Nineties Nostalgia: Figure Skating Tours In The 90's

Tell me what you want... what you really, really want. It's a 90's throwback blog, isn't it?

In the last decade of the twentieth century, media attention and public interest in the "whack heard around the world" gave way to an explosion in popularity for the sport of figure skating. People just couldn't get enough. The world's top figure skaters vied for cold hard cash in dozens of professional competitions and skating fans around the world flocked to box offices to scoop up tickets to their favourite touring ice shows. Today's Skate Guard blog takes a fond look back at the many skating tours that were in operation during the decade of star lifts, Spice Girls, slap bracelets and Salchows. 

Art on Ice

Year	Skaters
1998 (German tour)	Mandy Wötzel and Ingo Steuer, Philippe Candeloro, Denise Biellmann, Surya Bonaly, Susanna Rahkamo and Petri Kokko, Tanja Szewczenko, Sarah Abitbol and Stéphane Bernadis, Elena Leonova and Andrei Khvalko, Daniel Weiss

Photo courtesy Bobrin Ice Theatre

Bobrin Ice Theatre

Year	Skaters
1990 (Soviet, Turkish, American tours)	Natalia Bestemianova and Andrei Bukin, Igor Bobrin, Kira Ivanova
1991 (Soviet, Middle Eastern tours)	Natalia Bestemianova and Andrei Bukin, Igor Bobrin
1992 (South African, French, North Korean tours)	Natalia Bestemianova and Andrei Bukin, Igor Bobrin
1993 (Swiss, French, South Korean tours)	Natalia Bestemianova and Andrei Bukin, Igor Bobrin
1994 (Japanese, South Korean, Taiwanese, Swiss, German, Austrian tours)	Natalia Bestemianova and Andrei Bukin, Igor Bobrin
1995 (French, Italian, German, Austrian tours)	Natalia Bestemianova and Andrei Bukin, Igor Bobrin
1996 (Spanish tour)	Natalia Bestemianova and Andrei Bukin, Igor Bobrin
1997 (South Korean, Polish tours)	Natalia Bestemianova and Andrei Bukin, Igor Bobrin
1998 (French, German, Russian tours)	Natalia Bestemianova and Andrei Bukin, Igor Bobrin
1999 (Indian, Italian, French, South Korean tours)	INatalia Bestemianova and Andrei Bukin, Igor Bobrin

Royal Bank Champions on Ice (CFSA)

Year	Skaters
1989-1990	Kurt Browning, Jozef Sabovčík, Grzegorz Filipowski, Matthew Hall, Tracey Wainman, Cindy Landry and Lyndon Johnston

Champions on Ice/Tour of World Figure Skating Champions (Tom Collins Tour)

Year	Skaters
1990 (Tour of World Figure Skating Champions)	Viktor Petrenko, Kurt Browning, Paul Wylie, Todd Eldredge, Christopher Bowman, Mark Mitchell, Midori Ito, Jill Trenary, Holly Cook, Natalia Lebedeva, Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov, Natalia Mishkutenok and Artur Dmitriev, Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler, Kristi Yamaguchi and Rudy Galindo, Cindy Landry and Lyndon Johnston, Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko, Isabelle and Paul Duchesnay, Maya Usova and Alexandr Zhulin, Susie Wynne and Joseph Druar, Jo-Anne Borlase and Martin Smith, April Sargent and Russ Witherby
1991 (Tour of World Figure Skating Champions)	Viktor Petrenko, Brian Orser, Todd Eldredge, Christopher Bowman, Gary Beacom, Mark Mitchell, Kristi Yamaguchi, Peggy Fleming, Nancy Kerrigan, Elizabeth Manley, Jill Trenary, Tonya Harding, Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov, Natalia Mishkutenok and Artur Dmitriev, Elena Valova and Oleg Vasiliev, Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler, Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini, Elena Bechke and Denis Petrov, Marina Klimova a­nd Sergei Ponomarenko, Natalia Bestemianova and Andrei Bukin, Maya Usova and Alexandr Zhulin, Susie Wynne and Joseph Druar
1992 (Tour of World Figure Skating Champions)	Viktor Petrenko, Paul Wylie, Petr Barna, Mark Mitchell, Kristi Yamaguchi, Lu Chen, Nancy Kerrigan, Jill Trenary, Tonya Harding, Natalia Mishkutenok and Artur Dmitriev, Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler, Elena Bechke and Denis Petrov, Radka Kovaříková and René Novotný, Calla Urbanski and Rocky Marval, Oksana Grishuk and Evgeni Platov, Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko, Maya Usova and Alexandr Zhulin
1993 (Tour of World Figure Skating Champions)	Brian Boitano, Viktor Petrenko, Philippe Candeloro, Petr Barna, Scott Davis, Gary Beacom, Mark Mitchell, Oksana Baiul, Lu Chen, Nancy Kerrigan, Jill Trenary, Surya Bonaly, Natalia Mishkutenok and Artur Dmitriev, Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler, Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner, Jenni Meno and Todd Sand, Calla Urbanski and Rocky Marval, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko, Isabelle and Paul Duchesnay, Maya Usova and Alexandr Zhulin
1994 (Winter Tour of World Figure Skating Champions)	Scott Hamilton, Robert Wagenhoffer, Gary Beacom, Katarina Witt, Elaine Zayak, Tonya Harding, Gia Guddat, Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini, Renée Roca and Gorsha Sur, Elizabeth Punsalan and Jerod Swallow, Judy Blumberg and Jim Yorke
1994 (Tour of World Figure Skating Champions)	Brian Boitano, Viktor Petrenko, Alexei Urmanov, Elvis Stojko, Philippe Candeloro, Scott Davis, Gary Beacom, Oksana Baiul, Michelle Kwan, Lu Chen, Nancy Kerrigan, Surya Bonaly, Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov, Natalia Mishkutenok and Artur Dmitriev, Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler, Jenni Meno and Todd Sand, Oksana Grishuk and Evgeni Platov, Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko, Isabelle and Paul Duchesnay, Maya Usova and Alexandr Zhulin, Elizabeth Punsalan and Jerod Swallow
1995 (Tour of World Figure Skating Champions)	Brian Boitano, Viktor Petrenko, Elvis Stojko, Philippe Candeloro, Todd Eldredge, Scott Davis, Oksana Baiul, Michelle Kwan, Lu Chen, Nancy Kerrigan, Jill Trenary, Surya Bonaly, Nicole Bobek, Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler, Jenni Meno and Todd Sand, Calla Urbanski and Rocky Marval, Gia Guddat and Gary Beacom, Oksana Grishuk and Evgeni Platov, Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko, Isabelle and Paul Duchesnay, Maya Usova and Alexandr Zhulin, Renée Roca and Gorsha Sur, Elizabeth Punsalan and Jerod Swallow
1996 (Winter Tour of World Figure Skating Champions)	Brian Boitano, Viktor Petrenko, Todd Eldredge, Scott Davis, Oksana Baiul, Michelle Kwan, Nicole Bobek, Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler, Jenni Meno and Todd Sand, Calla Urbanski and Rocky Marval, Gia Guddat and Gary Beacom, Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko, Maya Usova and Alexandr Zhulin
1996 (Tour of World Figure Skating Champions)	Brian Boitano, Viktor Petrenko, Alexei Urmanov, Elvis Stojko, Philippe Candeloro, Todd Eldredge, Rudy Galindo, Éric Millot, Scott Davis, Dan Hollander, Oksana Baiul, Michelle Kwan, Nancy Kerrigan, Lu Chen, Surya Bonaly, Nicole Bobek, Tonia Kwiatkowski, Oksana Kazakova and Artur Dmitriev, Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler, Mandy Wötzel and Ingo Steuer, Jenni Meno and Todd Sand, Gia Guddat and Gary Beacom, Oksana Grishuk and Evgeni Platov, Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko, Maya Usova and Alexandr Zhulin, Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz, Elizabeth Punsalan and Jerod Swallow
1997 (Winter Tour of World Figure Skating Champions)	Brian Boitano, Viktor Petrenko, Rudy Galindo, Mark Mitchell, Dorothy Hamill, Oksana Baiul, Elizabeth Manley, Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler, Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner, Gia Guddat and Gary Beacom, Calla Urbanski and Rocky Marval, Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko, Maya Usova and Alexandr Zhulin
1997 (Tour of World Figure Skating Champions)	Oksana Grishuk and Evgeni Platov, Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko, Maya Usova and Alexandr Zhulin, Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz, Elizabeth Punsalan and Jerod Swallow
1998 (Champions on Ice – Winter Tour)	Brian Boitano, Viktor Petrenko, Rudy Galindo, Jozef Sabovčík, Dorothy Hamill, Oksana Baiul, Nancy Kerrigan, Elizabeth Manley, Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler, Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner, Maya Usova and Alexandr Zhulin, Amy Webster and Ron Kravette
1998 (Champions on Ice)	Ilia Kulik, Evgeni Plushenko, Viktor Petrenko, Alexei Urmanov, Elvis Stojko, Philippe Candeloro, Todd Eldredge, Rudy Galindo, Michael Weiss, Laurent Tobel, Tara Lipinski, Oksana Baiul, Michelle Kwan, Nancy Kerrigan, Lu Chen, Maria Butyrskaya, Irina Slutskaya, Surya Bonaly, Nicole Bobek, Tonia Kwiatkowski, Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze, Oksana Kazakova and Artur Dmitriev, Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler, Mandy Wötzel and Ingo Steuer, Jenni Meno and Todd Sand, Kyoko Ina and Jason Dungjen, Oksana Grishuk and Evgeni Platov, Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat, Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko, Maya Usova and Alexandr Zhulin, Angelika Krylova and Oleg Ovsiannikov, Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz, Elizabeth Punsalan and Jerod Swallow
1999 (Champions on Ice - Winter Tour)	Brian Boitano, Viktor Petrenko, Philippe Candeloro, Jozef Sabovčík, Todd Eldredge, Rudy Galindo, Dorothy Hamill, Katarina Witt, Oksana Baiul, Michelle Kwan, Elizabeth Manley, Surya Bonaly, Tonia Kwiatkowski, Oksana Kazakova and Artur Dmitriev, Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler, Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko, Maya Usova and Evgeni Platov, Elizabeth Punsalan and Jerod Swallow
1999 (Champions on Ice)	Brian Boitano, Evgeni Plushenko, Viktor Petrenko, Alexei Yagudin, Alexei Urmanov, Elvis Stojko, Philippe Candeloro, Todd Eldredge, Rudy Galindo, Timothy Goebel, Michael Weiss, Laurent Tobel, Oksana Baiul, Michelle Kwan, Elizabeth Manley, Maria Butyrskaya, Surya Bonaly, Nicole Bobek, Naomi Nari Nam, Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze, Oksana Kazakova and Artur Dmitriev, Mandy Wötzel and Ingo Steuer, Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat, Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko, Maya Usova and Evgeni Platov, Angelika Krylova and Oleg Ovsiannikov, Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz, Elizabeth Punsalan and Jerod Swallow

