Skate Guard Blog

Italian Skating Legends: From Early Pioneers to Olympic Medallists

As the audiences at the 2026 Milano Cortina Games cheer on Daniel Grassl, Matteo Rizzo, Lara Naki Gutmann, Sara Conti and Niccolò Macii, Rebecca Ghilardi and Filippo Ambrosini and Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri, why not take a look back at the Italian figure skaters who paved the way?

Italy’s history in Olympic figure skating may not be as medal-rich as some other countries, but it is full of pioneers and trailblazers. Here's a look back through the decades, highlighting the stories of the skaters who helped shape Italy's presence in the sport.

Anna and Ercole Cattaneo

1930s: The Pioneers – Anna and Ercole Cattaneo

At the 1936 Winter Olympic Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Anna (Dubini) and Ercole Cattaneo made history as the first Italians to compete on the Olympic stage. Anna (Dubini) and Ercole Cattaneo, both born in Milan - he on December 3, 1906, and she on August 23, 1911 - were pioneering figures in Italian figure skating.

Members of Circolo Pattinatori Artistico and representing Diavoli Rossoneri Milano, they trained at Milan’s Palazzo del Ghiaccio, an 1,800-square-meter indoor rink built in 1923 that was one of the largest in Europe at the time. The Cattaneos were Italy’s first Olympic figure skaters, competing in the 1936 Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and finishing ninth. They also placed sixth at the 1937 European Championships and sixth and tenth at the 1937 and 1938 World Championships, respectively.

Domestically, they dominated the Italian Championships, winning singles and pairs titles multiple times - including a notable victory in 1936 at Madonna di Campiglio where they both captured the singles and pairs events, defeating the defending pairs champions Leila Bottini and Vittorio Maggi.

The Cattaneos contributed to the sport’s visibility through exhibitions in Milan, Bolzano, and Germany. Anna recalled in a 1937 "Daily Mirror" interview that their 1936 Olympic participation came on just four weeks’ notice and that she trained before breakfast under her mother’s guidance, as Milan was the only place in Italy with suitable facilities.

Wartime disruptions - including severe damage to the Palazzo del Ghiaccio - did not diminish their contributions to the sport, and they remained involved with clubs such as Circolo Sciatori Bolzano and C.P.A. Milano.

After retiring from competitive skating, Ercole served on the Italian Ice Sports Association’s Technical Committee and became an international judge and referee at numerous Olympics, World, and European Championships, while Anna was already coaching skaters, including Grazia Barcellona and Carlo Fassi, even before her competitive career ended. She later served as a national level skating judge.

The Cattaneos remained Italy's only Olympic pair to finish in the top ten until 2018, cementing their legacy as trailblazers in Italian figure skating.

1953 European Figure Skating Champions Carlo Fassi and Valda Osborn

1940s-1950s: Carlo Fassi and Italy on the Rise

Carlo Fassi became Italy's most notable male figure skater of this era. Competing internationally in the late 1940s and 1950s, Fassi was Italy’s first skater to reach the podium in international competitions, paving the way for future Italian skaters to compete at the highest level.

Born December 20, 1929 in Milan, Italy, Fassi emerged from a family connected to Milan's Palazzo del Ghiaccio. His grandfather ran the rink where he first took to the ice at age six. By the age of twelve, he had already claimed the Italian junior men’s title. Training under German coach Harry Burghardt, Fassi dominated skating in Italy, winning nine national senior men's titles and eight senior pairs titles with Grazia Barcellona.

Postwar conditions in Milan led him and Barcellona to train in London with Jacques Gerschwiler for the 1948 Winter Olympics. Between 1950 and 1954, Fassi won five European Championship medals - including golds in 1953 and 1954 - and a World bronze in 1953, before turning down professional skating offers to pursue coaching, first in Milan and then at Cortina d’Ampezzo, where he trained the Italian national team and met his wife, Christa von Kuczkowski.

After the 1961 Sabena Crash, he moved to the U.S. to replace Edi Scholdan at the Broadmoor World Arena, building a legendary coaching career that produced four Olympic Gold Medallists: Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, John Curry, and Robin Cousins.

Known for his keen technical insight and ability to motivate, Fassi coached champions from Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom, Romania, Germany, France, Japan, Sweden, and Czechoslovakia.

At a time when the ISU was keen to axe compulsory figures, Fassi advocated for their survival and cautioned against overemphasis on jumps.

Fluent in five languages and passionate about history, politics, and culture, Fassi's influence spanned continents, shaping generations of skaters with a combination of discipline and vision.

He returned to Milan in 1990 to coach at the Palazzo del Ghiaccio and was inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1994.

Fassi passed away on March 20, 1997, while coaching at the World Championships in Lausanne. Over two decades after his death, he remains widely regarded as one of the most influential coaches in skating history.

Anna Galmarini

1960s: Anna Galmarini - Italy’s Leading Lady

The 1960s brought Italy’s first standout female skater: Anna Galmarini. Galmarini was born on October 15, 1942, in Milan, Italy, and began skating at the age of ten, partly inspired by her older brother and partly because she disliked tennis. She quickly progressed, becoming Italian junior champion by the age of thirteen.

Galmarini left Italy to train in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and in 1957 she won her first of four consecutive Italian senior titles. Her early international outings were unremarkable - finishing nineteenth at the 1957 European Championships and twenty-first at the World Championships - but her charming free skating gradually drew attention.

By 1960, Galmarini had broken into the top ten at the European Championships, Winter Olympics and World Championships. The Italian newspaper "La Stampa-Domenica" called her style "very whimsical and elegant" and "quite different from what they are accustomed to [in] Europe."

After turning professional, she toured with Holiday on Ice in Europe and the U.S., eventually joining the Ice Capades. In 1965, she made history as the first Italian skater to win the World Professional Skating Championships in London, England.

Known for her versatility, multilingualism, and love of cooking, Galnarini remained involved in skating as a coach after her performing career ended. She passed away in 1997 at the age of fifty-four, leaving a unique legacy as a skater whose expressive style and adventurous career spanned continents.

