The Best Figures Skaters In Europe

Today we'll take a quick look at the best figures skaters in Europe! All of the talented skaters in this table won the compulsory figures at the European Figure Skating Championships. The skaters with a * beside their name also won the overall title.

Year	Men	Women
1891	Oskar Uhlig*	(not held)
1892	Eduard Engelmann Jr.*	(not held)
1893	Eduard Engelmann Jr.*	(not held)
1894	Eduard Engelmann Jr.*	(not held)
1895	Tibor von Földváry*	(not held)
1898	Ulrich Salchow*	(not held)
1899	Ulrich Salchow*	(not held)
1900	Ulrich Salchow*	(not held)
1901	Gustav Hügel*	(not held)
1904	Ulrich Salchow*	(not held)
1905	Max Bohatsch*	(not held)
1906	Ulrich Salchow*	(not held)
1907	Ulrich Salchow*	(not held)
1908	Ernst Herz*	(not held)
1909	Ulrich Salchow*	(not held)
1910	Ulrich Salchow*	(not held)
1911	Per Thorén*	(not held)
1912	Gösta Sandahl*	(not held)
1913	Ulrich Salchow*	(not held)
1914	Fritz Kachler*	(not held)
1922	Willy Böckl*	(not held)
1923	Willy Böckl*	(not held)
1924	Fritz Kachler*	(not held)
1925	Willy Böckl*	(not held)
1926	Otto Preißecker	(not held)
1927	Willy Böckl*	(not held)
1928	Willy Böckl*	(not held)
1929	Karl Schäfer*	(not held)
1930	Karl Schäfer*	Fritzi Burger*
1931	Karl Schäfer*	Sonja Henie*
1932	Karl Schäfer*	Sonja Henie*
1933	Karl Schäfer*	Sonja Henie*
1934	Karl Schäfer*	Sonja Henie*
1935	Karl Schäfer*	Sonja Henie*
1936	Karl Schäfer*	Sonja Henie*
1937	Felix Kaspar*	Cecilia Colledge*
1938	Henry Graham Sharp	Cecilia Colledge*
1939	Henry Graham Sharp*	Megan Taylor
1947	Hans Gerschwiler*	Barbara Ann Scott*
1948	Dick Button*	Barbara Ann Scott*
1949	Edi Rada*	Eva Pawlik*
1950	Ede Király	Ája Zanová*
1951	Horst Faber	Jeannette Altwegg*
1952	Hellmut Seibt*	Jeannette Altwegg*
1953	Carlo Fassi*	Valda Osborn*
1954	Carlo Fassi*	Gundi Busch*
1955	Alain Giletti*	Yvonne Sugden
1956	Alain Giletti*	Ingrid Wendl*
1957	Alain Giletti*	Ingrid Wendl
1958	Karol Divín*	Ingrid Wendl*
1959	Karol Divín*	Hanna Walter*
1960	Alain Giletti*	Sjoukje Dijkstra*
1961	Alain Giletti*	Sjoukje Dijkstra*
1962	Karol Divín	Sjoukje Dijkstra*
1963	Alain Calmat*	Sjoukje Dijkstra*
1964	Alain Calmat*	Sjoukje Dijkstra*
1965	Emmerich Danzer*	Regine Heitzer*
1966	Wolfgang Schwarz	Regine Heitzer*
1967	Emmerich Danzer*	Gaby Seyfert*
1968	Emmerich Danzer*	Hana Mašková*
1969	Ondrej Nepela*	Trixi Schuba
1970	Ondrej Nepela*	Trixi Schuba
1971	Ondrej Nepela*	Trixi Schuba*
1972	Ondrej Nepela*	Trixi Schuba*
1973	Ondrej Nepela*	Karin Iten
1974	Sergei Volkov	Karin Iten
1975	Sergei Volkov	Karin Iten
1976	Vladimir Kovalev	Isabel de Navarre
1977	Vladimir Kovalev	Anett Pötzsch*
1978	Vladimir Kovalev	Anett Pötzsch*
1979	Vladimir Kovalev	Anett Pötzsch*
1980	Vladimir Kovalev	Anett Pötzsch*
1981	Jean-Christophe Simond	Claudia Kristofics-Binder
1982	Jean-Christophe Simond	Claudia Kristofics-Binder
1983	Jean-Christophe Simond	Elena Vodorezova
1984	Jean-Christophe Simond	Elena Vodorezova
1985	Fernand Fédronic	Katarina Witt*
1986	Jozef Sabovčík*	Kira Ivanova
1987	Alexandr Fadeev*	Kira Ivanova
1988	Alexandr Fadeev*	Kira Ivanova
1989	Richard Zander	Claudia Leistner*
1990	Richard Zander	Natalia Lebedeva

Lots of interesting takeaways to look at here! The importance of the school figures in skating's pre-War years is evident in the fact that from 1891 to 1939, only two men and one woman won the figures but not the overall title at the European Championships: Otto Preißecker in 1926, Henry Graham Sharp in 1938 and Megan Taylor in 1939.

Henry Graham Sharp

In 1984, the winners of both the men's and women's figures, Jean-Christophe Simond of France and Elena Vodorezova of the Soviet Union, withdrew prior to the short program. This was the first and only time this happened in an ISU Championship.

Vladimir Kovalev

The introduction of the short program for singles skaters devalued figures and made for some interesting results at the Europeans. For twelve years straight, the men's school figures at the Europeans were won by skaters who didn't take the overall crown. Vladimir Kovalev won the figures at Europeans five times in a row; Jean-Christophe Simond four. In 1985, France's Fernand Fédronic made history as the only skater of colour to ever win the figures at the Europeans.

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.

Dancing In The Dark

Prior to World War II, international figure skating competitions were sometimes plagued by ninety-nine problems... but power outages really weren't one of them. At international competitions, skaters often battled snow, sleet, rain, heavy winds and freezing temperatures as they carved out figure eights on outdoor ice. During the War, many skaters learned to cope with performing double Salchow's in the dark due to mandated blackouts. In the years that followed, power outages and technical difficulties during skating events have made for some memorable moments. 

