R4SiT0c_-_q_2X_Hksv_a783G6oBGY0xa8/s441/Wrede+Szabo+Pepi+Weiss+Willy+Bockl.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="441" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgYP1Pw26YiI1Vv0x5bMvEclWpSS9hZCyOPRVwbt1b_IHtPr-U1V-pAHiiDG81aCNev4KQnrXnzx99QN1rvnndZ4IzjkuQRz5bVJld3-Dr9R4SiT0c_-_q_2X_Hksv_a783G6oBGY0xa8/s320/Wrede+Szabo+Pepi+Weiss+Willy+Bockl.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Top: Herma Szabo and Ludwig Wrede. Bottom: Ludwig Wrede, Herma Szabo, </span></i><span style="text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pepi Weiß-Pfändler</span></i></span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> and Willy Böckl.</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div><div>Ludwig continued to compete internationally in singles during this period, placing in the top eight at four ISU Championships. By this time, he was training under <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2023/06/king-of-coaches-pepi-wei-pfandler-story.html">Pepi Weiß-Pfändler</a> at the Wiener Eislaufverein.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNbpLj6PrAj-05EsydCzpl1-zhV3xobFPUjeoa_mzwMdTJtkPuT5jgHFXhGC7QLqc-jn3x3HZ7i81UMe4RZ2eZeX35kwWv37_q8HwbZBNwRxrpo0MUcswfQfA43OL8RvuC4cRMtloa5pU/s800/Bildarchiv+Austria+Szabo+Wrede.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="585" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNbpLj6PrAj-05EsydCzpl1-zhV3xobFPUjeoa_mzwMdTJtkPuT5jgHFXhGC7QLqc-jn3x3HZ7i81UMe4RZ2eZeX35kwWv37_q8HwbZBNwRxrpo0MUcswfQfA43OL8RvuC4cRMtloa5pU/w468-h640/Bildarchiv+Austria+Szabo+Wrede.jpg" width="468" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Herma Szabo and Ludwig Wrede. Photo courtesy Bildarchiv Austria. </span></i></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Two weeks before the 1928 Winter Olympic Games, Herma Szabo announced her retirement, forcing Ludwig to scramble for another partner at the eleventh hour. Officials at the Wiener Eislaufverein asked Melitta Brunner if she would skate with Ludwig again. In an interview with Harrington E. Crissey Jr. for "The Journal of the Figure Skating Historical Society" in 1994, Melitta Brunner recalled, "I replied that I'd do it but I considered it a great sacrifice as it would rob me of my practice as a singles skater. Because Wrede and I only had two weeks to practice before the Olympics began, I think we did pretty well to win the bronze medal. I did everything Wrede told me to, but during the competition I rose too soon from a sit spin. That may have cost us the gold. Wrede bawled me out afterwards. All I could do was apologize. We did one very difficult lift in the program. Wrede did a back outside rocker while he lifted and held me and then let me down. I don't think the general public realized how difficult that was. Just doing a back rocker on your own is hard. The music for our program was Waldteufel's 'Estudiantina Waltz'. We also did a sit spin side by side and another one holding each other in waltz position. Pepi Weisz helped us a little but Wrede and I, primarily Wrede, made up our programs... Back in those days, pairs basically coached themselves."</div><div><br /></div><div>Though Melitta and Ludwig won a pair of bronze medals at the 1928 Winter Olympic Games and World Championships, but their successes weren't without their controversy. Theresa Weld Blanchard recalled that in St. Moritz at the Olympics, "Melitta Brunner and Ludwig Wrede of Austria made a most spectacular, although, some of us felt, a slightly illegal opening. They started way down the ice surface behind the ropes marking off the rink and he lifted her high in the air as they reached the boundary and glided in on a very spectacular spiral. Carry lifts were just coming in then and this one made a big impression on me."</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvetHLATb5s4EcisWK_WQ-wwz_ibXxQNAlRiFX48mPtesuscIb3UEin6-UR2aGiFrgr1aXmCh4egIjTGnT41jUteDevoWiOdjtpwt_1XShLvR8v2CgYZaIW4hyphenhyphenhwpCm4ld3_oWw-8JDE/s567/Szabo+Wrede+POL.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="382" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvetHLATb5s4EcisWK_WQ-wwz_ibXxQNAlRiFX48mPtesuscIb3UEin6-UR2aGiFrgr1aXmCh4egIjTGnT41jUteDevoWiOdjtpwt_1XShLvR8v2CgYZaIW4hyphenhyphenhwpCm4ld3_oWw-8JDE/w432-h640/Szabo+Wrede+POL.png" width="432" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Melitta Brunner and Ludwig Wrede. Photo courtesy National Archives Of Poland.</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div>In 1929, Ludwig won the bronze medal at the European Championships in singles. He also won a silver and bronze in the World men's and pairs events, held that year in Budapest and London. At the time, he was thirty-four - much older than his peers - and a married father of two young girls. He was a trained electrical engineer and a very serious-minded, introspective man who enjoyed writing poetry in his spare time. He was a firm believer in training outdoors. He thought the air was "harmful" in indoor rinks, "perhaps all right for the last three weeks [before a competition] but not for a season." </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvM6NgW0UsIi059Pt_CjnwSk-IcDX4vvhOA-jpU-FRE_wfUsMMXBPEwNxAoFLNprEIv977CMrHcDpTBCf_CfzJyJjxZ18bUtMIkjhll8UfLRSFzldHWeSRJaUN4hbXBrOSG7ET8DtJYVg/s410/1930+group.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvM6NgW0UsIi059Pt_CjnwSk-IcDX4vvhOA-jpU-FRE_wfUsMMXBPEwNxAoFLNprEIv977CMrHcDpTBCf_CfzJyJjxZ18bUtMIkjhll8UfLRSFzldHWeSRJaUN4hbXBrOSG7ET8DtJYVg/s320/1930+group.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9IM1el0XXOYL_Y4vxFYurbn61W8dYhYlP79ZlumDYzR_Mdyjr9pylNDBTCrNozgXcXfF30jxW4IXIcRneflMcEXOFs_Kvna9CEKTs6baKvZhUR2tUNvlr0AIoC3EqqhNPnG4puVgKme4/s466/Schafer+Henie+Wrede+Brunner+Gautschi.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9IM1el0XXOYL_Y4vxFYurbn61W8dYhYlP79ZlumDYzR_Mdyjr9pylNDBTCrNozgXcXfF30jxW4IXIcRneflMcEXOFs_Kvna9CEKTs6baKvZhUR2tUNvlr0AIoC3EqqhNPnG4puVgKme4/s320/Schafer+Henie+Wrede+Brunner+Gautschi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Top: Sonja Henie, Karl Schäfer, Andrée (Joly) and Pierre Brunet, Julius Edhoffer, Melitta Brunner and Ludwig Wrede at a carnival at the Philadelphia Skating Club and Humane Society in 1930. Bottom: Karl Schäfer, Sonja Henie, Ludwig Wrede, Melitta Brunner and Georges Gautschi.</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Ludwig's final international competition was the 1930 World Championships in New York City. He placed a creditable fifth in singles and second in pairs with Melitta Brunner. He and Melitta's swan song was beautifully skated to Strauss' quintessentially Viennese "Blue Danube" waltz. Two years later, he staged a comeback at the Austrian Championships, forming a new partnership with Olly Holzmann. The duo placed a disappointing third, but managed to outrank former World Champion Otto Kaiser and his new partner Hansi Kast.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJdQtzy3oGl_W2IZnjnbmZ4iZVlooimD8S1zBdDxsvP-P-49Imbjq-PqtHjZHx2BW6uKvX-aQ3uN8yUYcGICgWMsuBkN2GPoHSpUzF8nMgPpWmkcd3k5cASd1fJS5wtDX6g7ksD403UR4/s767/Wrede1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="767" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJdQtzy3oGl_W2IZnjnbmZ4iZVlooimD8S1zBdDxsvP-P-49Imbjq-PqtHjZHx2BW6uKvX-aQ3uN8yUYcGICgWMsuBkN2GPoHSpUzF8nMgPpWmkcd3k5cASd1fJS5wtDX6g7ksD403UR4/w400-h278/Wrede1.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ludwig Wrede (second from left) at the 1930 World Championships. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine.</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Ludwig finally decided to call it a day and in January of 1935 opened the École Internationale de Patinage Artistique in Villars. His old friend <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-sonja-henie-junior-olympics-club.html">Sonja Henie</a> came and skated at the school's opening. Ludwig remained in Switzerland for some time, teaching both serious figure skaters and high-society types wintering on the Continent. One of his students was Lady Kennet (Elizabeth Young), a well-known British author and artist. </div><div><br /></div><div>After <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2017/11/double-salchows-in-dark-how-skating.html">World War II</a>, Ludwig served as a judge at both the 1954 and 1959 European Championships. He had actually been first named as an international judge by the Austrian Federation when he was still competing. He passed away in Vienna on New Year's Day, 1965 at the age of seventy, and has yet to be honoured with an induction to the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame. </div><div><br /></div><div>Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/SkateGuardBlog">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://pinterest.com/SkateGuard">Pinterest</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@SkateGuard">YouTube</a>. If you enjoy Skate Guard, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">please show your support</a> for this archive by ordering a copy of the figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html</a>.</div></div>Skate Guard Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279901701173788400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117353349691954231.post-21257447994467894282024-01-03T09:02:00.001-04:002024-01-03T09:02:32.946-04:00Interpretations: The Herbert Alward Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The son of Robert and Leonie Alward, Herbert Andrew 'Bob' Alward was born October 20, 1916 in Budapest, Hungary. Though he was the grandson of a Welsh master mariner, Herbert didn't have a typical upbringing in the British Isles. Instead, he and his older siblings William and Bessie grew up in Vienna, Austria, where their father worked as the Continental representative of a British business firm. Herbert and his siblings attended an öffentliche Schuler (state school) and in their spare time, William took up ice hockey and Bessie and Herbert figure skated at the Wiener Eislaufverein. A 1951 feature in "Skating World" magazine recalled, "His first ambition was to be an ice hockey player, and, later, a speed skater. Parental disapproval, after he had suffered numerous injuries, made him give up both these aspirations, and he followed his sister's example and took up figure skating."<div>
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Herbert's beginnings in the figure skating world weren't exactly impressive. In his first club competition in the junior men's class at the age of twelve, he placed dead last. Two years later, he landed a Lutz jump and moved up to second in the same event behind future Olympic medallist <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2016/06/a-pause-for-pausins.html">Erik Pausin</a>. In February of 1932, he finally won the Wiener Eislaufverein's junior men's title, defeating Dominik Schönberger, Karl Zeilinger and Josef Weichselberger. Under the watchful eye of coach <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2023/06/king-of-coaches-pepi-wei-pfandler-story.html">Pepi Weiß-Pfändler</a>, he began earning the reputation of a skater with great promise.<br />
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In 1935 at the age of eighteen, Herbert won an international event in Zürich as well as a junior competition held in conjunction with the <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-1935-world-figure-skating.html">World Championships in Budapest</a>, besting Béla Barcza-Rotter, Kristóf Kállay and three others. His victory at the latter event was considered somewhat controversial at the time, as the three Swiss judges on the panel placed him first and the two Austrians had him third in the figures, but he unanimously won the free skating. The British press hailed him as "a dark horse" for a medal at the <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-1936-winter-olympic-games.html">1936 Winter Olympic Games</a> in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, but he withdrew his entry prior to the event for unknown reasons. That year at the <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-1936-world-figure-skating.html">World Championships in Paris</a>, he placed a disappointing ninth.</div><div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD4iY_0Im1N40RDXVJbRXeuLrRlfk2-HAf_-0EJh050_3qjAwr1_gQVZVif5Lbojw254G98PGeaoJl-X6-Wpagvo0zRGOqyhZ45hzedn8glof9HiXRwXxmtkhMRALcOyS1dyg3LosLZkY/s1600/Das+Kleine+Blatt+12.2.1937+S.14.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="172" data-original-width="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD4iY_0Im1N40RDXVJbRXeuLrRlfk2-HAf_-0EJh050_3qjAwr1_gQVZVif5Lbojw254G98PGeaoJl-X6-Wpagvo0zRGOqyhZ45hzedn8glof9HiXRwXxmtkhMRALcOyS1dyg3LosLZkY/s1600/Das+Kleine+Blatt+12.2.1937+S.14.png" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Henry Graham Sharp, Freddy Mésot, Freddie Tomlins, Felix Kaspar, Elemér Terták, Markus Nikkanen, Herbert Alward, Emil Ratzenhofer and Jean Henrion at the 1937 World Championships in Vienna. </span></i><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy Julia C. Schulze.</span></i></div>
