Extra, Extra, Wrede All About It: The Ludwig Wrede Story

"Magnificent posture, huge swing and impressive jumps worked together to make his freestyle level with Grafström." - "Wiener Sport-Tagblatt", March 11, 1924

Ludwig Wrede was born on October 28, 1894 in Vienna, Austria. He first took the ice as a youngster at Eduard Engelmann's rink and soon joined the Training-Eisklub, where he excelled in both hockey and figure skating. In his youth, he was good friends with Alfred Berger, the pairs partner of Eduard Engelmann's daughter Helene.

Ludwig made his competitive debut prior to the Great War, winning the Wanderpreis competition at the his home club in January of 1912. In the process, he defeated two-time World Bronze Medallist Leo Horwitz and Rudolf Kutzer, the future coach of many Austrian World Champions. He suffered an injury the following season, but managed to finish second behind Ernst Oppacher at the Wanderpreis des Arbeitsministerium in Troppau. At the age of nineteen in 1914, he finished fifth in his first trip to the European Championships. Three judges had him in the top three in free skating, and it really looked like he was going places. Then the War broke out. 

Great War military record for Ludwig Wrede. Photo courtesy Carl Kotlarchik.

Like many other young men in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Ludwig joined the kaiserlich-königliche Landwehr, which was the Austrian faction of the Landstreitkräfte Österreich-Ungarns. He served in the Schützen-Regiment 1 of the Wehrmacht, reaching the rank of Fähnrich but was wounded more than once. It was actually quite remarkable he continued to skate afterwards as his injuries took a toll on his overall health and strength.

Ludwig returned to competition in 1922, placing third in the men's and pairs events at the Austrian Championships. With Melitta Brunner as his partner, he took the gold in both pairs and men's the following year. He placed fifth in his first trip to the World Championships in 1923, but was a strong second in the free skating. A talented athlete, he was known for his strong Axel and loop jumps and fast spins. He even created his own jump - the Wrede - which took off from a back outside edge, with one and a half revolutions in the air, landing on a forward outside edge on the opposite foot. His downfalls were that he tended to get nervous when doing his school figures and lacked a sense of presentation in his free skating. Gunnar Bang recalled,  "Ludwig Wrede skated with speed and made many respond to [his] jumps and pirouettes, but he did not succeed in captivating the audience. Despite his skill, his program became dull and dry."

Ludwig lost the Austrian men's and pairs titles in 1924, but rebounded to take the silver medal at the European Championships and place fifth once again at the Worlds. Had he not had momentarily forgotten how to do one of his figures, he might have placed even higher. 

Herma Szabo and Ludwig Wrede. Photos courtesy National Archives Of Poland.

The following year, Ludwig formed a new pairs partnership with Herma Szabo, the reigning Olympic Gold Medallist and World Champion. Herma and Ludwig were a great match and from 1925 to 1927, they won two Austrian and two World titles, as well as the bronze medal at the 1926 World Championships. 

Top: Herma Szabo and Ludwig Wrede. Bottom: Ludwig Wrede, Herma Szabo, Pepi Weiß-Pfändler and Willy Böckl.

Ludwig continued to compete internationally in singles during this period, placing in the top eight at four ISU Championships. By this time, he was training under Pepi Weiß-Pfändler at the Wiener Eislaufverein.

Herma Szabo and Ludwig Wrede. Photo courtesy Bildarchiv Austria. 