1970s - Breaking New Ground – Rita Trapanese and Susanna Driano

The 1970s saw Italian skaters continue to make their mark. At the first officially recognized Olympic ice dancing event in 1976, Matilde Ciccia and Lamberto Ceserani finished in the top ten - but the country's most notable successes during this period were in the women's event.

Rita Trapanese

Born on May 8, 1951, in Milan, Rita Trapanese was a dominant force in Italian figure skating throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, winning eight consecutive national titles from 1965 to 1972. Known for her discipline and determination - rising at five each morning to train until evening - she steadily improved on the international stage, claiming bronze at the Richmond Trophy in 1969 and winning it the following year.

In Zürich in 1971, Trapanese made history as the first Italian skater to win a medal in the women's event at the European Figure Skating Championships, followed by a silver in Gothenburg in 1972, helping pave the way for future Italian competitors like Susanna Driano.

Trapanese also represented Italy at two Olympic Games, achieving a seventh-place finish in Sapporo in 1972, and posted her best World Championships result with fifth overall in Lyon in 1971.

After retiring from amateur competition, she performed professionally with Holiday on Ice before transitioning to journalism. She tragically died in a car accident in 2000.

Susanna Driano

Susanna Driano, born on January 29, 1957, in Chicago, Illinois, started her skating career in the United States, representing the Overlake Skating Club in Washington at the regional and sectional level. Her Italian-born father was a national-level skating judge and referee.

In 1974, Driano chose to leave the crowded ranks of U.S. figure skating behind and represent Italy internationally. The decision paid off when she won the Italian Championships six times in a row. She was one of the country’s leading ladies in figure skating during the late 1970s. Known for her consistency, she quickly established herself on the international stage under the guidance of coaches Barbara Roles Williams and Carlo and Christa Fassi.

In 1978, she earned her first major international medal with a bronze at the European Championships in Strasbourg and made history at the World Championships in Ottawa, winning Italy's first medal in the women's event.

She represented Italy at the 1976 and 1980 Winter Olympics, finishing eighth at the latter games in Lake Placid.

At the time, it was quite rare for skaters to represent countries other than the ones they were born, and Driano - like Californian-born Dianne de Leeuw representing The Netherlands - was an early example of a skater finding success by swapping countries.

1980s and 1990s - A Period of Transition

While Italy had produced several standout skaters in earlier decades, the 1980s and 1990s proved to be a relatively quiet period for Italian figure skating. Few athletes managed to break through on the international stage, and the country struggled to pose a challenge to the dominant skating nations of the time. There were certainly still trailblazers during this period.

Lia Trovati and Roberto Pelizzola

Lia Trovati and Roberto Pelizzola were Italy’s leading ice‑dance team in the late 1980s. The duo captured the Italian national title in both 1987 and 1988, establishing themselves as the country’s top representatives in the discipline.

Internationally, they placed in the top ten at the 1988 European Championships and Winter Olympics in Calgary, delivering solid performances that kept Italy visible on the world stage. Although they never reached the podium at major international competitions, Trovati and Pelizzola played an important role in sustaining Italian ice dance during a quiet era, helping to pave the way for the more competitive teams that would emerge in the 1990s and beyond.

Gilberto Viadana

Gilberto Viadana, born 9 February 1973 in Milan, was one of Italy’s leading men’s figure skaters in the 1990s, a two‑time Olympian (1992 and 1998) who also competed at multiple European and World Championships. He honed his skills under some of the sport’s top coaches, beginning with Silvana Grilli, then Günter Zöller, and later Carlo and Christa Fassie and earned the distinction of being the first Italian to land a triple Axel in competition. He later transitioned to coaching and served as an international technical specialist, passing on his expertise to the next generation of skaters.

Stefania Calegari and Pasquale Camerlengo

In Albertville in 1992, Stefania Calegari and Pasquale Camerlengo made history as the first Italian ice dancers to place in the top five at the Winter Olympics. Calegari was born in Milan; Camerlengo in Switzerland. The duo placed in the top ten at five World Championships. After Calegari's retirement, Camerlengo represented Italy at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano with fellow Swiss-born skater Diane Gerencser. After turning professional, Camerlengo coached a who's who of ice dancing, including Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje, Nathalie Péchalat and Fabian Bourzat and Federica Faiella and Massimo Scali.

The 21st Century - A Breakthrough

As Italian figure skating moved into the 2000s, the nation experienced a renaissance on the ice. A new generation of skaters began to achieve consistent success in both singles and ice dance. While the 1980s and 1990s had been relatively quiet periods for Italy, the new millennium brought world-class athletes who combined technical prowess with beautiful artistry. Italy’s skaters became known not just for their skill but for expressive, character-driven performances that captured the attention of audiences worldwide.

Barbara Fusar‑Poli and Maurizio Margaglio. Photo courtesy Olindo Brodi.

Barbara Fusar‑Poli and Maurizio Margaglio were Italy’s trailblazing ice-dance duo in the late 1990s and early 2000s. They made history as the first Italian team to win the World Championships in 2000. The following year, they became the first Italian team to win the European Championships. At the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, they won Italy's first Olympic medal in ice dancing. Beyond their groundbreaking achievements, the duo’s charisma and competitive spirit inspired a generation of Italian ice dancers, proving that Italy could challenge the long-standing strength of Russia, France, Canada and the United States in the discipline.

Federica Faiella and Massimo Scali

Federica Faiella and Massimo Scali were another highly successful Italian ice-dance duo in the 2000s, known for their charisma, strong technical skills, and compelling programs. Their career highlights included two medals at the European Championships and a bronze medal at the World Championships in 2010, in their home country. Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte continued Italy’s tradition of strong ice-dance performances. Known for inventive choreography, musicality, and strong technique, Capellini and Lanotte claimed both the European and World titles in 2014, making them the first Italian skaters to win two senior ISU Championships in the same year.

Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte. Photo courtesy Andrey Malgin.