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In January of 1937, Herbert finished second at an international competition in St. Moritz held in conjunction with the European Speed Skating Championships. He went on to place in the top five at both the European and World Championships, establishing himself as a bona fide medal contender at the senior level. The following season, he achieved just that, winning the bronze medal at events. At the European Championships, the German judge actually tied him with the winner, Felix Kaspar, in free skating. His medal win at the World Championships that season was by the narrowest of margins, ironically on the strength of his school figures as he was known as a better free skater. In 1939, he finished second at the 'Ostmark' Championships but opted to represent Great Britain, the country of his parents' birth, at the World Championships in Budapest. When Germany annexed Austria, he was invited to a meeting with Hans von Tschammer und Osten, whom the Nazi's had appointed as Reichssportführer. He was promised full training facilities and support if he would skate for Germany, but he declined.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the spring of 1939, Brits living in Austria were advised to flee the country. Wisely, the entire Alward family hightailed across the English Channel immediately following the 1939 World Championships. The fact that Herbert's older brother William was by then working as a courier with a travel agency may have helped secure their safe passage. Herbert and his sister Bessie took up residence in a semi-detached home on Birchwood Avenue in Wallington, Surrey. Census records note that she was an artist; he a student and German interpreter.</div><div>
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During <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2017/11/double-salchows-in-dark-how-skating.html">World War II</a>, Herbert enlisted as a Flight Lieutenant with the Royal Air Force. He spent close to a year in the North African and Mediterranean Theater of Operations, working with the 381 Wireless Unit in Tunisia and Italy, which intercepted and decoded German and Italian messages. A feature in "Skating World" magazine recalled that he "ended his service career at BAFO Air Headquarters, Buckeberg, where his linguistic ability brought him the uneasy job of Officer [in charge of] German civilian labour." He was twice being mentioned in dispatches, and was awarded the M.B.E. for his service. </div><div>
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Less than a year after the War ended, he married Marion Schreiber. Soon came a son, Peter. Early in the War, Marion worked as Wilfrid Israel's secretary at Bloomsbury House, typing hundreds of letters to the Home Office advocating for<a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2020/06/those-that-stayed-fates-of-figure.html"> 'enemy aliens' in England</a>. Wilfrid Israel was a wealthy Jewish philanthropist who played an important role in Kindertransport, a pre-War rescue effort which saved the lives of thousands of Jewish children. Later Marion acted as as a interpreter for the Allied forces. Through her war work, Marion first became acquainted with Howard Bass, the well-known British sportswriter who penned several books on figure skating. The Alward's and Bass developed a friendship that lasted after the War.<br />
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In the post-War years, Herbert became an NSA Gold Medallist and turned professional, appearing in<br />
Tom Arnold's British touring production "Ice Follies" with Olive Robinson, Armand Perren and Raymonde du Bief, the production "Féerie De La Glace" in Belgium and as the leading man in "Ice Rhapsody" at the S.S. Brighton alongside Cecilia Colledge. In 1949 and 1950, he won the <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2021/05/the-almanac-of-professional-figure.html">World and British Open Professional Championships</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Herbert went to serve as the senior instructor and stage director for some of Tom Arnold's ice pantomimes at the S.S. Brighton and taught at the Empire Pool, Wembley and Queen's Ice Rink. The school he operated at Brighton in the fifties, in particular, was quite revolutionary for the time in England as it had a ballet teacher on staff and focused more on improving a skater who already had sound technique's presentation through a series of graded classes.</div><div><br /></div><div>When the S.S. Brighton rink was demolished in the sixties, Herbert retired from coaching and got involved in the wine trade. He passed away in Walton-on-Thames on November 17, 1994 at the age of seventy-eight. Skating historian Dennis L. Bird, who was once Herbert's student, recalled, "He had learned his skating in the famous 'Vienna school' and was firmly convinced that skating should be an artistic and not merely an athletic pursuit." </div><div>
<br />Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/SkateGuardBlog">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://pinterest.com/SkateGuard">Pinterest</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@SkateGuard">YouTube</a>. If you enjoy Skate Guard, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">please show your support</a> for this archive by ordering a copy of figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html</a>.</div>Skate Guard Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279901701173788400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117353349691954231.post-46118685239698806352024-01-03T09:02:00.000-04:002024-01-03T09:02:24.996-04:00Failure To Launch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0K7FWIUy7_16OY6EufyKQ3RSDZHwcdePwDXnVc90cPL3SmM7l8GBKmllHgfvvYJA-GMVDw_rOa0UHiCrtFEHlNUpqEYdKGrs4RKmNhpfc76H75uua-w_0g2B8FTt-lk4Fi2owKb_DXrGAggb9QHilKFT28frZpZnkVey5T9FR1iFdlbJhyphenhyphenS3LoGgAzc/s1080/Instagram%20Post%20Failure%20Quote%20Line%20Art%20Illustration.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0K7FWIUy7_16OY6EufyKQ3RSDZHwcdePwDXnVc90cPL3SmM7l8GBKmllHgfvvYJA-GMVDw_rOa0UHiCrtFEHlNUpqEYdKGrs4RKmNhpfc76H75uua-w_0g2B8FTt-lk4Fi2owKb_DXrGAggb9QHilKFT28frZpZnkVey5T9FR1iFdlbJhyphenhyphenS3LoGgAzc/w400-h400/Instagram%20Post%20Failure%20Quote%20Line%20Art%20Illustration.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">There is nothing more natural than putting a pen to paper. It is what happens next, after the book is already written, edited and formatted, that can be a little overwhelming.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div>Contrary to popular belief, a good book doesn't sell itself. You have to put as much (if not more) work into spreading the word as you did into creating it in the first place.</div><div><br /></div><div>When I published my first book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Almanac-Canadian-Figure-Skating/dp/B0BLFWPKVM">"The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating"</a>, there was a long list of things I felt terribly yucky about doing: going on the Tiktok and Instagram, making awkward videos, talking about the book for too long or too much, patting myself on the back for the successes, opening up publicly about the struggles... and guess what? I still don't love those things.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>When I published my first books, I really had no clue what I was doing in terms of design or marketing. There was a huge to-do list of things that I didn't even know I had to do long before I clicked publish: finding ARC readers, securing editorial reviews, paid advertising and pitching my book to libraries. Despite many rookie mistakes, the book did surprisingly well in terms of sales. However, the one thing I kept getting told was that I couldn't expect to sell books unless I had more than one of them.</div><div><br /></div><div>I powered away quickly, adapting two new projects to book form - <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2023/01/youre-not-seeing-double.html">"Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating"</a>. I knew "Technical Merit" was far superior to the other two books and that the Bibliography book would have a much more limited audience, so I focused my attention on "Technical Merit" and ran several free promotions on "A Bibliography of Figure Skating" solely to try to bring in reviews. I ultimately did the same thing with "Technical Merit" as well, when I realized more people were interested in "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating" than the other two. The free promotions were both a complete failure - tons of downloads and no reviews. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0tpukmPPSVh1wI4hpe24l1uob_Y5RzYxqpYZiVYNiHW7xKmyaGrEMpmKRJyf-wcijGEVONaUgxJUDw4HoaVhV17FkF3PFfpmVA97Xq33r5eJXR83rh37BpS1wW09tRIHpcRm1_5jnh1Ey5A1ovBZC50KLBmglDQJ_bMl2QQIKyF3lsL8PnjFjiL_BfiY/s559/Screenshot%202023-11-22%20110958.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="559" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0tpukmPPSVh1wI4hpe24l1uob_Y5RzYxqpYZiVYNiHW7xKmyaGrEMpmKRJyf-wcijGEVONaUgxJUDw4HoaVhV17FkF3PFfpmVA97Xq33r5eJXR83rh37BpS1wW09tRIHpcRm1_5jnh1Ey5A1ovBZC50KLBmglDQJ_bMl2QQIKyF3lsL8PnjFjiL_BfiY/w400-h313/Screenshot%202023-11-22%20110958.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Data from an eBook giveaway promotion for "A Bibliography of Figure Skating" on Reddit. 73 downloads, which resulted in 0 reviews.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Both books got buried... and I took the whole experience quite hard. I took comfort from the words of another author who went through a similarly frustrating experience: "I was convinced that I had taken my failure too harshly, that I had identified my faults, and that I could do better. I certainly could, and I certainly shouldn't." </div><div><br /></div><div>I knew I could and I knew I shouldn't but I took time before I was ready to coax myself back to the drawing board. I knew that if I wanted to succeed with book number four, I needed to go about things very differently. I took a course in book marketing and applied what I learned, coming up very comprehensive marketing plan after finishing "Jackson Haines: The Skating King". I plugged away behind the scenes every single day before or after work this past summer. I put a lot of effort into creating good marketing copy and getting editorial reviews. I even went out of my comfort zone and joined some new social media channels to get the word out.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>I resisted joining Instagram and TikTok for a long time, but decided to put my reservations aside and give them the old college try. I had a good following on Facebook and Twitter/X, but I had a heck of time gaining traction on Instagram. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBMt75gSwouIcNNuV86rzOS0bxjz3iH_R_ODBuU0c0TxDeYEPpq2WoGa6YY0-L74xCGR38RT0QbIh2z-UgJsCyiiXvnk0pXIoUD-i2BHeqTuyQs_UFx1dDMOaIqVG8sIj_Z34sTR8eQF9S2gmladA1IxfwO-Kulo-XdsRxGTa_604vGJVkfG-uGQ7BTA/s464/data1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBMt75gSwouIcNNuV86rzOS0bxjz3iH_R_ODBuU0c0TxDeYEPpq2WoGa6YY0-L74xCGR38RT0QbIh2z-UgJsCyiiXvnk0pXIoUD-i2BHeqTuyQs_UFx1dDMOaIqVG8sIj_Z34sTR8eQF9S2gmladA1IxfwO-Kulo-XdsRxGTa_604vGJVkfG-uGQ7BTA/s16000/data1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Data from an Instagram post that went viral not long before my book launch</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Two weeks before my launch, a reel I posted went viral. As of the time I wrote this blog, the viral post reached 209,929 accounts and had 446,902 watches and 15,952 likes. My follower count, though still sadly modest, jumped from 237 to 1,096. When I posted a gorgeous photograph promoting my book on November 13, Instagram showed that post to exactly 24 accounts.