Two weeks before the 1928 Winter Olympic Games, Herma Szabo announced her retirement, forcing Ludwig to scramble for another partner at the eleventh hour. Officials at the Wiener Eislaufverein asked Melitta Brunner if she would skate with Ludwig again. In an interview with Harrington E. Crissey Jr. for "The Journal of the Figure Skating Historical Society" in 1994, Melitta Brunner recalled, "I replied that I'd do it but I considered it a great sacrifice as it would rob me of my practice as a singles skater. Because Wrede and I only had two weeks to practice before the Olympics began, I think we did pretty well to win the bronze medal. I did everything Wrede told me to, but during the competition I rose too soon from a sit spin. That may have cost us the gold. Wrede bawled me out afterwards. All I could do was apologize. We did one very difficult lift in the program. Wrede did a back outside rocker while he lifted and held me and then let me down. I don't think the general public realized how difficult that was. Just doing a back rocker on your own is hard. The music for our program was Waldteufel's 'Estudiantina Waltz'. We also did a sit spin side by side and another one holding each other in waltz position. Pepi Weisz helped us a little but Wrede and I, primarily Wrede, made up our programs... Back in those days, pairs basically coached themselves."

Though Melitta and Ludwig won a pair of bronze medals at the 1928 Winter Olympic Games and World Championships, but their successes weren't without their controversy. Theresa Weld Blanchard recalled that in St. Moritz at the Olympics, "Melitta Brunner and Ludwig Wrede of Austria made a most spectacular, although, some of us felt, a slightly illegal opening. They started way down the ice surface behind the ropes marking off the rink and he lifted her high in the air as they reached the boundary and glided in on a very spectacular spiral. Carry lifts were just coming in then and this one made a big impression on me."

Melitta Brunner and Ludwig Wrede. Photo courtesy National Archives Of Poland.

In 1929, Ludwig won the bronze medal at the European Championships in singles. He also won a silver and bronze in the World men's and pairs events, held that year in Budapest and London. At the time, he was thirty-four - much older than his peers - and a married father of two young girls. He was a trained electrical engineer and a very serious-minded, introspective man who enjoyed writing poetry in his spare time. He was a firm believer in training outdoors. He thought the air was "harmful" in indoor rinks, "perhaps all right for the last three weeks [before a competition] but not for a season." 

Top: Sonja Henie, Karl Schäfer, Andrée (Joly) and Pierre Brunet, Julius Edhoffer, Melitta Brunner and Ludwig Wrede at a carnival at the Philadelphia Skating Club and Humane Society in 1930. Bottom: Karl Schäfer, Sonja Henie, Ludwig Wrede, Melitta Brunner and Georges Gautschi.

Ludwig's final international competition was the 1930 World Championships in New York City. He placed a creditable fifth in singles and second in pairs with Melitta Brunner. He and Melitta's swan song was beautifully skated to Strauss' quintessentially Viennese "Blue Danube" waltz. Two years later, he staged a comeback at the Austrian Championships, forming a new partnership with Olly Holzmann. The duo placed a disappointing third, but managed to outrank former World Champion Otto Kaiser and his new partner Hansi Kast.

Ludwig Wrede (second from left) at the 1930 World Championships. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine.

Ludwig finally decided to call it a day and in January of 1935 opened the École Internationale de Patinage Artistique in Villars. His old friend Sonja Henie came and skated at the school's opening. Ludwig remained in Switzerland for some time, teaching both serious figure skaters and high-society types wintering on the Continent. One of his students was Lady Kennet (Elizabeth Young), a well-known British author and artist. 

After World War II, Ludwig served as a judge at both the 1954 and 1959 European Championships. He had actually been first named as an international judge by the Austrian Federation when he was still competing. He passed away in Vienna on New Year's Day, 1965 at the age of seventy, and has yet to be honoured with an induction to the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame. 

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.

Interpretations: The Herbert Alward Story

The son of Robert and Leonie Alward, Herbert Andrew 'Bob' Alward was born October 20, 1916 in Budapest, Hungary. Though he was the grandson of a Welsh master mariner, Herbert didn't have a typical upbringing in the British Isles. Instead, he and his older siblings William and Bessie grew up in Vienna, Austria, where their father worked as the Continental representative of a British business firm. Herbert and his siblings attended an öffentliche Schuler (state school) and in their spare time, William took up ice hockey and Bessie and Herbert figure skated at the Wiener Eislaufverein. A 1951 feature in "Skating World" magazine recalled, "His first ambition was to be an ice hockey player, and, later, a speed skater. Parental disapproval, after he had suffered numerous injuries, made him give up both these aspirations, and he followed his sister's example and took up figure skating."

