Learn all about the fascinating world of figure skating history with Skate Guard Blog.
Explore a treasure trove of articles on the history of figure skating, highlighting Olympic Medallists, World and National Champions and dazzling competitions, shows and tours. Written by former skater and judge Ryan Stevens, Skate Guard Blog also offers intriguing insights into the evolution of the sport over the decades. Delve into Stevens' five books for even more riveting stories and information about the history of everyone's favourite winter Olympic sport.
On November 11, 1918, the signing of the Armistice near Compiègne, France, signified an end to the gighting on the Western Front during The Great War.
Throughout both World Wars, numerous individuals from the Canadian figure skating community devoted themselves to their country. This included Canadian and North American champions, judges, coaches, club leaders, recreational skaters, and family members of some of our most celebrated skating talents, all of whom served in the military or engaged in vital wartime efforts.
To honour their sacrifices, Skate Guard is proud to present a special Veterans' Week page that highlights the remarkable contributions of these courageous men and women during wartime.
"The ice was remarkably good, and the quadrilles of several members of the Skating Club attracted a large circle round that portion of the ice, on which they practised their graceful evolution." - "London Evening Standard", January 26, 1838
"Thou'st here, at last, attained thy true perfection under the gallant Skating Club's protection!" - Excerpt from a poem published in "The Illustrated London News", 1844
Close your eyes for a moment and imagine you're in a horse-drawn carriage riding through the side streets of Victorian England. It's a chilly afternoon between Christmas and New Year's Day - cold enough you can see your breath. You pass coopers and chimney sweeps, milliners and tea merchants. As you approach your destination, you gaze out the carriage window at the frozen Serpentine River. Your coachman stops and opens the door. You breathe in the crisp winter air and beam. It's the first day of the skating season.
Long before the days of indoor rinks, English figure skaters were dependent entirely on the weather. Some winters saw weeks of good skating; others none at all. Though 'skaiting' had its devotees in the eighteenth century, it wasn't until April 28, 1830, when Henry C. Chilton organized a meeting of winter-hardy figure skaters, that the first organized group of skating enthusiasts in Victorian England was founded. This group was known to its members and the public as The Skating Club. The Club's first skating session was held on December 27 of that year. An account in the "Evening Mail" recalled, "The Skating Club had their first meeting on the Serpentine River, in Hyde-park, on Monday afternoon, at two o'clock. It is composed of the best skaters in town, and the members are distinguished by wearing a small model of a skate in silver suspended from the button-hole. The club will now meet daily at two o'clock, near the Receiving-house, in Hyde-park." The next month, members of The Skating Club took to the ice in Regent's Park in their black coats, trousers and tall hats. The January 31, 1831 issue of the "Globe" described the scene thusly: "There was a vast assemblage of beauty, rank and fashion on the banks, to witness the skating. The weather was remarkably favourable altogether, and the garden of this delightful park presented a most animated scene."
An article that appeared in the "Morning Post" on January 6, 1832, provides the exact location of The Skating Club's first sessions, as well as a list of its early members: "The Skating Club met yesterday in the Regent's Park, on that part of the lake next [to] the Marquis of Hertford's Eastern [also referred to as 'Hindoo'] Pavilion. There was a considerable degree of grace and science displayed by [Thomas Heron Jones the] Viscount Ranelagh, Mr. [William] Newton, Captain [John] Trotter, Mr. [Frederick] Byng, the two Chiltons [Rev. Cyril and George], Mr. [Edward] Shepherd, Mr. Joy, Marquis of Clanricarde, Mr. T. Staveley, Mr. Weston, Mr. G.A. Thompson and Mr. T. Rivell. All the skates were upon an improved principle."
The formation of The Skating Club not only generated considerable interest in the art; it also created jobs. Skaters needed skates and they obtained them from a cutler named Mr. W. Coleman, who had a shop on the Haymarket. He ran an advertisement in the newspapers aimed at "the Gentlemen of the Skating Club and Amateurs of the Manly Art of Skating". Mr. Coleman wasn't the only one who profited from the Club.