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilydEj8WQi2tDdp45p8_H6NuqufJczxfEUlmbtBvQaUPS_ZDT1O6NBwqVl-o72DZ6MsVv0N6EHxJ_nw7vsLTn8XiJnbFY9y-oR1BzsValLi_X20jkDKXXPZoAteYiX_tTHLYrnYZVES_rnE8n7xsez7pY6S3hyphenhypheneMdvh3yekTzGcB-bcGSXA9RNTBK0m4A/s276/Screenshot%202023-11-22%20112008.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="109" data-original-width="276" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilydEj8WQi2tDdp45p8_H6NuqufJczxfEUlmbtBvQaUPS_ZDT1O6NBwqVl-o72DZ6MsVv0N6EHxJ_nw7vsLTn8XiJnbFY9y-oR1BzsValLi_X20jkDKXXPZoAteYiX_tTHLYrnYZVES_rnE8n7xsez7pY6S3hyphenhypheneMdvh3yekTzGcB-bcGSXA9RNTBK0m4A/s1600/Screenshot%202023-11-22%20112008.jpg" width="276" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Data from an Instagram post promoting my book two weeks after my launch</span></i></div></div><div><br /></div><div>I knew from the get-go TikTok wasn't my thing, nor was the younger demographic that use the app my target audience. There is a sizeable community on there called BookTok though and I hoped I might be able to tap into both the skating community on there and the smaller corner of BookTok that enjoyed reading about historical fiction. It took me an entire summer of posting clickbait videos to even reach 40 followers. As an experiment, I tried posting the same viral reel that got over 15,000 likes on Instagram on TikTok. It got less than 15.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkC1mWKJeUmrflRjOrqGWMK5p53jTZBfN03dS8oNu16a-ZjZWJLKGhogthJEzrsH7iXeuo0n8GeGuhWZ7XVPRTI9DkFDT4lSc7j5hWKjEuUscrRVzBNtgtzNegj52IladyPJQFIwmj8Ve9hfKk0w5o-sFP9tr5PD7hwiWxYKFm0yBwh4qLszcstv7uwPk/s919/Screenshot%202023-11-22%20112329.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="919" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkC1mWKJeUmrflRjOrqGWMK5p53jTZBfN03dS8oNu16a-ZjZWJLKGhogthJEzrsH7iXeuo0n8GeGuhWZ7XVPRTI9DkFDT4lSc7j5hWKjEuUscrRVzBNtgtzNegj52IladyPJQFIwmj8Ve9hfKk0w5o-sFP9tr5PD7hwiWxYKFm0yBwh4qLszcstv7uwPk/w400-h258/Screenshot%202023-11-22%20112329.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Data from TikTok about the exact same video that went viral on Instagram showing that the video was only shown to 318 people, getting 7 likes</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div>During the summer, Meta released its new app Threads - designed as an alternative to Twitter/X, which is becoming increasingly unpopular. There's actually a great community of fellow writers on the app, but the skating community is not particularly engaged as compared to Twitter/X. My best performing post on there got a grand total of 4 likes. Threads was like yelling into the void. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>Less than a week before <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2015/08/jackson-haines-definitive-biography.html">"Jackson Haines: The Skating King"</a> launched, I found out that Amazon (who is the seller for hard cover copies of the book) had an issue at one of its printing facility impacting distribution in a big way and causing delays of upwards of 4-5 weeks. I had the option of pulling hard cover edition altogether and redoing over 100 marketing materials or going ahead and hoping that people would read the eBook or paperback editions, which are available through dozens of retailers. Despite my best efforts and the fact I've done everything right, things simply haven't gone well at all in terms of sales. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuOwuBjUJrfnJpAJT6DlBnP40ke6wtFYFJlNtkE_G1jggkARl7vBvkGSPLiKAgrh1PVtPnGbG555Hw6WrpkjrG9SpXOs3xlOy0gGEuddjUQdmfQCaWreRR2FS9SVuH_Pq28-oaTUCRBE3TvQPtaXAsARzgEiuqbzPiQDifcL7C7319TzDIZS2ycRGlrBs/s487/Screenshot%202023-11-22%20110309.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="232" data-original-width="487" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuOwuBjUJrfnJpAJT6DlBnP40ke6wtFYFJlNtkE_G1jggkARl7vBvkGSPLiKAgrh1PVtPnGbG555Hw6WrpkjrG9SpXOs3xlOy0gGEuddjUQdmfQCaWreRR2FS9SVuH_Pq28-oaTUCRBE3TvQPtaXAsARzgEiuqbzPiQDifcL7C7319TzDIZS2ycRGlrBs/w400-h190/Screenshot%202023-11-22%20110309.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0XZSeWyFvh979MO2MDJCJ6AYWg2BcaCoXkEgcUuLpGjE8TFCerc_IqHvovUrljeD-3x_Pg2iq-hHDkxWhDYmWq-OpVLblrN4OSpjqi9vOJ0i0QSJMipmyTdFfAcOJkC3aDh_2dBkoROZwfSnoGlXao2WpuQXCS-FoeFGw2kKTJv646LkgMSCdtaqh2j4/s590/Screenshot%202023-11-13%20162751.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="285" data-original-width="590" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0XZSeWyFvh979MO2MDJCJ6AYWg2BcaCoXkEgcUuLpGjE8TFCerc_IqHvovUrljeD-3x_Pg2iq-hHDkxWhDYmWq-OpVLblrN4OSpjqi9vOJ0i0QSJMipmyTdFfAcOJkC3aDh_2dBkoROZwfSnoGlXao2WpuQXCS-FoeFGw2kKTJv646LkgMSCdtaqh2j4/w400-h194/Screenshot%202023-11-13%20162751.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Some very telling stats. On the top are the ages and genders of Skate Guard readers, on the bottom are the skating lovers who engaged a highly targeted advertisement I ran on Facebook and Instagram on November 13. Not a single click from anyone under 44. 22 clicks, 0 sales.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Despite the struggles, I'm extremely proud of what I accomplished with <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2015/08/jackson-haines-definitive-biography.html">"Jackson Haines: The Skating King"</a>. It's been double and triple fact-checked and annotated enough to satisfy those with academic leanings. It is readable enough to appeal to those who just want to read an interesting story about a founding father of the sport they may have only heard of in passing. It has appeal to figure skating lovers, readers of both historical nonfiction and fiction and history and biography buffs alike. What I'm perhaps proudest of is that it's the kind of book I wanted to write... nerdy, nuanced, factual and fascinating. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigTZA7BeIJgUEghbsJiWl2qqD5-AsrxdBGPiUiTz4oYOSeX30dnsv5BNQ7Z1m9c5OG4TinmTeSe74nMk5mKSlQT_ltxtcUja79zZ8VWfC9HN8PqpeUUyM-YgUQwp7VlCmmIz2jc8p-tFu25pQ1-L7A33HeZzWu-QZ_STb4lB86zeRaD_dkny0cXQORiYM/s1800/Jackson-Haines-The-Skating-King-user-preview.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Stack of four copies of the book "Jackson Haines: The Skating King" by Ryan Stevens" border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigTZA7BeIJgUEghbsJiWl2qqD5-AsrxdBGPiUiTz4oYOSeX30dnsv5BNQ7Z1m9c5OG4TinmTeSe74nMk5mKSlQT_ltxtcUja79zZ8VWfC9HN8PqpeUUyM-YgUQwp7VlCmmIz2jc8p-tFu25pQ1-L7A33HeZzWu-QZ_STb4lB86zeRaD_dkny0cXQORiYM/w400-h400/Jackson-Haines-The-Skating-King-user-preview.png" title="Stack of four copies of the book "Jackson Haines: The Skating King" by Ryan Stevens" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I really do want you to read it and that's why I have been posting about it on social media and talking to people about it a lot over the last two months. I'm not going to apologize for doing that often and I'm not going to apologize for charging money for something that I think is worthy of a place on any skating fan's book shelf. </div><div><br /></div><div>No one loves writing for the joy of it more than I do, but we pay to go see plays, films and musicians... Books are entertainment too and as unnatural as it may seem for many artists to double as business people, if you're going the indie route you have to - and you can't apologize for doing it.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not apologizing about asking you to go on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jackson-Haines-Skating-Ryan-Stevens-ebook/dp/B0C4LNBNL1">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/jackson-haines-ryan-stevens/1143719065?ean=2940167308008">Barnes & Noble</a> and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/150356661-jackson-haines">Goodreads</a> and leave an honest review.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not apologizing about asking you to go to your local library's website and fill out a Suggest a Purchase form.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not apologizing about writing a book about a skater who died over a hundred years ago instead of a book about figure skating today to appeal to the masses.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not apologizing for not giving up on a project I worked very hard on that hasn't been selling well.</div><div><br /></div><div>The only thing I'm apologizing for is not writing <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/jackson-haines.html">the kind of book I wanted to write</a> sooner.</div><div><br /></div><div>Despite the fact the launch of the book didn't go as planned, I'm looking forward to 2024 with a really positive attitude and starting the long process of working on a fifth book. I don't plan on being finished anytime soon... and I'm very much okay with that!</div><div><br /></div><div>Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/SkateGuardBlog">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://pinterest.com/SkateGuard">Pinterest</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@SkateGuard">YouTube</a>. If you enjoy Skate Guard, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">please show your support</a> for this archive by ordering a copy of figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html</a>. </div>Skate Guard Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279901701173788400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117353349691954231.post-21333384180479222762023-12-29T15:50:00.002-04:002023-12-29T15:50:39.763-04:00The Best of 2023: A Skate Guard New Year's Spectacular<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOEGRl27zmpj1kU9Tlo6enlWJN67Q8F9CjodEEUYYdSZbsFoYJK1sRWV6majEubulauxvbZ1w7Nimw66V6e_mIqicz_tzorWsProq0XZ0bX1NodIpG9ZtoGDAZqFeE7o1mO-bUJ5jyJ0nmf9ThdHFcUsLWeeyzxZBBiDUtoTLpPLvpr1K-sj_ZwpDQNQ/s1280/1909%20NY%20card%20EX.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="821" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOEGRl27zmpj1kU9Tlo6enlWJN67Q8F9CjodEEUYYdSZbsFoYJK1sRWV6majEubulauxvbZ1w7Nimw66V6e_mIqicz_tzorWsProq0XZ0bX1NodIpG9ZtoGDAZqFeE7o1mO-bUJ5jyJ0nmf9ThdHFcUsLWeeyzxZBBiDUtoTLpPLvpr1K-sj_ZwpDQNQ/w410-h640/1909%20NY%20card%20EX.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;">So much figure skating history has been made in 2023. This month at the ISU Grand Prix Final in Beijing, Ilia Malinin made history twice - becoming the first skater to land a quad Axel jump in the short program in a major international competition and the first skater to land every single type of quad jump in competition. In the spring at the World Championships in Saitama, Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara made history as the first pair from Japan to win a gold medal at the World Championships. Another outstanding duo, Sara Conti and Niccolò Macii, also made history this year as the very first Italian pair to win a gold medal at the European Championships and a medal at the World Championships. </p><p style="text-align: left;">It has been a year full of amazing moments in figure skating, but sad ones as well. As we look back on the year, we all will take a moment to honour the memories of many members of the skating community we lost this year, including Oleg Protopopov, Jutta Müller, Alexandra Paul, Doug Mattis, György Czakó, Michael Botticelli, Marilyn Ruth Take Wittstock, Jane Garden and Todd Reynolds.</p><div><div>Despite the very much ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, figure skating has continued to thrive as a world-class sport and 2024 promises to be even more exciting, if the skating we have seen so far this season is any indication.