Herbert's beginnings in the figure skating world weren't exactly impressive. In his first club competition in the junior men's class at the age of twelve, he placed dead last. Two years later, he landed a Lutz jump and moved up to second in the same event behind future Olympic medallist Erik Pausin. In February of 1932, he finally won the Wiener Eislaufverein's junior men's title, defeating Dominik Schönberger, Karl Zeilinger and Josef Weichselberger. Under the watchful eye of coach Pepi Weiß-Pfändler, he began earning the reputation of a skater with great promise.

In 1935 at the age of eighteen, Herbert won an international event in Zürich as well as a junior competition held in conjunction with the World Championships in Budapest, besting Béla Barcza-Rotter, Kristóf Kállay and three others. His victory at the latter event was considered somewhat controversial at the time, as the three Swiss judges on the panel placed him first and the two Austrians had him third in the figures, but he unanimously won the free skating. The British press hailed him as "a dark horse" for a medal at the 1936 Winter Olympic Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, but he withdrew his entry prior to the event for unknown reasons. That year at the World Championships in Paris, he placed a disappointing ninth.

Henry Graham Sharp, Freddy Mésot, Freddie Tomlins, Felix Kaspar, Elemér Terták, Markus Nikkanen, Herbert Alward, Emil Ratzenhofer and Jean Henrion at the 1937 World Championships in Vienna.  Photo courtesy Julia C. Schulze.

In January of 1937, Herbert finished second at an international competition in St. Moritz held in conjunction with the European Speed Skating Championships. He went on to place in the top five at both the European and World Championships, establishing himself as a bona fide medal contender at the senior level. The following season, he achieved just that, winning the bronze medal at events. At the European Championships, the German judge actually tied him with the winner, Felix Kaspar, in free skating. His medal win at the World Championships that season was by the narrowest of margins, ironically on the strength of his school figures as he was known as a better free skater. In 1939, he finished second at the 'Ostmark' Championships but opted to represent Great Britain, the country of his parents' birth, at the World Championships in Budapest. When Germany annexed Austria, he was invited to a meeting with Hans von Tschammer und Osten, whom the Nazi's had appointed as Reichssportführer. He was promised full training facilities and support if he would skate for Germany, but he declined.

In the spring of 1939, Brits living in Austria were advised to flee the country. Wisely, the entire Alward family hightailed across the English Channel immediately following the 1939 World Championships. The fact that Herbert's older brother William was by then working as a courier with a travel agency may have helped secure their safe passage. Herbert and his sister Bessie took up residence in a semi-detached home on Birchwood Avenue in Wallington, Surrey. Census records note that she was an artist; he a student and German interpreter.

During World War II, Herbert enlisted as a Flight Lieutenant with the Royal Air Force. He spent close to a year in the North African and Mediterranean Theater of Operations, working with the 381 Wireless Unit in Tunisia and Italy, which intercepted and decoded German and Italian messages. A feature in "Skating World" magazine recalled that he "ended his service career at BAFO Air Headquarters, Buckeberg, where his linguistic ability brought him the uneasy job of Officer [in charge of] German civilian labour." He was twice being mentioned in dispatches, and was awarded the M.B.E. for his service. 

Less than a year after the War ended, he married Marion Schreiber. Soon came a son, Peter. Early in the War, Marion worked as Wilfrid Israel's secretary at Bloomsbury House, typing hundreds of letters to the Home Office advocating for 'enemy aliens' in England. Wilfrid Israel was a wealthy Jewish philanthropist who played an important role in Kindertransport, a pre-War rescue effort which saved the lives of thousands of Jewish children. Later Marion acted as as a interpreter for the Allied forces. Through her war work, Marion first became acquainted with Howard Bass, the well-known British sportswriter who penned several books on figure skating. The Alward's and Bass developed a friendship that lasted after the War.