Many men and boys of the "humble classes" would strap and screw on the well-to-do's skates in exchange for a shiny coin or two. T. Maxwell Witham recalled, "The well-known words, 'Ave a pair on, sir? Skates on, sir?' invited the promenaders in the London parks in every direction, and it was apparent that thousands of the humble classes were getting their daily bread in a most inclement season by ministering to the wants of the skater." When the ice would bear, entrepreneurial vendors also showed up in droves. An 1865 article from "The Sporting Magazine" noted that they sold "hot-baked potatoes, buns, gingerbread, peppermints, hot coffee well flavoured with chicory, porter and beer with a dash of pump water mixed with them, leather straps for disabled skates, walking-sticks to hold up the timid and the learner, with sundry other 'good and useful' articles such as the necessity of the occasion would seem to require."
As one can imagine, safety was a huge concern of the members of The Skating Club. From the get-go, they made generous donations to the Royal Humane Society for their services. The 'icemen' had several plans in place if the ice broke and a skater fell in. They stocked up on ladders and erected a pole on the shore of Regent's Park, from which they hung ropes, and placed signs marked 'Dangerous' near sections of bad ice. They even had a special rescue boat made. In 1839, eight members of the Club were rescued when the ice broke. When an unlucky skater was pulled from the water, they were offered a warm bath, blankets and "stimulants" of some variety and sent home in a carriage to recuperate immediately. The 'icemen' were also tasked with assisting the injured. The newspapers of the day often wrote of unfortunate skaters who suffered fractured limbs and "broken heads".
Illustration from a scrapbook of The Skating Club. Photo courtesy Surrey History Centre.
Though The Skating Club was very much a gentlemen's Club, ladies skated with members as early as the 1830's. In 1837, one of the members - a banker named Mr. Weston - brought his two daughters with him. An article from "Saint James's Chronicle" noted that "The Misses Weston... in the quadrilles displayed an ease and grace which were quite charming." In 1838, "a lady, about 30 years of age," joined the Club members on the ice. She was "habited from head to foot in green-coloured clothes [and] ran a race along the ice in skates with a gentleman, which created so much confusion, that it was found necessary for the police in attendance to interfere, who accordingly conducted her to the bank, where she took off her skates." By 1867, the Club had "about 40 lady skaters".
The Skating Club eventually obtained special permission from the Ranger of The Commissioners of Woods and Forests to install a large pavilion on the banks of the Serpentine River, where they enjoyed cognac and cigars in peace between skating sessions. They were 'left alone' for a time, but eventually the Club's favourite skating haunts were being inundated with recreational skaters. On January 3, 1837, the "Saint James's Chronicle" recorded, "Soon after noon there were assembled on the ice about 500 persons, principally of the lower grade; a few of them were skaters, but the greater proportion sliders. There might have been about a half-a-dozen adepts in the figure movements, but we saw none who appeared to be the ranks of gentlemen." The Club's upper-class members found that performing their figures was nearly impossible on a crowded ice surface, so they regularly shuffled around between St. James's Park, the Serpentine in Hyde Park, Battersea Park and the Long Water and Round Pond at Kensington-Garden. There, too, they often found the ice "literally studded with human beings". This 'problem' was temporarily solved when England's first indoor rink, The Glaciarium, opened at Baker-Street Bazaar. Sir William Newton, the Club's President, "pronounced it better than bad ice, but inferior to the best" and a group of roughly twenty members of the Club skated there during the winter of 1843. In 1855, Club members "obtained permission to appropriate to their special use a piece of water known as the intermediate reservoir" on the grounds of the Crystal Palace.