Disney on Ice

Year	Skaters
1989-1990 (Walt Disney's World on Ice)	Jaimee Eggleton, Jimmie Santee, Jamie-Lynn Kitching Santee, Michael B. Dolan, Christopher Shrimpling, Bobby Davis, Carla Ericson, Dawn-Ann Oliphant, Cathy Salinger Bailey, Penny Booth and Michael Nemec
1990-1991 (Walt Disney's World on Ice, 10th Anniversary Edition)	Jimmie Santee, Jamie -Lynn Kitching Santee, Elicia Shepherd and Michael Blicharski, Paula Losinger and Scott Grover, Darin Mathewson and Michael Lettengarver
1991-1992 (Walt Disney's World on Ice)	Jimmie Santee, Lisa Cornelius, Paul Kapeikis and Darin Mathewson
1992-1993 (Walt Disney's World on Ice – Beauty and the Beast)	Mark Cockerell, Maradith Feinberg, Victor Baryshevtsev, Jon Robinson, Olga Neizvestnaya and Sergei Zaitsev, Craig Horowitz
1993-1994 (Walt Disney's World on Ice - Aladdin)	Jaimee Eggleton, Cynthia Coull, Jimmie Santee, David Browne, Christopher Shrimpling
1994-1995 (Walt Disney's World on Ice, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)	Karen Preston, Axel Médéric, Serguei Tartykov, Anisette Gent, Delene Mackenzie and Bob Moskalyk, Cameron Medhurst, Mark Naylor, Stephanie Larivière, Tatiana Tropina and Serguei Boroda, Elaine Maddren, Elena Koteneva
1995-1997 (The Wizard of Oz on Ice)	eri Campbell, Andrei Kirov, Gueorgei Galoustian, Mark Richard Farrington, Olga Neizvestnaya-Hunter and Sergeui Zaitsev
1996-1997 (Beauty and the Beast on Ice)	Florentine Houdinière, Fabrizio Garattoni, Mark Walker, Joey Daysog, Yulia Borissova and Valerei Artioukhov
1997-1998 (Starlight Express... on Ice!)	Fabrizio Garattoni, Julie Brault, Norm Proft, Vadim Shebeco, Cameron Medhurst, Nadezhda Kovalevskaya, Monique can der Velden, Tomoaki Koyama, Serguei Kouznetsov, Gene 'Gi G' Siruno, Brent Frank, Mark Naylor, Reggie Mack, Hank Green, Nikolay Ulanov, Scott Irvine, Natalia Zagorodnikova, Jennifer Schmitz, Lisa Bell, Amanda Frank
1998-1999 (Disney on Ice)	Axel Médéric, Michael Kho, Viatcheslav Kouznetsov, Sabrina Crotenko, Yulia Myskina, Delene MacKenzie and Bob Moskaylk
1999 (Anastasia on Ice)	Sébastien Britten, Florentine Houdinière, Simon Aldridge, Scott Irvine, Marina Akbarova and Marat Akbarov, Kelly Marshall
1998-1999 (Happily Ever After)	Larissa Zamotina, Bessarion Tsintsadze, Troy Goldstein, Mark Richard Farrington, Joel Bangs
1998-1999 (The Little Mermaid)	Sandra Garde, Alexei Kiliakov, Inna Volianskaia, Joey Daysog, Shae Green, Luke Craig, Richard Stringer
1998-1999 (The Wizard of Oz)	Nataliya Ivannikova, Natalia Krestianinova and Alexei Torchinski, Andrei Kirov, Jason Graetz, Gueorgei Galoustian
1998-1999 (Pocahontas)	Joanna Ng, Stanislaav Joukov, Jamie Loper, Doug Barnhart, Roland Barnhart, Edmund Zeidler, Anne Ramos, Svetlana Dragaeva, Patricia Donahue
1999 (Cinderella, Australian tour)	Jeff LaBrake, Ronni Unrau, Sergey Artemov, Frederick Houghton, Oleg Shliakov, Denise Ansick, Carla Ericson, CheriRae Russell, Tiffany Crosswhite

Photo courtesy "MacLean's" magazine

Elvis Tour of Champions

Year	Skaters
1994 (McDonald's Elvis Tour of Champions)	Elvis Stojko, Robin Cousins, Philippe Candeloro, Jozef Sabovčík, Steven Cousins, Elizabeth Manley, Surya Bonaly, Tanja Szewczenko, Caryn Kadavy, Natalia Mishkutenok and Artur Dmitriev, Calla Urbanski and Rocky Marval, Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko, Maya Usova and Alexandr Zhulin, Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz
1995 (McDonald's Elvis Tour of Champions)	Elvis Stojko, Jozef Sabovčík, Steven Cousins, Gary Beacom, Michelle Kwan, Elizabeth Manley, Surya Bonaly, Lu Chen, Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini, Radka Kovaříková and René Novotný, Calla Urbanski and Rocky Marval, Oksana Grishuk and Evgeni Platov, Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko, Maya Usova and Alexandr Zhulin, Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz
1996 (Canon Elvis Tour of Champions)	Elvis Stojko, Brian Orser, Rudy Galindo, Steven Cousins, Michelle Kwan, Elizabeth Manley, Jennifer Robinson, Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler, Calla Urbanski and Rocky Marval, Michelle Menzies and Jean-Michel Bombardier, Oksana Grishuk and Evgeni Platov, Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko, Maya Usova and Alexandr Zhulin, Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz
1997 (Canon Elvis Tour of Champions)	Elvis Stojko, Rudy Galindo, Steven Cousins, Gary Beacom, Laurent Tobel, Elizabeth Manley, Nancy Kerrigan, Yuka Sato, Surya Bonaly, Jennifer Robinson, Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze, Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini, Calla Urbanski and Rocky Marval, Marie-Claude Savard-Gagnon and Luc Bradet, Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko, Maya Usova and Alexandr Zhulin, Amy Webster and Ron Kravette, Karen Preston, Tatiana Navka and Nikolai Morozov
1998 (Canon Elvis Tour of Champions)	Elvis Stojko, Philippe Candeloro, Rudy Galindo, Jozef Sabovčík, Katarina Witt, Elizabeth Manley, Tonia Kwiatkowski, Karen Preston, Mandy Wötzel and Ingo Steuer, Calla Urbanski and Rocky Marval, Marie-Claude Savard-Gagnon and Luc Bradet Oksana Grishuk and Alexandr Zhulin, Elizabeth Punsalan and Jerod Swallow, Chantal Lefebvre and Michel Brunet, Keyla Ohs

Gershwin on Ice

Year	Skaters
1995 (The Memory of All That... Gershwin on Ice)	Peggy Fleming, Linda Fratianne, Scott Williams, Tom Dickson, Craig Heath, Bobby Beauchamp, Erik Larson, Charlene Wong, Catarina Lindgren, Beth-Anne Duxbury, Aimee Offner and Brad Cox
1997 (Gershwin on Ice Tour)	Dorothy Hamill, Alexandr Fadeev, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Robert Wagenhoffer, Tiffany Chin, Lisa-Marie Allen, Simone Grigorescu, Sylvain Beauregard, Tamara Kuchiki and Neale Smull