Ája Záňová

After winning her first World title in Paris in 1949, Ája Záňová was invited to give a special exhibition at the Richmond Ice Rink in England. The event was meant to be a 'welcome back' to the rink where she trained with coach Arnold Gerschwiler, but things didn't go exactly as planned. Cyril Beastall recounted Bob Cocks' explanation of what happened that spring in "Skating World" magazine thusly: "The Gala was drawing to a close... the star of the show was giving her first performance since winning the World's figure skating title... everyone was intently watching Ája, when, suddenly, without warning, the music came to a stop... every loud speaker in the building went dead - a main fuse had blown. Not a sound could be heard... except that of blade on ice. For Ája it must have been a terrible moment, but not for an instant did she pause... had a deaf person been watching, he would not have known that anything was amiss... she continued her brilliant performance in an atmosphere packed with silent expectancy... the only sounds were gasps from the crowd at her magnificent jumps, and applause. The feelings of many in the crowd would be hard to describe... perhaps a mixture of awe, wonderment and profound appreciation for such sportsmanship and courage that was needed to carry on. Nor did it end there, for such was the applause on the completion of Aja's programme that she was called on to give not one, but several encores - all without music!"

Karen Magnussen. Photo courtesy University of Manitoba Archives.

Eighteen years later, a power failure interrupted the performance of another future World Champion, Canada's Karen Magnussen, at the North American Championships in Montreal. In the forty minutes that passed from the time the lights and music stopped to when she re-skated her program, Karen sat in a darkened dressing room having a problem blade fixed. Though she skated much better after her skate's date with a screwdriver, she unfortunately missed out on a medal.

In 1973, the lights stayed on but the music was a no-go for Irina Rodnina and Aleksandr Zaitsev at the World Championships in Bratislava. Two and a half minutes into their free skate, the Soviet power couple were performing a lift when a failure with the sound system occurred. The supportive Czechoslovakian crowd willed them on with applause. They finished their program without music and won their first of six World titles together.

Linda Fratianne. Photo courtesy "womenSports" magazine.

The lights went out in Hartford in 1977 in the final moments of Linda Fratianne's free skate at the U.S. Championships. The next skater, Wendy Burge, chose to skate in the semi-darkness rather than wait twenty-five minutes for the overhead mercury lights to be restored. Wendy skated brilliantly and won the free skate, earning a standing ovation in the process, but it was Linda who won her first of four national titles that snowy night in Connecticut.

Photo courtesy "The Canadian Skater" magazine

A faulty transformer of the Civic Centre in Ottawa was to blame for a six-hour delay in the start of the free dance at the 1984 World Championships. The sump pump, located in the rink's basement, overheated and the smoke from this led to the evacuation of skaters' dressing rooms for a short time as a safety precaution. In her book "Figure Skating History: The Evolution Of Dance On Ice", Lynn Copley-Graves recalled, "A power outage... enveloped 10,000 spectators in darkness... and disrupted the TV schedule. Restaurants ran out of food and closed after feeding so many fans stuck downtown with nothing to do for five hours. Wendy Sessions left first for the rink and phoned back to tell Jayne [Torvill], Chris [Dean], Karen [Barber], and Nicky [Slater] to hold tight. At first, no one believed her because she always joked. Then Jayne wrote letters and Chris reasoned that it was good to rest after the morning's practice. CTV preempted prime-time shows to broadcast live in Canada. BBC and ITV stayed with the free dances until the end at 4:00 am British time. Millions stayed awake to watch, delighted to see the lower ranked couples who usually are not shown." The following year, the power was also out for six hours during the figure skating events at the Special Olympics in Salt Lake City, but the event continued on with the use of emergency generators.

In 1994, a power outage, heat wave and lack of air conditioning were blamed for a delay in getting the ice ready for the figure skating events at the midsummer Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg. The conditions didn't seem to phase the Russians, who won seven out of the twelve medals at the competition. Four years later during the Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, three quarters of the lights in the White Ring Arena went out during the free dance of Tatiana Navka and Nikolai Morozov. The couple finished their program without missing a beat but ended up in a disappointing sixteenth place.

Tatiana Navka wasn't the only skater who was a victim of a power outage that went on to win an  Olympic medal in the twenty-first century. At the 2003 North American Challenge Skate in Thornhill, Ontario, promising youngsters Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir and Patrick Chan won medals in a competition that was remembered for being the "night the lights went out in Toronto." Heather Nemier, the U.S. team leader at the event, recalled the story of the competition in her write-up for "Skating" magazine: "The NACS in Thornhill, Ontario, a suburb of Toronto, started on a normal, even, mundane note with an uneventful, but upbeat team meeting attended by all 23 athletes and their coaches. For the draw the skaters picked supersized Hershey's kisses with the skating order number on them. But it was at the end of the draw that the fun in Ontario really began – the power went out. Almost immediately, the hotel generators kicked in and everyone could see their way out of the meeting room. Some of the skaters had gone to their rooms to get changed for their first practice, which was supposed to begin shortly after the draw ended. Instead the team gathered in the hotel lobby to see how long the power might be out. With wild rumors flying around, U.S. Team Director Denise Thomas and I tried to find out what happened and how soon things would be back to normal. We finally determined that the outage affected much more than just the Toronto area – it seemed likely that the the whole Northeast was affected... The arena didn't have power either, so we kept everyone at the hotel until more information was available. The afternoon and evening passed with the team hanging out in the lobby, playing games, getting to know each other, eating at the restaurant – which fortunately used natural gas – and asking a lot of questions. It became obvious that there would be no practices that evening, but Friday's schedule was left intact until further notice. The hotel management was not sure the hotel would have enough generator power to last through the night, so all hotel guests were asked to gather in the lobby. We were told to bring pillows since we might be sleeping in the lobby. Some skaters were thrilled with this slumber party idea, while others weren't so enthralled with the idea! Eventually, it was determined that the hotel had enough generator power to last until dawn, so we returned to our rooms. Guests without flashlights were escorted to their rooms... Around 5 a.m. the power came back on and with it came a new set of problems. That morning we met with the tech rep, referee and the Canadian team leaders about the Friday schedule. The rink had power again and had managed to keep the ice through the night, though it was a little soft. Morning practices were cancelled in order to get the ice back to competition form. We had major concerns about whether the power would stay on and allow us to get in all the first rounds in on Friday. So, the schedule was redone so each event would have a practice, immediately followed by the first round (short program for singles and compulsory dance for the dancers). It was a bit unorthodox, but the skaters were terrific about going with the flow."