Illustration of skaters on the crowded Serpentine in 1850, from Richard 'Dicky' Doyle's book "Manners & Customs of ye Englyshe"
By the 1850s, The Skating Club's popularity had inspired the formation of similar clubs in Manchester, Sheffield, Southampton and at Oxford and Cambridge Universities. These other clubs weren't as choosy as The Skating Club. The Oxford Skating Club counted tradesmen, mechanics and students among its members. What made The Skating Club stand out amongst its peers were its royal connections. In 1841, Prince Albert was presented with a golden skate to hang in his buttonhole. In 1864, the Prince and Princess of Wales met with members of the Club at Virginia Water. The January 16, 1864 issue of "The Illustrated London News" reported, "Her Royal Highness, who is said to be an excellent skater, did not, of course, take part in that exercise, but was occasionally driven about in a sledge." The royals weren't just interested in skating; they were interested in the ice itself. In 1853, the "London Evening Standard" reported, "Several noblemen and gentlemen belonging to the Skating Club took an active part in the performance [in Hyde Park] and cut with their skates upon the ice many grotesque figures, serpents and letters.... The ice... was three inches thick, and that part nearest the east end is to be broken for the purpose of supplying her Majesty's kitchen so that the skaters will have to be very careful in not venturing too near the opening when that is done."
In the autumn of 1869, The Skating Club flooded their own 150 X 50-yard natural ice rink on the grounds of the Royal Toxophilite Society. Members of the Society were able to join the Club at a reduced subscription of £2 2s if they could perform the test figures: a cross roll forwards and backwards and a large three on each foot. The same year, the first edition of Henry Eugene Vandervell and T. Maxwell Witham's "A System Of Figure Skating" was published. Vandervell joined the club at the age of thirty in 1855 and he and Witham, along with several others, were responsible for the evolution of the club's Combined Figures and invention of several skating turns we take for granted today, including the counter, bracket and rocker.
One of The Skating Club's Combined Figures - 'Once Back, Two Turns, and Double'
By 1880, the year after the National Skating Association was founded, The Skating Club had one hundred and seventy members - one hundred and fifty men and twenty women. Its patrons were the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge.
Many factors contributed to The Skating Club's decline in prominence during the late Victorian era. The rival Wimbledon Skating Club, formed in 1871, became a popular choice of English Style skaters because of its high standards. Three hugely popular indoor rinks opened in London - the National Skating Palace, the Ice Rink at Niagara Hall and Prince's Skating Club. The Continental Style gained popularity in England, thanks to The Figure-Skating Club (formed in 1898) and the efforts of Madge and Edgar Syers, Herbert Ramon Yglesias, Henning Grenander and others. As the Continental Style took hold in the Edwardian era, both The Skating Club and Wimbledon Skating Club's memberships dwindled. They joined forces in 1929 and in 1932, by command of their patron King George V, were renamed the Royal Skating Club. The Royal Skating Club is still in existence today, carrying on the overlooked but important tradition of English Style skating.
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 Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering one of five fascinating books highlighting the history of figure skating:
Exciting news! Today is the official launch of my new book, Sequins, Scandals & Salchows: Figure Skating in the 1980s. Get ready to dive into the fascinating and fabulous world of figure skating in the 80s!
Sequins, Scandals and Salchows: Figure Skating in the 1980s is an extraordinary history of a decade when figure skating was the talk of the town and its stars were household names.
This one-of-a-kind book expands far beyond iconic moments like Torvill and Dean's Bolero and The Battle of The Brians, exploring intriguing connections between figure skating and real-world events that shaped the decade, including The AIDS Pandemic, The Cold War and The Fall of The Berlin Wall.
Brimming with fascinating facts and eye-opening insights, the book chronologically highlights the competitions, shows and skaters that made figure skating everyone's favourite winter sport.
A must-have collector's edition for any knowledgeable fan of the sport who came of age in the 80s - or wishes they did.
Why wait? Order the book now!