Grease on Ice

Year	Skaters
1998-1999	Nancy Kerrigan, Scott Davis, Natasha Kuchiki, Lesley Rogers and Mark Naylor, Gene 'Gi G' Siruno, Patrick Brault, Mark Schmitke, Brandi-Lee Rousseau, Stephanie Larivière, Helena Grundberg, Forrest McKinnon, Emrah Polatoglu, Craig Horowitz

Holiday on Ice

Year	Skaters
1990 (Banjos & Balalaikas)	Katarina Witt, Lyudmila Smirnova and Alexei Ulanov, Garey Dye Jr., Oleg Efimov, Günter Fischer, Nikolay Ulanov, Anita Curtis, Natalia Efimova, Shanyn Presley, Ingrid Spiegl and Eddi Vallon
1991 (Carmen/Robin Hood)	Mikhail Panin, Ivan Saez, Bill Miller, Cyril Hernandez, Irina Grigorian, Almut Lehmann, Laurie Miller, Irina Pismennaja, Wendy Boyle and Eduardo Marques, Lisa Bradby and Alan Towers
1992 (Magic & Illusions)	Vladimir Zoubov, Badri Kouram, John Hayward, Martin Rich, Steve Nelson, Dawn Latona, Joanie Young, Ioulia and Alexandr Svetchnikov, Monika Mandiková and Oliver Pekár, Marianne van Bommel and Wayne Deweyert
1993 (Aladdin and Spanish)	Karen Quinn and Alan Abretti, Emanuele Ancorini, Didier Monge, Sergei Kareline, Vladan Sege, David Cousans, Anna Kwouchnikova, Alain Le Gal and Tony Martin, Margarida Papel
1994 (Jubilee and Circus on Ice)	Eddi Vallon, Viktoria Loguinova, Terry Banghart, Olga Ermolaeva and Serguei Baradakov, Vladimir Besedin and Iouri Tischler, Adelina Castriota and Jeff Gavin
1995 (Broadway and Gypsy)	Surya Bonaly, Zsolt Kerekes, Garey Dye Jr., Ivan Saez, Robert Stempfl, Anita Curtis, Violetta Afanasieva, Isabelle Kourie and Robert du Plessis, Roberto and Enrico Medini, Barbie Steele and Bobby Martin, Adelina Castriota and Jeff Gavin, Eddi Vallon, Olga Ermmolaeva and Serguei Baradakov, Viktoria Loguinova, Vladimir Besedin and Iouri Tichler, Terry Banghart, Alexandre Pismennyi, Konstantin Baradakov, Paul Neale and Christopher Stokes
1996 (Evolution and Asterix on Ice)	Rodolphe Marechal, Scott O'Neill, Lisa Michael, Ioulia and Alexandr Svetchnikov, Eduardo Marques and Billy Sulima, Agnieszka Haaza and Oliver Pekár, Aliana Pachnina and Mikhail Federenko
1997 (Extravaganza - Extraventura)	Norbert Schramm
1998 (Xotica: Journey to the Heart)	Cameron Medhurst, Violetta Afanasieva
1999 (Colours of Dance)	Robin Cousins, Michael Tyllesen, Michael Chack

Dorothy Hamill and Andrew Naylor in "Cinderella: Frozen In Time"

Ice Capades

Year	Skaters
1989-1990 (Continental, East, West, Summer, Kuwait tours)	Elizabeth Manley, Richard Dwyer, Natalie and Wayne Seybold, Tom Dickson, Steven Rice, Bobby Beauchamp, David Nickel, Don Otto, Steve Taylor Dunderdale, Brad MacLean, Louis Vachon, Simone Grigorescu, Julie Brault, Tricia Klocke, Molly Beatty, Catarina Lindgren, Vicki Heasley, Sylvia Froescher, Kitty Kelly, Tracey Solomons and Ian Jenkins, Karyl Kawaichi and Greg Bonin, Kathleen Connors and J.P. Martin, Julie Patterson and Bob Moskaylk, Kelly Johnson and John Thomas, Kristan Lowery and Chip Rossbach
1990-1992 (Continental, East, West tours)	Elizabeth Manley, Bobby Beauchamp, Richard Swenning, Brad MacLean, David Nickel, Blaise Kirchgesner, Reggie Mack, Simone Grigorescu, Kitty Kelly, Julie Brault, Tricia Klocke, Scarlett Sinclair, Tracey Solomons and Ian Jenkins, Elena and Vladimir Bogoliubov, Kelly Johnson and John Thomas
1992-1993 (Continental, East, West, China tours)	Christopher Bowman, Calla Urbanski and Rocky Marval, Rory Flack Burghart, Ralph Burghart, Simone Grigorescu, Kevin Parker, Bobby Beauchamp, Angelo D'Agostino, Reggie Mack, David Jamison, Brad MacLean, Daniel Francoeur, Steve Taylor, David Nickel, Scott O'Neill, Kitty Kelly, Julie Brault, Nancy Pluta, Andrea Mortimer, Carla Schulz, Scarlett Sinclair, Blair Koski, Tracey Solomons and Ian Jenkins, Cheryl Peake and Andrew Naylor, Karyl Kawaichi and Greg Bonin, Kelly Johnson and John Thomas
1993-1995 (Cinderella: Frozen In Time)	Cheryl Peake and Andrew Naylor, Elena Kvitchenko and Rashid Kadyrkaev, Tricia Klocke and Greg Bonin, Jane and John Kanicka. Delene MacKenzie and Bob Moskaylk
1994-1995 (Hansel, Gretel, The Witch and The Cat)	Alexandr Fadeev, Simone Grigorescu, Natasha Kuchiki, Jennifer Ito, Patrick Brault, J. Scott Driscoll, Chris J. Conte, George Galanis, Andy Klein, Scott O'Neill, Jeff Merica, Tanya Bingert, Amy Jaramillo, Tisha Walker, Nancy Pluta, Dawn Porter, Jane and John Kanicka, Denise Mackenzie and Bob Moskaylk, Mimi Wacholder and Collin Sullivan
1996 (The Magic of MGM)	Charlene von Saher, Natalie and Wayne Seybold, Vadim Shebeco, Julie Brault, Jennifer Bayer and Jeb Rand, Betty Okina, Eddie Vallon

ISU Tour of Figure Skating Champions

Year	Skaters
1995	Oksana Grishuk and Evgeni Platov, Alexei Urmanov, Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat, Angelika Krylova and Oleg Ovsiannikov, Radka Kovaříková and René Novotný, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, Marina Eltsova and Andrei Bushkov, Mandy Wötzel and Ingo Steuer, Surya Bonaly, Susanna Rahkamo and Petri Kokko, Steven Cousins, Viacheslav Zagorodniuk

Mannheim Steamroller's The Christmas Angel on Ice

Year	Skaters
1998-1999	Dorothy Hamill, Elizabeth Manley, Jozef Sabovčík, Alexandr Fadeev, Éric Millot, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Viacheslav Zagorodniuk, Calla Urbanski and Rocky Marval, Irina Romanova and Igor Yaroshenko, Tonia Kwiatkowski, Charlene von Saher, Ryan Hunka, Lisa Cricks

Moscow on Ice

Year	Skaters
1990 (U.S. tour)	Sergei Shakhrai, Elena and Vladimir Bogoliubov, Andrei Tarasyan, Sergei Zaitsev, Tatiana Voitiuk, Liudmila Bakonina, Irina Klimova and Alexandr Boitchuk
1991-1992 (U.S. tour)	Sergei Shakhrai, Elena and Vladimir Bogoliubov, Tatiana Voitiuk, Liudmila Bakonina, Irina Kortchach and Andrei Torossian
1992 (Australian tour)	Sergei Shakhrai

Nutcracker on Ice

Year	Skaters
1994	Viktor Petrenko, Oksana Baiul, Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner, Linda Fratianne, Rory Flack Burghart, Charlene von Saher, Bobby Beauchamp, Vladimir Petrenko, Karen Armstrong and Jeff LaBrake, Paul Guerrero
1995	Peggy Fleming, Brian Orser, Todd Eldredge, Nicole Bobek

Russian All-Stars

Year	Skaters
1993 (The Sleeping Beauty, British tour)	Larisa Selezneva and Oleg Makarov, Olga Volozhinskaya and Alexandr Svinin, Marina Pestova and Marat Akbarov, Elena Kvitchenko and Rashid Kadyrkaev, Elena Leonova and Sergei Petrovsky, Leonid Kaznakov, Yuriy Tsymbalyuk, Vasily Blagov, Alexei Kislitzin, Elena Garanina and Igor Zavozin, Irina Zhuk and Oleg Petrov, Tatiana and Stanislav Voituk, Violetta Andreeva, Ilona Menichenko
1994 (The Sleeping Beauty, British tour)	Olga Volozhinskaya and Alexandr Svinin, Marina Pestova and Marat Akbarov, Tatiana and Stanislav Voituk, Irina Zhuk and Oleg Petrov, Elena Leonova and Sergei Petrovsky, Valery Spiridinov, Leonid Kaznakov, Alexei Kiliakov, Vasily Blagov, Inna Volianskaya, Ilona Melnichenko, Yulia Borisova, Violetta Andreeva