</div><div><br /></div><div>What a fun year it has been from a content creator perspective too! I was delighted to have contributed some interesting articles for <a href="https://www.usfigureskating.org/about/skating-magazine">"Skating" magazine</a> and to have published <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">three new books</a> this year: "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps", "A Bibliography of Figure Skating" and "Jackson Haines: The Skating King". I also started a <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/newsletter.html">newsletter</a>, which has been a lot of fun as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>As is the case every year here on Skate Guard, I like to close out the year by doing a little countdown of 10.0 of the most compelling stories that you may have missed over the course of the past year. A Happy New Year to you and here's to more fascinating figure skating history in 2024! </div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>10. CAMEL SPINS IN CAIRO: A LOOK AT EGYPT'S UNIQUE SKATING HISTORY</b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFk4zAy8WhIajYNMfcNGvYpHLVVV__UIzUfeTnRSNSQwASvQ-DpL-mp74yID8Z8iR26Nz3x3E3cSKx35ZzePVnPPNAA2TpmhqggmYLtzrzkIkoV2ufyjE9QVayczGF04_fLxLb3PVMTvfE-h5jAzAYANTQgQu-pxRQPh-GEukfLIAyz3DpX1_Txk4VuUo/s320/index%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="309" data-original-width="320" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFk4zAy8WhIajYNMfcNGvYpHLVVV__UIzUfeTnRSNSQwASvQ-DpL-mp74yID8Z8iR26Nz3x3E3cSKx35ZzePVnPPNAA2TpmhqggmYLtzrzkIkoV2ufyjE9QVayczGF04_fLxLb3PVMTvfE-h5jAzAYANTQgQu-pxRQPh-GEukfLIAyz3DpX1_Txk4VuUo/s1600/index%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I never cease to be amazed at how parts of the world we don't traditionally think of as skating hotbeds actually have incredibly interesting skating histories. Back in March, we explored the very unique <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2023/03/camel-spins-in-cairo-look-at-egypts.html">history of skating in Egypt</a>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>9. THE RISE AND FALL OF THE CANADIAN SKATER</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Ac1s56Oxy7mdEcYVDxAMy-CcYhkAsbZxnalcOz8PGmDTedyhat6eMqDLX0MKmkMTTN04xy3YVtu-ZiRtL_4LSBqApx5ZWNILA007tjohemX5lTkygWUWnLPZ66f0g669BdEgJRP7z8CjTQDIKzgE05ejpOhtMu7AZYkdyOOOpqOEdH-kxuvEtTsghlc/s640/s-l1600.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="494" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Ac1s56Oxy7mdEcYVDxAMy-CcYhkAsbZxnalcOz8PGmDTedyhat6eMqDLX0MKmkMTTN04xy3YVtu-ZiRtL_4LSBqApx5ZWNILA007tjohemX5lTkygWUWnLPZ66f0g669BdEgJRP7z8CjTQDIKzgE05ejpOhtMu7AZYkdyOOOpqOEdH-kxuvEtTsghlc/s320/s-l1600.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Who doesn't know and love "Skating" magazine? It's the oldest continously published figure skating periodical in the world and it's pretty fabulous. Did you know Canada had a lovely glossy figure skating magazine of its own once upon a time? In February, we looked at the story of the short-lived but <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-rise-and-fall-of-canadian-skater.html">much-loved periodical "Canadian Skater"</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>8. BEYOND ONE JUMP: THE NATE WALLEY STORY</b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEuJirEJiYmOTHSjprr9Jux5sl-QX9VfoWIblwCR3Ax_ab25zdXrRuXp9HUMU8TB3W46Yeehxye5P5_K-mn6p61D0EpkxuuEl3gJJr-fJ0UtkCQGT8Bi8XoY2rW3pHJFT0MGnxodIbaHCTxdfXa784Q3vkA3k6xSDNJ7hBvLKUQE_N2h-28qsRGPTR1_0/s400/Walley%20and%20Weigels%20-%20Copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="302" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEuJirEJiYmOTHSjprr9Jux5sl-QX9VfoWIblwCR3Ax_ab25zdXrRuXp9HUMU8TB3W46Yeehxye5P5_K-mn6p61D0EpkxuuEl3gJJr-fJ0UtkCQGT8Bi8XoY2rW3pHJFT0MGnxodIbaHCTxdfXa784Q3vkA3k6xSDNJ7hBvLKUQE_N2h-28qsRGPTR1_0/s320/Walley%20and%20Weigels%20-%20Copy.jpg" width="242" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>You've heard of the Walley jump. Do you know the story of the skater behind it? In February, we looked back on the incredible story of <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2020/08/beyond-one-jump-nate-walley-story.html">Nate Walley</a>, a Minnesota born skater who made an impact as a figure skating coach in England, Australia, Canada and the United States.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>7. SONJA AND THE EXTORTIONIST</b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UsQ8xdL7OKAGCxWvn_hmVa2ttGSLNymIch48W-lpYmy1HsjEcsy-EDFBZhzfTxLSt3guhI9h-q6SU1vqpStPYJqnFjaqs9o1VYZprBc0pUM8U_jzGmdHb1Prv40KcvP4LXeWM-6Xmtnsx7v5MyvD889ZgcXtKOe5kU4mnKZj14MoJfrFzTFTz1S6G9U/s320/Screenshot%202023-07-16%20065856.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="276" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UsQ8xdL7OKAGCxWvn_hmVa2ttGSLNymIch48W-lpYmy1HsjEcsy-EDFBZhzfTxLSt3guhI9h-q6SU1vqpStPYJqnFjaqs9o1VYZprBc0pUM8U_jzGmdHb1Prv40KcvP4LXeWM-6Xmtnsx7v5MyvD889ZgcXtKOe5kU4mnKZj14MoJfrFzTFTz1S6G9U/s1600/Screenshot%202023-07-16%20065856.jpg" width="276" /></a></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Did you know that three-time Olympic Gold Medallist Sonja Henie was the target of criminals more than once? In July, we remembered an <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2018/06/sonja-henie-and-extortionist.html">exortion attempt on the Norwegian skating great</a> that made it all the way to the case files of the FBI.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>6. A BRITISH AMERICAN CHAMPION: THE ROSEMARY BERESFORD STORY</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgos5a7ZCAuGWIL4hU3p95R1HeysKhaKDmLe9f2NLh5qU6PRD-lc9UHeuhLP5E2V2fzpXf7tx9BMHKQKjci3imTg5wJqx0axdDcdGZvHqQR6fG-58Cp2suIOdVtxIkcPYxEOS6Iq0KU_H7C7ZhEJjJP08p5GamaDMBD7fqHOADd4EtkB5l6Xngc5OGsvHk/s400/The_Tampa_Tribune_Tue__Mar_12__1918_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="400" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgos5a7ZCAuGWIL4hU3p95R1HeysKhaKDmLe9f2NLh5qU6PRD-lc9UHeuhLP5E2V2fzpXf7tx9BMHKQKjci3imTg5wJqx0axdDcdGZvHqQR6fG-58Cp2suIOdVtxIkcPYxEOS6Iq0KU_H7C7ZhEJjJP08p5GamaDMBD7fqHOADd4EtkB5l6Xngc5OGsvHk/s320/The_Tampa_Tribune_Tue__Mar_12__1918_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Back in April, we explored the fascinating life story of <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2020/05/rosemary-beresford-only-non-american.html">Rosemary Beresford</a>, the only non-North American woman to claim the U.S. women's title.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>5. ZERR WOMAN: THE HELENE ENGELMANN STORY</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKfwHbAJYJ36Al-WWJyiublwc-Zqsv9-dZxzCiI2xRRYkmOF8jmKE9z6pbzZMczrA0mosQmgqkfR03cWtIuo0yQZw7ppq8woi231zusk9b8pDQCcEDw4Wyo4L_l0F8LBlTrp35QF02p8cmIXNng8KbhPcCJQZUce7hbJMWd7zjD-KCWctdLkcZM5-Eg0/s639/Fred_Berger_et_Mlle_Engelmann_%5B...%5DAgence_Rol_btv1b531253340.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="414" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKfwHbAJYJ36Al-WWJyiublwc-Zqsv9-dZxzCiI2xRRYkmOF8jmKE9z6pbzZMczrA0mosQmgqkfR03cWtIuo0yQZw7ppq8woi231zusk9b8pDQCcEDw4Wyo4L_l0F8LBlTrp35QF02p8cmIXNng8KbhPcCJQZUce7hbJMWd7zjD-KCWctdLkcZM5-Eg0/s320/Fred_Berger_et_Mlle_Engelmann_%5B...%5DAgence_Rol_btv1b531253340.JPEG" width="207" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Austria's Helene Engelmann came from an incredibly talented Viennese skating family and soared to victory with her partner Alfred Berger at the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix. An uncovered interview <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2023/08/zerr-woman-helene-engelmann-story.html">brought her story to life</a> on Skate Guard in August.</div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">4. NINETIES NOSTALGIA: FIGURE SKATING TOURS IN THE 90'S</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 700;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFQuyznB7Ji08c-GMxQh-nEhk0HQfvftkoGk6aCXRFpgC5YriugzoGgaiUCNiBsbQIO50-Wgu-ivQB2eenHfUD5hSjcOKoLQkYMJIWW-zH049ti33vT3nZOUvdfsMXUbPfxAI1fuxkOkLvCXSK5FGNLuU9sSkzPuVHEedOrdxM-00aA4gwD0158_CZPRI/s400/Black%20&%20Brown%20Cartoon%20Cassette%2090's%20Songs%20T-Shirt.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="383" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFQuyznB7Ji08c-GMxQh-nEhk0HQfvftkoGk6aCXRFpgC5YriugzoGgaiUCNiBsbQIO50-Wgu-ivQB2eenHfUD5hSjcOKoLQkYMJIWW-zH049ti33vT3nZOUvdfsMXUbPfxAI1fuxkOkLvCXSK5FGNLuU9sSkzPuVHEedOrdxM-00aA4gwD0158_CZPRI/s320/Black%20&%20Brown%20Cartoon%20Cassette%2090's%20Songs%20T-Shirt.png" width="306" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In decade of Milli Vanilli and Murphy Brown, who didn't love going out and watching a fabulous figure skating tour in action? In November, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2023/11/nineties-nostalgia-figure-skating-tours.html">we took a fond look back </a>at the history of figure skating tours in the 1990's.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>3. IT HAPPENED IN SUN VALLEY: A HISTORY OF FIGURE SKATING IN SUN VALLEY</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlAvtuz0QhLJIZz9XQuT6SWfat6tfr6_e35b3hA_u9fCS2_eB4GEYbRGA4MJdnApULAhcy4a33rNSQbiyXY0shioJm0kwtymSdLjgh8YhQ0U5kexHjGrJ8cRkW9Dy3v8IWYxuxBt9fsijDA0kFVwKPKPk0NGxspmqNTf_IkeLEx6ayRxLR4rDvBf53g8/s640/Sun%20Valley%20poster3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlAvtuz0QhLJIZz9XQuT6SWfat6tfr6_e35b3hA_u9fCS2_eB4GEYbRGA4MJdnApULAhcy4a33rNSQbiyXY0shioJm0kwtymSdLjgh8YhQ0U5kexHjGrJ8cRkW9Dy3v8IWYxuxBt9fsijDA0kFVwKPKPk0NGxspmqNTf_IkeLEx6ayRxLR4rDvBf53g8/s320/Sun%20Valley%20poster3.jpg" width="256" /></a></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>The outdoor ice rink at the resort in Sun Valley, Idaho has played host to a who's who of figure skating over the years. This month, we took a look at the <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2023/12/it-happened-in-sun-valley-history-of.html">history of figure skating in Sun Valley</a> and the casts of the resort's iconic summer ice shows.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>2. TIME TO TALK TYKE: THE T.D. RICHARDSON STORY</b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75-mSOnlq8bX4s8nzn-ouEfwrIG1ULngoS2aXn9vUEJgNttpmBVJDF8fj9VPtj4gHy1aFUcKoRYLj1kPIc056fEgnfKgdZwUURsGPvnupSDnv5v5dqioEuKJP_sslkVyGX3S4gLeu-VN2sF_UNlVS3NJJd4F1mrmIrpLnh0wfZUSWiBrYS1enbgL2VNo/s399/IMG_5583.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="399" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75-mSOnlq8bX4s8nzn-ouEfwrIG1ULngoS2aXn9vUEJgNttpmBVJDF8fj9VPtj4gHy1aFUcKoRYLj1kPIc056fEgnfKgdZwUURsGPvnupSDnv5v5dqioEuKJP_sslkVyGX3S4gLeu-VN2sF_UNlVS3NJJd4F1mrmIrpLnh0wfZUSWiBrYS1enbgL2VNo/s320/IMG_5583.JPG" width="241" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>A larger than life figure in the sport, Captain T.D. Richardson was an Olympic figure skater, judge, author, historian and so much more. We explored his immensely interesting story on the blog back in September.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpNuXbnYX571XJkDA5KayB9B5QYPD45-ly_R5mljT0A175SNKBSlF0-EKya3PhJWhHM9VZfMwfDn37bZgsP3gL3VGnhu4QYcp-pqfjY4S1NECOVhkn1iskh3Xo5TId4YkPAAy-7vCqhcZd0EL-2Da_wXTuGEplZ4pI1jMWfoZ8_de9_k2SxTwzpZjxKOQ/s360/Capture.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="360" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpNuXbnYX571XJkDA5KayB9B5QYPD45-ly_R5mljT0A175SNKBSlF0-EKya3PhJWhHM9VZfMwfDn37bZgsP3gL3VGnhu4QYcp-pqfjY4S1NECOVhkn1iskh3Xo5TId4YkPAAy-7vCqhcZd0EL-2Da_wXTuGEplZ4pI1jMWfoZ8_de9_k2SxTwzpZjxKOQ/s320/Capture.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>1. CONTRAPTIONS AND CONTRIVANCES: FIGURE SKATING'S ODDEST INVENTIONS</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Figure skating history is peppered with bizarre tales of <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2020/05/contraptions-and-contrivances-figure.html">inventions gone wrong</a>. In May, we looked back at the weirdest and wackiest of them all.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/SkateGuardBlog">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://pinterest.com/SkateGuard">Pinterest</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@SkateGuard">YouTube</a>. If you enjoy Skate Guard, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">please show your support</a> for this archive by ordering a copy of figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html</a>.</div>Skate Guard Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279901701173788400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117353349691954231.post-52536788213306676182023-12-10T06:25:00.001-04:002023-12-10T06:25:15.664-04:00It Happened In Sun Valley: A History Of Figure Skating At The Legendary Resort<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhACdUZeNlKIcS_3F-QAnptFMpkUvLYbHBYxFdrBSbmUqtAX3QRilnLrN4jrcOIjpN8HtTXDBzRxRkfLKxmUalbIUReqVtSdiBlGSDEYMQEYk9Iq5_hPxYNRWQuevQ_YO4fhwwlLnXeFN-AniO6U8BkW6Dwx-Q2JaTg-qxA_VVTKrQT6ucXmyMbMipOvhA/s1000/Sun%20Valley%20poster3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhACdUZeNlKIcS_3F-QAnptFMpkUvLYbHBYxFdrBSbmUqtAX3QRilnLrN4jrcOIjpN8HtTXDBzRxRkfLKxmUalbIUReqVtSdiBlGSDEYMQEYk9Iq5_hPxYNRWQuevQ_YO4fhwwlLnXeFN-AniO6U8BkW6Dwx-Q2JaTg-qxA_VVTKrQT6ucXmyMbMipOvhA/w512-h640/Sun%20Valley%20poster3.