Boyang Jin

Flash forward to 2018 at the Four Continents Championships in Taipei City, when the lights and music cut out during the exhibition gala. Members of the audience illuminated the rink with the flashlights on their cell phones while China's Boyang Jin entertained them with some dazzling jumps. 

Though power outages and technical difficulties are obviously never a fun time, they haven't stopped the world's best skaters from carrying on and giving amazing performances over the years. The show, as they say, must go on.

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.

#Unearthed: Mr. Pattin's Penchant

When you dig through skating history, you never know what you will unearth. In the spirit of cataloguing fascinating tales from skating history, #Unearthed is a once a month 'special occasion' on Skate Guard where fascinating writings by others that are of interest to skating history buffs are excavated, dusted off and shared for your reading pleasure. From forgotten fiction to long lost interviews to tales that have never been shared publicly, each #Unearthed is a fascinating journey through time. Today's edition is C.J. Kirkby Fenton's short story "Mr. Pattin's Penchant - A Silhouette On The Ice", which first appeared in "Longman's Magazine" in January of 1896. It was Kirkby's second skating-themed short story. The first, "Skating In Flanders", was published in "The Argosy" less than a year prior.

"MR. PATTIN'S PENCHANT - A SILHOUETTE ON THE ICE" (C.J. KIRKBY FENTON)

Mr. Pattin was a skating enthusiast; not of the young and inexperienced type, hut one of the many middle-aged experts. Regularly every winter he was to be found in the Low Countries with his skates and his friend Lucas.

Yet it was Mr. Pattin who came home after a day's skating, and swore deeply. He hurled his skates - yes, his beautiful, gleaming, Dowler-bladed skates, that he had cleaned and oiled so scrupulously last winter - hurled them upon the floor with a crash.

"I'll never wear them again; and next winter I'll go to Egypt!" he exclaimed savagely. "It's all their fault; it's all because of that confounded "Grapevine" that I oh, well, I'm not going over it again; what's the use?" and he sank wearily into a chair. "I'm wet through - frozen to the bone. I'm miserable! I'm - I'm everything," and he flung himself out of the room, leaving Lucas speechless with astonishment.

The events of a foregoing week must be given here to account for the very remarkable change in Mr. Pattin's demeanor. A week ago he had arrived in the marshy land of Flanders, full of enthusiasm and a superabundance of skating energy. All the summer he had waited for the winter, and then shortly before Christmas a letter from his friends the Templetons told him that the marshes outside Bruges would very soon bear. "You'll be back for Christmas Day?" said his home circle. "Yes, if the frost breaks." "And if it doesn't?" "You'll not see me here. Goodbye!" And the enthusiast had gone.

When Mr. Pattin arrived at Bruges his first care was to visit the Templetons, and his second words to them were, "What skating prospects are there?" He liked the two young Templetons, for they skated well and talked much on the subject; he also liked their eldest sister, for she tried her best to learn the outside edge under his supervision; but the youngest, Miss Marjory, who never would seriously consider the third edge, who shook her little head and declared that it was very poor fun to go round and round in a circle when every one else was rushing over the ice - he adored her.

Miss Marjory and he had nearly come to a complete understanding last winter, but Mr. Pattin was determined that this year should bring him an answer that would decide his fate. "What have you been doing all the summer, Mr. Pattin?" she asked. "You are indeed a stranger here, except when you are attracted by the skating." "Ah, Miss Templeton, I have been endeavouring to turn summer into winter by compiling a book on skating. In this book I have introduced a new theory for teaching that most intricate of figures the 'Grapevine.' You know that people talk about the figure being only learnt by instinct."

"I have heard that too," chimed in the eldest Miss Templeton. "Don't believe them, Miss Templeton, it's all nonsense; it's absolutely a false idea that has become general. I can prove it," and Mr. Pattin became quite excited over the fact. And thus he continued to talk skating, skating, to him the all-absorbing topic of skating. The marvel was that Marjory was not bored. On the contrary, she listened with the greatest admiration to Mr. Pattin's learned propoundings, heard with interest the 'Grapevine' theory and the descriptions of Rockers, for "omne ignotum pro magnifico."

A few days later the enthusiast rose betimes, and after an early breakfast betook himself to the marshes. His energy was rewarded, the ice bore. A peasant had skated all the way from a distant village, and had reported the ice to be safe and good. Mr. Pattin hurried to the Templetons. "Miss Templeton, there is skating on the marshes. I was there this morning to see for myself. The ice is glorious - a sheet of glass."

"What energy, Mr. Pattin, and such a long walk too!" exclaimed Marjory. "I must really try the outside edge this year, only I wish it wasn't so troublesome." "You will find it quite easy this year, I assure you, Miss Templeton."

Inside and outside edges

"Good morning, Pattin. I hope you've come to tell us that there is skating," said young Templeton, entering the room at that moment. "Oh, that's good news! Do you remember how you came hurrying in last year and surprised us almost before we had begun to think of a frost? Well, we will have the waggonette out and make up a small party. What do you say, Marjory?" "That will be fun! Whom can we ask? Let me see. There's Mr. and Mrs. White, they just love skating; and then we might ask those new people - those nice people in the Grand Place; and - there's Monsieur Chicon; we must ask Monsieur Chicon."

