Year |
Skaters |
1937 |
(not recorded) |
1938 |
(not recorded) |
1939 |
Baron von Petersdorff, Audrey Peppe Benner, David Benner, Oscar L. Richard, Suzanne Mum, Harry Doose, Patsy Merifield, Buford McCusker, Bob Boyle |
1940 |
Audrey Peppe Benner, David Benner, Britta Lundequist, Harry Doose, Evelyn Doman, Helen Havenga, Lois and Carole Ann Moedl, Margaret Venable, Bob Kimpston |
1941 |
Hans Johnsen, Oscar L. Richard, Betty Abbott, Carol Ann Moedl, Evelyn O'Keefe, Jack Simpson, John Johnson, Vern Daugherty, Mary Louise Fletchner, Mary Ellen Gleason |
1942 |
Oscar L. Richard |
1943 |
(not held due to World War II - resort taken over as convalescent hospital) |
1944 |
Audrey Peppe, Peter Killam, Margaret Venable, Captain F.M. Rohow, Olga Deutenmiller, Lois, Mona and Carol Ann Moedl, Dolly Slavesky, Bob Styer, Hailey and Mary Jane Griffith |
1945 |
Lois, Mona and Carol Ann Moedl |
1946 |
(not held due to aftermath of World War II) |
1947 |
Audrey Peppe, Carole Lee Kilby, Frances Craven, Cindy McCrea, Carol Ann Moedl, Ray and Mona La Brecque, Doug Mercer, Bruce Clark, Jack Simpson, John Stuckey, Alice Hamby |
1948 |
Carol Ann Moedl, Obb Olson, Dick Peterson, Tom Gilshannon, Patsy Ann Buck |
1949 |
Jane and Jean Coulter |
1950 |
Fritz Dietl, Frances and Sherry Dorsey |
1951 |
Karol and Peter Kennedy, William Lewis, Patsy Ann Buck |
1952 |
Suzanne Morrow, Charles W. 'Lefty' Brinkman, Sonja Wold, Lynne Immes, Sandy McCrea, Nina Engl, Virgie Gunderson, Jackie Joppa, Doris Hansen, Martin Coonan, Johnny Lister |
1953 |
Jacqueline Joppa, Susie Roubicek, Virginia Gunderson, Sandy McCrae |
1954 |
Jimmy Grogan, Peter Dunfield, Jacqueline Jaenisch, Charles W. Brinkman III, Pauline Walford |
1955 |
Janet Gerhauser, Bruce Clark, Patsy Buck, Sharon Constable and Johnny Hertz, Patty Wentz, Connie and Diana Lapp |
1956 |
Tenley Albright, Hugh Graham Jr., Sharon Constable and John Hertz, Jane Gage, Roy Pringle, Beth Sundene, Mary Lou Raymond, Jack Nankervis |
1957 |
David Jenkins, Claralynn Lewis, Grace Clarke, Hans Johnsen, Johnny Lister, Herman Maricich, Pamela Willman, DeAnn Beideck |
1958 |
Robert Lee Brewer, Karen Howland, Scott Ethan Allen, De-Ann Beideck, Kristin Mittun, Lynn Thomas, Anne Lapeyre, John Hendrickson, Carl Olson, Jacquie Koukal, Douglas Duffy, Herman Maricich, James Waldo |
1959 |
Andree Anderson and Donald Jacoby, Eddie Collins, Jim Short, Lynn Thomas, Dick Vraa, Mary Lou Raymond, Bill Hickox, Lorna Dyer, Marshall Campbell, Alanna and Kristin Mittun, Karen Howland, Anne Lapeyre, Virgie Gunderson, Susie Roubicek |
1960 |
Vivian and Ronald Joseph, Judianne and Jerry Fotheringill, Shirra Kenworthy, Karen Howland, Judy Boner, Jane Dystel, Ann Glenn, Judy Saunders, Don Bartelson, David Edwards, John Hendrickson, Jack Nankervis, Dick Vraa |
1961 |
Barbara Wagner, Jimmy Grogan, Judianne and Jerry Fotheringill, Karen Howland, Shirra Kenworthy, Dick Vraa, Leslie and Pamela Boyer, Jane Dystel, Karilyn and Marilyn Frampton, Ann Glenn, Michele Monnier, Lynn Thomas, Don Bartelson, David Edwards |
1962 |
Maria and Otto Jelinek, Jane Dystel, Ronny Scott, John Bartelson, Ann Glenn, Herman Maricich and Hugh McCauley |
1963 |
Ann Glenn, Yvonne Drummond, Virginia Stearns, Don Bartelson |
1964 |
Jimmy Grogan, Lorna Dyer and John Carrell, Yvonne Drummond, Dick Haskell |
1965 |
Ricky Inglesi, Charleen McLaren, Dale and Terry Marzoni, Carol Johnson, Janet Smith, Jeanie Kondo, Petra Buechel, Ann Glenn, Mary Beth Braun, David Mitchell |
1966 |
Tina Noyes |
1967 |
|
1968 |
John Carrell |
1969 |