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Nestled in the mountains of Idaho, the historic resort of Sun Valley was developed by W. Averell Harriman, the chairman of the Union Pacific Railroad and later Governor of New York, during The Great Depression. Capitalizing on the interest in winter sports generated by the <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2017/06/the-1932-winter-olympic-games.html">1932 Winter Olympic Games</a> in Lake Placid, Harriman hoped to increase the popularity of train travel to the Western United States and make Sun Valley a tourist destination. From the very beginning, skating played a significant role in its history. With huge thanks to Kelley Moulton, the Regional History Librarian at The Community Library in Ketchum, Idaho, today's blog will take a look back at the fascinating skating history of Sun Valley.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13TDE4OPA2kQBSkScEWN9fi-5A7xTe4ku6tU6xJM-YQrQTlZy6Xwduusl-K0vYcH0t89DgfRA7igucPaIuFLCEBV20Y9IsKrfq02VMxLXGFVYkaN2qd_T6Tur3RZGzLzV_dtn9BgZMl5eTIsRj8omfNSnB_gsPx5NXV4omW8mNvLHtjnHd5Jpb0UnjYY/s715/Set%20for%20Claudette%20Colbert%20movie.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="715" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13TDE4OPA2kQBSkScEWN9fi-5A7xTe4ku6tU6xJM-YQrQTlZy6Xwduusl-K0vYcH0t89DgfRA7igucPaIuFLCEBV20Y9IsKrfq02VMxLXGFVYkaN2qd_T6Tur3RZGzLzV_dtn9BgZMl5eTIsRj8omfNSnB_gsPx5NXV4omW8mNvLHtjnHd5Jpb0UnjYY/w400-h225/Set%20for%20Claudette%20Colbert%20movie.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Skating scene set for "I Met Him in Paris". Photo courtesy The Community Library, Ketchum.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It all started not long after the resort opened its doors in December 1936, when Paramount filmed the skating scenes for the comedy "I Met Him In Paris" at the resort. In her 1980 book "Sun Valley: A Winter Wonderland", Dorice Taylor recalled, "Because of subterranean hot springs several spots on the skating rink would not freeze over no matter how much water was sprayed on. At the last minute before filming Fetge was inspired to build an ice bar around the holes an add skating waiters to the cast." Academy Award winning actress Claudette Colbert did her own skating scenes in the film. However, it was a later film released during <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2017/11/double-salchows-in-dark-how-skating.html">World War II</a>, starring three-time Olympic Gold Medallist and ten-time World Champion <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2016/03/how-henie-handled-hedda-hopper.html">Sonja Henie</a>, that really put Sun Valley on the map.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiplzTHmLf5WSjUYoBd8hl1YeOZavg5E5jhIkI8lrv-TgB2C7R6qasftKQgmBIGYE2IpNx1Dc1caXaolucXjYpzg8FURwG1VdHjPsMJOfA7jiFQxW9e9bdzrtm_ecpJIMkKTIxE5I5U7ZlJTVpH-C6VVHn-mB1fd1G-d_YbzGle6xnjy5PwLL_nhZNY6G4/s500/6009cd6738478.image.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiplzTHmLf5WSjUYoBd8hl1YeOZavg5E5jhIkI8lrv-TgB2C7R6qasftKQgmBIGYE2IpNx1Dc1caXaolucXjYpzg8FURwG1VdHjPsMJOfA7jiFQxW9e9bdzrtm_ecpJIMkKTIxE5I5U7ZlJTVpH-C6VVHn-mB1fd1G-d_YbzGle6xnjy5PwLL_nhZNY6G4/s16000/6009cd6738478.image.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Poster for "Sun Valley Serenade"</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Incredibly, Sonja Henie never even stepped foot in Sun Valley during the filming of "Sun Valley Serenade". Her skating scenes were filmed in a sound studio in Hollywood. When 20th Century Fox crews arrived on location to film the skiing scenes at the resort, Olympic Gold Medallist skier Gretchen Kunigk [Fraser] acted as Sonja's double. They had to retake one of the scenes when Gretchen was away competing in a race, so they plopped a blonde wig on a local schoolboy named Jackie Simpson. who was about Sonja's height.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivk617YUTqUGTO1AyJV90Pry0TbociAd1LmhxifxEqT2SClq6ysB7KbSFREw5EwZPQlz2Zp2eoMNRimuCSkKM4KXmqk6SQPxITlwwVEXGwDYlpyOMoA8EpXe2KTBdORCkSu-XiN24nB7SmrwvaD4gGvEaOufvEWvguvsZkoSIrgFP0-vo-vWq99lGiNxo/s1186/IMG_2633.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1186" data-original-width="1085" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivk617YUTqUGTO1AyJV90Pry0TbociAd1LmhxifxEqT2SClq6ysB7KbSFREw5EwZPQlz2Zp2eoMNRimuCSkKM4KXmqk6SQPxITlwwVEXGwDYlpyOMoA8EpXe2KTBdORCkSu-XiN24nB7SmrwvaD4gGvEaOufvEWvguvsZkoSIrgFP0-vo-vWq99lGiNxo/w366-h400/IMG_2633.jpg" width="366" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Baron von Petersdorff, one of Sun Valley's first skating professionals</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Though the film industry did much to popularize the idea of Sun Valley being a skating destination, it was the boots on the ground work of a number of early professional skaters and coaches, notably Harry Doose, the <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2019/01/plunge-from-grace-baron-von-petersdorff.html">Baron von Petersdorff</a>, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2020/09/peppe-in-her-step-audrey-peppe-story.html">Audrey Peppe</a>, Hans Johnsen, Herman Maricich and Bruce Clark, that really helped popularize skating at the resort. Two draws of Sun Valley were the fact it offered ice year-round and that it became something of a playground to the stars.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrFYwYRR0Ktx9pAtRK8Kjokz7WCvVm7fTAYD_E36sxT3G1A0sdL129SfGCvR06HX4595NaDqaJnrQjONhXzRcVH8XLvgJAvP1r3OMcH61YJrBiXsoIXbvEsnnjQ02fw67NlQOCt9HpDva2ZBJieorOXbSZCVogi9ES_adIZva1FSQnAQol0f1q-SbOg0U/s878/Lucille%20Ball%20and%20Herman%20Maricich.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="722" data-original-width="878" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrFYwYRR0Ktx9pAtRK8Kjokz7WCvVm7fTAYD_E36sxT3G1A0sdL129SfGCvR06HX4595NaDqaJnrQjONhXzRcVH8XLvgJAvP1r3OMcH61YJrBiXsoIXbvEsnnjQ02fw67NlQOCt9HpDva2ZBJieorOXbSZCVogi9ES_adIZva1FSQnAQol0f1q-SbOg0U/w400-h329/Lucille%20Ball%20and%20Herman%20Maricich.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">"I Love Lucy" star Lucille Ball skating with Sun Valley professional Herman Maricich. Photo courtesy The Community Library, Ketchum.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The novelty of artificial outdoor ice and year-round skating really took off in America in the 1930's. In 1933, the St. Paul Auditorium in Minnesota staged a popular ice carnival, starring U.S. Champion Robin Lee, the Shipstad Brothers and Oscar Johnson. The Shipstad's and Johnson, of course, went on to develop the hugely popular Ice Follies tour. Productions at the Tropical Ice Gardens in Westwood Village, Los Angeles, drew a who's who of skating royalty. It was also during the 1930's that New York's famous Rockefeller Skating Pond opened its doors. In the span of less than two decades, year-round skating became such a huge novelty in America that by 1954, there were fifty-three American rinks open in the summer.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiWsMXwT51QL34MszHYQRpJDcg3_3C_Jc14MdtOKdY2fyAVEoRSjWRibpMs7JHp4IqebtLhFdaT4_IpfRzHF5rfVvCNIbx5Uymtt4NLpXd9Uva1uv4Yc_FY7sXWQ5Hs3v4-3NcC-PBDmyCdf4I5amxtgZhej4Ckb6YQH5jw8NOoYBF-3U_wA46lAw3V9E/s861/Screenshot%202023-11-15%20092953.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="861" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiWsMXwT51QL34MszHYQRpJDcg3_3C_Jc14MdtOKdY2fyAVEoRSjWRibpMs7JHp4IqebtLhFdaT4_IpfRzHF5rfVvCNIbx5Uymtt4NLpXd9Uva1uv4Yc_FY7sXWQ5Hs3v4-3NcC-PBDmyCdf4I5amxtgZhej4Ckb6YQH5jw8NOoYBF-3U_wA46lAw3V9E/w400-h271/Screenshot%202023-11-15%20092953.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Program for Sun Valley's 1940 Summer Ice Carnival. Photo courtesy The Community Library, Ketchum.</span></i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;">Perhaps the biggest draw of Sun Valley were its famous ice carnivals, which got their start in the late thirties not long after the resort opened its doors. Precious little is recorded about the very first ice shows in Sun Valley, because the only newspaper printed in the area at the time (based out of Hailey, about fifteen miles south of Ketchum) did not really much about the happenings in Sun Valley. The resort didn't start its own publication until a few years after it opened. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJBYU883d2uWz1wXBX2XJsmedvz1fRjidzw02moBg9VExjVaG8kkK_P5139clqKWgSCFZeslD-gao_-y6dAseostBp9haKQPucSBHGxDje4ej1_NedfZYFZJ49SjsWkYLPwKM_euNeTjGjOBT1vAJ3vp70r95KWQd1ZEkWdgFvvTP5sWt5AdFA4fV3qrY/s525/Screenshot%202023-11-15%20091142.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="525" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJBYU883d2uWz1wXBX2XJsmedvz1fRjidzw02moBg9VExjVaG8kkK_P5139clqKWgSCFZeslD-gao_-y6dAseostBp9haKQPucSBHGxDje4ej1_NedfZYFZJ49SjsWkYLPwKM_euNeTjGjOBT1vAJ3vp70r95KWQd1ZEkWdgFvvTP5sWt5AdFA4fV3qrY/w400-h320/Screenshot%202023-11-15%20091142.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb09XwDt5mVeWPpB1LvuheyTa5IEX8xGqhxq87micSiCSLAEJSz9f0oJ5hTRMHqawunr_s11NJCsvySVTGNe-ZOgGx3s4caIIzcP5qPwruM5jPj7d-iLBrJwAjv3zcWXvmGTTmTve9x2kAQ24N9oAZq5jfJugUTG7bUQsf0AlZyoqzsmSWZ_VbKdSGzNY/s761/Screenshot%202023-11-15%20091422.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="515" data-original-width="761" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb09XwDt5mVeWPpB1LvuheyTa5IEX8xGqhxq87micSiCSLAEJSz9f0oJ5hTRMHqawunr_s11NJCsvySVTGNe-ZOgGx3s4caIIzcP5qPwruM5jPj7d-iLBrJwAjv3zcWXvmGTTmTve9x2kAQ24N9oAZq5jfJugUTG7bUQsf0AlZyoqzsmSWZ_VbKdSGzNY/w400-h271/Screenshot%202023-11-15%20091422.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photos courtesy "World Ice Skating Guide"</span></i></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The first ice carnivals were directed by Audrey Peppe and Sun Valley's website recorded that early on, the shows "featured skaters who could barely make their way around the rink. Young people employed by Union Pacific to work at the resort in other capacities [waitresses, bus boys and guides] were given a costume, a pair of skates and instructions that were often as sketchy as, 'just move around!' Guests were also engaged in the chorus numbers and their photos printed in the society pages of the local newspaper back home." During World War II, the ice carnivals raised funds for the Red Cross and other wartime charities and hospital staff and military personnel took part. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzzxKOdIFagYyPoNbO7O55z9yak223rX7Xm5IYBAphKQEu8oBL-_ty97BI5163KwV8n9kXHGBlCRDBCFze1RVT4lyL7gytky_BGxiBiPqYdxcJfnfBCFY5OezRWxnXLnmXfP7WgwDvFHCByCsO5SJuCVhVeZv44bnXFbTwU2I4GXcAr479n4Ui8MfGyQ/s899/1955-2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="899" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzzxKOdIFagYyPoNbO7O55z9yak223rX7Xm5IYBAphKQEu8oBL-_ty97BI5163KwV8n9kXHGBlCRDBCFze1RVT4lyL7gytky_BGxiBiPqYdxcJfnfBCFY5OezRWxnXLnmXfP7WgwDvFHCByCsO5SJuCVhVeZv44bnXFbTwU2I4GXcAr479n4Ui8MfGyQ/w400-h179/1955-2.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTj1Mbgtu3cUc6bt52bkSfUWkvhUvchjhobe-GyHHmGnuIY_6mh65EKIAV896AiUIZ3s6XlQrVaoytEuterFRzNJ0pTGMC6sk4OMP3tJKjyKedTStTdNzgRYN4_o1BSN09bnEp-ddQHphoIygYDf1LE6SVLxRFlmgSLpBbpIhnQ5Rl9tYJKYwrbLbCW7Q/s873/download%20(1).png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="873" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTj1Mbgtu3cUc6bt52bkSfUWkvhUvchjhobe-GyHHmGnuIY_6mh65EKIAV896AiUIZ3s6XlQrVaoytEuterFRzNJ0pTGMC6sk4OMP3tJKjyKedTStTdNzgRYN4_o1BSN09bnEp-ddQHphoIygYDf1LE6SVLxRFlmgSLpBbpIhnQ5Rl9tYJKYwrbLbCW7Q/w400-h186/download%20(1).png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photos courtesy The Community Library, Ketchum</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Because of the inexperience of many of the show's early skaters, sometimes the ice carnivals became something of a comedy of errors. Dorice Taylor recalled, "Mistakes did happen. One evening someone scheduled a new act in which Herman Maricich was to skate in a trio immediately after his solo barrel-jumping number. While he frantically tried to get in his new costume, the other two did an impromptu duo for five minutes. When Herman joined them, they managed to skate the rest of the number to music designed for a chorus later in the program. And no one laughed when a great feather in Audrey Peppe's hat got stuck right across her eyes and she went gallantly on to a beautiful finish around the rail. Except that she couldn't see the end of the rail and ended flat on the ice. In the Western chorus number, the audience was a bit curious when the lights suddenly went out. When they came back on, one of the cowboys was skating alone. Spectators never knew that his cowgirl had forgotten to button her skirt, which fell off and left her standing in her scanties."