"But skating isn't much in his line, is it?" suggested Marjory's brother. "Oh, I think so; he skates fairly well, and he's certainly very amusing." So a servant hurried out with notes, and a luncheon basket was prepared. Presently the invited guests arrived, and with them Monsieur Chicon, all bows and smiles. The waggonette waited outside, and the horses stamped upon the hard ground. Then the skating-party filled the carriage, and they were off. Mr. Pattin sat next to Marjory, and Monsieur Chicon sat opposite to them, dangling his skates carelessly.

Mr. Pattin eyed the Frenchman's skates. "Humph! There's an old-fashioned contrivance," he said to himself. "Long pointed toes. Very dangerous, and no good for figuring; and I do declare there's rust upon the blades!" And after noticing that, he took quite a dislike to poor little smiling Monsieur Chicon.

Half an hour's drive brought the party to the edge of this vast sheet of ice, that stretched many miles away into the far distance. Mr. Pattin secured a camp stool, and placed it on the bank for Marjory. "Vill you give me the pleesure, Mees Templeton, of fastening your feets to your skates?" said a cheery voice in broken English. "Thank you very much, Monsieur Chicon, but Mr. Pattin has already volunteered to do so," she replied with a smile. "Now, is that quite comfortable?" asked Mr. Pattin, pulling gently at a strap. "Not too tight, I hope?" "No, not a bit too tight. You have put them on beautifully, Mr. Pattin!"

"So very pleased," he murmured. Then they skated away together. "Left, right; left, right," said Mr. Pattin in a soft undertone. "This is splendid!" exclaimed Marjory, her dark eyes sparkling and her cheeks glowing with the exercise. "Splendid indeed!" echoed the enthusiast; and after that there was a long silence. At last Mr. Pattin spoke. "A day like this makes one feel perfectly happy - at least, it has that effect on me; almost perfectly happy, I ought to say, for people are very seldom absolutely content. There's always something missing. Isn't that so, Miss Templeton?" "Yes, I think so; at least, I mean, I don"t believe I ever thought much about it. Some days I am far happier than on others."

Then it flashed across Mr. Pattin's mind that now was a good opportunity for asking Marjory the question; but it was lost, for at that very moment their skates clashed violently together. "Oh! Mr. Pattin, the outside edge was the cause of that. We can't keep time when you are circling round and I am going forward. I protest against the outside edge - I do indeed," laughed Marjory, but in her voice there was just the faintest suspicion of annoyance. "I am sorry, Miss Templeton. I will try and never do such a thing again. But I get on to the edge quite unconsciously. It is so - so blissful; it isn't to be compared to the inside. Won't you try and learn, Miss Templeton - just for a short time?"

"Ahoy! ahoy!" came across the ice. "Hockey! come and play hockey!" and several skaters, flourishing sticks, headed by Monsieur Chicon, flew towards Marjory and Mr. Pattin. "Of course I'll come!" exclaimed Marjory eagerly; "and you will come, Mr. Pattin, and join us - do." "I am afraid I am going to be rude and refuse," he replied. "The fact is, I ought to practice the 'Grapevine' and - and I always consider that hockey ruins both ankles and skates."

"Wonder if I ought to have gone," Mr. Pattin asked himself as he watched Marjory skating away. "She seemed sorry that I didn't; but hockey !" and he turned away to revel in his 'Grapevine' and the outside edge. Nearly an hour passed by, and Mr. Pattin was still figuring; the time seemed but a few minutes to him, and he would have still stayed on if cries of "Mr. Pattin, Mr. Pattin, come to lunch!" had not brought him to the bank, where he found the whole party gathered round a fire.

Monsieur Chicon was here, there, and everywhere, the life of the party, handing plates and glasses, hobbling on his skates over the rough ground, laughing and chattering incessantly. Lunch was over, and Marjory and Mr. Pattin were again skating together. "You enjoyed the hockey, Miss Templeton?" "Oh yes, immensely; but we didn't play for very long." A pause - then, "Are you not on the edge again, Mr. Pattin, because I'm afraid we are not going along very comfortably. Monsieur Chicon never tries the outside edge when he is skating with me; we sail along beautifully." "Oh, do you?" regretfully - then, as an after thought, "of course Monsieur Chicon keeps to the inside edge because he can't do anything else."

Single and double grapevine figures

Another pause. " Have I shown you the Grapevine, Miss Templeton?" "I think not." "May I do so now?" "Yes." Then Mr. Pattin's feet twinkled and twisted and twirled with smooth rapidity. "Ah, there"s a fine piece of ice over there," he cried. "Will you come, Miss Templeton?" and he moved away. Marjory watched him vaguely at a distance. And Mr. Pattin was absorbed in the 'Grapevine' then he passed from that figure to other intricacies on the outside edge. He was in the seventh heaven of bliss; he circled round, he whirled backwards, he described small half circles, he completed large whole circles, oh it was fascinating - to him, and the time passed rapidly. "Miss Templeton, do you know this fig- oh!" Mr. Pattin had turned round, and there was no Miss Templeton. She had vanished. He looked across the ice, then down at his skates, thoughtfully. "Hmm, strange! Perhaps she's gone to play hockey. Astonishing how fond of the game she is." And Mr. Pattin looked longingly at some figures in the far distance. "I may have an opportunity of speaking to her on our way back," he soliloquised - of speaking to Marjory. "Marjory, what a pretty name it is!" and he sighed. Hours had passed like minutes; Mr. Pattin had wandered farther and farther away from the votaries of hockey; he had found black ice to perfection, the "Grapevine" had flourished, and he was well pleased with himself.