Carolina Kostner emerged as Italy's most decorated singles skater of the 21st century, celebrated for her elegance and expressiveness. Making her senior international debut as a teenager, Kostner quickly gained attention for her fluid skating style and musical interpretation, which set her apart in an era increasingly focused on technical difficulty. In 2007, she made history as the first Italian woman to win the European Championships - the first of five victories at the event. In 2012, she made history as the first Italian woman to win the World Championships and in 2014, she became the first Italian woman to win an Olympic medal in singles. Many thought her "Bolero" at the Sochi Games was the performance of the night.

Carolina Kostner. Photo courtesy Margarita Voronkovskaya.

From the pioneering efforts of the Cattaneos to the artistry of Carolina Kostner, Italian figure skating has steadily grown from a minor presence to a respected force in the sport. As the spotlight shines on the incredible Italian skaters competing at the 2026 Milano Cortina Games, the legacy of the skaters who came before reminds us that the country’s history on ice is one of steady progress, pioneering spirit, and remarkable firsts.

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, Bluesky, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering one of eight fascinating books highlighting the history of figure skating: https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.

From Cortina to Milan: Italy's Olympic Figure Skating Legacy

Italy may not be the first country that comes to mind when thinking about Olympic figure skating, which is exactly what makes its history worth a closer look.

As the world turns its attention to the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Games, it’s impossible not to look back at the nation's earlier Olympics. From the crisp mountain air of Cortina d'Ampezzo in 1956, where skaters performed outdoors against the backdrop of the Dolomites, to the modernity of Torino's Palavela arena in 2006, Italy has provided some of the sport's most memorable stages.

The 1956 and 2006 Winter Olympic Games not only showcased medal-winning performances - they helped shape the evolution of figure skating itself. As Italy prepares to host the Olympics once again, the moment feels like a reunion with its own history: a chance to revisit the glories, surprises, and defining chapters of Olympic skating on Italian ice, and to imagine what stories today's generation will carve out on the ice in 2026.

Excerpt from U.S. Olympic Team Manager and Coach Theodore G. Patterson and Harry E. Radix's report from the 1956 Winter Olympics, recommending that all American skaters should travel together on the same flight if at all possible - five years before the 1961 Sabena Crash

Italy first played host to the Winter Olympic Games in 1956. The figure skating competitions at the 1956 Cortina d’Ampezzo Olympics were the last in Olympic history to take place in an open-air, uncovered rink and the first Olympic figure skating competitions to be broadcast live on television to an international audience. Through a tape relay from RAI, skating fans in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, West Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom lucky enough to own a black-and-white television set could watch Salchows and spirals to their heart's content, from the comfort of their living room.

The Cortina Games produced several enduring snapshots: outdoor audiences bundled in blankets, the crisp sound of blades slicing natural ice, and the kind of atmospheric performances only possible in an open-air rink. Weather conditions occasionally added an element of unpredictability that modern skaters never face in climate-controlled arenas. Skaters contended with temperature fluctuations, bright glare from the sun and winds. In the women's event, the first compulsory figure was skated during a heavy snowstorm, and visibility was so poor that it was almost impossible for judges to see the tracings on the ice. Ice conditions were very poor for the men's free skating, and the glare from the sun was so bad that David Jenkins remarked that it "made it hard to tell where the ice was when landing a jump."

1956 Olympic Medallists David and Hayes Alan Jenkins

Many firsts were carved out on the ice the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo. Tenley Albright made history as the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in figure skating. In the men's event, a trio of Americans (Hayes and David Jenkins and Ronnie Robertson) took home top honours. It was the first time skaters from North America swept the podium in the men's event at the Winter Olympic Games. In the pairs event, Canada's Frances Dafoe and Norris Bowden narrowly lost out on the gold medal to Austrian pair Sissy Schwarz and Kurt Oppelt.

1956 Olympic Medallists Frances Dafoe and Norris Bowden

The late Mildred Richardson, wife of international judge and eminent British figure skating writer T.D. Richardson, recalled, "The main stadium stand, rising high above the two rinks, was beautifully designed; somewhat after the fashion of a wooden mountain farmhouse. With the rose red peaks of the Dolomites towering behind, it made a striking picture. There was only one snag for us and that was that the Press seats were right at the top and far too high above the ice for us to be able to see, with any accuracy, what was going on below. The seating was comfortable with good desks, and a form of gas heater or fire, running all along above our heads; very cosy! They employed this method to heat all the stands; an excellent and imaginative use by the Italians of their supply of natural gas. However at the rink, for us, no use so [T.D.] approached the rink manager – a most co-operative and charming man – and asked if we might have passes to the ice level. Although strictly speaking, this was forbidden except for trainers and those accompanying the skaters, we had no trouble in getting our permits. It was therefore from this unique vantage point that we were able to see all the figure skating and ice hockey events... It was very bad luck for the excellent Australian pair, Jacqueline Mason and Mervyn Bower of Sydney, who had worked so hard and profited so much from their training in St. Moritz, that after their arrival in Cortina, Mervyn had a nasty accident. I think he broke his ankle by hitting the barrier of the rink. To come so far and then have to withdraw from such an unfortunate injury was too bad... During the ladies free skating, there was nearly a riot. The ebullient crowd showed their disapproval of the marks awarded to Carol Heiss of America - a real little bombshell of a skater who took the silver medal - by hoots and whistles, cries of Banditti, and the hurling of bottles, cigarette cartons, oranges, tomatoes or what have you on to the ice, so that the judges had to take shelter. It held up the proceedings for about twenty minutes until order was restored and the ice cleared of rubbish. Needless to say, this had no effect on the marking and Tenley Albright got her well-deserved gold medal."

1956 Olympic Medallists Carol Heiss and Tenley Albright

The Italians loved their flying projectiles. In the pairs event, West Germans Marika Kilius and Franz Ningel's low marks were met with such ire that the judges and referee were pelted with oranges. So much fruit was thrown that the ice had to be cleared three times, amid a chorus of boos and screams.

When the Winter Games returned to Italy in 2006, Olympic figure skating was unrecognizable from the sport that it was fifty years prior. Gone were the school figures, and the rise of television and the internet had increased the profile and popularity of the sport immensely. Skating fans were very knowledgeable and instead of throwing produce when they didn't like the marks, they threw shade.

