2024 has been a landmark year for figure skating, filled with remarkable achievements. During the World Figure Skating Championships held in Montreal this spring, Ilia Malinin made history by becoming the first skater to successfully execute six quadruple jumps, at the World Championships as he clinched his first World title. In the pairs competition, Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps brought home Canada's first gold medal at the Worlds since 2016. Notably, no woman has ever secured a World title in her forties until now. In a thrilling turn of events in Grenoble, France, Amber Glenn emerged as the first American woman to win the ISU Grand Prix Final in over ten years. In the ice dance event, Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson also achieved a historic milestone by earning the UK's first-ever medal in ice dancing at the Grand Prix Final. These are just a few of the many milestones that occurred this year!
This year has also been an absolute blast from the viewpoint of a skating content creator. I was delighted by the reception to my book "Sequins, Scandals & Salchows: Figure Skating in the 1980s". I was equally delighted to finally say goodbye to "X" and embrace the wonderful world of Bluesky. If you're not following me there as of yet, I hope that you will!
Though 2024 has been a year full of amazing moments in figure skating, there have been sad moments as well. As we look back on the year, we all will take a moment to honour the memories of many members of the skating community we lost this year, including Bob Paul, Sjoukje Dijkstra, Andrea Kékesy, Frank Carroll, Joan Haanappel, Slavka Kohout, Walter Bainbridge, Melissa Militano, Gordon Crossland, Claire Ferguson, Margaret Crosland and Hugh Graham.
As is the case every year here on Skate Guard, I like to close out the year by doing a little countdown of 10.0 of the most compelling stories that you may have missed over the past year. A Happy New Year to you and here's to more fascinating figure skating history in 2024!
10. SKATE GUARD TACKLES SKATE GUARD HISTORY
Since the blog is called Skate Guard, it was perhaps inevitable that I did a blog on the history of the sport's most famous accessories. Back in February, we explored the interesting evolution of skate guards over the years.
9. THE CASA CARIOCA NIGHTCLUB
Did you know that Germany once played host to a skating nightclub? In the aftermath of World War II, the famous Casa Carioca Nightclub in Garmisch-Partenkirchen was the stomping grounds of both army men and adagio pairs skaters. We explored the story of this unique skating venue on the blog back in January.
8. HOWARD BASS, SKATING SCRIBE
You might not know his name, but Howard Bass was one of the most prolific writers about figure skating you could find. He penned nearly a dozen books about the sport and produced three different skating magazines. We explored Howard Bass' story on the blog back in February.
7. ORAL HISTORY: INTERVIEW WITH OSBORNE COLSON
After winning two consecutive Canadian senior men's titles, Osborne Colson went on to an incredible career as one of the most revered figure skating coaches in Canada. Thanks to Greg Hill, who contributed his transcripts of several interviews that appeared on the blog this year, a rare oral history interview with Mr. Colson saw the light of day on the blog in April.
6. A MARVEL FROM MANCHESTER: THE JACK FERGUSON PAGE STORY
A two-time Olympian and medallist at the World Figure Skating Championships in both singles and pairs, Jack Ferguson Page was the UK's leading men's figure skater for over a decade. However, his triumphant life ended in tragedy. We explored Jack Ferguson Page's story on the blog in August.
5. MARVIN R. CLARK, THE FIRST AMERICAN SKATING JOURNALIST
Does the name Marvin R. Clark mean anything to you? I didn't think so. It probably should, because not only was he the first American skating journalist, but he was also blind. We explored Marvin R. Clark's story on the blog in February.
4. THE ADELAIDE GLACIARIUM
Did you know that the first ice rink in the Southern Hemisphere opened its doors in 1904? The Adelaide Glaciarium was the first of its kind in Australia and its history was absolutely fascinating. We explored the rink's story back in March.
3. TALKING TOLLER WITH PHILLIPPA CRANSTON BARAN
In February, I had the absolute pleasure of chatting with Phillippa Cranston Baran about her book "Toller Cranston: Ice, Paint, Passion", dedicated to her brilliant brother Toller. If you haven't read the book yet, you should definitely read this interview.
2. THE SKATING CLUB
During the Victorian era, the UK's most prestigious skating club was simply called.... The Skating Club. I had an absolute blast digging deep - and I mean deep - into the archives to bring the story of this London skating club to life in November. It's the perfect story for a snowy holiday afternoon.
1. THEY SKATED AWAY
In my book Sequins, Scandals & Salchows: Figure Skating in the 1980s, I delve into how the AIDS Epidemic intersected with the skating world during that decade. Sadly, the impact of HIV/AIDS-related illnesses extended well beyond the 80s, resulting in the loss of numerous beloved skaters, coaches, and judges.
In fact, the number of individuals from our skating family whose lives were lost was more than double that of those lost in the tragic 1961 Sabena Crash, which took the lives of the entire U.S. Figure Skating Team.
During the peak of the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2021, I dedicated several months to interviewing the surviving family members and friends of many who were part of the skating world and who we lost. This invaluable research became a significant aspect of the book, and I am incredibly grateful to everyone who shared their stories.
They Skated Away is a further collection of short biographies, memories, and photographs that honor the lives of many talented men who left us far too early. I hope you check it out and get involved by sharing your own memories and photos in 2025. You can explore this feature here.
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 six fascinating books highlighting the history of figure skating: https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.