"How very soon it becomes dark!" said Mr. Pattin regretfully. "By Jove! no wonder. It's past seven; the others must have left an hour ago," and he tore across the ice, then stopped suddenly. "I'm certain I never saw this tree before. I must be going in the wrong direction." And he wheeled round and retraced his steps. Darker and darker grew the night, heavy black clouds hid the moon, and Mr. Pattin's lonely figure flitted across the silent marshes. In the darkness there were no landmarks to guide him, solitary trees, fences, sluices, all appeared alike - dark masses without shape or individuality.

Mr. Pattin stood still and looked around him. There was absolutely nothing to show the way, nothing but the blackness of the night and an endless tract of ice. At last, after a long spell of skating, he reached a bank and a road that had the appearance of leading to some point, yet he dared not try the road, for it was probable that it might take him from instead of to Bruges.

So he started off in an opposite direction. A dark wood in the middle of the marshes loomed in front of him; he began to skirt round it; the distance seemed interminable, would the other side never be reached? A feeling of weariness came over Mr. Pattin; still the wood rose up before him, and still he skated mechanically round it.

Presently he stopped, and then discovered that he had come back to the spot whence he had started. "What on earth am I to do?" he exclaimed in a despairing voice. "I shall have to wander about all night in the cold, until daylight helps me." Then he turned his back upon the wood and chose a new way; on - on - past sluices, cutting a way through withered sedges, or sometimes passing over dykes that cracked alarmingly.

"Lost! Lost!" his skates seemed to repeat, in monotonous rhythm. "Lost," cried Mr. Pattin out loud; "yes, lost, and the ice is cracking in every direction, the wind's veered" Crash! The water gurgled, and Mr. Pattin gasped as he went down knee deep into the freezing water; in a second he was out again, standing shivering by the side of the dark hole that he had made. "Oh heavens, how cold!" His knees shook together and his teeth chattered. "I'm getting colder and colder; I'll stay here and die."

Then: "What's this? a stick - a hockey stick; oh blessed hockey! I must be near the lunching place," and he skated towards a bank. "Yes, there's the mark of the fire." It was a long trudge back to Bruges. Mr. Pattin was never quite sure how he got there; his limbs were stiff, and his head ached; truly this was a wretched ending to a day that had begun so brightly.

Lucas was smoking comfortably by the fire. An unobservant fellow was Lucas; he had never noticed his friend's attentions to Miss Marjory Templeton, or even his present plight. "Had a satisfactory skate, Pattin? Oh, by the by, just heard some news, the very latest - little Marjory Templeton's engaged to Monsieur Chicon."

"What!" "Monsieur Chicon proposed to her coming back from the marshes, and she accepted him." "Him! - that grinning little Frenchman, who - who - hasn't even sufficient brains to learn the outside edge!" Then the storm burst, and Mr. Pattin's skates were dashed to the ground. Yet he deserved to lose Marjory; for it was quite evident that he had been far more in love with his outside edge than with her.

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 Soundtrack Of Skating

In the early days of international figure skating competitions, music was a lot like a floral garnish on a dinner plate. It was there, it was pretty... but it really didn't serve any real purpose. 

The first free skating performances skated in the Olympics weren't designed with any specific music in mind. It really didn't matter if the band played a military march or "I'm A Little Teapot" when Ulrich Salchow first demonstrated his namesake jump. The judges were far more interested in his rockers and spins than the jumps he performed or how he kept time with the music anyway.

After a flag was dropped to signify the start of a skater's program, a band played a waltz or a march until 'time' was called by the referee. The style of background music used was sometimes not even of the skater's choosing. Such was the case at the 1932 Olympics in Lake Placid, when the band played the exact same tune for all twelve of the men's competitors. It was said that it was the only classical piece they knew. 

By the mid-thirties, the orchestra or band was replaced with specially cut gramophone records and more consideration was given to a skater's musical interpretation. In the decades that followed, cassette tapes and CD's were used. In today's world, everything is digital. 

In today's blog, we'll take a look at the soundtrack of figure skating - the music that Olympic Gold Medallists have used for their winning performances over the years. A very special thanks to Dr. Matthias Hampe and Frazer Ormondroyd for their assistance in compiling this information!

"Belle De Jour", the opening track from Robin Cousins' Olympic gold medal winning free skate in 1980