2006 Olympic Gold Medallist Shizuka Arakawa

The figure skating events were held indoors at the architecturally striking Palavela arena in Torino in 2006, and competitions were judged using the newly implemented IJS (International Judging System), marking a major shift from the 6.0 system. In the women's event, Shizuka Arakawa of Japan made history as the first Japanese skater to win Olympic gold, followed by Sasha Cohen of the United States and Irina Slutskaya of Russia. The men's singles podium featured Evgeni Plushenko of Russia, Stéphane Lambiel of Switzerland and Jeffrey Buttle of Canada. Two Chinese team stood on the podium together for the first time in the pairs event. Dan and Hao Zhang and Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao claimed the silver and bronze medals, behind Russian winners Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin. In ice dance, Elena Grushina and Ruslan Goncharov became the first Ukrainian team to win an Olympic medal, earning the bronze medal, behind Olympic Gold and Silver Medallists Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomarov and Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto.

Barbara Fusar-Poli and Maurizio Margaglio at the 2006 Winter Olympics

One of the most memorable moments at the 2006 Olympics in Torino occurred during the original dance. Barbara Fusar-Poli and Maurizio Margaglio, the team who made history as the first Italians to win an Olympic medal in ice dance four years prior at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City, led after the compulsory dance. However, they took an uncharacteristic tumble late in their performance in their original dance. Their fall dropped them out of medal contention and the cameras captured Fusar-Poli's unforgettable glare at Margaglio - a look so fiery that it quickly became the stuff of legend. Long before memes dominated social media, her "death stare" - a brief, human moment of frustration - perfectly encapsulated the drama and emotion of Olympic figure skating, and it remains one of the most enduring images from the 2006 Torino Games.

Too sexy for Milan, New York and Japan, Lithuania's Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevičius will be crowd favourites in the ice dance event in Milano Cortina

Fast forward twenty years to 2026, and the stage is set once again for unforgettable moments on Italian ice at the Milano Cortina Games. If history is any guide, we can expect triumphs, heartbreaks, and the kind of performances that will be talked about for decades to come - proving once more that Italy remains a place where Olympic figure skating history is made.

Black History Month 2026

2026 marks the 30th anniversary of the motion introduced by The Honourable Jean Augustine to officially recognize February as Black History Month in Canada.

Black History Month is an opportunity to reflect on the achievements and legacies of skaters of colour who have shaped the sport through their talent, perseverance, and barrier-breaking contributions.

This year, the timing is especially fitting as the Olympic Winter Games take place in February.

Skate Guard Blog's Black History Month resources focus on Black history in figure skating, highlighting pioneers, trailblazers, and defining moments that helped shape the sport on and off the ice.

Together, Black History Month and the Olympics offer a powerful moment to celebrate reslience, excellence and diversity n figure skating history.

Head on over to the Black History Month page for blogs, recommended reading lists, timelines, photos and more: https://www.skateguardblog.com/p/black-history-month.html

Spin Into Skating History

Whether you’re a longtime skating fan or just discovering the sport, there's never been a better time to explore the stories, history, and excitement of figure skating.

I'm excited announce two brand-new pages on Skate Guard Blog. Firstly, the Recommended Reads page gathers some of the most interesting blogs from the last eleven years. It's a perfect starting point for newcomers to the blog or anyone looking to read stories from skating history that they might have missed/

Secondly, the new Olympic Figure Skating History Hub offers a curated collection of posts tracing the sport’s incredible journey at the Games, from figure skating's first appearance at the Winter Olympics to the upcoming 2026 Milano Cortina Games.

With the 2026 Winter Olympics just around the corner, let's wish Team Canada’s figure skaters the best of luck on the ice - Go Canada Go! Cheer them on, celebrate their achievements, and share your support as they aim for Olympic glory.

Take The Skate Guard Blog Survey!

Happy Saturday! I’m working on future nonfiction figure skating books and considering changes to where Skate Guard Blog content is available. I’m looking for feedback from figure skating fans like you!

I've put together a short, anonymous survey that asks about:

- What formats you read (ebook / paperback / hardcover)
- Pricing expectations
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The survey is anonymous and takes about 5-10 minutes to complete. It is for research purposes only and nothing is being sold.

If you’ve ever read - or considered reading - a nonfiction figure skating book, your perspective would be incredibly helpful.

The link to the survey is here: https://forms.gle/yY95tktXHNcmaMoJ6

How Do You Figure It?

Long before quadruple Lutzes, levels on spins and "choreographic sequences", compulsory figures were the name of the game in figure skating. For decades, skaters traced precise patterns on the ice, their edge quality and control scrutinized as carefully as any free skate today. By 1980, however, the place of compulsory figures was increasingly under debate, as television, audiences, and even some within the sport questioned their future.

"How Do You Figure It?", originally published in the June/July 1980 issue of "Canadian Skater" magazine, captures the sentiments of people in the skating world in a time of uncertainty - ten years before compulsory figures were ultimately eliminated. As you will read in the statements below, the skating world valued a discipline that had shaped generations of champions.

"HOW DO YOU FIGURE IT?"

Table of figures from the 1980 CFSA Rulebook

After the [1980] World Championships in Dortmund, West Germany, ISU President Jacques Favart spoke out in favour of eliminating school figures from major International Championships. "Canadian Skater" posed the following question to a number of well-known skating enthusiasts.

M. Favart has been quoted as saying, "The compulsory figures must die. They are a waste of time and prevent skaters from being more creative."

Do you agree with him?

GARY BEACOM (MEN'S BRONZE MEDALLIST)

I am rigidly opposed to M. Favart's proposal to eliminate figures from world competitions. It is not only because of the direct contribution school figure proficiency plays in the development of a well-rounded free skater and disciplined individual. Equally important is the maintenance of the elite element in our sport which involves the combination of intellectual and physical demands.

My reference to the benefits of figures to free skating is appreciably slanted towards the creative and artistic merit derived from a well-established conceptual understanding of and precision-trained adeptness at, the compulsory school figures. Without hand waving dismissal of this point and wishing to avoid unduly complicated analysis, I suggest that a creative and expressive skater is one who, in the development of a repertoire, spontaneously combines previously acquired coordination with an inventive and commanding portrayal. A good repertoire can only be accomplished in that order - technique first, then artistry. Acutely balanced manoeuvrability is vital if a skater wishes to develop the confidence necessary to perform an uninhibited and effortless free skating program.