Winner of Best Sports Book - 2024 Firebird Book Awards
"A journey through one of the most exciting decades in figure skating history when the sport was at the height of its popularity and its stars were true icons... An essential read." - Suzie Housley, Midwest Book Review
"Ryan captures the era with a colorful account of a decade of figure skating... full of conflict, sadness and excess, one that changed history for all of us. The details and research are off the charts. Amazing." - Randy Gardner, World Pairs Skating Champion, 2-time Olympian
"Meticulously researched, highly compelling, entertaining, memorable and significant... Ryan Stevens is clever, acerbic, witty, compassionate, positive, and realistic. He loves and understands figure skating and he writes really, really well. This is a wonderfully readable and historically important book." - Phillippa Cranston Baran, author of "Toller Cranston: Ice, Paint, Passion
"Whenever I need to learn anything about figure skating history... Ryan Stevens is my go to guy. He even knows stuff about Tai & Randy that I didn't know!" - Tai Babilonia, World Pairs Skating Champion, 2-time Olympian
"I can't imagine the amount of work... This book drags out pieces of history that will really grab people's attention." - Matteo Morelli, This Week In Skating podcast
"Exceptionally well constructed... A triumph... I'm now so obsessed with 80s skating that I've resorted to grainy videos online and am loving every minute, after loving every page of Stevens' book. Very highly recommended."- Asher Syed, Readers' Favorite
Sequins, Scandals & Salchows: Figure Skating in the 1980s is available for pre-order in print and eBook editions where books are sold. The book will be released on September 3, 2024.
Born March 27, 1900, in Brooklands, a suburb of Greater Manchester, England, John 'Jack' Ferguson Page was the only child of Frank Ferguson Page and Ellen 'Nellie' Annie Chate. He grew up wanting for nothing at a posh home at Beechthorpe, St. Margaret's Road in Dunham Massey, Altrincham, his needs attended to by a live-in cook, housemaid and nursemaid. His father, a former bank clerk, was a very successful stockbroker and his grandfather, also named John Page, was the superintendent of a Manchester market.
Photo courtesy "Skating World" magazine
When Jack was eleven, he was shipped off to a boarding school, St. Chad's Preparatory School for Boys Aged 7-14, in Prestatyn, North Wales. Afterwards, he studied chemistry for a time. At the age of eighteen in May of 1918, he enlisted in the Royal Air Force. It wasn't until after the Great War that he took up figure skating at the Manchester Ice Palace, which just happened to be the only indoor ice rink that was operational in England until the late in the roaring twenties. Splitting his training time between his home rink and the popular skating resorts in St. Moritz, Switzerland, he was taught by Bernard Adams. Theresa Weld Blanchard and Nathaniel Niles first saw him skate in 1920 when they visited Manchester after the Summer Olympics in Antwerp. "Even at this time he seemed most ambitious and showed much promise," they recalled seven years later.
Jack won the British title in 1922 on his first try, defeating his Manchester training mate Ethel Muckelt. The following year, he defended his title and teamed up with Ethel to take the pairs crown. In the years that followed, Jack became an NSA Gold Medallist and won an astonishing total of eleven British men's titles and nine consecutive British pairs titles with Ethel.
Ethel Muckelt and Jack Page. Photo courtesy Bibliothèque nationale de France.
Jack's only loss in ten years of competing at the British Championships came in 1933, when he and Ethel lost the British pairs crown to Mollie Phillips and Rodney Murdoch. Even to this day, no other man or pairs team has matched Jack's records in singles and pairs at the British Championships.
A. Proctor Burman, Kathleen Lovett, Kathleen Shaw, Ethel Muckelt and Jack Page in 1928
Internationally, Jack's record was equally as impressive. He won the first international competition he entered, the men's senior non-championship class at the 1923 World Championships in Vienna, defeating eight other skaters from Austria, Germany Czechoslovakia and Finland. With Ethel, he claimed the silver medal in the pairs event at the 1924 World Championships in Manchester, and in 1926 he took the bronze medal in the men's event at the World Championships in Berlin. He placed in the top ten in both singles and pairs at both the 1924 and 1928 Winter Olympics and amassed top six finishes in singles or pairs in every European and World Championships he entered from 1924 to 1929. Along the way, he defeated an impressive roster of skaters, including Olympic Medallists Martin Stixrud, Georges Gautschi, Bud Wilson, Sherwin Badger and Robert van Zeebroeck. In 1930, Herbert Ramon Yglesias remarked, "Mr. J.F. Page, not only by his actual victories but in his placings above many good Continental skaters, has carried English skating a real step forward. He has set a standard that will need much effort to keep up." Others were not so kind in their analysis of Jack's skating. In a review of the 1928 Winter Olympics penned for "Skating" magazine, Joel B. Liberman noted his strong figures, spread eagle and dance steps but criticized the "complete absence of spins and a scarcity of jumps."