MEN

Year	Winner	Short Program	Free Skate
1908	Ulrich Salchow	(N/A)	Live accompaniment
1920	Gillis Grafström	(N/A)	Live accompaniment
1924	Gillis Grafström	(N/A)	Live accompaniment
1928	Gillis Grafström	(N/A)	Live accompaniment
1932	Karl Schäfer	(N/A)	Live accompaniment: Medley including "Orpheus at the Underworld" (Jacques Offenbach)
1936	Karl Schäfer	(N/A)	Waltz and modern selections
1948	Dick Button	(N/A)	"Roumanian Rhapsody" (George Enescu, Andre Kostelanetz)
1952	Dick Button	(N/A)	"Roumanian Rhapsody" (George Enescu, Andre Kostelanetz)
1956	Hayes Alan Jenkins	(N/A)	"Scheherazade" (Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov)
1960	David Jenkins	(N/A)	"Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16" (Edvard Grieg)
1964	Manfred Schnelldorfer	(N/A)	"Carmen" (Georges Bizet)/"Grandfather's Dance" from "The Nutcracker" (Pyotr Ilrich Tchaikovsky)/ "Boccaccio: Overture" (Franz von Suppè)
1968	Wolfgang Schwarz	(N/A)	"Grand March" from "Aida" (Giuseppe Verdi)/"Symphony No. 9 in E- Minor - From The New World" (Antonín Dvořák)/"Semiramide" (Gioachino Rossini)
1972	Ondrej Nepela	(N/A)	"Homage March, Op. 22 No. 4" from "Sigurd Jorsalfar" (Edvard Grieg)/"Bacchanale" from "Samson and Delilah" (Camille Saint-Saëns)
1976	John Curry	"Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini Op.43: XII Variation" (Sergei Rachmaninoff, arranged by Nikolai Lugansky)	"Don Quixote" (Ludwig Minkus) from "Nureyev's Don Quixote" (The Elizabethan Trust Melbourne Orchestra, arranged by John Lanchbery)
1980	Robin Cousins	"The Railway Children" (Johnny Douglas and His Orchestra)	"Belle De Jour" (Saint Tropez)/"Dragons Of Midnight" (The Mike Theodore Orchestra)/"Murder On The Orient Express: Finale" (Charles Taylor, Marcus Dods, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House)/"Paint It Black" (Johnny Harris)
1984	Scott Hamilton	"Samson and Delilah" (Camille Saint-Saëns)/ "The Sharish Polka" (Lúčnica, Czechoslovakian Folk Ballet from Bratislava)	"Overture" from "Guardian Of The Light" (George Duke)/"Ren" (Hiroshima)/"Swan Lake" (Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky)
1988	Brian Boitano	"Entrée" from "Les Patineurs" (Giacomo Meyerbeer, National Philharmonic Orchestra)	"Pozzo Theme", "Fort Carré Prison", "Victorious In Italy and Finale" from "Napoléon" (Carmine Coppola)
1992	Viktor Petrenko	"Carmen" (Georges Bizet)	"Raymond: Overture" (Ambroise Thomas)/"Le Cid" (Jules Massenet)/"Waltz op. 64 No. 2" (Frédéric Chopin)/"I Vespi Siciliani overture" (Giuseppe Verdi
1994	Alexei Urmanov	"Rigoletto", "La donna è mobile" (Giuseppe Verdi)	"Semiramide: Overture", "La Gazza Ladra - The Thieving Magpie", "William Tell Overture"(Gioachino Rossini)/"Poet and Peasant" (Franz von Suppé)
1998	Ilia Kulik	"Overture" from ""Révolution Industrielle" (Jean-Michel Jarre)	"Rhapsody In Blue" (George Gershwin)
2002	Alexei Yagudin	"Winter" (Bond)	"Surrounded", "Heart Of A King" from "The Man In The Iron Mask" (Nick Glennie-Smith)
2006	Evgeni Plushenko	"E lucevan le stelle" from "Tosca" (Giacomo Puccini)	"The Godfather" (Edvin Marton)
2010	Evan Lysacek	"The Firebird" (Igor Stravinsky)	"Scheherazade" (Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov)
2014	Yuzuru Hanyu	"Parisienne Walkways" (Gary Moore)	"Romeo and Juliet" (Nino Rota)
2018	Yuzuru Hanyu	"Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23" (Frédéric Chopin)	"Seimei" from "Onmyōji" (Shigeru Umebayashi)

Jeannette Altwegg and Tenley Albright both interpreted Offenbach's "The Tales Of Hoffmann" in their winning performances at the Winter Olympic Games in the fifties

WOMEN

Year	Winner	Short Program	Free Skate
1908	Madge Syers	(N/A)	Live accompaniment
1920	Magda Julin	(N/A)	Live accompaniment
1924	Herma Szabo	(N/A)	Live accompaniment
1928	Sonja Henie	(N/A)	Live accompaniment
1932	Sonja Henie	(N/A)	Live accompaniment
1936	Sonja Henie	(N/A)	"Rosen aus dem Süden" (Johann Strauss II)
1948	Barbara Ann Scott	(N/A)	"Les Patineurs" (Giacomo Meyerbeer)/"March Of The Toys" from "Babes In Toyland" (Victor Herbert)/"Coppélia" (Léo Delibes)
1952	Jeannette Altwegg	(N/A)	"Tales Of Hoffmann" (Jacques Offenbach)
1956	Tenley Albright	(N/A)	"Belle nuit, ô nuit d'amour" from "Tales Of Hoffmann" (Jacques Offenbach), Selections by Antonin Vivaldi, Johann Strauss Jr.
1960	Carol Heiss	(N/A)	"Giselle", "If I Were King" (Adolphe Adam)/"Second Suite" from "The Nutcracker" (Pyotr Ilrich Tchaikovsky)/"La Gazza Ladra - The Thieving Magpie" (Giaochino Rossini)
1964	Sjoukje Dijkstra	(N/A)	"Les Patineurs" (Giacomo Meyerbeer)/"Scène et pas d'action", "Scène: Arrivée de Nouredda" from "La source" (Léo Delibes)
1968	Peggy Fleming	(N/A)	"Symphony No. 6 - Pathetique" (Pyotr Ilrich Tchaikovsky)/"Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix" from "Samson and Delilah" (Camille Saint-Saëns)/"La Gazza Ladra - The Thieving Magpie" (Giaochino Rossini)
1972	Trixi Schuba	(N/A)	"Man Of La Mancha" (Mitch Leigh)/"Medley" (The Boston Pops Orchestra, Arthur Fiedler)/"The Impossible Dream" (Mitch Leigh)
1976	Dorothy Hamill	"Konzertstück in A-Flat Major, Op. 113" (Vienna Symphony Orchestra)	"Captain Blood","Love Is Love" from "Escape  Me Never", "Overture" from "Elizabeth & Essex", "Nora's Theme" from "Of Human Bondage" (Erich Wolfgang Korngold)
1980	Anett Pötzsch	"Something's Coming", "America" from "West Side Story Medley" (Frank Chacksfield and His Orchestra)	"Overture" from "Funny Girl" (Jule Styne)
1984	Katarina Witt	"Csárdás" (Vittorio Monti)	"I Got Rhythm", "Embraceable You", "Mona Lisa" from "Crazy For You" (George Gershwin)
1988	Katarina Witt	"Overture", "I Am What I Am", "Hello, Dolly!" from "Jerry's Girls" (Jerry Herman)	"Introduction", Dance", "Carmen's Entrance and Habañera", "Finale" from "Carmen" (Georges Bizet, Rodion Shchedrin)
1992	Kristi Yamaguchi	"Blue Danube" (Johann Strauss, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra)	"Malaguena" (Ernesto Lecuona, Stanley Black and His Orchestra)
1994	Oksana Baiul	"Pas de deux, Intrada - Tempo di Valse", "Variation d'Odile" from "Swan Lake" (Peter Llyich Tchaikovsky, Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra)	"The Rain In Spain" from "My Fair Lady", "My Favourite Things" from "The Sound Of Music", "Somewhere" from "West Side Story", "One" from "A Chorus Line", "Cabaret" from "Cabaret" (Andre Kostelanetz and His Orchestra)
1998	Tara Lipinski	"Once Upon A December", "Journey To The Past" from "Anastasia" (David Newman)	"Prelude and Opening" from "The Rainbow" (Carl Davis)/"Scenes of Summer: Festival" (Lee Holdridge, London Symphony Orchestra, Glenn Dicterow)
2002	Sarah Hughes	"Ave Maria" (Charles Gounod)	"Daphnis et Chloé" (Maurice Ravel, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra)/"Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" (Sergei Rachmaninoff)/"Piano Concerto No. 2" (Sergei Rachmaninoff)
2006	Shizuka Arakawa	"Fantaisie-Impromptu" (Frédéric Chopin, performed by Stanley Black and the London Festival Orchestra)	"Violin Fantasy on Puccini's Turandot" (Vanessa-Mae)
2010	Yuna Kim	"Fight On The Disco Vilante/Finale" from "Thunderball" (John Barry), "Girl Trouble" from "From Russia With Love" (John Barry), "Going Down Together" from "Die Another Day" (David Arnold), "James Bond Theme" from "Dr. No" (Monty Norman)	"Concerto In F" (George Gershwin)
2014	Adelina Sotnikova	"Habanera" from "Carmen" (Georges Bizet)	"Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A Minor Op. 28 for Violin and Orchestra" (Camille Saint-Saëns)
2018	Alina Zagitova	"Black Swan" (Clint Mansell)/"The Middle Of The World" from "Moonlight" (Nicholas Britell)	"Don Quixote" (Ludwig Minkus)

