Robert James McAvoy
February 9, 1944-December 9, 1994
Mary Petrie, Bob McAvoy and Barbara Ann Scott. Photo courtesy Mary Petrie McGillvray.
Born in Verdun, Bob McAvoy got his start in figure skating at the Lachine Figure Skating Club. In 1966, he won a pair of medals in the very first Canadian novice men's and pairs events. With partner Mary Petrie, he won the silver medal in the junior pairs events at the 1967 and 1968 Canadians. In 1967, Mary and Bob struck gold at the very first Canada Winter Games in Quebec City and in 1969, they won the national junior pairs title. In 1969 and 1970, they finished second in the senior pairs event at Canadians. Mary and Bob were the bronze medallists at the 1969 North American Championships in Oakland and represented Canada at the 1970 World Championships in Yugoslavia. Bob went on to a successful career as a coach, teaching at the Gloucester and Royal Glenora Clubs. His students included Canadian Champions Elizabeth Manley and Kristy Sargeant. He passed away in San Diego, California on December 9, 1994 at the age of fifty.
Maria Jelinek, Bob McAvoy, Mary Petrie and Otto Jelinek. Photo courtesy Mary Petrie McGillvray.
Bob's obituary from "The Ottawa Citizen": "MCAVOY, Robert James. Passed peacefully, at home, in San Diego, on Friday, December 9th, 1994. Leaving behind his loving mother, Simone McAvoy of San Diego and his friend and brother, Douglas of Montreal. 'Bob' will also be missed by the world figure skating community, to which he devoted most of his life, and in which he took a lively interest to the end."
Memories of Bob from Mary Petrie McGillvray: "Bob was a very caring partner. He was taught early by Wally Distelmeyer and Ron Ludington to take good care of his partners on lifts. Bob had a good sense of humour and was fun and funny. He was quite creative and we both enjoyed trying new things and figuring out transitions, etc. He liked to look for good music to skate to. He was very dedicated to the sport of figure skating. While he started skating late he made quick progress... At the 1970 Worlds, Bob had been very ill at our training camp in Lehr, Germany and was ten days in hospital there. We got him out to go to Worlds in Yugoslavia. We had three days to prepare. He spent most of the first two days of practice just getting his legs under him and the third day we did lifts and pair moves. On a split double twist I caught him with my elbow and he ended up with four or five stitches between his eyes. We skated a great short placing twelfth. The long was more concerning because five minute programs were gruelling and we hadn't done a run through in over three weeks. This is when we had the bad fall! I believe we missed forty-five seconds of our program. I hit my face and blacked out. We picked ourselves up and skated the end of our program flawlessly to a standing ovation... Bob started coaching in the Ottawa area in 1970. I believe he was an excellent coach, helping Elizabeth Manley. Stephan Klovan, a friend, says he was the best coach he ever had. He also briefly taught in Edmonton in the early nineties at the Glenora... He had a good sense of humour and was hard-working and creative. He died in December 1994. He was with his Mum in San Diego, California."
*Source for inclusion: "Zero Tollerance: An Intimate Memoir by the Man who Revolutionized Figure Skating", Toller Cranston, Martha Lowder Kimball, 1997