Petra Buechel, Bob Crowley, Mike Helmers, Ludine Crowford and Robbie Austin, Herman Maricich and Dick Salter |
1970 |
Peggy Fleming, JoJo Starbuck and Ken Shelley, Cathy Steele and Willy Bietak, Eric Waite, Paul Sibley, Walt Wagner, Mike Neun, The Willis Sisters, Natalie Brown, Michael Garren, Toni Camel, Teri Beckerman, Jim Thane, Michele Urbany, Debbie Williams |
1971 |
Judy Schwomeyer and Jim Sladky, David Santee |
1972 |
Karen Magnussen, Patrick McKilligan |
1973 |
Dorothy Hamill, John Carlow Jr., Gale and Joel Fuhrman |
1974 |
Dorothy Hamill, Michelle Ford and Glenn Patterson |
1975 |
Terry Kubicka, Melissa Militano and Johnny Johns, Kathy McDonald, Penny Wilkins |
1976 |
Peggy Fleming, Michelle Ford and Glenn Patterson, John Tichner, Herman Maricich and Dick Salter |
1977 |
Linda Fratianne, Suzie Brasher, John Carlow Jr., Kathy Gelecinskyj |
1978 |
Linda Fratianne, Michelle Ford and Glenn Patterson, Greg Bell, Holly Blundt |
1979 |
Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner, Scott Cramer |
1980 |
Charlie Tickner, Lisa-Marie Allen, David Santee, Terry Kubicka, Kitty and Peter Carruthers, Sandy Lenz, Jimmie Santee, Kim Krohn and Barry Hagan, Beth and Ken Flora |
1981 |
Scott Hamilton, Brian Pockar, Judy Blumberg and Michael Seibert, David Santee |
1982 |
Scott Hamilton, Dorothy Hamill, Charlie Tickner, Rosalynn Sumners, Terry Kubicka |
1983 |
Dorothy Hamill, Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner, David Santee, Kay Thomson, John Carlow Jr. |
1984 |
Scott Hamilton, Robin Cousins, Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner, Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini, Elizabeth Manley, Ron Shaver, Melinda Kunhegyi and Lyndon Johnston, Sandy Lenz |
1985 |
Scott Hamilton, Robin Cousins, Rosalynn Sumners, Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini, Kitty and Peter Carruthers, Toller Cranston, Charlie Tickner, Judy Blumberg and Michael Seibert, Debi Thomas, David Santee, Ron Shaver, Jimmie Santee |
1986 |
Scott Hamilton, Kitty and Peter Carruthers, Elizabeth Manley, Debi Thomas, Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner, Charlie Tickner, Brian Pockar, Lisa Carey and Chris Harrison |
1987 |
Robin Cousins, Scott Hamilton, Rosalynn Sumners, Debi Thomas, Elizabeth Manley, Kitty and Peter Carruthers, Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini, Brian Pockar, Simone Grigorescu |
1988 |
Brian Boitano, Brian Orser, Elizabeth Manley, Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko, Linda Fratianne, Charlie Tickner, Judy Blumberg and Michael Seibert, Gary Beacom, Lea Ann Miller and Bill Fauver, Natalia Annenko and Genrikh Sretenski, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Holly Cook, Jamie-Lynn Kitching Santee, Jimmie Santee |
1989 |
Brian Boitano, Katarina Witt, Scott Hamilton, Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko, Viktor Petrenko, Ludmila and Oleg Protopopov, Midori Ito, Debi Thomas, Brian Orser, Maya Usova and Alexandr Zhulin, Judy Blumberg and Michael Seibert, Rosalynn Sumners, Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini, Kitty and Peter Carruthers, Christopher Bowman, Kristi Yamaguchi and Rudy Galindo, Gary Beacom, Mark Cockerell, Gia Guddat |
1990 |
Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, Brian Boitano, Katarina Witt, Robin Cousins, Scott Hamilton, Elena Valova and Oleg Vasiliev, Brian Orser, Rosalynn Sumners, Debi Thomas, Elizabeth Manley, Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini, Jill Trenary, Evelyn Grossmann |
1991 |