I disagree with anyone who argues that such a facility is not increased by the accuracy-oriented activity of school figures. This discipline instills in a skater a profound awareness of the proper carriage and the constant balance compensations required for the variety of one-footed movements fundamental to both figures and free skating. Although the mastery of total body control and versatility is more explicitly compulsory for success in school figures, I believe that nothing less than a comparable degree of excellent and accuracy is needed for a truly distinguished free skating performance, and I will always maintain that a well-versed figure technician will almost invariably be a sure-footed free skater able to direct his or her full effort to creative ends.

For an athlete, amateur sport of any kind can be a total commitment, a challenge. Each sport requires a few or several types of specialized physical and mental abilities. Figure skating is unique in its balanced demand of all these skills. The elimination of compulsory figures would make it less fulfilling and much less instructive and would not we, in fact, have to rename our sport?

DON JACKSON (WORLD CHAMPION 1962; OLYMPIC BRONZE MEDALLIST 1960)

Figures! Should they be done away with in world competitions? My answer is a decided No!

Once they are taken [out] of the World's, it would only be a question of time before school figures would be dropped from all competitions, National, Sectional, etc. and the deterioration in free skating would begin to set in.

The disciplined application of school figures makes for a better free skater. It may be argued that certain skaters with an aptitude for laying down good school figures on the ice, are, nevertheless, not up to par with other competitors in their free skating. That may be so, but even they would admit to being better free skaters than they would have been without the disciplined practice of figures. Most world champions have either been on top in figures or very close to the top. Those well back in figures were usually well back in free skating as well.

Rather than scrapping figures in competitions, it would be more to the point to upgrade them. Starting at the lowest test level, the skater should be made aware of the importance of doing the figures with form and flow. The tracing should be considered secondary in importance. There should be two sets of marks given on the judge's sheet - one for form and flow and the other for the tracing. The coaches will then be in a better position to teach and impress on the skater the importance of developing the art of stylized motion in figures. In due course the skater will realize that with this form of practice even the tracings will improve without having to resort to steering. Most important, the maximum benefits to free skating from this form of figure practice will be achieved.

I cannot over-emphasize the effects the elimination of figures would eventually have on free skating skills of competitors. Although they only comprise a mere handful of skaters, as compared to the tens of thousands of serious skaters in the many clubs throughout Canada, the are the backbone of the wonderful activity called 'Figure Skating'. If the figures were dropped from competitions, their value would start to diminish throughout the ranks.

The passing of a first test, a fifth test, or the attainment of the gold medal is indeed something for the non-competitive skater to take great pride in. It goes without saying, that if figures are taken out of competitions their value will diminish in the eyes of most skaters, and the feeling will be, if they don't consider figures important in competitions - then why bother?

KAREN MAGNUSSEN-CELLA (WORLD CHAMPION 1973; OLYMPIC SILVER MEDALLIST 1972)

To discontinue compulsory school figures would be to take away a very important part of figure skating. Even though figures may not be as spectacular as the free skating portion of the sport and many people may not understand them, they are without a doubt the backbone of figure skating.

What I mean by 'backbone of figure skating' is that figures represent the point where a young skater learns a sense of body balance on the inside and outside edges and the location of the body in relation to the ice. A skater learns correct posture while practicing figures and that must be the most important element of good figure skating. Concentration is also a key factor in skating because skating itself, be it school figures or free skating, is very technical. Skaters learn to concentrate while learning school figures and this skill can be carried over to the free skating program.

Discipline is something else that can be learned through the compulsory figures. To build a career in skating requires hours of hard work. In there is no discipline many skaters will not go on as they should. I have witnessed so many cases of skaters with a wealth of natural talent who have gone nowhere because of lack discipline that it could make you cry. That is not to say that free style skating is not important also. But all the basic control a skater will need for free skating is learned in figures. The same edge principles apply for jumping and ice dancing. Just as all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, so all figures and no free skating will, make for a dull skater. A balance of the two is required.

The school figures are the ultimate test of a skater's control. There is still room to show creativity in the free skating segment. As a past skater and world champion and now as a teacher, I feel very strongly that we have champions who are GREAT in all aspects of figure skating.

HELLMUT MAY (FORMER OLYMPIC COMPETITOR FOR AUSTRIAN TEAM AND FSCC PRESIDENT; COACH; DOCTOR OF ECONOMICS)

The two major changes of the last fifteen years intended to update figure skating were the introduction of the compulsory free skating program and the drastic reduction from 60% to 30% in the compulsory of this reduction, figures have not lost their importance. A skater with good figures still holds a considerable edge as, particularly in international competition, judges put more emphasis on the figure portion by allowing larger spreads in the marks given to figures. In reality, the figure portion carries a much greater weight than the 30% it appears to be allotted. The dominance figures still hold in competition is proof that they are an important and integral part of skating and should not be eliminated.

Why are figures so important? They are the essential basis of all skating skills. They teach the skater the kind of discipline necessary to be successful in the sport. Figures are undoubtedly the purest part of figure skating. Here we see the achievement of motor skills not influenced by any other elements. Free skating and dancing are often called the 'art sports' as many other elements besides skating (music, dance, etc.) are used and combined with the skating. This combination makes skating beautiful.

However, they also add to its controversy and difficulty in evaluation. The International Olympic Committee is frowning upon sports which are no truly measurable. Figures have set standards which lend themselves to more precise evaluation than free skating. If figures are dropped, the ISU is playing into the hands of professionalism and show business. It is conceivable that a group of acrobatic performers with sufficient audience and television appeal could abandon the ISU rules and create its own championship. Without figures the doors would be wide open and the ISU would be leaving itself vulnerable to outside competition.

Because figures occupy such a large portion of ice time, lesson time and school schedules, their elimination would endanger the very structure of our coaching system, including the operation of facilities and the teaching faculty.