Russian Ice Stars

Year	Skaters
1995-1996 (Phantom of the Opera on Ice, British tour)	Larisa Selezneva and Oleg Makarov, Valeri Spiridinov, Andrei Lipanov, Alexei Tikhonov, Irina Zhuk, Inna Volianskaya, Ekaterina Murugova
1997 (Carmen on Ice, British tour)	Vladimir Kotin, Oleg Petrov, Olga Pershankova, Irina Zhuk
1998 (Sleeping Beauty on Ice, British tour)	Vladimir Kotin, Andrei Kiliakov, Oleg Petrov, Alexandr Svinin, Maxim Katchanov, Aleksandr Tarasov, Ekaterina Murugova, Maria Orlova, Irina Zhuk, Ludmila Koblova, Natalia Pestova, Oksana Choupkina, Ioulia Bestrova, Maria Pochekeina
1999 (Cinderella on Ice, British tour)	Andrei Kiliakov, Oleg Petrov, Ekaterina Murugova, Maria Orlova, Olga Pershankova

Skate The Nation

Year	Skaters
1994 (Eaton's Skate The Nation)	Kurt Browning, Brian Orser, Toller Cranston, Michael Slipchuk, Josée Chouinard, Susan Humphreys, Christine Hough and Doug Ladret, Jamie Salé and Jason Turner, Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz
1995 (Eaton's Skate The Nation)	Kurt Browning, Brian Orser, Sébastien Britten, Josée Chouinard, Susan Humphreys, Jennifer Robinson, Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini, Christine Hough and Doug Ladret, Michelle Menzies and Jean-Michel Bombardier, Jennifer Boyce and Michel Brunet
1996 (Lever 2000 Skate The Nation)	Kurt Browning, Brian Orser, Sébastien Britten, Elizabeth Manley, Josée Chouinard, Jennifer Robinson, Michelle Menzies and Jean-Michel Bombardier, Kristy Sargeant and Kris Wirtz, Chantal Lefebvre and Michel Brunet
1997 (Skate The Nation)	Kurt Browning, Brian Orser, Sébastien Britten, Elizabeth Manley, Josée Chouinard, Susan Humphreys, Michelle Menzies and Jean-Michel Bombardier, Kristy Sargeant and Kris Wirtz, Michelle McDonald and Martin Smith
1997 (U.S. Tour)	Paul Wylie, Jozef Sabovčík, Steven Cousins, Scott Davis, Katarina Witt, Yuka Sato, Maria Butyrskaya, Caryn Kadavy, Kitty and Peter Carruthers, Peggy Schwarz and Mirko Müller, Stephanie Stiegler and John Zimmerman, Renée Roca and Gorsha Sur
1998 (Skate The Nation)	Kurt Browning, Brian Orser, Steven Cousins, Emanuel Sandhu, Jayson Dénommée, Elizabeth Manley, Josée Chouinard, Michelle Menzies and Jean-Michel Bombardier, Kristy Sargeant and Kris Wirtz, Michelle McDonald and Martin Smith

Skating

Year	Skaters
1990 (Skating)	Brian Boitano, Katarina Witt, Alexandr Fadeev, Gary Beacom, Vladimir Kotin, Rosalynn Sumners, Caryn Kadavy, Yvonne Gomez, Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini, Elena Valova and Oleg Vasiliev, Tracy Wilson and Rob McCall
1991 (Skating II)	Brian Boitano, Katarina Witt, Alexandr Fadeev, Gary Beacom, Vladimir Kotin, Caryn Kadavy, Yvonne Gomez, Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini, Elena Valova and Oleg Vasiliev, Judy Blumberg and Michael Seibert, Renée Roca and Gorsha Sur
1992 (Chrysler Skating '92)	Brian Boitano, Katarina Witt, Gary Beacom, Robert Wagenhoffer, Caryn Kadavy, Yvonne Gomez, Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini, Elena Valova and Oleg Vasiliev, Judy Blumberg and Michael Seibert, Renée Roca and Gorsha Sur

Stars on Ice

Year	Skaters
1989-1990 (U.S. Tour)	Scott Hamilton, Brian Orser, Rosalynn Sumners, Debi Thomas, Kathleen Schmelz, Kitty and Peter Carruthers, Lea Ann Miller and Bill Fauver, Tracy Wilson and Rob McCall
1990 (Canadian Tour)	Brian Orser, Toller Cranston, Rosalynn Sumners, Debi Thomas, Kathleen Schmelz, Kitty and Peter Carruthers, Lea Ann Miller and Bill Fauver, Tracy Wilson and Rob McCall
1991 (Canadian Tour)	Kurt Browning, Scott Hamilton, Brian Orser, Toller Cranston, Rosalynn Sumners, Kathleen Schmelz, Kitty and Peter Carruthers, Lea Ann Miller and Bill Fauver, Susie Wynne and Joseph Druar
1991 (U.S. Tour)	Scott Hamilton, Brian Orser, Debi Thomas, Rosalynn Sumners, Kathleen Schmelz, Kitty and Peter Carruthers, Lea Ann Miller and Bill Fauver, Susie Wynne and Joseph Druar
1992 (Canadian Tour)	Kurt Browning, Brian Orser, Toller Cranston, Michael Slipchuk, Debi Thomas, Rosalynn Sumners, Josée Chouinard, Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov, Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler, Lea Ann Miller and Bill Fauver, Isabelle and Paul Duchesnay
1992 (U.S. Tour)	Scott Hamilton, Brian Orser, Debi Thomas, Rosalynn Sumners, Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov, Kitty and Peter Carruthers, Lea Ann Miller and Bill Fauver, Susie Wynne and Joseph Druar
1993 (Canadian Tour)	Kurt Browning, Brian Orser, Elvis Stojko, Toller Cranston, Michael Slipchuk, Kristi Yamaguchi, Josée Chouinard, Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov, Barbara Underhill and Paul Martini, Christine Hough and Doug Ladret
1993 (U.S. Tour)	Scott Hamilton, Brian Orser, Paul Wylie, Gary Beacom, Kristi Yamaguchi, Rosalynn Sumners, Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov, Christine Hough and Doug Ladret, Kitty and Peter Carruthers
1994 (Canadian Tour)	Kurt Browning, Brian Orser, Toller Cranston, Katarina Witt, Kristi Yamaguchi, Josée Chouinard, Elena Bechke and Denis Petrov, Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler, Christine Hough and Doug Ladret, Natalia Annenko and Genrikh Sretenski
1994 (U.S. Tour)	Scott Hamilton, Brian Orser, Paul Wylie, Kristi Yamaguchi, Rosalynn Sumners, Kitty and Peter Carruthers, Elena Bechke and Denis Petrov, Christine Hough and Doug Ladret, Natalia Annenko and Genrikh Sretenski
1995 (Canadian Tour)	Kurt Browning, Scott Hamilton, Brian Orser, Kristi Yamaguchi, Josée Chouinard, Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov, Elena Bechke and Denis Petrov, Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler, Christine Hough and Doug Ladret, Natalia Annenko and Genrikh Sretenski
1995 (U.S. Tour)	Scott Hamilton, Kurt Browning, Paul Wylie, Katarina Witt, Kristi Yamaguchi, Rosalynn Sumners, Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov, Elena Bechke and Denis Petrov, Christine Hough and Doug Ladret, Natalia Annenko and Genrikh Sretenski
1996 (Canadian Tour)	Kurt Browning, Scott Hamilton, Brian Orser, Kristi Yamaguchi, Josée Chouinard, Ekaterina Gordeeva, Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler, Elena Bechke and Denis Petrov, Christine Hough and Doug Ladret
1996 (U.S. Tour)	Scott Hamilton, Kurt Browning, Paul Wylie, Katarina Witt, Kristi Yamaguchi, Rosalynn Sumners, Elena Bechke and Denis Petrov, Christine Hough and Doug Ladret, Susanna Rahkamo and Petri Kokko
1997 (Canadian Tour)	Kurt Browning, Brian Orser, Josée Chouinard, Ekaterina Gordeeva, Rosalynn Sumners, Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler, Elena Bechke and Denis Petrov, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz
1997 (U.S. Tour)	Scott Hamilton, Kurt Browning, Paul Wylie, Kristi Yamaguchi, Ekaterina Gordeeva, Rosalynn Sumners, Jill Trenary, Elena Bechke and Denis Petrov, Radka Kovaříková and René Novotný, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean
1997 (German Tour)	Scott Hamilton, Kurt Browning, Paul Wylie, Katarina Witt, Kristi Yamaguchi, Ekaterina Gordeeva, Denise Biellmann, Jill Trenary, Rosalynn Sumners, Elena Bechke and Denis Petrov, Radka Kovaříková and René Novotný, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean
1998 (Canadian Tour)	Kurt Browning, Brian Orser, Steven Cousins, Josée Chouinard, Ekaterina Gordeeva, Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler, Elena Bechke and Denis Petrov, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz
1998 (U.S. Tour)	Scott Hamilton, Kurt Browning, Brian Orser, Paul Wylie, Katarina Witt, Kristi Yamaguchi, Ekaterina Gordeeva, Rosalynn Sumners, Elena Bechke and Denis Petrov, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, Renée Roca and Gorsha Sur
1998 (German Tour)	Scott Hamilton, Kurt Browning, Brian Orser, Paul Wylie, Katarina Witt, Kristi Yamaguchi, Ekaterina Gordeeva, Rosalynn Sumners, Elena Bechke and Denis Petrov, Radka Kovaříková and René Novotný, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, Renée Roca and Gorsha Sur
1999 (Canadian Tour)	Kurt Browning, Brian Orser, Steven Cousins, Tara Lipinski, Lu Chen, Josée Chouinard, Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler, Jenni Meno and Todd Sand, Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz
1999 (U.S. Tour)	Scott Hamilton, Ilia Kulik, Steven Cousins, Kristi Yamaguchi, Tara Lipinski, Ekaterina Gordeeva, Lu Chen, Rosalynn Sumners, Elena Bechke and Denis Petrov, Jenni Meno and Todd Sand, Renée Roca and Gorsha Sur
1999 (German Tour)	Kurt Browning, Brian Orser, Steven Cousins, Katarina Witt, Kristi Yamaguchi, Maria Butyrskaya, Mandy Wötzel and Ingo Steuer, Jenni Meno and Todd Sand, Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz

St. Petersburg State Ice Ballet

Year	Skaters
1995-1996 (Sleeping Beauty on Ice)	Olga Kuvasheva, Elena Komarova
1996-1997 (Sleeping Beauty on Ice)	Leonid Smirnov, Pavel Ivanov, Olga Kuvasheva, Elena Komarova
1997-1998 (Swan Lake on Ice, Sleeping Beauty on Ice)	Elena Komarova and Alexei Pogodin
1998-1999 (The Nutcracker on Ice, Sleeping Beauty on Ice, Romeo and Juliet on Ice)	Andrei Stroganov, Leonid Smirnov, Olga Kuvashova, Tatiana Rodionova, Elena Komarova and Alexei Pogodin
1999-2000 (Swan Lake on Ice)	Leonid Smirnov, Natalia Khazova and Oleg Riabov

Torvill and Dean Tours

Year	Skaters
1990 (Torvill and Dean and The Russian All-Stars)	Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, Larisa Selezneva and Oleg Makarov, Natalia Annenko and Genrikh Sretenski, Olga Volozhinskaya and Alexander Svinin, Elena Garanina and Igor Zavozin, Veronika Pershina and Marat Akbarov, Irina Zhuk and Oleg Petrov, Violetta Andreeva, Svetlana Liapina and Peter Cherneshov, Leonid Kaznakov, Inna Volyanskaya and Valery Spiridonov, Marina Kulbitskaya and Alexander Esman, Elena Krykanova, Elana Bobolyubova
1991-1992 (The Very Best of Torvill and Dean – Australian tour)	Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, Elena Valova and Oleg Vasiliev, Natalia Lebedeva, Kiev Ice Ballet
1992 (The Best of Torvill and Dean)	Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, Robin Cousins, Tracey Solomons and Ian Jenkins, Kiev Ice Ballet
1994-1995 (Face the Music World Tour)	Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, Michelle McDonald and Martin Smith, Susie Wynne and Russ Witherby, Scott Williams, Charlene Wong, Tom Dickson, Catarina Lindgren, Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas, Tracey Damigella, Vladimir Gaidaenko, Konstantin Golomazov, Carla Maillard and Mark Janoschak, Doug Williams, Marina Kulbitskaya and Aleksandr Esman, Tammy Crowson and Keith Green
1997-1998 (Ice Adventures)	Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, Michelle McDonald and Martin Smith, Charlene von Saher, Jeri Campbell, Christine and Dion Beleznay, Paul Robinson, Susan Jackson Wagner, Richard Swenning, Rosanna Tovi and Andrew Naylor, Igor Lioutikov, Yaroslava Nechaeva and Yuri Chesnichenko, Emmanuelle Balmori and Jean-Pierre Boyer, Inna Volyanskaya and Alexei Tikhonov, David Cousans, Lee Cornes

Tournée con i campioni di pattinaggio

Year	Skaters
1999	Alexandr Abt, Daniel Weiss, Nicole Skoda, Marina Eltsova and Andrei Bushkov, Vladimir Besedin and Alexei Polischuk, Susanna Rahkamo and Petri Kokko, Barbara Fusar-Poli and Maurizio Margaglio, German Ice Theatre

World Cup Champions on Ice/World Cup Figure Skating Champions

Year	Skaters
1991-1992	Robin Cousins, Linda Fratianne, Elizabeth Manley, Alexandr Fadeev, Charlie Tickner, Scott Williams, Charlene Wong, Lisa-Marie Allen, Cindy Landry and Peter Oppegard, Natalie and Wayne Seybold
1992-1993	Viktor Petrenko, Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko, Elizabeth Manley, Alexandr Fadeev, Charlie Tickner, Petr Barna, Robert Wagenhoffer, Caryn Kadavy, Lisa-Marie Allen, Simone Grigorescu, Natalie and Wayne Seybold
1993-1994	Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko, Elena Valova and Oleg Vasiliev, Elizabeth Manley, Petr Barna, Alexandr Fadeev, Charlie Tickner, Jozef Sabovčík, Grzegorz Filipowski, Caryn Kadavy, Tracey Wainman, Lisa-Marie Allen, Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding, Simone Grigorescu

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.

Rewriting History

"Build something 100 people love, not something 1 million people kind of like." - Brian Chesky

In today's digital era, it is easy to assume that we can find all the answers with just a click. However, when it comes to history, that's not always the reality. 

Libraries, museums, and archives hold a treasure trove of primary and secondary sources that provide a fresh outlook on events that occurred many years ago, sometimes even centuries. During my research for my new book "Jackson Haines: The Skating King", I discovered numerous inaccuracies in the supposed facts about The Father of Figure Skating. 

I delved deep into primary sources from the nineteenth century, completely ignoring the majority of sources from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. My aim was to simply present the facts and allow individuals to form their own opinions about this influential figure in skating history. I'm incredibly proud of the final outcome and genuinely believe there is an audience for a book like this... albeit a smaller one than some might suppose.

Figure skating has become more and more of a niche sport over the years. Many aficionados of the sport simply do not have a great interest in the sport's history, which is such a shame. They are missing out! If my goal in writing a book was to appeal to a mass audience, I could have easily thrown together something like "Sequins, Scandals and Shade". It would have been have been an easier sell but it wouldn't have been the book I wanted to write.

"Jackson Haines: The Skating King" was not written for the people who'd beat you down with their rolly bag to get the tea on today's greatest figure skating stars. It was written with the passionate readers of this blog in mind - a community of smart and inquisitive skating lovers who genuinely appreciate the origins, evolution and history of this beloved sport. If you enjoy reading the blog, I do think this book will surprise and delight you. Give it a read and let me know what you think!

If you've already read the book, please take a quick minute to leave a short, honest review on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Chapters and fill out a 'Suggest an Item'/'Request an Item' form on your local library's website. These two things will make the world of difference in allowing the book to be discovered by more lovely people.

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.

Veterans' Week

 

On November 11, 1918, the Armistice signed near Compiègne, France signified an end to the fighting of The Great War on the Western Front. 

Many members of the Canadian figure skating community selflessly dedicated their lives to their country during both World Wars. Canadian and North American Champions, judges, coaches, club presidents, pleasure skaters and close relatives of some of our country's brightest skating stars served in the military and performed important war work. 

In recognition of their service, Skate Guard presents as special Veterans' Week page highlighting these brave men and women's wartime contributions.

Book Launch - Jackson Haines: The Skating King

Want to own a piece of figure skating history? It is your lucky day. I'm so excited to announce that my new book "Jackson Haines: The Skating King" officially launches today!

SYNOPSIS  

Jackson Haines left America during the height of the Civil War and embarked on a remarkable journey across Europe. With his ingenious translation of ballet onto the ice, he revolutionized the world of figure skating. Mesmerizing Czars and Emperors with his breathtaking performances, he became a catalyst for the creation of several of the world's oldest skating clubs. He left such an indelible impact that he is remembered today as The Father of Figure Skating.

In this captivating biography, figure skating historian Ryan Stevens masterfully recounts Jackson Haines' incredible story, from his modest origins in New York to his tragic death in Finland in 1875 - both on and off the ice.

If you are curious about the history of figure skating, this book will both surprise and fascinate you.