Brian Boitano, Katarina Witt, Scott Hamilton, Robin Cousins, Debi Thomas, Brian Orser, Linda Fratianne, Steven Cousins, Gary Beacom, Natasha Kuchiki and Todd Sand, Jimmie Santee, Jamie-Lynn Kitching Santee, David Liu, Stephanee Grosscup, Gia Guddat, Nick Maricich |
1992 |
Scott Hamilton, Katarina Witt, Brian Orser, Linda Fratianne, Elena Bechke and Denis Petrov, Gary Beacom, Steven Cousins, Calla Urbanski and Rocky Marval, David Liu, Tracey Solomons and Ian Jenkins |
1993 |
Scott Hamilton, Kristi Yamaguchi, Brian Boitano, Katarina Witt, Kurt Browning, Natalia Mishkutenok and Artur Dmitriev, Brian Orser, Isabelle and Paul Duchesnay, Nancy Kerrigan, Paul Wylie, Lu Chen, Linda Fratianne, Maya Usova and Alexandr Zhulin, Jozef Sabovčík, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Gary Beacom, Jimmie Santee |
1994 |
Katarina Witt, Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov, Oksana Baiul, Viktor Petrenko, Brian Orser, Linda Fratianne, Elena Bechke and Denis Petrov, Gary Beacom |
1995 |
Scott Hamilton, Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov, Oksana Baiul, Viktor Petrenko, Nancy Kerrigan, Elvis Stojko, Linda Fratianne, Jozef Sabovčík, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Steven Cousins |
1996 |
Scott Hamilton, Katarina Witt, Oksana Baiul, Kurt Browning, Brian Orser, Nancy Kerrigan, Linda Fratianne, Jozef Sabovčík, Radka Kovaříková and René Novotný, Angelika Krylova and Oleg Ovsiannikov, Steven Cousins, Elizabeth Punsalan and Jerod Swallow, Gary Beacom, Darlin Baker and Andrzej Dostatni |
1997 |
Oksana Baiul, Brian Orser, Nancy Kerrigan, Angelika Krylova and Oleg Ovsiannikov, Mandy Wötzel and Ingo Steuer, Jozef Sabovčík, Yuka Sato, Surya Bonaly, Rudy Galindo, Kyoko Ina and Jason Dungjen, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Steven Cousins |
1998 |
Katarina Witt, Ilia Kulik, Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko, Alexei Yagudin, Tara Lipinski, Nancy Kerrigan, Elizabeth Manley, Jozef Sabovčík, Rudy Galindo, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Steven Cousins |
1999 |
Kurt Browning, Ekaterina Gordeeva, Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko, Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao, Oksana Baiul, Alexei Yagudin, Nancy Kerrigan, Jozef Sabovčík, Surya Bonaly, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Elena Khvalko and Andrei Khvalko |
2000 |
Katarina Witt, Ilia Kulik, Brian Orser, Jozef Sabovčík, Surya Bonaly, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Steven Cousins, Elena Leonova and Andrei Khvalko |
2001 |
Scott Hamilton, Katarina Witt, Nancy Kerrigan, Jozef Sabovčík, Surya Bonaly, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Elena Leonova and Andrei Khvalko |
2002 |
Brian Boitano, Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze, Jamie Salé and David Pelletier, Sasha Cohen, Angelika Krylova and Oleg Ovsiannikov, Irina Slutskaya, Jozef Sabovčík, Surya Bonaly, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Lucinda Ruh, Elena Leonova and Andrei Khvalko, Takeshi Honda |
2003 |
Scott Hamilton, Brian Boitano, Viktor Petrenko, Jamie Salé and David Pelletier, Sasha Cohen, Jozef Sabovčík, Timothy Goebel, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Steven Cousins, Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas, Elena Sokolova, Takeshi Honda |
2004 |
Brian Boitano, Alexei Yagudin, Jamie Salé and David Pelletier, Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin, Elvis Stojko, Sasha Cohen, Jozef Sabovčík, Surya Bonaly, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Elena Leonova and Andrei Khvalko, Johnny Weir |
2005 |