Barbara Wagner and Bob Paul used Victor Young's "Love Letters" to great effect in their winning free skate at the 1960 Winter Olympic Games in Squaw Valley

PAIRS

Year	Winner	Short Program	Free Skate
1908	Anna Hübler and Heinrich Burger	(N/A)	Live accompaniment
1920	Ludovika and Walter Jakobsson	(N/A)	Live accompaniment
1924	Helene Engelmann and Alfred Berger	(N/A)	Live accompaniment
1928	Andrée Joly and Pierre Brunet	(N/A)"	Live accompaniment - "Les Patineurs" (Giacomo Meyerbeer)
1932	Andrée (Joly) and Pierre Brunet	(N/A)	Live accompaniment
1936	Maxi Herber and Ernst Baier	(N/A)	Original composition (Rudolf Zeller)
1948	Micheline Lannoy and Pierre Baugniet	(N/A)	(unknown)
1952	Ria Baran and Paul Falk	(N/A)	"Egmont, Op. 84" by Ludwig van Beethoven/"Oberon" (Carl Maria von Weber);
1956	Sissy Schwarz and Kurt Oppelt	(N/A)	"Light Cavalry Overture" (Franz von Suppé)
1960	Barbara Wagner and Bob Paul	(N/A)	"Amor" (Percy Faith)/"Love Letters" (Victor Young And His Singing Strings)/"Gräfin Mariza" (Emmerich Kálmán)
1964	Ludmila Belousova and Oleg Protopopov	(N/A)	"Präludium und Fuge", "Liebestraum" (Franz Liszt), "Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini", "Piano Concerto No. 3" (Sergei Rachmaninoff)
1968	Ludmila Belousova and Oleg Protopopov	"Bugle Call Rag" (Glenn Miller)/"Fascination" (Liberace)	"Moonlight Sonata", "Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67" (Ludwig van Beethoven)/"Piano Concerto No. 1" (Sergei Rachmaninoff)/"Le Poème de l'Extase op. 54" (Alexander Scriabin)
1972	Irina Rodnina and Alexei Ulanov	"Csárdás" (Vittorio Monti)	"Autumn Bacchanale" from "The Seasons" (Alexander Glazunov)/"Gayaneh" (Aram Khachaturian)
1976	Irina Rodnina and Aleksandr Zaitsev	Gypsy and Moldovan music (Moiseyev Dance Company)	Gypsy and Moldovan music, "Tsigany" (Moiseyev Dance Company)
1980	Irina Rodnina and Aleksandr Zaitsev	"Flight 76 (Flight Of The Bumble Bee" (Walter Murphy)	Selections by Georgy Vasilievich Sviridov and Alexandra Nikolaevna Pakhmutova
1984	Elena Valova and Oleg Vasiliev	"Kalinka" (traditional Russian music)	"Get Back" (Libera Orchestra Sinfonica)/"Für Elise" (Ludwig van Beethoven)/"Stairway To Heaven" (London Symphony Orchestra)
1988	Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov	"Les Toreadores", "La garde montante" from "Carmen" (Georges Bizet)	"Symphony No. 4" (Felix Mendelsohhn)/"Concerto No. 2", "Etude No. 12", "Concerto No. 1" (Frédéric Chopin)/ "Overture" from "The Marriage Of Figaro" (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
1992	Natalia Mishkutenok and Artur Dmitriev	"Don Quixote" (Leon Minkus)	"Liebestraum" (Franz Liszt, The Philadelphia Orchestra)
1994	Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov	"Zapateado"/"Farrucas" (Pepe Romero)/ "Picasso Suite: The Dancer" (Michel Legrand)	"Pathétique Sonata (No. 8)", "Moonlight Sonata (No. 14)" (Ludwig van Beethoven)
1998	Oksana Kazakova and Artur Dmitiev	"Thus Spake Zarathrusta" (Richard Strauss)	"Passacaglia" from "Suite de pièce Vol. 1 No. 7 in G minor" (George Frideric Handel)
2002	Jamie Salé and David Pelletier	"Jalousie" (Jacob Gade)	"(Where Do I Begin?) Love Story" (Stanley Black and London Festival Orchestra)
2002	Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze	"Nocturne" from "La Califfa" (Ennio Morricone)	"Meditation" from "Thaïs" (Jules Massenet)
2006	Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin	"Romance" from "The Blizzard" (Georgy Sviridov)	"Romeo and Juliet" (Edvin Marton)
2010	Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao	"Who Wants To Live Forever?" (David Garrett)	"Adagio In G Minor" (Eroica Trio)
2014	Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov	"Masquerade Waltz" (Aram Khachaturian, performed by Kiril Kondrashin and RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra)	"Jesus Christ Superstar" (Andrew Lloyd Webber)
2018	Aliona Savchenko and Bruno Massot	"That Man" (Caro Emerald)	"La terre vue du ciel" (Armand Amar, Maxime Rodriguez)