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW5ekla4-QPnW32zI5RVm48kOY5zlByMK3FwkcHF1cZOqWbRosUZuIfyn5klT46kKVpYw9jyjwTJ4o6B5E0o2Hm3DDEA0CSZWOivwtH3RXPflZgDiB0R4EVAZE2ES5NMrZY7_VmNLMIrA-FniwnIbZOQdYiFvjMA9AF3C90B8JkJDqOBpL8rB9eViL8qE/s530/Screenshot%202023-11-15%20093656.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="436" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW5ekla4-QPnW32zI5RVm48kOY5zlByMK3FwkcHF1cZOqWbRosUZuIfyn5klT46kKVpYw9jyjwTJ4o6B5E0o2Hm3DDEA0CSZWOivwtH3RXPflZgDiB0R4EVAZE2ES5NMrZY7_VmNLMIrA-FniwnIbZOQdYiFvjMA9AF3C90B8JkJDqOBpL8rB9eViL8qE/w526-h640/Screenshot%202023-11-15%20093656.jpg" width="526" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy The Community Library, Ketchum</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In 1955, Sun Valley's small 125 X 65 summer outdoor rink was replaced with a larger 180 X 90 rink and during the fifties, the resort's ice carnivals started drawing in some first-class elite skaters as guest stars. In 1956, Tenley Albright made history as the first Olympic Gold Medallist to perform in a skating carnival in Sun Valley. Other well-known skaters who performed in Sun Valley in the fifties included Jimmy Grogan, Karol and Peter Kennedy, Suzanne Morrow, Scott Ethan Allen and Peter Dunfield. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w2unFSmlNjI" width="320" youtube-src-id="w2unFSmlNjI"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Video courtesy Frazer Ormondroyd</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In 1957, World Champion David Jenkins was the headliner and who could forget that famous newsreel footage of him landing a triple Axel in Sun Valley? It was history in the making.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQMPgZT6BY6aAYAs5JbXzkBGrK6IUoo9DgV7_50yJyzanh-o64yPk9ZgqiQsjxod_qnVftcJl2Un5cNRLxCe_0hq-1mOgVnj9ymxpJlgTMHKZNdIvApJT3JGxFj0_Uz706eDmpQZqctQ6BO0-6nIpA5LDH18ETh3fJfFoCmiUBzkkUU5UFh360VCmR3c/s705/Screenshot%202023-11-15%20093739.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="584" data-original-width="705" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQMPgZT6BY6aAYAs5JbXzkBGrK6IUoo9DgV7_50yJyzanh-o64yPk9ZgqiQsjxod_qnVftcJl2Un5cNRLxCe_0hq-1mOgVnj9ymxpJlgTMHKZNdIvApJT3JGxFj0_Uz706eDmpQZqctQ6BO0-6nIpA5LDH18ETh3fJfFoCmiUBzkkUU5UFh360VCmR3c/w400-h331/Screenshot%202023-11-15%20093739.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy The Community Library, Ketchum</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Peggy Fleming came to Sun Valley to train for the 1965 World Championships in Colorado Springs and fell in love with the resort. Peggy starred in a number of shows in Sun Valley over the years and even staged a <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2019/09/to-europe-with-love.html">television special</a> there, called "Peggy Fleming At Sun Valley". The special won Emmy Awards for both Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy, Variety or Music and Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography for Entertainment Programming - For a Special or Feature Length Program Made for Television. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl9z70cgahqmViefOKdWRR8jQe6iPUYU2MlYlskDaCj5jxbjU8HLvhpSKzESQLTUYwwewoxTxye6vlXGJ93ukAvgB_8qYfETc9IIilOgPuQu63yuEjyfpWwbewjExr_OmS6aZZ8gHpXDMXdPpXq4bzLw99RB11V6R6Hyl_NbVF4kM4TBTwLxwA_9EtYGw/s559/Screenshot%202023-11-15%20090910.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="503" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl9z70cgahqmViefOKdWRR8jQe6iPUYU2MlYlskDaCj5jxbjU8HLvhpSKzESQLTUYwwewoxTxye6vlXGJ93ukAvgB_8qYfETc9IIilOgPuQu63yuEjyfpWwbewjExr_OmS6aZZ8gHpXDMXdPpXq4bzLw99RB11V6R6Hyl_NbVF4kM4TBTwLxwA_9EtYGw/w360-h400/Screenshot%202023-11-15%20090910.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo courtesy "World Ice Skating Guide"</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The Peggy Fleming special further popularized Sun Valley as a skating destination and by 1975, there was so much interest in the resort's summer skating school, test days and Summer Skating Championships that an Olympic-sized indoor rink opened at the resort to complement the famous outdoor one. The summer ice shows continued to flourish, with Peggy Fleming being joined by a host of other skating stars, including Dorothy Hamill, Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner, Karen Magnussen, Linda Fratianne and JoJo Starbuck and Ken Shelley.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjLNjfSDwGi05dM4hNcz3zXuNbkshwDpsgnsePWPdO-VPcqY3moMMiAj9qwLitwiMJGvC4npxBSJOhnNJfsPOuVIAkKdwnDV_Z-bmRXYaozD1_LomtQWTlbwXYTnFJ9LAzV3HEk5JRNxrlyZ_rvP5Xs5vLoTTxoVuZhrLaRIFBHqzQXdsvhvBkecTrzc/s2149/The_Idaho_Statesman_Thu__Sep_3__1981_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2149" data-original-width="1725" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjLNjfSDwGi05dM4hNcz3zXuNbkshwDpsgnsePWPdO-VPcqY3moMMiAj9qwLitwiMJGvC4npxBSJOhnNJfsPOuVIAkKdwnDV_Z-bmRXYaozD1_LomtQWTlbwXYTnFJ9LAzV3HEk5JRNxrlyZ_rvP5Xs5vLoTTxoVuZhrLaRIFBHqzQXdsvhvBkecTrzc/w321-h400/The_Idaho_Statesman_Thu__Sep_3__1981_.jpg" width="321" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It was in the 1980's that the summer ice shows in Sun Valley really exploded. Rainer Kolb, a former Director of Recreation at Sun Valley recalled, "Suddenly we had quite a few big, big shows. Scott Hamilton came up every year when he was the World Champion. Kitty and Peter Carruthers, who were the U.S. Pair Champions for four years and Olympic Silver Medallists, skated here. Then that group became professionals after the 1984 Olympics and we were dealing with agents instead of skaters, coaches and moms. But we were able to bring up the new amateurs and the pros came back year after year. They started networking with other pros, telling each other how much fun it was to skate in Sun Valley." Scott Hamilton made his professional debut in Sun Valley on July 14, 1984. Over two dozen Olympic Medallists and World Champions performed in Sun Valley in the 1980's - everyone from Katarina Witt and Brian Boitano to Toller Cranston, Robin Cousins and the legendary Russian pair of Ludmila and Oleg Protopopov. Many skating fans made the trip to Sun Valley in the summer because it not only gave them a chance to see their favourite skaters perform, but it was a wonderful place for a relaxing vacation to boot.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7iLk4kngm7E" width="320" youtube-src-id="7iLk4kngm7E"></iframe></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">World Professional Champions Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding performing their incredible Enigma program in Sun Valley in 2006</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Professional competitions exploded in the aftermath of the 'whack heard around the world' in 1994. Sun Valley played host to its first professional competition that fall, billed as as the Sun Valley CBS Outdoor World Professional Figure Skating Championships. When televised on CBS, the 'World Professional' was dropped so as not to conflict with Dick Button's World Professional Championships in Landover, Maryland. A separate event, the U.S. Amateur Ladies Skating Challenge, was held the following day. Brian Boitano won the professional event; a very young Michelle Kwan won the amateur one. In recent years, Sun Valley has played host to one of the very few professional competitions remaining - the ProSkaters Open.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N4o-Tt56oZ0" width="320" youtube-src-id="N4o-Tt56oZ0"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Olympic Gold Medallist Nathan Chen performing his fabulous "Caravan" program in Sun Valley in 2021</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Sun Valley's summer ice shows have remained popular to this day, and in the woefully incomplete table below, you can find a list of the amazing performers who have graced the shows over the years. If you have any information to fill in the missing details, please don't hesitate to get in touch!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="width: 100%;">
<colgroup><col width="37*"></col>
<col width="219*"></col>
</colgroup><tbody><tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>Year</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Skaters</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1937</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>(not recorded)</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1938</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>(not recorded)</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1939</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Baron von Petersdorff, Audrey Peppe Benner, David Benner, Oscar
L. Richard, Suzanne Mum, Harry Doose, Patsy Merifield, Buford
McCusker, Bob Boyle</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1940</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Audrey Peppe Benner, David Benner, Britta Lundequist, Harry
Doose, Evelyn Doman, Helen Havenga, Lois and Carole Ann Moedl,
Margaret Venable, Bob Kimpston</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1941</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Hans Johnsen, Oscar L. Richard, Betty Abbott, Carol Ann Moedl,
Evelyn O'Keefe, Jack Simpson, John Johnson, Vern Daugherty, Mary
Louise Fletchner, Mary Ellen Gleason</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1942</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Oscar L. Richard
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1943</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>(not held due to World War II - resort taken over as convalescent hospital)</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1944</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Audrey Peppe, Peter Killam, Margaret Venable, Captain F.M.
Rohow, Olga Deutenmiller, Lois, Mona and Carol Ann Moedl, Dolly
Slavesky, Bob Styer, Hailey and Mary Jane Griffith</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1945</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Lois, Mona and Carol Ann Moedl</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1946</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>(not held due to aftermath of World War II)</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1947</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Audrey Peppe, Carole Lee Kilby, Frances Craven, Cindy McCrea,
Carol Ann Moedl, Ray and Mona La Brecque, Doug Mercer, Bruce
Clark, Jack Simpson, John Stuckey, Alice Hamby</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1948</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Carol Ann Moedl, Obb Olson, Dick Peterson, Tom Gilshannon,
Patsy Ann Buck</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1949</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Jane and Jean Coulter</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1950</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Fritz Dietl, Frances and Sherry Dorsey</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1951</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Karol and Peter Kennedy, William Lewis, Patsy Ann Buck</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1952</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Suzanne Morrow, Charles W. 'Lefty' Brinkman, Sonja Wold, Lynne
Immes, Sandy McCrea, Nina Engl, Virgie Gunderson, Jackie Joppa,
Doris Hansen, Martin Coonan, Johnny Lister</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1953</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Jacqueline Joppa, Susie Roubicek, Virginia Gunderson, Sandy
McCrae</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1954</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Jimmy Grogan, Peter Dunfield, Jacqueline Jaenisch, Charles W.