Some felt Jack was robbed at the 1927 World Championships in Davos. T.D. Richardson recalled, "He was an extremely fine school figure-skater, but he had absolutely no musical ear at all - the sort of man who has to be told to stand up when the National Anthem is being played. While this was undoubtedly a great handicap he was, on the whole, badly treated by Continental and World judges. I had him first on my card at Davos in 1927, when he was the only skater who did not fall at least once. Most of them, including the winner, were tumbling about in the high wind and driving snow. But nothing could disturb Jack Page, and as Böckl the winner himself said afterwards: 'If ever anyone deserved the title Jack did so on that occasion'."
At the 1928 World Championships in London, Jack skated before King George V and Queen Mary of Teck. After the competition, a group of skaters were invited to the Royal Box to be presented to Their Majesties. The King congratulated Jack and asked him how long he had been skating. When he told the King he'd only started after the War, the King expressed surprise and said thoughtfully, "That is very wonderful." At those same World Championships, Jack joined forces with three of the world's top skaters - Sonja Henie, Maribel Vinson and Willy Böckl - to demonstrate fours skating to the enthusiastic British crowd.
Top: Mr. G. Fuerst, Nancy Beard, Thomas Harris, Mrs. Maurice Harris and Jack Page at the Park Lane Hallowe'en Ice Carnival in 1929. Bottom: Jack Page, Lady Maude Hoare and Mrs. Slesinger at the Park Lane Hallowe'en Ice Carnival in 1929. Jack won best men's costume!
By the time Jack and Ethel retired from competition in 1933, they had already made a lasting impression on future generations of British skaters. Rosemarie Stewart recalled, "We last saw [Muckelt and Page] skate in England in 1932 at the Imperial Ice Club Purley. Their excellent program consisted almost entirely of spirals, dance steps, and field figures, with only one or two simple jumps, such as the flying-three, and about two spins. Nevertheless, their program was very successful. From watching them, incidentally, Robert Dench learned how to put together a program."
In his book "Our Skating Heritage", historian Dennis Bird recalled, "He had a sense of humour... He evidently had a low opinion of the judging in championships, and after winning his last British title he sent a letter to the 'Skating Times' pointing out that the judges did not notice that he skated one figure twice on the left foot, instead of once on each foot as required by the rules. 'I think,' he wrote, 'This is the first time I have won a Figure Skating Championship and have been marked for a figure which I did not skate.'"
In June of 1932, Jack married fellow skater Leonie Wilson at Christchurch, Denton. Following in the footsteps of his father, he also became a stock broker, opening his own firm at St. Ann's Square called J. Ferguson Page and Company. He remained active within the National Skating Association by serving as a national and international judge. In 1937, he judged the pairs event at the World Championships. As of 1939, Jack and Leonie lived at Sunny Corner, Planetree Road, Hale, Cheshire.
Jack survived World War II but was found dead in his office of apparent coal gas poisoning in Manchester on Valentine's Day, 1947. He was forty-six years old. An inquest into his death resulted in "a verdict of suicide while the balance of his mind was disturbed." The February 18, 1947 issue of "The Guardian" reported, "Mrs. Leonie Page told the city coroner... that last November when she told her husband she contemplated divorce proceedings, he left the house. He had been to see her many times since, and on every occasion had begged for a reconciliation. When he told her he would take his life if she did not stop the divorce proceedings, she said it was a lot of nonsense and he would feel better after his holiday in Switzerland. When he returned however, he seemed to be of the same mind. His last call at the house was on the day of his death." The fortune he left his wife would be equivalent to over one and a half million dollars in today's currency.
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 Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering a copy of "Jackson Haines: The Skating King" and pre-ordering "Sequins, Scandals & Salchows: Figure Skating in the 1980s", which will be released this fall where books are sold: https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.
Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound Of Silence" topped the music charts, Adam West and Burt Ward made their television debut as Batman and Robin and President Lyndon Johnson gave his first State of the Union Address. These were the events that happened in the weeks leading up to the 1966 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, held at Iceland, the St. Moritz Ice Skating Club's rink, in Berkeley, California from January 26 to 29, 1966. Let's take a look back at all of the excitement!
Left to right: Atoy Wilson, Barrett Brown and Gary Palmer and Jimmy Disbrow. Photos courtesy "Skating" magazine.
Torrey Sun of the Broadmoor Skating Club won the novice men's free skate, but hampered by poor scores in figures was unable to grab one of the top three spots. Atoy Wilson made history as the first skater of colour to claim a U.S. title, expanding on his lead in figures to win the event in a three-two split over Kenneth Shelley. The bronze medal went to Denver's Douglas Berndt. Benjamin T. Wright recalled, "Much of [Atoy Wilson's] success can be attributed to his mother, Thelma, a strong supporter of all skaters and especially those of colour, a loyal friend to those she chose to honor with her friendship and a 'pillar' of skating in Southern California, whose untimely death in 1994 was mourned by all who knew her."
Dawn Glab
Twelve-year-old Dawn Glab of Paramount, California moved up from second after figures to claim the novice women's title but had only one first-place ordinal. All three of the junior pairs medallists skated almost as impressively as the seniors, but the gold narrowly went to Betty Jean Lewis and Richard Gilbert of Boston.
Left: Dolly Rodenhaugh and Thomas Lescinski. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine Right: Janet Lynn in 1966.
In Silver Dance, Dolly Rodenhaugh and Thomas Lescinski of Pittsburgh defeated Barrett Brown and Gary Palmer in a three-two split of the judging panel. Sixteen-year-old John 'Misha' Petkevich of Great Falls, Montana defeated Jimmy Disbrow in another three-two judging panel split in the junior men's event. Though he fell early in his program, his dazzling free skating effort earned him unanimous first-place marks in that phase of the competition, as well as a standing ovation.
The junior women's podium. Photo courtesy "Peace And Love" by Janet Lynn.
Gail Newberry of the Broadmoor Skating Club held a slim lead over Janet Lynn after the school figures, but she was no match for Slavka Kohout's student when it was time for free skating. Lynn's winning performance included Axels in both directions and a triple Salchow. In her book "Peace And Love", Lynn recalled, "In the press room, a sportswriter told me I'd just won the junior national championship. I couldn't believe it. I burst into tears. It was such a surprise, because I'd been in competition for so many years already and never won a sectional title, let alone nationals... A judge, who must not have been watching too closely, stopped my dad in a hallway to say, 'Nice triple Axel your daughter did out there.'" THE PAIRS COMPETITION
The retirement of Vivian and Ronald Joseph meant that a new pair would be walking away with the Henry Wainwright Howe Memorial Trophy in 1966. Only three pairs vied for the title, and Seattle's Cynthia and Ron Kauffman, who were students of Ron Ludington, led the event from start to finish. The five judges were all in agreement on the order of placement of all three pairs. The silver went to Susie Berens and Roy Wagelein and the bronze to Paige Paulsen and Larry Dusich. "Skating" magazine described the Kauffmans winning free skate thusly: "These two presented free and athletic movement without sacrificing unison and control, grace and beauty without sacrificing strength and speed. During the beautiful 'mirror' sequence, the audience was absolutely silent, breaking into applause and cheers at the thrilling split double twist to the knee." THE ICE DANCE COMPETITION
Defending champions Kristin Fortune and Dennis Sveum stood atop the leaderboard after the compulsory dances - the American Waltz, Argentine Tango, Viennese Waltz and Kilian. The large field of twelve couples was whittled down to eight after the competition's initial round. Though Lorna Dyer and John Carrell offered Fortune and Sveum some stiff competition, they were unable to catch up to them in the free dance. Both of the top two teams used four different tempos in their programs and were coached by World Champion Jean Westwood. The bronze medal went to Buffalo's Susan and Stanley Urban.