PRAISE FOR "JACKSON HAINES: THE SKATING KING"

"Jackson Haines in my opinion is one of the most important ice skaters in the history of figure skating. His influence on the art and sport of figure skating should not be underestimated. When you follow the historical journey of ice skating you can see his footprint (or should I say blade print) in today's competitive and artistic skating. He was the father of spins, he populated music with skating and the use of the most elaborate costumes. This book by Ryan Stevens is a wonderful read and insightful account of the man that would be called The Skating King." - Christopher Dean OBE, Olympic Gold Medallist (1984), World Champion (1981-1984)

"I've known the name for many years and I thought I knew his place in history. This book has given me a whole new level of insight to a man who created his own path and helped pioneer the sport I love." - Robin Cousins MBE, Olympic Gold Medallist, figure skating (1980)

"Ryan's journalistic ability to unearth historical details and mix them into a compelling story is first-class! While balancing accuracy and fairness, he reveals a man whose life demonstrated enormous talent and creativity, celebrity and human frailty. You may not like every part of Jackson Haines, but you will definitely marvel at his genius and at the sacrifices he made as an artist and inventor of modern skating." - Debbi Wilkes, Olympic Silver Medallist, television analyst and author of "Ice Time: A Portrait of Figure Skating"

"Informative, lively, and scholarly without being dry, packing in a wealth of figure skating history information that uses the life of Jackson Haines to bring together the influences and innovations that make figure skating a notable sport and attraction today. Libraries and readers interested in a biography which also serves as a sports history, holding the ability to reach out into a general-interest audience, must obtain Jackson Haines: The Skating King. Its blend of scholarly history and engaging information is impeccable." - Diane Donovan, Midwest Book Review

"Jackson Haines, The Skating King, tells the real story of the man considered to be the father of figure skating. Stevens has meticulously researched Haines' life from his upbringing in the United States, to his successful entertainment career in North America and Europe, to his untimely death at 36. Extensive footnotes attest to the accuracy of Stevens' information. Look no further for the truth about Jackson Haines." - Yvonne Butorac

ORDERING INFORMATION

"Jackson Haines: The Skating King" is an English language book available in paperback, hard cover and eBook editions where books are sold.

Soft launch: October 2023

Launch date: November 1, 2023

Paperback

Adlibris (Finland/Sweden/Norway)

Amazon (Australia)

Amazon (Canada)

Amazon (United States)

Amazon (UK)

BAM! Books-A-Million (United States)

Barnes & Noble (United States)

Blackwell's (UK)

Bokus (Finland/Sweden)

Bookshop.org (United States)

Books Kinokuniya (Japan)

Bücherwurm (Austria/Germany/Liechtenstein/Switzerland)

Chapters Indigo (Canada)

Dymocks Booksellers (Australia)

Fishpond (Australia/New Zealand)

Foyles (UK)

Hatchards (UK)

Hugendubel (Germany)

Hive (UK)

McNally Robinson (Canada)

Powell's (UK)

Saxo (Denmark)

Thalia (Austria/Germany/Switzerland)

ThriftBooks (United States)

Walmart

Waterstones (UK/Ireland/Belgium/Netherlands)

Prefer to shop local and support an independent bookseller? Learn more here!

Hard cover*

Amazon (Canada)

Amazon (United States)

Amazon (UK)

*PLEASE NOTE: Due to a manufacturing facility issue, there is currently a 4-5 week processing delay for all hard cover orders. Should you wish you to receive the book in a timely fashion, I would highly encourage you to purchase the paperback version.

eBook

Amazon (Canada)

Amazon (Europe)

Amazon (United States)

Amazon (UK)

Angus & Robertson (Australia)

Apple Books

Barnes & Noble (United States)

Bol.de (Germany)

Booktopia (Australia)

Bücher (Germany)

Bücherwurm (Austria/Germany/Liechtenstein/Switzerland)

Decitre (France)

eBook.de (Germany)

FNAC (France)

Furet du Nord (France)

Google Play Books

Hugendubel (Germany)

LaFeltrinelli (Italy)

Libreria IBS (Italy)

Librerías Gandhi (Mexico)

Mondadori (Italy)

Osiander (Germany)

Rakuten Kobo

Smashwords

Thalia (Austria/Germany/Switzerland)

Vivlio (France)

Subscription Services

Kobo Plus

Libby (Overdrive)

Scribd

Library and Retail Orders

Baker & Taylor 

Bibliotheca

BorrowBox

Brown Books for Students (UK)

Gardners (UK)

Hoopla

Library Bound (Canada)

Odilo

Palace Marketplace

Tolino (Germany/The Netherlands)

Wheelers (New Zealand)

If you experience any difficulty with any of these ordering links, simply search the book's name on the bookseller of your choice's website. If you have any ordering/delivery issues, please reach out to the retailer directly for assistance. 

EXPECTATIONS

What this book is: 

- An extremely comprehensive biography of a figure skating pioneer, compiling a wealth of previously unknown information and primary source research into one volume. 

What this book is not: 

- An instructional figure skating book that explains the difference between a toe-pick and toe-loop. 

- A historical fiction book. This book deals in facts and largely avoids speculation about aspects of Jackson Haines' story that cannot be verified.

MEDIA

Feature in "Skating" magazine (print) - October/November 2023 issue

Review in Midwest Book Review/Donovan's Literary Services

Interview on Future of Figure Skating Podcast

Interview on The Victorian Variety Show

Review in "Review Tales" magazine's blog 

Interview on Awesome Gang

BEHIND THE SCENES BLOGS

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

Overcoming Roadblocks

The Book Launch

What To Expect

The Eleventh Annual Skate Guard Hallowe'en Spooktacular

 

It's October 31st and all of you spooky Skate Guard readers know that means. It's time for a yearly Skate Guard tradition... The Annual Skate Guard Hallowe'en Spooktacular! Dim the lights enjoy this eerie collection of darker stories that have peppered skating's history through the years.

Miss any of the other Hallowe'en Spooktaculars? You can find them all here.

COLD FEET

In 1865, British lawyer and author Edmund Mitchell put ink to paper, penning the widely-read story of The Phantom Of The Lake: "It was based on a family legend that several generations back the youthful owner of Eastwood Hall had gone out to skate the very night before his marriage. It had been a severe winter, and the ice was perfectly safe, so that his friends did not seek to prevent his going, though no one felt inclined to accompany him. But on the lake that afternoon a portion of the ice had been broken to allow swimming room for the swans. No eye saw the accident; no one was at hand to render help. But next morning the body was found, and the young maiden who that day should have become a bride, lost her reason when she beheld her lover's lifeless form. Hence grew the legend that never an Armitage dies a sudden or violent death but some member of the family sees the phantom skater on the ice, and hears his last bubbling cry across the waters."

Eastwood Hall in Nottinghamshire is now an events and convention center but its spooky history still lingers on. It plays host to an annual Ghost Hunt and the building is said to be plagued by flickering light bulbs, heavy footsteps and disembodied voices. Some visitors have recalled having the sensation of being pushed... which begs the question - did the ill-fated skater later later dubbed The Phantom of The Lake accidentally drown on the night before his marriage... or was he pushed?

THE SKATING CHAUFFEUR

Julia Veronica Sullivan drew considerable attention in the spring of 1912, when she broke down gender barriers and became one of Chicago's first licensed female chauffeurs. She was no stranger to the spotlight. In 1910, she'd won the National Archery Association's women's title... and before that, she had passed Canadian tests in figure skating.

In early November of 1912, Julia unexplainedly left her job with a taxi company. On November 26 of that year, the police were summoned to her apartment after neighbours heard a gunshot. Julia was found dead in her bed with a revolver beside her. She was only forty-two years old.

The coroner ruled Julia's death to be a suicide, but the police weren't buying it. They took her landlady, Mrs. Loeb, into custody. Mrs. Loeb had been the only other person in her apartment around the time of her death, but she could not explain what had happened. Apparently, the two women had been drinking vodka and then Julia went to her room drunk. There was considerable speculation that Mrs. Loeb had something to do with it. There was also speculation that because she had left her job weeks prior, she may have been behind on her rent and the landlady (after a few drinks) might have become particularly enraged by this. Then there was her manner of death - being shot in the heart - which wasn't common in suicide cases. 

On December 11, 1912, a jury ruled that Julia had committed suicide "while temporarily deranged" but 

many whispered that Mrs. Loeb knew more than she was telling the police. Had a pioneering chauffeur and talented figure skater taken her own life or had someone gotten away with murder?

SKATING ON THIN ICE

Long, long before Tonya Harding and Jeff Gillooly became household names, skating played a central point in a courtroom drama that CNN would have had a field day with.

On November 15, 1865, an oil field worker from Pittsburgh who went by the name John H. Sargent and a widow from Pecatonica, Illinois named Mrs. Achsah E. Follett checked into separate rooms at the Bushnell House inn in Beloit, Wisconsin. Early the next morning, they were married by Reverend S.H. Stocking, with the reverend's wife and daughter and a Mrs. Purcell of Beloit serving as witnesses. 

About an hour after the wedding, John H. Sargent applied to the Beloit agent of the Travelers Insurance Company of Hartford for three month's insurance against death by accident: a policy with a three thousand dollar payout - which would be nearly sixty thousand dollars today. The policy was written and delivered to him, and his new bride was the beneficiary. He then left with his wife immediately, saying he was in a great rush to catch a train. Mr. Sargent purportedly went back to work on the Pennsylvania oil fields and Mrs. Sargent returned home to Pecatonia alone. Almost a month later, Mrs. Sargent announced to her friends that her husband was coming to town.