The position of the ISU regarding figures was first revealed at the ISU/IPSU (International Professional Skating Union) Liason meeting during 1978 Worlds. In the IPSU meeting the following day, the subject was discussed emphatically and a unanimous vote of one hundred international coaches strongly rallied against the elimination of compulsory figures at world competitions. The united statement of coaches from around the world should bear sufficient weight to ensure that FIGURE SKATING REMAINS FIGURE SKATING.

BRIAN POCKAR (THREE TIME CANADIAN CHAMPION, RANKED 9TH IN THE WORLD)

I strongly disagree with M. Favart's statement. The best comparison I can think of is a pianist. Scales are the basic technique that must be mastered before any pianist can hope to become proficient. School figures, like scales, are where it all starts. They teach the basics of skating and give the skater a feel for the sport - the inside edges and turns. As well, they teach the body control and discipline so crucial to mastering the sport.

There were many criticisms of the judging of figures at Olympics and World's this year. In my opinion, judging is improving every year. Of course, some mistakes are made. This is to be expected, and there injustices in the judging of figures as there are in any competition. If there is a 'problem' with the judging of figures, it is surely with the system - not with the figures themselves. A solution to this 'problem' should come through a thorough examination of the system of judging figures, not through their elimination.

Without figures, a skater will never really learn to skate, and that, after all, is the point of the exercise.

BARBARA ANN SCOTT KING (WORLD CHAMPION 1947, 1948; OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALLIST 1948 - WINNER OF BOTH FIGURES AND FREE SKATING)

The very name of the sport is FIGURE SKATING - not free skating; not exhibition skating. It is a competitive sport. The basic foundation of figure skating is a strong grounding in school figures. Ballet has barre work... pianists have finger exercises... figure skating has school figures.

My feeling is that youngsters today are not willing to spend the hours necessary to perfect school figures. The years of practice spent of figures teaches a young person the discipline that is so sadly lacking these days. It not only gives one a solid grounding for good free skating, but also helps one to learn concentration and the ability to work hard at something that is not always fun but demands the sacrifice of practice and patience. This discipline carries over into everyday life and teaches the importance of work before play.

Unfortunately, TV does not show this important part of skating competitions because figures are not of interest to the general public. But this notwithstanding, the important question is - Are figure skating competitions commercial ventures, entertainment or serious forums for top athletes to compete against each other? There are other opportunities for purely creative endeavours. A real skating competition is not an ice show, exhibition or television special. It should be an entirely separate activity.

As one who truly loves the sport of figure skating, I hope and pray that the tradition will never be compromised or abolished.

LILIANE DE KRESZ (COACH; FORMER HEAD COACH OF NATIONAL SEMINAR)

While the figures are by no means the end to it all, and often make the end result hard to justify for a TV audience at large, it can't be denied that they do have a vital role in the development of a fine skater.

Figures mean discipline, balance, coordination, edges, flow, just to name a few components. But above all, what they mean to the skater is a strive for excellence.

The elimination of figures from high level competition could bring about the decline of the sport as we know it. Because if no longer required at the top, skaters would take a more casual attitude towards figure practice and would not be willing to spend the time practicing skills to perfection for which there is no direct reward.

OTTO HUGIN (COACH)

Even if compulsory figures were eliminated at the international level, they would still be required at national competitions. Therefore, skaters would continue to spend time learning and practicing their school figures in order to succeed within their own countries. These hours and years of wasted time would negatively affect their progress at school and their education. Since the ISU itself does not consider a total elimination of the compulsory figures it has become necessary to search for a fair compromise that has national and international validity. The time spent in exercising the compulsory figures (70% of the total training time) has to be more reasonably adjusted in relation to the final rating where they count for 30% of the total points in a competition. Moreover, the draw for the starting order in the short program should be made independent of the result of the compulsory competition. Until now the rule has been that mediocre compulsory skaters have been relegated to a poor group draw for the short program; the effect of this is felt up to the final rating since the usual group evaluation system only fails to do justice to the actual performance in the short program and in free skating.

A proposed solution of the problem:

a) Compulsory figures

The compulsory figures can be reduced from 41 to 23 figures without deleting a single element. The ISU and National Figure Tests would be as follows:

4th test No. 1, 2, 3, 5, 9 (5 figures)
3rd test No. 4, 6, 8, 14, 15 (5 figures)
2nd test No. 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23 (6 figures)
1st test No. 20, 21, 31, 38, 39, 40, 41 (7 figures)

b) Draw for the starting order in the short program

The right to a draw in groups 3 and 4 is based on the ranking in the 1st-12th evaluation rank in the short program/free skating program at the European or World's competition of the previous year.

Example World Competition in 1981

Group 4
Linda Fratianne, Emi Watanabi, Denise Biellmann, Anett Pötzsch , Dagmar Lurz, Elaine Zayak

Group 3
Katarina Witt, Lisa-Marie Allen, Claudia Kristofics-Binder, Deborah Cottrill, Sanda Dubravčić, Carola Weissenberg

Kristina Wegelius and Tracey Wainman would move up to take the place of the retiring Linda Fratianne and Dagmar Lurz.

c) Draw for the group of compulsory figures

The draw for the figure group to be skated would take place at the ISU Conference in June (similar to the short program). On the evening prior to the competition, the only draw to be made would be for the foot on which to skate.

This would greatly reduce the practice time and it would probably much improve the quality of the figures.

Wendy Griner: Canada’s Leading Lady of the Early 1960s

The daughter of George and Marjorie (Little) Griner, Wendy Elizabeth Griner was born April 16, 1944, in Hamilton, Ontario. She moved to Toronto as a young girl and started skating at the age of eight. In a 1963 interview, she explained, "I decided to do a little skating for the exercise, just to say I'm in a sport and chiefly with a view to meeting some new people. I was a complete stranger in Toronto. It sort of grew on me. I really liked it and won some club titles. Then I started winning some Sectionals, and someone mentioned that I might be able to go a long way in this field."