Brian Boitano, Alexei Yagudin, Jamie Salé and David Pelletier, Elvis Stojko, Surya Bonaly, Timothy Goebel, Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto, Sasha Cohen, Evan Lysacek, Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman, Steven Cousins, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas, Elena Leonova and Andrei Khvalko, Johnny Weir |
2006 |
Evan Lysacek, Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao, Evgeni Plushenko, Alexei Yagudin, Jamie Salé and David Pelletier, Sasha Cohen, Philippe Candeloro, Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto, Jozef Sabovčík, Irina Slutskaya, Todd Eldredge, Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Elena Leonova and Andrei Khvalko, Rena Inoue and John Baldwin Jr. |
2007 |
Brian Boitano, Evan Lysacek, Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin, Nancy Kerrigan, Sasha Cohen, Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto, Jozef Sabovčík, Todd Eldredge, Surya Bonaly, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman, Ryan Bradley, Elena Leonova and Andrei Khvalko, Alissa Czisny, Emily Hughes |
2008 |
Brian Boitano, Kurt Browning, Meryl Davis and Charlie White, Evan Lysacek, Sasha Cohen, Jeffrey Buttle Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon, Ryan Bradley, Mirai Nagasu, Alissa Czisny, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre, Johnny Weir, Rachael Flatt |
2009 |
Brian Boitano, Meryl Davis and Charlie White, Viktor Petrenko, Evan Lysacek, Nancy Kerrigan, Sasha Cohen, Jozef Sabovčík, Jeremy Abbott, Ryan Bradley, Alissa Czisny, Johnny Weir, Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre, Brandon Mroz, Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding |
2010 |
Brian Boitano, Meryl Davis and Charlie White, Nathan Chen, Evan Lysacek, Viktor Petrenko, Sasha Cohen, Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto, Jozef Sabovčík, Jeremy Abbott, Ryan Bradley, Alissa Czisny, Johnny Weir, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Elena Leonova and Andrei Khvalko, Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre, Dan Hollander, Rachael Flatt, Craig Heath, Ashley Clark, Darlin Baker |
2011 |
Meryl Davis and Charlie White, Nathan Chen, Evan Lysacek, Sasha Cohen, Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto, Jozef Sabovčík, Mirai Nagasu, Johnny Weir, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Alissa Czisny, Elena Leonova and Andrei Khvalko, Ryan Bradley, Craig Heath, Ashley Clark, Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre, Dan Hollander, Darlin Baker, Irina Grigorian |
2012 |
Meryl Davis and Charlie White, Nathan Chen, Evan Lysacek, Jozef Sabovčík, Jeremy Abbott, Maia and Alex Shibutani, Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman, Johnny Weir, Elena Leonova and Andrei Khvalko, Ryan Bradley, Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre, Craig Heath, Ashley Clark, Darlin Baker, Natalia Zaitseva and Jeremy Abbott, Jason Graetz |
2013 |
Kurt Browning, Nathan Chen, Evan Lysacek, Surya Bonaly, Ashley Wagner, Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue, Ryan Bradley, Alissa Czisny, Johnny Weir, Jozef Sabovčík, Craig Heath, Ashley Clark, Darlin Baker, Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre, Natalia Zaitseva and Jeremy Barrett, Joshua Farris, Agnes Zawadzki |
2014 |
Meryl Davis and Charlie White, Nathan Chen, Evan Lysacek, Jason Brown, Jozef Sabovčík, Ashley Wagner, Gracie Gold, Mirai Nagasu, Alissa Czisny, Johnny Weir, Joshua Farris, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Craig Heath, Ashley Clark, Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre, Natalia Zaitseva and Jonathan Hunt, Ryan Bradley, Erin Reed, Jason Graetz |
