The Best Figures Skaters In North America

Today we'll take a quick look at the best figures skaters in North America! All of the talented skaters in this table won the compulsory figures at the Canadian and U.S. Figure Skating Championships. The skaters with a * beside their name also won the overall title.

A point of reference for the list of figures winners at the U.S. Championships: figures were last a part of the senior men's and women's events in 1990, but were contested for close to a decade afterwards as a separate championship event.  

CANADIAN FIGURES CHAMPIONS

Year	Men	Women
1939	Montgomery Wilson*	Mary Rose Thacker*
1940	Ralph McCreath*	Mary Rose Thacker
1941	Ralph McCreath*	Mary Rose Thacker*
1942	Michael Kirby*	Mary Rose Thacker*
1944	(not held)	Barbara Ann Scott*
1945	Frank Sellers	Barbara Ann Scott*
1946	Norris Bowden	Barbara Ann Scott*
1947	Norris Bowden*	Marilyn Ruth Take*
1948	Wally Distelmeyer*	Barbara Ann Scott*
1949	Roger Wickson*	Jeane Matthews
1950	Bill Lewis	Suzanne Morrow*
1951	Peter Firstbrook*	Suzanne Morrow*
1952	Peter Firstbrook*	Vevi Smith
1953	Peter Firstbrook*	Dawn Steckley
1954	Charles Snelling*	Barbara Gratton*
1955	Charles Snelling*	Ann Johnston
1956	Charles Snelling*	Sonja Currie
1957	Charles Snelling*	Carole Jane Pachl*
1958	Charles Snelling*	Margaret Crosland*
1959	Donald Jackson*	Margaret Crosland*
1960	Donald Jackson*	Wendy Griner*
1961	Donald Jackson*	Wendy Griner*
1962	Donald Jackson*	Wendy Griner*
1963	Donald McPherson*	Wendy Griner*
1964	Charles Snelling*	Petra Burka*
1965	Donald Knight*	Petra Burka*
1966	Donald Knight*	Petra Burka*
1967	Donald Knight*	Valerie Jones*
1968	Jay Humphry*	Karen Magnussen*
1969	Jay Humphry*	Karen Magnussen
1970	David McGillvray*	Karen Magnussen*
1971	Toller Cranston*	Karen Magnussen*
1972	Toller Cranston*	Karen Magnussen*
1973	Toller Cranston*	Karen Magnussen*
1974	Toller Cranston*	Daria Prychun
1975	Toller Cranston*	Lynn Nightingale*
1976	Toller Cranston*	Lynn Nightingale*
1977	Ron Shaver*	Lynn Nightingale*
1978	Jimmy Szabo	Heather Kemkaran*
1979	Brian Pockar*	Deborah Albright
1980	Gary Beacom	Heather Kemkaran*
1981	Brian Pockar	Tracey Wainman*
1982	Brian Pockar	Tracey Wainman
1983	Gary Beacom	Kay Thomson*
1984	Gary Beacom	Kay Thomson*
1985	Brian Orser*	Tracey Wainman
1986	Brian Orser*	Tracey Wainman*
1987	Brian Orser*	Elizabeth Manley*
1988	Brian Orser*	Elizabeth Manley*
1989	Kurt Browning*	Charlene Wong
1990	Jeff Partrick	Margot Bion

You'll notice that this table starts in 1939, which was obviously not when the Canadian Championships began. In figure or 'fancy' skating's early years, the competitions were covered in newspaper's 'society' pages instead of in the sports section. More often than not, only the winners were listed. That said, there are some accounts of skaters winning the figures but not the overall title prior to 1939. Two examples of this would be Constance Wilson in 1925 and Cecil Smith in 1933. When Constance won the figures in 1925, Cecil took the overall title and when Cecil won the figures in 1933, Constance was the overall winner.

Tracey Wainman. Photo courtesy Toronto Public Library, from Toronto Star Photographic Archive. Reproduced for educational purposes under license permission.

Perhaps the most interesting thing this list reveals is that for five years in a row (1980-1984), the winner of the senior men's figures was not the overall winner. Three of those years, Gary Beacom won the figures at Canadians. Tracey Wainman would have actually won four Canadian titles in the eighties instead of two had they have been based on figures alone.

The winners of the school figures the last time they were held at the Canadians in 1990 didn't even medal. Jeff Partrick and Margot Bion both placed sixth overall that year. The winners, Kurt Browning and Lisa Sargeant, were both second in figures.

Another interesting tidbit that stands out is that from 1952 to 1956, only once did the winner of the women's figures take the overall title - Barbara Gratton in 1954. Five different women won the Canadian title during that decade.