In the post-War years, Herbert became an NSA Gold Medallist and turned professional, appearing in
Tom Arnold's British touring production "Ice Follies" with Olive Robinson, Armand Perren and Raymonde du Bief, the production "Féerie De La Glace" in Belgium and as the leading man in "Ice Rhapsody" at the S.S. Brighton alongside Cecilia Colledge. In 1949 and 1950, he won the World and British Open Professional Championships. 

Herbert went to serve as the senior instructor and stage director for some of Tom Arnold's ice pantomimes at the S.S. Brighton and taught at the Empire Pool, Wembley and Queen's Ice Rink. The school he operated at Brighton in the fifties, in particular, was quite revolutionary for the time in England as it had a ballet teacher on staff and focused more on improving a skater who already had sound technique's presentation through a series of graded classes.

When the S.S. Brighton rink was demolished in the sixties, Herbert retired from coaching and got involved in the wine trade. He passed away in Walton-on-Thames on November 17, 1994 at the age of seventy-eight. Skating historian Dennis L. Bird, who was once Herbert's student, recalled, "He had learned his skating in the famous 'Vienna school' and was firmly convinced that skating should be an artistic and not merely an athletic pursuit." 

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 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.

Failure To Launch

There is nothing more natural than putting a pen to paper. It is what happens next, after the book is already written, edited and formatted, that can be a little overwhelming.

Contrary to popular belief, a good book doesn't sell itself. You have to put as much (if not more) work into spreading the word as you did into creating it in the first place.

When I published my first book "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", there was a long list of things I felt terribly yucky about doing: going on the Tiktok and Instagram, making awkward videos, talking about the book for too long or too much, patting myself on the back for the successes, opening up publicly about the struggles... and guess what? I still don't love those things.

When I published my first books, I really had no clue what I was doing in terms of design or marketing. There was a huge to-do list of things that I didn't even know I had to do long before I clicked publish: finding ARC readers, securing editorial reviews, paid advertising and pitching my book to libraries. Despite many rookie mistakes, the book did surprisingly well in terms of sales. However, the one thing I kept getting told was that I couldn't expect to sell books unless I had more than one of them.

I powered away quickly, adapting two new projects to book form - "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating". I knew "Technical Merit" was far superior to the other two books and that the Bibliography book would have a much more limited audience, so I focused my attention on "Technical Merit" and ran several free promotions on "A Bibliography of Figure Skating" solely to try to bring in reviews. I ultimately did the same thing with "Technical Merit" as well, when I realized more people were interested in "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating" than the other two. The free promotions were both a complete failure - tons of downloads and no reviews. 

Data from an eBook giveaway promotion for "A Bibliography of Figure Skating" on Reddit. 73 downloads, which resulted in 0 reviews.

Both books got buried... and I took the whole experience quite hard. I took comfort from the words of another author who went through a similarly frustrating experience: "I was convinced that I had taken my failure too harshly, that I had identified my faults, and that I could do better. I certainly could, and I certainly shouldn't." 

I knew I could and I knew I shouldn't but I took time before I was ready to coax myself back to the drawing board. I knew that if I wanted to succeed with book number four, I needed to go about things very differently. I took a course in book marketing and applied what I learned, coming up very comprehensive marketing plan after finishing "Jackson Haines: The Skating King". I plugged away behind the scenes every single day before or after work this past summer. I put a lot of effort into creating good marketing copy and getting editorial reviews. I even went out of my comfort zone and joined some new social media channels to get the word out.

I resisted joining Instagram and TikTok for a long time, but decided to put my reservations aside and give them the old college try. I had a good following on Facebook and Twitter/X, but I had a heck of time gaining traction on Instagram. 