2015 |
Meryl Davis and Charlie White, Jason Brown, Ashley Wagner, Gracie Gold, Maia and Alex Shibutani, Ryan Bradley, Johnny Weir, Joshua Farris |
2016 |
Brian Boitano, Meryl Davis and Charlie White, Jason Brown, Ashley Wagner, Adam Rippon, Maia and Alex Shibutani, Gracie Gold, Johnny Weir, Polina Edmunds |
2017 |
Meryl Davis and Charlie White, Nathan Chen, Jason Brown, Ashley Wagner, Madison Chock and Evan Bates, Karen Chen, Gracie Gold, Johnny Weir, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Ashley Clark, Craig Heath, Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre, Natalia Zaitseva and Jonathon Hunt, Erin Reed |
2018 |
Nathan Chen, Adam Rippon, Mirai Nagasu, Maia and Alex Shibutani, Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue, Alexa and Chris Knierim, Bradie Tennell |
2019 |
Nathan Chen, Jason Brown, Ashley Wagner, Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue, Alysa Liu, Ryan Bradley, Jeremy Abbott, Ashley Cain and Timothy LeDuc, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding |
2020 |
(not held due to ongoing COVID-19 pandemic) |
2021 |
Nathan Chen, Madison Chock and Evan Bates, Alysa Liu, Mariah Bell, Ryan Bradley, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Craig Heath, Stephanee Grosscup |
2022 |
Nathan Chen, Jason Brown, Mariah Bell, Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier, Alysa Liu, Ryan Bradley, Ashley Cain and Timothy LeDuc, Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue |
2023 |
Nathan Chen, Jason Brown, Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier, Mariah Bell, Ryan Bradley, Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker, Isabeau Levito, Craig Heath |
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It Happened In Sun Valley: A History Of Figure Skating At The Legendary Resort
Nestled in the mountains of Idaho, the historic resort of Sun Valley was developed by W. Averell Harriman, the chairman of the Union Pacific Railroad and later Governor of New York, during The Great Depression. Capitalizing on the interest in winter sports generated by the 1932 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, Harriman hoped to increase the popularity of train travel to the Western United States and make Sun Valley a tourist destination. From the very beginning, skating played a significant role in its history. With huge thanks to Kelley Moulton, the Regional History Librarian at The Community Library in Ketchum, Idaho, today's blog will take a look back at the fascinating skating history of Sun Valley.
Skating scene set for "I Met Him in Paris". Photo courtesy The Community Library, Ketchum.
It all started not long after the resort opened its doors in December 1936, when Paramount filmed the skating scenes for the comedy "I Met Him In Paris" at the resort. In her 1980 book "Sun Valley: A Winter Wonderland", Dorice Taylor recalled, "Because of subterranean hot springs several spots on the skating rink would not freeze over no matter how much water was sprayed on. At the last minute before filming Fetge was inspired to build an ice bar around the holes an add skating waiters to the cast." Academy Award winning actress Claudette Colbert did her own skating scenes in the film. However, it was a later film released during World War II, starring three-time Olympic Gold Medallist and ten-time World Champion Sonja Henie, that really put Sun Valley on the map.