In their 1878 book "Remarkable Strategies And Conspiracies", John Benjamin Lewis and Charles Carroll Bombaugh explained what happened next: "The people of the village of Pecatonica were notified by Henry J. Allen and his brother-in-law Samuel A. Corwin of that place, and Emanuel Hill of Rockford, that John H. Sargent, who had been skating, in company with Corwin, on the Pecatonica River during the afternoon of that day, had fallen through an air-hole and disappeared under the ice. Thorough search for the body was immediately instituted and continued during the next two days by a large number of citizens, but no trace of it was discovered... The people, generally, expressed their belief in the occurrence as alleged, though there were a few persons who held a different opinion. The officers of the [insurance] company, not being fully satisfied, directed further investigation, which resulted in their determination to withhold immediate payment of the claim, although there was nothing but vague suspicion to justify delay. The suspicion was founded mainly upon the bad character which the parties, especially Allen, bore in their own neighborhood; and the singular circumstance that Sargent, who had been married only four weeks (every day of which had been spent away from his bride) did not, on his return to the town where she was living, first visit her before skating with his friends upon the Pecatonica River. It was decided to resist at law, if need be, what appeared to be an attempt to defraud the company."

A three month search for the ill-fated skater failed to produce a body and aside from his three skating companions, no one in Pecatonia seemed to have any proof of the existence of Mr. Sargent. Meanwhile in Beloit, it was discovered that Sargent had pawned a silver watch for the premium on his policy and that the initials he had given in the register of the Bushnell House inn the night before his wedding read 'H.J.' and not 'J.H.' Serious doubts, both private and public, began to settle in as to whether or not this "Mr. Sargent" was a flim flam man. Things didn't look good.

Impatient for her three thousand dollar payday, Mrs. Sargent sued. The insurance company arrived with its shaky evidence in tow. Gilbert Love, recounting the events of the trial in the October 19, 1933 issue of "The Pittsburgh Press" noted that "The widow was not a good witness. She could remember nothing about her deceased husband's past. She didn't know where he was born, who his father and mother were, or whether he had ever been married before. He was an oil field worker from Pennsylvania and she had simply married him. That was her story and she stuck to it. Then the insurance company exploded its first bombshell. It brought in the pastor from Beloit and the witnesses to the marriage. They identified witness Henry J. Allen as the man who had married the widow under the name of James H. Sargent."

The widow, realizing she was in hot water, pulled out a photograph of her dead husband. The markings on the back indicated it had been taken by a photographer in Batavia, Illinois, so the insurance attorney stalled and brought in the photographer, Lorin M. Whitney. When probed about who was in the picture, he said, "This photograph is of my make. I have the negative from which this picture is made. I took the negative, and know the person who sat for it. The name of the person who sat for this this negative is James Clure. He lives in Batavia, Illinois; is a tailor by trade, and is still living. I have seen him nearly every day and I last saw him about an hour ago." As everyone in the courtroom tried to pick their jaws up off the floor, Clure strolled up to the stand. He confirmed to the judge that it was indeed him in the picture and said, "I was never known or called by the name of John H. Sargent. I was never married to the plaintiff. I was never drowned in the Pecatonia River!" With that damning testimony, the widow's star witnesses vanished from the courtroom and left town. She was left high and dry... but her problems were just beginning.

Once "Mr. Sargent" was located in Iowa, the conniving couple were indicted by the grand jury of Rock County and spent some time in a Jainsville jail. There were some complications though. Prior to his arrest, "Mr. Sargent" had been injured badly when cutting a falling tree... and "Mrs. Sargent" had given birth to their baby. Lewis and Bombaugh recollected, "After remaining in jail some time, and thereby punished to some extent, though not so much as their crimes deserved, they were released on nominal bail, which was, of course, forfeited, and they escaped further punishment. This was the result of humane consideration for the widow, who was Allen's dupe, and for her children, and for Allen himself, whose confinement really endangered his worthless life."

THE PHANTOM SKATER OF HICKORY CREEK

In the winter of 1888, nine year old Harvey Seasongood headed out with friends after school to an old wooden bridge near the frozen Hickory Creek, a tributary of the St. Joseph River in Berrien County, Michigan. 

What happened that day still resonated deeply with Harvey, a retired farm supply company operator, in the sixties. A 1963 article in the "Lansing State Journal" recalled his chilling story: "Suddenly from more than a mile downstream came a loud sound of scraping blades. Shouts and laughter died out among the lads. Time seemed to stand still as the echo of scraping blades hung on the creek banks. Children scrambled up the banks and through knee-deep snow with their skates on, leaving shoes and boots behind. Not the last to leave was little Harvey. The big boys jumped a barbed wire fence at the top of the bank. The little ones crawled under. But in-between Harvey tried to dive through and his clothes got caught on the barbs. Thrashing about only tangled him hopelessly. That's why Harvey was around when the Phantom skated by. The Phantom's scraping blades grew louder after each silent glide and sounded like he was rushing on with express train speed. Gasping, Harvey twisted around in his sheepskin jacket. Green sparks and blue flames flashed from enormous blades as the Phantom skater came around a bend. He was at least 18 feet tall, Harvey says, wearing black tights and a black skull cap, and he cast no shadow, despite the full moon. As the huge black figure approached the old timber bridge, the Phantom went into a crouch and picked up speed. Then with an eerie laugh that froze little Harvey's tears, the Phantom leaped high and hurdled the bridge. As he came down on the other side, Harvey saw in the moonlight that one blade was bonded to a cloven hoof. Alighting with a roar of sparks that melted snow in a half-acre circle, the Phantom sped on down Hickory Creek. The Phantom hadn't noticed little Harvey caught in the fence. And the only person to ever report seeing the Phantom doesn't remember how long he was caught in the fence or how he got home - but he remembers seeing a glow from green sparks and blue flame receding upstream."

Harvey Seasongood passed away in 1964 but his chilling story of the Phantom Skater of Hickory Creek became an urban legend in the area.

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 1975 Skate Canada International Competition

They wore leisure suits, mood rings and platform shoes. They crowded around television sets to watch the antics of Archie and Edith Bunker on "All In The Family". They swayed to David Bowie's "Fame" and bitched and moaned over the "Return To Sender, Embargo Mail" labels on their letters during Canada's postal strike. 

The year was 1975 and from October 23 to 25, over twenty-two thousand spectators came out of the woodwork to watch forty-five skaters from thirteen countries compete at the newly-constructed Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, Alberta to compete at the third ever Skate Canada International competition. It was Olympic Silver Medallist Debbi Wilkes' first job as a commentator for CTV.

The competition was significant for three reasons. Firstly, it was one of the only autumn internationals during that period. Secondly, it was the kick-off to an Olympic season and a great opportunity for skaters to 'test-run' their new programs in front of international judges before heading to Innsbruck. Thirdly - and perhaps most importantly - it was the first major international event held since the ISU voted to reduce figures to thirty percent in value and up the free skating to fifty. How did the skaters fare? Let's take a look back!

THE MEN'S COMPETITION

Photos courtesy Edmonton Public Library

Men from Finland, France, Poland, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, Japan, Austria, Czechoslovakia, the United States and Canada competed in Edmonton but the two skaters the audience was most interested in were Toller Cranston and Ron Shaver.

Toller Cranston

Toller Cranston had won the event in 1973; Shaver was victorious in 1974. When the two Canadians last competed against each other at the World Championships in Colorado Springs, Cranston finished fourth to Shaver's eighth.

Video courtesy Frazer Ormondroyd

When Ron Shaver arrived in Edmonton, he was still recuperating from a serious groin injury that had nearly sidelined him the previous season. He finished only fourth in figures, behind Igor Bobrin, Toller Cranston and Hungary's László Vajda. A stumble on the second half of the double toe-loop/triple toe-loop combination and a fall at the end of his step sequence in the short program made it impossible for Shaver to move up. Toller Cranston, on the other hand, brought down the house with one of his finest performances ever. Skating to Strauss' jubilant "Graduation Ball", he dazzled the audiences and judges alike with his finesse, flair and superb technical skill.

Left: Toller Cranston. Right: Terry Kubicka. Photos courtesy Edmonton Public Library.

The men's free skate in Edmonton was a nightmare for both the accountants and referee and assistant referee Sonia Bianchetti and Audrey Williams. Nineteen Terry Kubicka, the young American who had won the free skate at the 1975 World Championships and emerged as his country's 'number one' after Gordon McKellen's retirement, brought down the house with an electric routine jam-packed with triple jumps... and a not yet officially illegal but) certainly frowned upon backflip. The judges scored him just behind Ron Shaver, who landed five triples, in the free skate.

Terry Kubicka

When the marks were tallied, Terry Kubicka managed to make up enough ground to finish third overall despite being only sixth entering the free skate after stepping out of a triple Lutz in the short and messing up one of his figures. Toller Cranston, though only third in the free skate with a disappointing performance that featured only one clean triple, still managed to take the gold on the strength of his figures and short program.