Data from an Instagram post that went viral not long before my book launch

Two weeks before my launch, a reel I posted went viral. As of the time I wrote this blog, the viral post reached 209,929 accounts and had 446,902 watches and 15,952 likes. My follower count, though still sadly modest, jumped from 237 to 1,096. When I posted a gorgeous photograph promoting my book on November 13, Instagram showed that post to exactly 24 accounts.

Data from an Instagram post promoting my book two weeks after my launch

I knew from the get-go TikTok wasn't my thing, nor was the younger demographic that use the app my target audience. There is a sizeable community on there called BookTok though and I hoped I might be able to tap into both the skating community on there and the smaller corner of BookTok that enjoyed reading about historical fiction. It took me an entire summer of posting clickbait videos to even reach 40 followers. As an experiment, I tried posting the same viral reel that got over 15,000 likes on Instagram on TikTok. It got less than 15.

Data from TikTok about the exact same video that went viral on Instagram showing that the video was only shown to 318 people, getting 7 likes

During the summer, Meta released its new app Threads - designed as an alternative to Twitter/X, which is becoming increasingly unpopular. There's actually a great community of fellow writers on the app, but the skating community is not particularly engaged as compared to Twitter/X. My best performing post on there got a grand total of 4 likes. Threads was like yelling into the void. 

Less than a week before "Jackson Haines: The Skating King" launched, I found out that Amazon (who is the seller for hard cover copies of the book) had an issue at one of its printing facility impacting distribution in a big way and causing delays of upwards of 4-5 weeks. I had the option of pulling hard cover edition altogether and redoing over 100 marketing materials or going ahead and hoping that people would read the eBook or paperback editions, which are available through dozens of retailers. Despite my best efforts and the fact I've done everything right, things simply haven't gone well at all in terms of sales. 

Some very telling stats. On the top are the ages and genders of Skate Guard readers, on the bottom are the skating lovers who engaged a highly targeted advertisement I ran on Facebook and Instagram on November 13. Not a single click from anyone under 44. 22 clicks, 0 sales.

Despite the struggles, I'm extremely proud of what I accomplished with "Jackson Haines: The Skating King". It's been double and triple fact-checked and annotated enough to satisfy those with academic leanings. It is readable enough to appeal to those who just want to read an interesting story about a founding father of the sport they may have only heard of in passing. It has appeal to figure skating lovers, readers of both historical nonfiction and fiction and history and biography buffs alike. What I'm perhaps proudest of is that it's the kind of book I wanted to write... nerdy, nuanced, factual and fascinating. 

I really do want you to read it and that's why I have been posting about it on social media and talking to people about it a lot over the last two months. I'm not going to apologize for doing that often and I'm not going to apologize for charging money for something that I think is worthy of a place on any skating fan's book shelf. 

No one loves writing for the joy of it more than I do, but we pay to go see plays, films and musicians... Books are entertainment too and as unnatural as it may seem for many artists to double as business people, if you're going the indie route you have to - and you can't apologize for doing it.

I'm not apologizing about asking you to go on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Goodreads and leave an honest review.

I'm not apologizing about asking you to go to your local library's website and fill out a Suggest a Purchase form.

I'm not apologizing about writing a book about a skater who died over a hundred years ago instead of a book about figure skating today to appeal to the masses.

I'm not apologizing for not giving up on a project I worked very hard on that hasn't been selling well.

The only thing I'm apologizing for is not writing the kind of book I wanted to write sooner.

Despite the fact the launch of the book didn't go as planned, I'm looking forward to 2024 with a really positive attitude and starting the long process of working on a fifth book. I don't plan on being finished anytime soon... and I'm very much okay with that!

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 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. 

The Best of 2023: A Skate Guard New Year's Spectacular

So much figure skating history has been made in 2023. This month at the ISU Grand Prix Final in Beijing, Ilia Malinin made history twice - becoming the first skater to land a quad Axel jump in the short program in a major international competition and the first skater to land every single type of quad jump in competition. In the spring at the World Championships in Saitama, Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara made history as the first pair from Japan to win a gold medal at the World Championships. Another outstanding duo, Sara Conti and Niccolò Macii, also made history this year as the very first Italian pair to win a gold medal at the European Championships and a medal at the World Championships. 