Poster for "Sun Valley Serenade"
Incredibly, Sonja Henie never even stepped foot in Sun Valley during the filming of "Sun Valley Serenade". Her skating scenes were filmed in a sound studio in Hollywood. When 20th Century Fox crews arrived on location to film the skiing scenes at the resort, Olympic Gold Medallist skier Gretchen Kunigk [Fraser] acted as Sonja's double. They had to retake one of the scenes when Gretchen was away competing in a race, so they plopped a blonde wig on a local schoolboy named Jackie Simpson. who was about Sonja's height.
Baron von Petersdorff, one of Sun Valley's first skating professionals
Though the film industry did much to popularize the idea of Sun Valley being a skating destination, it was the boots on the ground work of a number of early professional skaters and coaches, notably Harry Doose, the Baron von Petersdorff, Audrey Peppe, Hans Johnsen, Herman Maricich and Bruce Clark, that really helped popularize skating at the resort. Two draws of Sun Valley were the fact it offered ice year-round and that it became something of a playground to the stars.
"I Love Lucy" star Lucille Ball skating with Sun Valley professional Herman Maricich. Photo courtesy The Community Library, Ketchum.
The novelty of artificial outdoor ice and year-round skating really took off in America in the 1930's. In 1933, the St. Paul Auditorium in Minnesota staged a popular ice carnival, starring U.S. Champion Robin Lee, the Shipstad Brothers and Oscar Johnson. The Shipstad's and Johnson, of course, went on to develop the hugely popular Ice Follies tour. Productions at the Tropical Ice Gardens in Westwood Village, Los Angeles, drew a who's who of skating royalty. It was also during the 1930's that New York's famous Rockefeller Skating Pond opened its doors. In the span of less than two decades, year-round skating became such a huge novelty in America that by 1954, there were fifty-three American rinks open in the summer.
Program for Sun Valley's 1940 Summer Ice Carnival. Photo courtesy The Community Library, Ketchum.
Perhaps the biggest draw of Sun Valley were its famous ice carnivals, which got their start in the late thirties not long after the resort opened its doors. Precious little is recorded about the very first ice shows in Sun Valley, because the only newspaper printed in the area at the time (based out of Hailey, about fifteen miles south of Ketchum) did not really much about the happenings in Sun Valley. The resort didn't start its own publication until a few years after it opened.
The first ice carnivals were directed by Audrey Peppe and Sun Valley's website recorded that early on, the shows "featured skaters who could barely make their way around the rink. Young people employed by Union Pacific to work at the resort in other capacities [waitresses, bus boys and guides] were given a costume, a pair of skates and instructions that were often as sketchy as, 'just move around!' Guests were also engaged in the chorus numbers and their photos printed in the society pages of the local newspaper back home." During World War II, the ice carnivals raised funds for the Red Cross and other wartime charities and hospital staff and military personnel took part.
Photos courtesy The Community Library, Ketchum
Because of the inexperience of many of the show's early skaters, sometimes the ice carnivals became something of a comedy of errors. Dorice Taylor recalled, "Mistakes did happen. One evening someone scheduled a new act in which Herman Maricich was to skate in a trio immediately after his solo barrel-jumping number. While he frantically tried to get in his new costume, the other two did an impromptu duo for five minutes. When Herman joined them, they managed to skate the rest of the number to music designed for a chorus later in the program. And no one laughed when a great feather in Audrey Peppe's hat got stuck right across her eyes and she went gallantly on to a beautiful finish around the rail. Except that she couldn't see the end of the rail and ended flat on the ice. In the Western chorus number, the audience was a bit curious when the lights suddenly went out. When they came back on, one of the cowboys was skating alone. Spectators never knew that his cowgirl had forgotten to button her skirt, which fell off and left her standing in her scanties."