Brinkman III, Pauline Walford</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1955</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Janet Gerhauser, Bruce Clark, Patsy Buck, Sharon Constable and
Johnny Hertz, Patty Wentz, Connie and Diana Lapp</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1956</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Tenley Albright, Hugh Graham Jr., Sharon Constable and John
Hertz, Jane Gage, Roy Pringle, Beth Sundene, Mary Lou Raymond,
Jack Nankervis</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1957</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>David Jenkins, Claralynn Lewis, Grace Clarke, Hans Johnsen,
Johnny Lister, Herman Maricich, Pamela Willman, DeAnn Beideck</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1958</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Robert Lee Brewer, Karen Howland, Scott Ethan Allen, De-Ann
Beideck, Kristin Mittun, Lynn Thomas, Anne Lapeyre, John
Hendrickson, Carl Olson, Jacquie Koukal, Douglas Duffy, Herman
Maricich, James Waldo</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1959</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Andree Anderson and Donald Jacoby, Eddie Collins, Jim Short,
Lynn Thomas, Dick Vraa, Mary Lou Raymond, Bill Hickox, Lorna Dyer,
Marshall Campbell, Alanna and Kristin Mittun, Karen Howland, Anne
Lapeyre, Virgie Gunderson, Susie Roubicek</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1960</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Vivian and Ronald Joseph, Judianne and Jerry Fotheringill,
Shirra Kenworthy, Karen Howland, Judy Boner, Jane Dystel, Ann
Glenn, Judy Saunders, Don Bartelson, David Edwards, John
Hendrickson, Jack Nankervis, Dick Vraa</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1961</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Barbara Wagner, Jimmy Grogan, Judianne and Jerry Fotheringill,
Karen Howland, Shirra Kenworthy, Dick Vraa, Leslie and Pamela
Boyer, Jane Dystel, Karilyn and Marilyn Frampton, Ann Glenn,
Michele Monnier, Lynn Thomas, Don Bartelson, David Edwards</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1962</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Maria and Otto Jelinek, Jane Dystel, Ronny Scott, John
Bartelson, Ann Glenn, Herman Maricich and Hugh McCauley</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1963</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Ann Glenn, Yvonne Drummond, Virginia Stearns, Don Bartelson</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1964</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Jimmy Grogan, Lorna Dyer and John Carrell, Yvonne Drummond,
Dick Haskell</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1965</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Ricky Inglesi, Charleen McLaren, Dale and Terry Marzoni, Carol
Johnson, Janet Smith, Jeanie Kondo, Petra Buechel, Ann Glenn, Mary
Beth Braun, David Mitchell</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1966</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Tina Noyes</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1967</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p><br />
</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1968</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>John Carrell</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1969</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Petra Buechel, Bob Crowley, Mike Helmers, Ludine Crowford and
Robbie Austin, Herman Maricich and Dick Salter</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1970</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Peggy Fleming, JoJo Starbuck and Ken Shelley, Cathy Steele and
Willy Bietak, Eric Waite, Paul Sibley, Walt Wagner, Mike Neun, The
Willis Sisters, Natalie Brown, Michael Garren, Toni Camel, Teri
Beckerman, Jim Thane, Michele Urbany, Debbie Williams</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1971</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Judy Schwomeyer and Jim Sladky, David Santee</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1972</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Karen Magnussen, Patrick McKilligan</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1973</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Dorothy Hamill, John Carlow Jr., Gale and Joel Fuhrman</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1974</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Dorothy Hamill, Michelle Ford and Glenn Patterson</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1975</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Terry Kubicka, Melissa Militano and Johnny Johns, Kathy
McDonald, Penny Wilkins</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1976</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Peggy Fleming, Michelle Ford and Glenn Patterson, John Tichner,
Herman Maricich and Dick Salter</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1977</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Linda Fratianne, Suzie Brasher, John Carlow Jr., Kathy
Gelecinskyj</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1978</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Linda Fratianne, Michelle Ford and Glenn Patterson, Greg Bell,
Holly Blundt</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1979</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner, Scott Cramer</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1980</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Charlie Tickner, Lisa-Marie Allen, David Santee, Terry Kubicka,
Kitty and Peter Carruthers, Sandy Lenz, Jimmie Santee, Kim Krohn
and Barry Hagan, Beth and Ken Flora</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1981</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Scott Hamilton, Brian Pockar, Judy Blumberg and Michael
Seibert, David Santee</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1982</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Scott Hamilton, Dorothy Hamill, Charlie Tickner, Rosalynn
Sumners, Terry Kubicka</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1983</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Dorothy Hamill, Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner, David Santee,
Kay Thomson, John Carlow Jr.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1984</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Scott Hamilton, Robin Cousins, Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner,
Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini, Elizabeth Manley, Ron Shaver,
Melinda Kunhegyi and Lyndon Johnston, Sandy Lenz</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1985</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Scott Hamilton, Robin Cousins, Rosalynn Sumners, Barbara Underhill and Paul
Martini, Kitty and Peter Carruthers, Toller Cranston, Charlie
Tickner, Judy Blumberg and Michael Seibert, Debi Thomas, David Santee, Ron
Shaver, Jimmie Santee</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1986</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Scott Hamilton, Kitty and Peter Carruthers, Elizabeth Manley,
Debi Thomas, Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner, Charlie Tickner,
Brian Pockar, Lisa Carey and Chris Harrison</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1987</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Robin Cousins, Scott Hamilton, Rosalynn Sumners, Debi Thomas,
Elizabeth Manley, Kitty and Peter Carruthers, Barbara Underhill
and Paul Martini, Brian Pockar, Simone Grigorescu</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1988</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Brian Boitano, Brian Orser, Elizabeth Manley, Marina Klimova
and Sergei Ponomarenko, Linda Fratianne, Charlie Tickner, Judy
Blumberg and Michael Seibert, Gary Beacom, Lea Ann Miller and Bill
Fauver, Natalia Annenko and Genrikh Sretenski, Anita Hartshorn and
Frank Sweiding, Holly Cook, Jamie-Lynn Kitching Santee, Jimmie
Santee</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1989</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Brian Boitano, Katarina Witt, Scott Hamilton, Marina Klimova
and Sergei Ponomarenko, Viktor Petrenko, Ludmila and Oleg
Protopopov, Midori Ito, Debi Thomas, Brian Orser, Maya Usova and
Alexandr Zhulin, Judy Blumberg and Michael Seibert, Rosalynn
Sumners, Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini, Kitty and Peter
Carruthers, Christopher Bowman, Kristi Yamaguchi and Rudy Galindo,
Gary Beacom, Mark Cockerell, Gia Guddat</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1990</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, Brian Boitano, Katarina
Witt, Robin Cousins, Scott Hamilton, Elena Valova and Oleg
Vasiliev, Brian Orser, Rosalynn Sumners, Debi Thomas, Elizabeth
Manley, Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini, Jill Trenary, Evelyn
Grossmann</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1991</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Brian Boitano, Katarina Witt, Scott Hamilton, Robin Cousins,
Debi Thomas, Brian Orser, Linda Fratianne, Steven Cousins, Gary
Beacom, Natasha Kuchiki and Todd Sand, Jimmie Santee, Jamie-Lynn
Kitching Santee, David Liu, Stephanee Grosscup, Gia Guddat, Nick
Maricich</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1992</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Scott Hamilton, Katarina Witt, Brian Orser, Linda Fratianne,
Elena Bechke and Denis Petrov, Gary Beacom, Steven Cousins, Calla
Urbanski and Rocky Marval, David Liu, Tracey Solomons and Ian
Jenkins</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1993</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Scott Hamilton, Kristi Yamaguchi, Brian Boitano, Katarina Witt,
Kurt Browning, Natalia Mishkutenok and Artur Dmitriev, Brian
Orser, Isabelle and Paul Duchesnay, Nancy Kerrigan, Paul Wylie, Lu
Chen, Linda Fratianne, Maya Usova and Alexandr Zhulin, Jozef
Sabovčík, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Gary Beacom,
Jimmie Santee</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1994</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Katarina Witt, Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov, Oksana
Baiul, Viktor Petrenko, Brian Orser, Linda Fratianne, Elena Bechke
and Denis Petrov, Gary Beacom</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1995</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Scott Hamilton, Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov, Oksana
Baiul, Viktor Petrenko, Nancy Kerrigan, Elvis Stojko, Linda
Fratianne, Jozef Sabovčík, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding,
Steven Cousins</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1996</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Scott Hamilton, Katarina Witt, Oksana Baiul, Kurt Browning,
Brian Orser, Nancy Kerrigan, Linda Fratianne, Jozef Sabovčík,
Radka Kovaříková and René Novotný, Angelika Krylova and Oleg
Ovsiannikov, Steven Cousins, Elizabeth Punsalan and Jerod Swallow,
Gary Beacom, Darlin Baker and Andrzej Dostatni</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1997</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Oksana Baiul, Brian Orser, Nancy Kerrigan, Angelika Krylova and
Oleg Ovsiannikov, Mandy Wötzel and Ingo Steuer, Jozef Sabovčík,
Yuka Sato, Surya Bonaly, Rudy Galindo, Kyoko Ina and Jason
Dungjen, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Steven Cousins</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1998</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Katarina Witt, Ilia Kulik, Marina Klimova and Sergei
Ponomarenko, Alexei Yagudin, Tara Lipinski, Nancy Kerrigan,
Elizabeth Manley, Jozef Sabovčík, Rudy Galindo, Anita Hartshorn
and Frank Sweiding, Steven Cousins</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>1999</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Kurt Browning, Ekaterina Gordeeva, Marina Klimova and Sergei
Ponomarenko, Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao, Oksana Baiul, Alexei
Yagudin, Nancy Kerrigan, Jozef Sabovčík, Surya Bonaly, Anita
Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Elena Khvalko and Andrei Khvalko</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>2000</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Katarina Witt, Ilia Kulik, Brian Orser, Jozef Sabovčík, Surya
Bonaly, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Steven Cousins, Elena
Leonova and Andrei Khvalko</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>2001</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Scott Hamilton, Katarina Witt, Nancy Kerrigan, Jozef Sabovčík,
Surya Bonaly, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Elena Leonova
and Andrei Khvalko</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>2002</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Brian Boitano, Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze, Jamie
Salé and David Pelletier, Sasha Cohen, Angelika Krylova and Oleg
Ovsiannikov, Irina Slutskaya, Jozef Sabovčík, Surya Bonaly,
Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Lucinda Ruh, Elena Leonova and
Andrei Khvalko, Takeshi Honda</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>2003</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Scott Hamilton, Brian Boitano, Viktor Petrenko, Jamie Salé and
David Pelletier, Sasha Cohen, Jozef Sabovčík, Timothy Goebel,
Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Steven Cousins, Margarita
Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas, Elena Sokolova, Takeshi Honda</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>2004</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Brian Boitano, Alexei Yagudin, Jamie Salé and David Pelletier,
Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin, Elvis Stojko, Sasha Cohen,
Jozef Sabovčík, Surya Bonaly, Anita Hartshorn and Frank
Sweiding, Elena Leonova and Andrei Khvalko, Johnny Weir</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>2005</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Brian Boitano, Alexei Yagudin, Jamie Salé and David Pelletier,
Elvis Stojko, Surya Bonaly, Timothy Goebel, Tanith Belbin and
Benjamin Agosto, Sasha Cohen, Evan Lysacek, Kyoko Ina and John
Zimmerman, Steven Cousins, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding,
Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas, Elena Leonova and Andrei
Khvalko, Johnny Weir</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>2006</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Evan Lysacek, Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao, Evgeni Plushenko,
Alexei Yagudin, Jamie Salé and David Pelletier, Sasha Cohen,
Philippe Candeloro, Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto, Jozef
Sabovčík, Irina Slutskaya, Todd Eldredge, Margarita Drobiazko
and Povilas Vanagas, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Elena
Leonova and Andrei Khvalko, Rena Inoue and John Baldwin Jr.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>2007</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Brian Boitano, Evan Lysacek, Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim
Marinin, Nancy Kerrigan, Sasha Cohen, Tanith Belbin and Benjamin
Agosto, Jozef Sabovčík, Todd Eldredge, Surya Bonaly, Anita
Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman, Ryan
Bradley, Elena Leonova and Andrei Khvalko, Alissa Czisny, Emily
Hughes</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>2008</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Brian Boitano, Kurt Browning, Meryl Davis and Charlie White,
Evan Lysacek, Sasha Cohen, Jeffrey Buttle Marie-France Dubreuil
and Patrice Lauzon, Ryan Bradley, Mirai Nagasu, Alissa Czisny,
Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Kimberly Navarro and Brent
Bommentre, Johnny Weir, Rachael Flatt</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>2009</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Brian Boitano, Meryl Davis and Charlie White, Viktor Petrenko,
Evan Lysacek, Nancy Kerrigan, Sasha Cohen, Jozef Sabovčík,
Jeremy Abbott, Ryan Bradley, Alissa Czisny, Johnny Weir, Kimberly
Navarro and Brent Bommentre, Brandon Mroz, Melissa Gregory and
Denis Petukhov, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>2010</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Brian Boitano, Meryl Davis and Charlie White, Nathan Chen, Evan
Lysacek, Viktor Petrenko, Sasha Cohen, Tanith Belbin and Benjamin
Agosto, Jozef Sabovčík, Jeremy Abbott, Ryan Bradley, Alissa
Czisny, Johnny Weir, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Elena
Leonova and Andrei Khvalko, Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre,
Dan Hollander, Rachael Flatt, Craig Heath, Ashley Clark, Darlin