It has been a year full of amazing moments in figure skating, but sad ones 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 Oleg Protopopov, Jutta Müller, Alexandra Paul, Doug Mattis, György Czakó, Michael Botticelli, Marilyn Ruth Take Wittstock, Jane Garden and Todd Reynolds.

Despite the very much ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, figure skating has continued to thrive as a world-class sport and 2024 promises to be even more exciting, if the skating we have seen so far this season is any indication.

What a fun year it has been from a content creator perspective too! I was delighted to have contributed some interesting articles for "Skating" magazine and to have published three new books this year: "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps", "A Bibliography of Figure Skating" and "Jackson Haines: The Skating King". I also started a newsletter, which has been a lot of fun as well.

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 course of the past year. A Happy New Year to you and here's to more fascinating figure skating history in 2024! 

10. CAMEL SPINS IN CAIRO: A LOOK AT EGYPT'S UNIQUE SKATING HISTORY

I never cease to be amazed at how parts of the world we don't traditionally think of as skating hotbeds actually have incredibly interesting skating histories. Back in March, we explored the very unique history of skating in Egypt.

9. THE RISE AND FALL OF THE CANADIAN SKATER

Who doesn't know and love "Skating" magazine? It's the oldest continously published figure skating periodical in the world and it's pretty fabulous. Did you know Canada had a lovely glossy figure skating magazine of its own once upon a time? In February, we looked at the story of the short-lived but much-loved periodical "Canadian Skater".

8. BEYOND ONE JUMP: THE NATE WALLEY STORY

You've heard of the Walley jump. Do you know the story of the skater behind it? In February, we looked back on the incredible story of Nate Walley, a Minnesota born skater who made an impact as a figure skating coach in England, Australia, Canada and the United States.

7. SONJA AND THE EXTORTIONIST

Did you know that three-time Olympic Gold Medallist Sonja Henie was the target of criminals more than once? In July, we remembered an exortion attempt on the Norwegian skating great that made it all the way to the case files of the FBI.

6. A BRITISH AMERICAN CHAMPION: THE ROSEMARY BERESFORD STORY

Back in April, we explored the fascinating life story of Rosemary Beresford, the only non-North American woman to claim the U.S. women's title.

5. ZERR WOMAN: THE HELENE ENGELMANN STORY

Austria's Helene Engelmann came from an incredibly talented Viennese skating family and soared to victory with her partner Alfred Berger at the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix. An uncovered interview brought her story to life on Skate Guard in August.

4. NINETIES NOSTALGIA: FIGURE SKATING TOURS IN THE 90'S

In decade of Milli Vanilli and Murphy Brown, who didn't love going out and watching a fabulous figure skating tour in action? In November, we took a fond look back at the history of figure skating tours in the 1990's.

3. IT HAPPENED IN SUN VALLEY: A HISTORY OF FIGURE SKATING IN SUN VALLEY

The outdoor ice rink at the resort in Sun Valley, Idaho has played host to a who's who of figure skating over the years. This month, we took a look at the history of figure skating in Sun Valley and the casts of the resort's iconic summer ice shows.

2. TIME TO TALK TYKE: THE T.D. RICHARDSON STORY

A larger than life figure in the sport, Captain T.D. Richardson was an Olympic figure skater, judge, author, historian and so much more. We explored his immensely interesting story on the blog back in September.

1. CONTRAPTIONS AND CONTRIVANCES: FIGURE SKATING'S ODDEST INVENTIONS

Figure skating history is peppered with bizarre tales of inventions gone wrong. In May, we looked back at the weirdest and wackiest of them all.

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 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.

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. 

Photos courtesy "World Ice Skating Guide"

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!

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

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.