Photo courtesy The Community Library, Ketchum
In 1955, Sun Valley's small 125 X 65 summer outdoor rink was replaced with a larger 180 X 90 rink and during the fifties, the resort's ice carnivals started drawing in some first-class elite skaters as guest stars. In 1956, Tenley Albright made history as the first Olympic Gold Medallist to perform in a skating carnival in Sun Valley. Other well-known skaters who performed in Sun Valley in the fifties included Jimmy Grogan, Karol and Peter Kennedy, Suzanne Morrow, Scott Ethan Allen and Peter Dunfield.
Video courtesy Frazer Ormondroyd
In 1957, World Champion David Jenkins was the headliner and who could forget that famous newsreel footage of him landing a triple Axel in Sun Valley? It was history in the making.
Photo courtesy The Community Library, Ketchum
Peggy Fleming came to Sun Valley to train for the 1965 World Championships in Colorado Springs and fell in love with the resort. Peggy starred in a number of shows in Sun Valley over the years and even staged a television special there, called "Peggy Fleming At Sun Valley". The special won Emmy Awards for both Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy, Variety or Music and Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography for Entertainment Programming - For a Special or Feature Length Program Made for Television.
Photo courtesy "World Ice Skating Guide"
The Peggy Fleming special further popularized Sun Valley as a skating destination and by 1975, there was so much interest in the resort's summer skating school, test days and Summer Skating Championships that an Olympic-sized indoor rink opened at the resort to complement the famous outdoor one. The summer ice shows continued to flourish, with Peggy Fleming being joined by a host of other skating stars, including Dorothy Hamill, Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner, Karen Magnussen, Linda Fratianne and JoJo Starbuck and Ken Shelley.
It was in the 1980's that the summer ice shows in Sun Valley really exploded. Rainer Kolb, a former Director of Recreation at Sun Valley recalled, "Suddenly we had quite a few big, big shows. Scott Hamilton came up every year when he was the World Champion. Kitty and Peter Carruthers, who were the U.S. Pair Champions for four years and Olympic Silver Medallists, skated here. Then that group became professionals after the 1984 Olympics and we were dealing with agents instead of skaters, coaches and moms. But we were able to bring up the new amateurs and the pros came back year after year. They started networking with other pros, telling each other how much fun it was to skate in Sun Valley." Scott Hamilton made his professional debut in Sun Valley on July 14, 1984. Over two dozen Olympic Medallists and World Champions performed in Sun Valley in the 1980's - everyone from Katarina Witt and Brian Boitano to Toller Cranston, Robin Cousins and the legendary Russian pair of Ludmila and Oleg Protopopov. Many skating fans made the trip to Sun Valley in the summer because it not only gave them a chance to see their favourite skaters perform, but it was a wonderful place for a relaxing vacation to boot.
World Professional Champions Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding performing their incredible Enigma program in Sun Valley in 2006
Professional competitions exploded in the aftermath of the 'whack heard around the world' in 1994. Sun Valley played host to its first professional competition that fall, billed as as the Sun Valley CBS Outdoor World Professional Figure Skating Championships. When televised on CBS, the 'World Professional' was dropped so as not to conflict with Dick Button's World Professional Championships in Landover, Maryland. A separate event, the U.S. Amateur Ladies Skating Challenge, was held the following day. Brian Boitano won the professional event; a very young Michelle Kwan won the amateur one. In recent years, Sun Valley has played host to one of the very few professional competitions remaining - the ProSkaters Open.
Olympic Gold Medallist Nathan Chen performing his fabulous "Caravan" program in Sun Valley in 2021
Sun Valley's summer ice shows have remained popular to this day, and in the woefully incomplete table below, you can find a list of the amazing performers who have graced the shows over the years. If you have any information to fill in the missing details, please don't hesitate to get in touch!
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 the figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.