Sandy Schwomeyer packing for the 1966 U.S. Championships. Photo courtesy Judy Sladky.
A young Judy Schwomeyer and James Sladky placed sixth in their first trip to Nationals, two spots behind her sister Sandy and her partner James Pennington. Judy Sladky recalled, "'66 was our very first. We got together on December 6th after I'd passed all of my tests. Jim's partner quit and my partner quit. We had skated a little bit of pairs in the summer and we really skated well together we thought. At that time, you didn't leave your partner. That was like a divorce. You did not do that! I said to Luddy, 'I quit! If people are going to be like this, I don't want to do it.' He said, 'Well, why don't you get your Gold Dances?' so I went out and took all four of them on the same day and passed them. As far as I know, it hadn't been done and if it had, it was a while ago and it certainly wasn't done by a fourteen-year-old girl. I said, 'Well, Luddy, why don't we see if Jim's available.' That was December and Easterns I think were in December too. Jim was in the midst of finals at Syracuse University so he sent me the dress from his old partner and wrote down the free dance on paper and I learned it from paper. He flew out after his finals and we skated maybe a week, two weeks and entered Easterns then Nationals." THE WOMEN'S COMPETITION
On the road to her third U.S. title, seventeen-year-old Peggy Fleming won every school figure, including the paragraph loop which had been something of a personal nemesis. Her winning free skate included two clean double Axels.
Photo courtesy Ingrid Hunnewell
Sixteen-year-old silver medallist Tina Noyes landed a double Axel of her own in the free skate, which was in combination with a double loop. She also performed a novel one-foot Axel/one-foot double Salchow/double Salchow sequence. Pamela Schneider of the Skating Club Of New York hung on to claim the bronze medal, despite losing out in the free skate to Sharon Bates of the host St. Moritz Club. THE MEN'S COMPETITION
Smoke Rise, New Jersey's Scotty Allen earned first place ordinals from three of the five judges in the school figures. However, his lead over Gary Visconti, who'd unseated him as U.S. Champion and defeated him at the North American Championships the year prior, was tenuous at best. In the free skate, Visconti fell early in his program but rebounded to skate the rest of his program cautiously but cleanly. Allen skated one of the best performances of his career, landing a triple Salchow and triple loop in addition to a host of double jumps. Though Allen managed to regain his national title from Visconti, it wasn't a 'runaway win' as again had only three first-place ordinals. Detroit's Tim Wood, who had been third after figures, disappointingly fell three times in his free skate. His errors allowed Billy Chapel of Colorado Springs to move up to third. Though Chapel fell on a double Axel, his energetic performance - which was heavy on showmanship - won over the crowd and earned him a standing ovation. Paul McGrath finished fifth, followed by Duane Maki, Richard Callaghan and Ronnie Frank.
Photo courtesy Ingrid Hunnewell
In his book "Falling For The Win", Gary Visconti recalled the competition thusly: "I was on the five-minute warm-up, the last group of five top male competitors. It was the most dreaded part of any competition for me, with the judges watching and the fans cheering every major move of their favorite skater. I had drawn second to last to perform; Scott Allen achieved the coveted spot of last. I remember my name announced and gliding out slowly to my starting position. It was calm now and there was dead silence. I looked up at the clock on the scoreboard and it was 12 midnight. I thought, I wish it was 12:05, and I would be finished. What a way to think! Well, that’s just how my performance went. I did not complete three of my major tricks, and each time I missed I had more 'juice,' more 'pizzazz,' more smiles, and more performance ... more audience connection. Funny how we try to wing it and cover up under pressure. It was a great performance, but one with too many errors. Scott won. Guess I gave it to him. It was a super life lesson for me and just what I needed! Second place felt like 20th place."
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 Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering a copy of "Jackson Haines: The Skating King" and pre-ordering "Sequins, Scandals & Salchows: Figure Skating in the 1980s", which will be released this fall where books are sold: https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.
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