U.S. FIGURES CHAMPIONS

Year	Men	Women
1914	Norman Mackie Scott*	Edith Eliot Rotch, Theresa Weld* (tie)
1918	Nathaniel Niles*	Rosemary Seton Beresford*
1920	Sherwin Badger*	Theresa Weld*
1921	Sherwin Badger*	Theresa Weld Blanchard*
1922	Sherwin Badger*	Theresa Weld Blanchard*
1923	Sherwin Badger*	Theresa Weld Blanchard*
1924	Nathaniel Niles	Theresa Weld Blanchard*
1925	Nathaniel Niles*	Beatrix Loughran*
1926	Nathaniel Niles	Beatrix Loughran*
1927	Nathaniel Niles*	Beatrix Loughran*
1928	Roger Turner*	Maribel Vinson*
1929	Roger Turner*	Maribel Vinson*
1930	Roger Turner*	Maribel Vinson*
1931	Roger Turner*	Maribel Vinson*
1932	Roger Turner*	Maribel Vinson*
1933	Roger Turner*	Maribel Vinson*
1934	Roger Turner*	Suzanne Davis*
1935	Robin Lee*	Maribel Vinson*
1936	Robin Lee*	Maribel Vinson*
1937	Robin Lee*	Maribel Vinson*
1938	Robin Lee*	Joan Tozzer*
1939	Robin Lee*	Joan Tozzer*
1940	Eugene Turner*	Joan Tozzer*
1941	Eugene Turner*	Gretchen Van Zandt Merrill
1942	Bobby Specht*	Phebe Tucker
1943	Arthur Vaughn Jr.*	Gretchen Van Zandt Merrill*
1944	(not held)	Gretchen Van Zandt Merrill*
1945	(not held)	Gretchen Van Zandt Merrill*
1946	Jimmy Lochead Jr.	Gretchen Van Zandt Merrill*
1947	Dick Button*	Gretchen Van Zandt Merrill*
1948	Dick Button*	Yvonne Sherman
1949	Dick Button*	Yvonne Sherman*
1950	Dick Button*	Yvonne Sherman*
1951	Dick Button*	Sonya Klopfer*
1952	Dick Button*	Tenley Albright*
1953	Hayes Alan Jenkins*	Tenley Albright*
1954	Hayes Alan Jenkins*	Tenley Albright*
1955	Hayes Alan Jenkins*	Tenley Albright*
1956	Hayes Alan Jenkins*	Tenley Albright*
1957	David Jenkins*	Carol Heiss*
1958	Tim Brown	Carol Heiss*
1959	David Jenkins*	Carol Heiss*
1960	Tim Brown	Carol Heiss*
1961	Gregory Kelley	Stephanie Westerfeld
1962	Monty Hoyt*	Barbara Roles Pursley*
1963	Monty Hoyt	Lorraine Hanlon*
1964	Scott Ethan Allen*	Christine Haigler
1965	Gary Visconti*	Peggy Fleming*
1966	Scott Ethan Allen*	Peggy Fleming*
1967	Scott Ethan Allen	Peggy Fleming*
1968	Tim Wood*	Peggy Fleming*
1969	Tim Wood*	Dawn Glab
1970	Tim Wood*	Janet Lynn*
1971	John 'Misha' Petkevich*	Julie Lynn Holmes
1972	John 'Misha' Petkevich	Julie Lynn Holmes
1973	Gordon McKellen Jr.*	Diane Goldstein
1974	Charlie Tickner	Dorothy Hamill*
1975	Gordon McKellen Jr.*	Dorothy Hamill*
1976	David Santee	Dorothy Hamill*
1977	David Santee	Barbie Smith
1978	Charlie Tickner*	Linda Fratianne*
1979	Charlie Tickner*	Linda Fratianne*
1980	Charlie Tickner*	Linda Fratianne*
1981	Scott Hamilton*	Priscilla Hill
1982	Scott Hamilton*	Priscilla Hill
1983	Scott Hamilton*	Melissa Thomas
1984	Scott Hamilton*	Rosalynn Sumners*
1985	Brian Boitano*	Tiffany Chin*
1986	Brian Boitano*	Debi Thomas*
1987	Brian Boitano*	Debi Thomas
1988	Brian Boitano*	Debi Thomas*
1989	Daniel Doran	Jill Trenary*
1990	Todd Eldredge*	Jill Trenary*
1991*	Craig Heath	Kelly Ann Szmurlo
1992*	Brian Schmidt	Kelly Ann Szmurlo
1993*	Gene 'Gigi' Siruno	Kelly Ann Szmurlo
1994*	Gene 'Gigi' Siruno	Melanie Dupon
1995*	John Baldwin Jr.	Lisa Bryson
1996*	Everett Weiss	Cassy Papajohn
1997*	Everett Weiss	Melanie Dupon
1998*	(not held)	Cassy Papajohn
1999*	(not held)	Lisa Frenzel Swain

Aside from the post-1990 events, only four times has the winner of the school figures not won a medal in a senior event at the U.S. Championships. All four times, it happened in the women's event - in 1969, 1973, 1982 and 1983. The only tie in senior figures at the U.S. Championships happened at the very first event in Boston in 1914. 

Maribel Vinson Owen. Photo courtesy Harvard University, Radcliffe Archives.

Roger Turner holds the record for the most wins in the school figures in the men's event at seven, while Maribel Vinson Owen holds the record for the most wins by a man or woman at nine. Julie Lynn Holmes and Priscilla Hill both have the distinction of winning the figures at the U.S. Championships twice, but never winning a national title. 

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