Baker</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>2011</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Meryl Davis and Charlie White, Nathan Chen, Evan Lysacek, Sasha
Cohen, Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto, Jozef Sabovčík, Mirai
Nagasu, Johnny Weir, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Alissa
Czisny, Elena Leonova and Andrei Khvalko, Ryan Bradley, Craig
Heath, Ashley Clark, Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre, Dan
Hollander, Darlin Baker, Irina Grigorian</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>2012</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Meryl Davis and Charlie White, Nathan Chen, Evan Lysacek, Jozef
Sabovčík, Jeremy Abbott, Maia and Alex Shibutani, Kyoko Ina and
John Zimmerman, Johnny Weir, Elena Leonova and Andrei Khvalko,
Ryan Bradley, Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre, Craig Heath,
Ashley Clark, Darlin Baker, Natalia Zaitseva and Jeremy Abbott,
Jason Graetz</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>2013</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Kurt Browning, Nathan Chen, Evan Lysacek, Surya Bonaly, Ashley
Wagner, Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, Madison Hubbell and Zach
Donohue, Ryan Bradley, Alissa Czisny, Johnny Weir, Jozef Sabovčík,
Craig Heath, Ashley Clark, Darlin Baker, Kimberly Navarro and
Brent Bommentre, Natalia Zaitseva and Jeremy Barrett, Joshua
Farris, Agnes Zawadzki</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>2014</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Meryl Davis and Charlie White, Nathan Chen, Evan Lysacek, Jason
Brown, Jozef Sabovčík, Ashley Wagner, Gracie Gold, Mirai Nagasu,
Alissa Czisny, Johnny Weir, Joshua Farris, Anita Hartshorn and
Frank Sweiding, Craig Heath, Ashley Clark, Kimberly Navarro and
Brent Bommentre, Natalia Zaitseva and Jonathan Hunt, Ryan Bradley,
Erin Reed, Jason Graetz</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>2015</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Meryl Davis and Charlie White, Jason Brown, Ashley Wagner,
Gracie Gold, Maia and Alex Shibutani, Ryan Bradley, Johnny Weir,
Joshua Farris</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>2016</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Brian Boitano, Meryl Davis and Charlie White, Jason Brown,
Ashley Wagner, Adam Rippon, Maia and Alex Shibutani, Gracie Gold,
Johnny Weir, Polina Edmunds</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>2017</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Meryl Davis and Charlie White, Nathan Chen, Jason Brown, Ashley
Wagner, Madison Chock and Evan Bates, Karen Chen, Gracie Gold,
Johnny Weir, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Ashley Clark,
Craig Heath, Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre, Natalia
Zaitseva and Jonathon Hunt, Erin Reed</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>2018</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Nathan Chen, Adam Rippon, Mirai Nagasu, Maia and Alex
Shibutani, Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue, Alexa and Chris
Knierim, Bradie Tennell</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>2019</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Nathan Chen, Jason Brown, Ashley Wagner, Madison Hubbell and
Zach Donohue, Alysa Liu, Ryan Bradley, Jeremy Abbott, Ashley Cain
and Timothy LeDuc, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>2020</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>(not held due to ongoing COVID-19 pandemic)</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>2021</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Nathan Chen, Madison Chock and Evan Bates, Alysa Liu, Mariah
Bell, Ryan Bradley, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Craig
Heath, Stephanee Grosscup</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>2022</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Nathan Chen, Jason Brown, Mariah Bell, Alexa Knierim and
Brandon Frazier, Alysa Liu, Ryan Bradley, Ashley Cain and Timothy
LeDuc, Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="TOP">
<td width="15%">
<p>2023</p>
</td>
<td width="85%">
<p>Nathan Chen, Jason Brown, Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier,
Mariah Bell, Ryan Bradley, Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker,
Isabeau Levito, Craig Heath</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/SkateGuardBlog">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://pinterest.com/SkateGuard">Pinterest</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@SkateGuard">YouTube</a>. If you enjoy Skate Guard, <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">please show your support</a> for this archive by ordering a copy of the figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": <a href="https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html">https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html</a>.</div>Skate Guard Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16279901701173788400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117353349691954231.post-8972857384984791512023-12-10T06:21:00.001-04:002023-12-10T06:21:14.371-04:00The 1992 European Figure Skating Championships<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBkyP54OS3E_qaQTEhp_entKcJlJJg0znXqoif_pkOTlRc8BRkiBxuHT2AWQqD1V6PNM4HK95VWLepJYqrN7q9ed9P-fJE-WmT-mTFNpEFIIsDon06yQY6E3TIIvfgGl36ervW0i2n-EI/s1600/poster_819456_z.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="561" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBkyP54OS3E_qaQTEhp_entKcJlJJg0znXqoif_pkOTlRc8BRkiBxuHT2AWQqD1V6PNM4HK95VWLepJYqrN7q9ed9P-fJE-WmT-mTFNpEFIIsDon06yQY6E3TIIvfgGl36ervW0i2n-EI/s400/poster_819456_z.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>
<br />
You couldn't walk down the street without spotting scrunchies, stone-washed jeans and slap bracelets. Movie-goers lined up to watch Arnold Schwarzenegger in "Kindergarten Cop" and Kathy Bates in "Misery". Parents filled lunchboxes with Lunchables and Fruit Roll-Ups and from Brighton to Brussels, music lovers were singing along in the shower to Whitney Houston's hit single "All The Man That I Need". From January 20 to 26, 1992, less than two weeks before George H.W. Bush and Boris Yeltsin officially declared the end of The Cold War, a who's who of figure skating gathered in Lausanne, Switzerland for the 1992 European Figure Skating Championships.<br />
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Fittingly returning to Switzerland to mark the ISU's one hundredth anniversary, the 1992 European Championships also marked the first time the city on Lake Geneva played host to the event, which had been held numerous times previously in Davos and St. Moritz. One hundred and thirty competitors from twenty four countries participated in the 'dress rehearsal' for the Albertville Winter Olympic Games and spectators packed the stands at the Centre intercommunal de glace (CIG) de Malley. The event was broadcast on Eurosport and in North America on NBC and CBC.<br />
<br />
At the 1991 European Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, gone were the school figures and a divided Germany. This time they were missing the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. The ISU had initially decided to title the team of former skaters from eleven former Soviet states 'the Commonwealth of Sovereign States' but later 'the Commonwealth of Independent States', or 'CIS' for short. Skaters from Yugoslavia, which was in the process of its collapse, did not participate.<br />
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<br />
Estonia and Latvia had applied to ISU for membership and having met the requirements of the Constitution, were readmitted as Provisional Members in the autumn of 1991 - just in time for the event. Olga Vassiljeva was the only Estonian skater to compete in Lausanne, while Latvia sent two skaters, Konstantin Kostin and Alma Lepina. The only time either country had been previously represented at Euros was in 1934, when Hildegarde Schwarz and Eduards Göschel placed second to last in the pairs event representing Latvia.<br />
<br />
Now that we've set the stage, let's take a look back at the most important aspect of this event... the skating!<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>THE PAIRS COMPETITION</b><br />
<br />
Soviet pairs had won twenty four of the last twenty six European pairs titles and swept the podium in 1991. Gone was the iconic red flag with star and anchor but the three teams that medalled in Sofia returned as heavy favourites in Lausanne. Suffering from the flu, World Champions Natalia Mishkutenok and Artur Dmitriev had to settle for second behind their teammates Elena Bechke and Denis Petrov in the original program.<br />
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<br />
Reprising their beloved free skate to Franz Liszt's "Liebestraum", Mishkutenok and Dmitriev were again less than perfect in the free skate. Mishkutenok two-footed the side-by-side triple toe-loop and fell on the double Axel but the pair landed two throw triple jumps and had as usual superb lifts, spins and choreography. Some felt a 6.0 for artistic impression from the Italian judge for a program with two mistakes a trifle generous, while others believed it was appropriate and the World Champions managed to surpass Bechke and Petrov for the gold. Both teams trained in St. Petersburg and were coached by Tamara Moskvina and choreographed by Alexander Matveev. Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov moved up to take the bronze over Czechoslovakia's Radka Kovaříková and René Novotný, exactly duplicating the sweep from the year prior.<br />
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Swiss teenagers Leslie and Cédric Monod delighted a hometown crowd with their free skate to music from the musicals "Tommy" and "Jesus Christ Superstar" and placed a creditable eighth in their European debut. Unfortunately, the Swiss Olympic Committee and National Committee for Elite Sport required them to place at least sixth to be considered for an Olympic berth. During the medal ceremonies, the three winning pairs were represented by the ISU flag and three ISU fanfares. Elena Bechke told reporters, "We thought it would be the Soviet flag. We hadn't realized that it had changed. It wasn't pleasant to hear the [ISU] anthem."<br />
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<b>THE WOMEN'S COMPETITION</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Marina Kielmann, Surya Bonaly and Patricia Neske</span></i></div>
<br />
A notable absence in Lausanne was Evelyn Grossmann, European Champion in 1990 and silver medallist in 1991. After placing a disastrous fifth at the German Championships, she was left off her national team. Skating early due to an unlucky draw, eighteen year old defending Champion Surya Bonaly landed a double Axel, double toe-loop/triple toe-loop combination and double flip in her winning original program to The Broads' cover "Sing Sing Sing", "Dixie Kidnaps Vera" from the "Cotton Club" soundtrack and "Topsy" by Meco. The clean but technically conservative program earned her marks ranging from 5.3 to 5.6. Germany's Simone Lang and Czechoslovakia's Lenka Kulovaná rounded out the top three. Kulovaná had only recently started working with Petr Barna's coach Frantisek Pechar.<br />
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In her matador themed free skate, Surya Bonaly omitted a planned quadruple toe-loop attempt in favour of a superb triple toe-loop/triple toe-loop combination. She wasn't perfect but in a relatively weak field was able to stay on top by a mile and defend her European title with ease. With mistakes of their own, Marina Kielmann and Patricia Neske (fifth and fourth after the original program) managed to move up to take the silver and bronze. Lang, who tied with Neske in factored placements, was fourth in the free and overall.<br />
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<br />
Lenka Kulovaná, Laetitia Hubert, Marie-Pierre Leray, Yulia Vorobieva, Joanne Conway and Zuzanna Szwed rounded out the top ten. Swiss teenager Nathalie Krieg, who had been sent to the event instead of national champion Nicole Skoda, wowed with her spins but was "paralyzed" by nerves and placed an unlucky thirteenth. Following her win, Bonaly told reporters, "I was confident but you still have to be careful. I still have to work from now 'til Albertville to make it cleaner."<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>THE MEN'S COMPETITION</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Viktor Petrenko, Petr Barna and Alexei Urmanov. Photo courtesy Petr Barna.</span></i></div>
<br />
Battling injuries and boot problems since the previous season, Viktor Petrenko was fresh off a disappointing third place finish at the final Soviet Championships in Kiev when he arrived in Lausanne. His troubles continued in the original program with a flubbed triple Axel combination that saw him in fourth place behind Petr Barna, the runner-up for the last two years at Europeans, and Viacheslav Zagorodniuk and Alexei Urmanov - the same two skaters that had defeated him in Kiev.<br />
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Petrenko rebounded and won the free skate with an outstanding performance that featured two triple/triple combinations. Barna landed a rare quadruple toe-loop but made other mistakes to finish second in the free but first overall. His win marked the first time a non-Soviet man had claimed the European title since 1986, when his former rival Jozef Sabovčík won in Copenhagen. Urmanov, Zagorodniuk, Grzegorz Filipowski, Nicolas Pétorin, Steven Cousins, Eric Millot, Konstantin Kostin and Henrik Walentin rounded out the top ten. Sixteen year old Patrick Meier, Switzerland's sole entry, placed a disappointing nineteenth. He lamented, "For me it would have been better for Oliver Höner to continue his career and allow me to unfold in his shadow."<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>THE ICE DANCE COMPETITION</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko</span></i></div>
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The Duchesnay's had planned to unveil their brand new "West Side Story" free dance in front of the international judges in Lausanne but were forced to withdraw due to an injury to the abductor muscle in Paul's right thigh, aggravated during a runthrough of their Polka OSP. From their training base in Oberstdorf, Paul told reporters, "It's a big disappointment to miss the Europeans, but we definitely don't want to miss the Games. All we can do at the moment is just wait and see." Christopher Dean, their choreographer, added, "It's a handicap not to be able to take part in an official competition just before the Games but it's out of the question to send Paul if he's operating only at 50 or 60 per cent."<br />
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Twenty five year old Marina Klimova and thirty one year old Sergei Ponomarenko, coached by Natalia Dubova, dominated the dance event from start to finish as predicted. Their Bach free dance earned four perfect 6.0's for artistic impression and assured them their fourth consecutive European title. Klimova and Ponomarenko trained twenty two hours a week in Moscow and were making their ninth appearance at the event.<br />
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Maya Usova and Alexander Zhulin and Oksana Grishuk and Evgeni Platov delivered strong performances of their own to take the silver and bronze. Usova and Zhulin in particular were crowd favourites and some in attendance felt the couple received even more audience applause than the winners.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Maya Usova and Alexandr Zhulin</span></i></div>
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Stefania Calegari and Pasquale Camerlengo, Klara Engi and Attila Toth, Susanna Rahkamo and Petri Kokko, Dominique Yvon and Frédéric Palluel, Sophie Moniotte and Pascal Lavanchy, Kateřina Mrázová and Martin Šimeček and Jennifer Goolsbee and Hendryk Schamberger rounded out the top ten.<br />
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Switzerland was represented by French born Valérie Le Tensorer and Swiss American Jorg Kienzle. The couple placed sixteenth but captured the imagination of the Lausanne crowd, skating to strains of Kienzle's own music in the OSP.<br />
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In the gala, Petr Barna debuted his signature "Chaplin" program, choreographed by Daniel Wiesner, a former soloist with the National Theatre Ballet in Prague and Marina Kielmann payed homage to the ISU's one hundredth anniversary with a nod to skating history, performing in a fur-lined dress and muff.<br />
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