Wendy Griner and Donald Jackson practicing for a dance test

In no time, Wendy was taking lessons from famed Canadian coaches Marg and Bruce Hyland and Sheldon Galbraith. Every morning, she skated from 6:30 until 8:30 AM, went to school at Branksome Hall until eleven, then was back on the ice from 11:30 AM to 4 PM, followed by dinner, housework and bed. Her life as a youngster revolved entirely around the sport. In what precious little spare time she had, she enjoyed water skiing, modern jazz dance and tennis.

Wendy Griner (left) at age thirteen with Jean McKechnie at the Toronto Skating Club

By the age of fourteen in 1959, Wendy was the Canadian junior champion. The next year, she moved up to the senior ranks and won her first of three consecutive national titles, in Regina, Saskatchewan. In those days, fall international competitions simply didn't exist and after winning her first Canadian senior title, she had to face the terrifying prospect of making her international debut at, of all places, the Winter Olympics. At the 1960 Games in Squaw Valley, she placed twelfth. In 1962, she recalled, "The ten days previous to the start of the competition, I had been working very hard and I think that perhaps a combination of altitude and fatigue caused me to sleep right through my alarm. Needless to say, after running to the rink minus breakfast only to find that my name had already been called for warm-up left me in rather shaken condition." At the World Championships in Vancouver that followed, she moved up the ladder to seventh. It was clear the fifteen-year-old dynamo from Ontario was going places.

Photos courtesy Marie Petrie McGillvray (left) and "Skating" magazine (right)

After winning the silver medal at the 1961 North American Championships in Philadelphia, Wendy, her mother, and Galbraith booked tickets to the World Championships in Prague... on Sabena Flight 548. Galbraith's last-minute decision to exchange the tickets and take an earlier flight out of New York City spared their lives.

Because of the last minute flight switch, Wendy's name was initially reported in Canadian newspapers among those who had perished in the crash. Upon returning to North America, she skated in the Skating Club of Boston's "Ice Chips" show in memory of her late friend Laurence Owen and visited Laurence's grandmother at her home to express her condolences. The following year, she returned to Prague and won the silver medal at the World Championships behind Sjoukje Dijkstra. Her success was particularly historically significant in that she was the first Canadian woman since Barbara Ann Scott - also a Galbraith pupil - to medal at the Worlds.

Top: Nigel Stephens, George Sherwood, Petra Burka, Shirra Kenworthy, Wendy Griner and F. Ritter Shumway at the 1963 North American Championships. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine. Bottom: Wendy Griner and Bob Butterworth at a carnival at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club.

In 1963, she won the gold medal at the North American Championships in Vancouver in what turned out to be the firstCanadian sweep of the podium in the women's event since 1941. That year at the World Championships in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, she narrowly missed out on a second medal to France's Nicole Hassler. Right behind her in fifth was her Canadian teammate, Petra Burka.

Wendy Griner and Donald McPherson returning from the 1963 World Championships. Photo courtesy Toronto Public Library, from Toronto Star Photographic Archive. Reproduced for educational purposes under license permission.

Wendy's final competitive season in 1964 was disappointing, to say the least. She was dethroned as Canadian Champion by Petra Burka in North Bay, and at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, she skated second to last in the free skate, long after winner Sjoukje Dijkstra. It was almost midnight, pitch black, freezing cold and the ice conditions were, by that time, quite poor. She ended up in tenth place.

At the World Championships that followed in Dortmund, things didn't any fare better. Quoted in Patricia Shelley Bushman's wonderful book "Indelible Tracings", Wendy recalled, "[The judges] decided after the second figure that they were going to dump me... When I got to Europe, the first thing everyone said was: 'What's happened to you?' Of course I said, 'Nothing,' but I was finished."

Turning down an offer to tour with Holiday on Ice, Wendy attended the University of Toronto, married surgeon Dr. Donald Peter Ballantyne and worked as a lab technician. She had two sons and a daughter and spent her days living on farmland outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario, where she raised chickens, grew vegetables and relished a quieter life away from the spotlight. She later went back to university and studied history.

Photos courtesy Yvonne Butorac

Looking back on her competitive days in an interview in the Summer/Fall 1979 edition of "Canadian Skater" magazine, Wendy said "I made a lot of friends, had a lot of fun. There's no doubt in my mind that all that travelling was a great educational experience. I was very lucky [but] I was quite content to change my life and get on with other things... explore other worlds." Although she never skated professionally, Wendy did keep one foot in the sport, covering the 1979 Canadian Championships in Thunder Bay for local television station CKPR/CHFD. She was inducted into Skate Canada's Hall of Fame in 2010.

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, Bluesky, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering one of eight fascinating books highlighting the history of figure skating: https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.

The 1962 Canadian Figure Skating Championships

Virginia Thompson and Bill McLachlan, Wendy Griner, Donald Jackson and Maria and Otto Jelinek. Photo courtesy "Toronto Telegram" fonds, York University Archives.

John Glenn was sent into outer space from Cape Canaveral on the third Project Mercury mission, in the space capsule Friendship 7. Planters introduced dry-roasted peanuts. Gene Chandler's "Duke of Earl" topped the music charts, and John Diefenbaker was Canada's Prime Minister.

From February 22 to 24, 1962, Toronto played host to the first Canadian Figure Skating Championships since the unimaginably tragic crash of Sabena Flight 548 in Belgium, which claimed the lives of the entire 1961 U.S. figure skating team.

Spencer L. Rodway served as the event's chair and set up headquarters at the Park Plaza Hotel on Avenue Road. Two venues were used for the Championships. Figures, the junior dance event and senior compulsory dances were held at the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club, with all other events contested at Varsity Arena. Tickets ranged from a dollar and twenty-five cents to two dollars.

Let's hop in the time machine and reflect back on how things all went down back in 1962!

THE JUNIOR EVENTS

Eight teams skated the Fourteenstep, American Waltz and Blues in tandem in the preliminary round of the junior dance event, with the top four teams progressing to the finals. Four of the five judges placed Carole Forrest and Kevin Lethbridge first, with a judge from Winnipeg opting for Prairie skaters Marilyn Berry and Richard Dunlap. Forrest worked as a typist at the Royal Crown Cola Company, and Lethbridge was taking his Master's in civil engineering at the University of Toronto. They were coached by Marg and Bruce Hyland.