THE WOMEN'S COMPETITION

Edmonton born Lynn Nightingale had won both the Canadian and Skate Canada titles in 1973 and 1974 but opted to perform an exhibition instead of competing at the 1975 event. She was slated to compete at the Richmond Trophy in England that November. In her absence, the heavy favourite was Kath Malmberg, a two-time U.S. Medallist from Rockville, Illinois who had placed a strong fifth at the 1975 Worlds in Munich on the strength of her figures. To no one's surprise, she led the pack after the compulsories in Alberta. Japan's Emi Watanabe, only fourth in figures, won the short to move up to third overall entering the free skate behind Malmberg and Italy's Susanna Driano, who trained in Colorado Springs with Carlo and Christa Fassi. Watanabe trained in Toronto but went to school down in the United States.

Susanna Driano impressed many with her stamina and high energy in the free skate. Her zippy and athletic performance included a triple Salchow, three double Axels and three double Lutzes. Her only error was on a fourth double Axel attempt, which she aborted mid-air and two-footed. In comparison, Kath Malmberg's program was far less technically demanding. She 'only' did one double Axel and two double Lutzes and attempted no triples. When the judges ranked her only third in the free skate, the gold became Driano's. It was a remarkable comeback as she'd placed only tenth in the event the year prior in Kitchener.

Photo courtesy Edmonton Public Library

Canadians Susan MacDonald, Camille Rebus and Kim Alletson placed fourth, sixth and seventh. MacDonald was suffering from an abscessed tooth. West Germany's Gerti Schanderl, third after the figures, dropped down to fifth overall with a disastrous free skate. A crowd favourite, Schanderl skated with an ambition one reporter from the "Manchester Guardian" described as "resembling a Panzer tank in full attack."

THE ICE DANCE COMPETITION

Photo courtesy Edmonton Public Library

Dance was poised to be included at the Olympics for the first time and the discipline was going through something of a metamorphosis. At the most recent ISU Congress, the Ice Dance Technical Committee had banned vocal music and rules had been passed penalizing excessive side-by-side and shadow skating, separations, posing and ballet inspired programs. Couples were also not allowed to perform more than seven introductory steps in the compulsory dances. In "Skating" magazine, Frank Loeser stated, "Ice dancing is currently in an unusual state of happy distraction. Each dance team seems to be pursuing a distinct sort of dance with an individual style. The only problem created is one for the judges. Apart from an awareness of technical competency, one can only use personal preference for sorting out an order. The compulsory dances thankfully provide a simpler frame for judging technical ability."

Lyudmila Pakhomova and Aleksandr Gorshkov

Thirteen couples competed in Edmonton - the largest field to date in the burgeoning fall invitational. 1974 winners Irina Moiseeva and Andrei Minenkov didn't return to defend their title but their Soviet teammates Lyudmila Pakhomova and Aleksandr Gorshkov were on hand to give exhibitions. Hungarians Krisztina Regőczy and András Sallay, ranked sixth in the World, were forced to withdraw when Sallay injured his back picking up luggage at the airport terminal. On hand were the fourth and fifth place teams in the World - Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov of the Soviet Union and Matilde Ciccia and Lamberto Cesarani of Italy.

Precise compulsories and a strong Rhumba OSP earned Linichuk and Karponosov a hefty lead entering the free dance.  To the surprise of many, Canadians Barbara Berezowski and David Porter managed to best the Italians to take the silver on the strength of their show-stopping, four tempo free dance to "In The Mood", "Jordan's Tango", "Softly As I Leave You" and "Mambo No. 5".

The Muscovites, to the surprise of no one, took the gold with their free dance to "The Last Snow Of Spring". Americans Judi Genovesi and Kent Weigle, Poles Teresa Weyna and Piotr Bojańczyk and Canadians Susan Carscallen and Eric Gillies finished fourth through sixth. Canada's third couple, Lorna Wighton and John Dowding, were eighth. In her book "Figure Skating History: The Evolution Of Dance On Ice", Lynn Copley-Graves noted, "The winners' strength lay in their maturity - the play of man against and toward woman - plus intricate choreography." After the Sunday night exhibitions, Barbara Berezowski flew on a red-eye flight to Toronto to compete in the Miss Canada Pageant. She was the reigning Miss Toronto. David Porter joked, "If she wins, she'll have to call me Mr. Universe".

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.

Water And Ice: The Alfredo Mendoza Story

Alfredo Mendoza and Jinx Clark. Photo courtesy "World Ice Skating Guide".

"I was burned out on skiing. I was doing it all the time and not making any money. It was fun to just glide along the ice. I was making money - and back then I was after the money." - Alfredo Mendoza, "The Tampa Tribune", August 23, 1995

Born January 9, 1933 in Acapulco de Juárez, Mexico, Alfredo Ortiz Mendoza grew up on the water. As a boy, he learned to swim and dive off the cliffs of La Quebrada and worked on a tugboat with his older brother Carlos. Alfredo and Carlos tried their hand at bullfighting in Mexico City but ultimately it was another sport that really caught Alfredo's fancy.

After seeing a newsreel of water skiers at a local theatre, Alfredo travelled to San Juan Bautista Tequesquitengo to learn the sport on the town's lake. A year later in 1950, when Dick Pope Jr. brought his water skiing troupe to the El Paradise beach club in Acapulco, Alfredo entered his first contest and placed a creditable fourth. He caught Dick's eye and was invited to participate in a series of competitions at Cypress Gardens in Florida.

With training, Alfredo quickly rose through the water skiing ranks and won the U.S. water ski jumping tournaments in 1952 and 1953. In 1953, he won the World title in Toronto, a feat he repeated two years later in Beirut, Lebanon. After turning professional, he staged a popular show at Cypress Gardens and endorsed a line of water skis - 'The Mendoza'. In a blurb regarding his 1989 induction to the International Waterski and Wakeboarding Hall of Fame, the sport's governing body noted, "His jumping wins were characterized by an unusual 'crack-the-whip' approach to the ramp, now known as the double-wake cut. Mendoza introduced it in 1951 after he and his fellow Cypress Gardens skiers had used it successfully in practice. It enabled him to set records at the world tournaments and later became a standard for water ski jumpers of all ages."

Photo courtesy Library of Congress

Alfredo's unlikely introduction to the sport of figure skating happened in 1955, when he was twenty years old. In a 1969 interview with a reporter from "The Tampa Tribune", he recalled, "Holiday on Ice was showing in Tampa that winter... and the star, Kay Servatius, came over to the Gardens to see them. She was gorgeous - a Ukrainian. I met her at the Gardens and she was interested in learning to water ski, which of course pleased me and Mr. Pope as well. I taught her, came to see the show at the Armoury... in Tampa and first laid eyes on an ice rink. After the show, I put on [a pair of rented] skates, got on the ice and promptly busted my confidence when I fell. I tried a couple of times, got interested and in the next few years, every chance I got, I went to Coral Gables where they had a rink and began learning to skate." The same reporter who interviewed him for that article called him a 'wetback'. Despite the discrimination he faced, Alfredo was so persistent in his efforts to learn to skate that he made the three and a half hour drive from Winter Haven to Coral Gables as often as he could. In 1957, he auditioned for Holiday On Ice and got his start in the chorus.

Photo courtesy "World Ice Skating Guide".

Alfredo's early days in the show were far from glamorous - at one point, he was selected to appear as the front half of a dog costume. Wearing a fifteen pound head, he careened around the ice to the strains of Elvis Presley's hit "Hound Dog". He recalled, "I couldn't skate worth a darn, but I was the world water ski champ. Publicity and all and they hired me. I was awful. I fell all the time. Twice, I guess, in one show was my personal record." Practicing every chance he could in between shows, he got his 'big break' when one of the male stars of the show was injured and he was picked out of fifty five other chorus skaters to replace him temporarily.

Left: Jinx Clark and Alfredo Mendoza. Right: Janie Morris and Alfredo Mendoza.

In the sixties, Alfredo became one of Holiday on Ice's biggest stars, skating adagio pairs acts with Tom Collins' future wife Janie Morris, Darolyn Prior, Carol Johnson and his own future wife, Jinx Clark. Alfredo's pairs act featured some of the most dazzling tricks of the trade, including gravity-defying carry lifts and the Detroiter. Many thought it was his skill on water skis translated to the ice, but he insisted the sports weren't similar whatsoever. "The skating is so much more difficult, really," he recalled. "Naturally, you don't have the help from the pull of the boat and the momentum for leaps and turns is all your own. Furthermore, there's always a possibility one of the girls in the show, or someone, might have dropped a bobby pin on the ice and that's some hazard."

Alfredo toured with Holiday on Ice until 1974 when, tired of the nomadic lifestyle of a touring professional, he returned to the water skiing world as a professional teacher. After returning to Cypress Gardens for a time, he operated his own water skiing schools in Clearwater and Tarpon Springs, supplementing his income by taking tourists out parasailing. In 1995, he told a reporter from "The Tampa Tribune" "I can't believe I've been doing it all this time, but it's great to be with people. I tell you, I love teaching. I think I'm a good teacher and I enjoy it."

Alfredo water-skiing in Tampa in 1995, just two years before his death

Alfredo passed away on March 21, 1997 in Clearwater, Florida at the age of sixty-four, leaving behind two sons - Carlos and Ricardo - and a legacy as the one of the only Latin American skaters to successfully make the transition from water to ice.

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.