The unanimous winners of the A.L. Dysart Cups for junior pairs were Toronto's Alexis and Chris Shields. Galt's Linda Ward and Neil Carpenter, who were eliminated in the initial round of junior dance, took the silver. The Shields siblings were sixteen and nineteen. Chris was a piano player and former competitor at the Canadian Junior Tennis Championship and was studying medicine at the University of Toronto. Alexis was a grade twelve student at Lawrence Park Collegiate. They were coached by Sheldon Galbraith.

Top to bottom: Valerie Jones and Bill Neale, Chris and Alexis Shields, Kevin Lethbridge and Carole Forrest. Photos courtesy "Skating" magazine.

To save time, referee Sandy McKechnie tried something new - holding the junior men's and women's figures on the ice at the same time, using separate judging panels. Eighteen-year-old Bill Neale of Stamford surpassed Gregory Folk of Toronto in the junior men's event. Folk had won the figures but had several rough landings in the free skate. The other four men - one of them being a young David Dore - each had at least one third-place ordinal. Neale was a student of Wally Distelmeyer. He sang in his church's choir and taught Sunday School.

Valerie Jones and Sheldon Galbraith

Eleven young skaters vied for the gold medal in the junior women's event. In a three-two split of the judging panel, Valerie Jones came out ahead of Norma Sedlar of the Connaught Skating Club, who was known for her artistry. Thirteen-year-old Jones was a student at Vincent Massey Public School. On the ice, she was taught by Sheldon Galbraith. Moncton's Sally Jean Radford placed a disappointing tenth but made history as the first woman from New Brunswick to compete at the Canadian Championships.

THE PAIRS AND FOURS COMPETITIONS

The Cricket Club four

Fours skating returned to the Canadian Championships after a one-year absence. Toronto's Gertrude Desjardins, Elinor Flack, Maurice Lafrance and Phillip McCordic came out ahead of a four from the Glengarry Figure Skating Club in British Columbia. The winning four, who included The Twist in their program, were just one of many entries coached by Sheldon Galbraith.

Maria and Otto Jelinek

The pairs event felt a little bit like Groundhog Day, with the top three teams placing in the same order as they had at the Nationals the year prior in Lachine. With first-place ordinals from four of the five judges, Maria and Otto Jelinek easily defended their national title, besting Desjardins and Lafrance and Debbi Wilkes and Guy Revell. Flack and McCordic finished fourth. One of the highlights of the Jelineks' program was a death spiral where Otto left Maria hanging while he went to do an Axel. The Jelineks and Wilkes and Revell were coached by Bruce Hyland. Desjardins and Lafrance and Flack and McCordic were students of Sheldon Galbraith.

THE MEN'S COMPETITION

Interestingly, the CFSA decided to add two new events to the competition in 1962 - men's and women's free skating events for the McKechnie and F. Herbert Crispo Memorial trophies. Instead of having to skate their free programs a second time, the results from the free skating portion of the singles competitions were used to calculate the winners of these trophies. The winners of the men's trophy was Donald Jackson.

To no one's surprise, Jackson was also the overall winner for the fourth year in succession. He attempted the triple Lutz that he would later land for the first time in competition at the 1962 World Championships in Prague, but slightly two-footed the landing. Donald McPherson was a strong second to Jackson, with Donald Knight third despite losing in free skating to Bill Neale. Because Jackson's triple Lutz attempt had been so close, he received a huge round of applause from the crowd and several newspapers of the time reported that he had in fact landed the jump successfully.

Donald Jackson

Behind the scenes, everything wasn't exactly peachy for Donald Jackson in Toronto. He had taken a flu inoculation priorto the event, so he'd be over its effects well in time for the World Championships in Prague. He been feeling sick the week prior and during the competition. The day before the event, he and Sheldon Galbraith discovered there was a problem with the tempo of his free skating music. The referee gave him special permission to practice at the Cricket Club because he'd missed his practice at the Varsity Arena due to the music problem.

THE WOMEN'S COMPETITION

Wendy Griner

Sonia Snelling was the only woman to compete in just the free skating event, where she placed third behind Wendy Griner, Petra Burka and Shirra Kenworthy. Griner bested Burka in the overall standings as well, three judges to two. Shirra Kenworthy took the bronze, ahead of Patricia Cook, Joy Ann Moyer and Rose Bilyk. Kenworthy had been second in figures over Burka. Joy Ann Moyer had a tense few minutes when her music malfunctioned. Because Burka had made history with her triple Salchow attempt in her free skate and Griner missed a jump midway through her program, some felt that Burka should have at least won the free skate, if not the title. Two of the five judges had Burka ahead of Griner in the free skate.

Because of a last-minute flight switch, Wendy Griner's name had initially been reported in Canadian newspapers among those who had perished in the Sabena Crash the year prior. Upon returning to North America, she skated in The Skating Club of Boston's "Ice Chips" show in memory of her late friend Laurence Owen and visited Grammy Vinson at her home to express her condolences.

THE ICE DANCE COMPETITION

Virginia Thompson and Bill McLachlan

The senior ice dancers skated the Kilian, Westminster Waltz, Argentine Tango twice in tandem and a free dance. June Pinkerton, a judge from Vancouver, had Jean Westwood's students Donna Lee and John 'J.D.' Mitchell first, but the other four judges voted for Virginia Thompson and Bill McLachlan, who trained at the Cricket Club in Toronto. Paulette Doan and Ken Ormsby, the bronze medallists, had two second-place ordinals. Thompson and McLachlan's free dance consisted of a cha cha, tango and waltz. Mrs. L.E. Heffelfinger, who reviewed the event for "Skating" magazine, remarked, "The final round of the Senior Dance with its near-miss and 'brush' collisions due to the variety of starts and length of pattern had all the suspense of a good TV whodunit. Much to the relief of all, the situation was quickly alleviated by a re-skate [and] the placements remained unchanged."

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, Bluesky, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering one of eight fascinating books highlighting the history of figure skating: https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.