Michael Nyman's jarring score from "The Cook, The Thief, His Wife And Her Lover" served as the perfect vehicle for Oksana Grishuk and Evgeni Platov's winning free dance at the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan

ICE DANCING

Year	Winner	OSP/Original/Short Dance	Free Dance
1976	Lyudmila Pakhomova and Aleksandr Gorshkov	"Miami Beach Rhumba" (Edmundo Ros)	"The Chase" (Out Of Place)/"Flamenco Fantasy" (101 Strings Orchestra)
1980	Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov	"Potpourri" from "Die Frau meiner Träume" (Franz Grothe, Wolf Lorey Quintett)	(unknown pieces)/"Train Number Forty-Five" (Earl Scruggs)
1984	Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean	"Cappricio Espagnol" (Nikolai Rimsy-Korsakov, arranged by Robert Stewart, Richard Hartley and Alan Hawkshaw)	"Boléro" (Maurice Ravel, arranged by Robert Stewart, Richard Hartley and Alan Hawkshaw)
1988	Natalia Bestemianova and Andrei Bukin	"Hernando's Hideaway" (Václav Hybš)	"Polovetsian Dances" from "Prince Igor" (Alexander Borodin)
1992	Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko	"Ballet Suite No. 2: III. Polka" (Dmitri Shostakovich, Lev Atovmyan and Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra)	"Suite No. 3: Air on the G String, "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" (Johann Sebastian Bach, The Philadelphia Orchestra)
1994	Oksana Grishuk and Evgeni Platov	"Historia de un Amor" (Carlos Eleta Almarán)	"Rock Around The Clock"/"Humming Bird" (Micky Ashman)
1998	Oksana Grishuk and Evgeni Platov	"Jailhouse Rock" (Elvis Presley)	"Memorial" from "The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover" (Michael Nyman)
2002	Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat	"Tangos De Málaga (Cante, Baile Y Guitarra" (El Trini)/"Tango Güell" (Eric Woolfson)	"I Have A Dream" (Martin Luther King)/"Non Merci" from "Cyrano de Bergerac" (Jean-Claude Petit)/"Canone Inverso Primo" (Ennio Morricone)
2006	Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomarov	"Chilly Cha Cha" (Jessica Jay)/"Historia de un Amor" (Carlos Eleta Almarán)/"Samba Vocalizado" (Luciano Perrone)	"Carmen" (Georges Bizet)
2010	Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir	"Farrucas" (Pepe Romero)	"Symphony No. 5" (Gustav Mahler, performed by The London Symphony Orchestra)
2014	Meryl Davis and Charlie White	"I Could Have Danced All Night", "With a Little Bit of Luck", "Get Me to the Church on Time" from "My Fair Lady" (Frederick Loewe)	"Scheherazade" (Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov)
2018	Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir	"Sympathy For The Devil" (The Rolling Stones)/"Hotel California" (The Eagles)/"Oye Como Va" (Carlos Santana)	"The Show Must Go On", "El Tango De Roxanne", "Come What May" from "Moulin Rouge" (David Baerwald, Kevin Gilbert)

Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford's interpretation of Adele's "Hometown Glory" earned them an Olympic gold medal in the team event at the 2018 Olympic Games

TEAM EVENT

Year	Winner	Short Program	Free Skate
2014	Evgeni Plushenko	"El Tango De Roxanne" from "Moulin Rouge" (Ewan McGregor)	'The Best Of Plushenko' medley (arranged by Edvin Marton): "Criminal St. Petersburg" (Igor Kornelyuk)/"The Godfather" (Nino Rota)/"Sheherazade" (Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov)/"Tango Amore" (Edvin Marton)/"Tosca" (Giacomo Puccini)/"Adagio" (Tomaso Albinoni, Remo Giazotto)
	Julia Lipnitskaia	"You Don't Give Up On Love" (Mark Minkov)	"Schindler's List" (John Williams)
	Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov	"Masquerade Waltz" (Aram Khachaturian, performed by Kiril Kondrashin and RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra)	N/A
	Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov	N/A	"The Addams Family" (Marc Shaiman)
	Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev	"Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" from "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (Jules Styne)/"I Wanna Be Loved By You"/"That Man" by Caro Emerald	N/A
	Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov	N/A	"Swan Lake" (Pyotr Ilrich Tchaikovsky)
2018	Patrick Chan	"Dust In The Wind" (Kansas)	"Hallelujah" (Jeff Buckley)
	Kaetlyn Osmond	"Sous le ciel de Paris", "Milord" (Edith Piaf)	N/A
	Gabby Daleman	N/A	"Rhapsody In Blue" (George Gershwin)
	Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford	"With Or Without You" (April Meservy)	"Hometown Glory" (Adele)
	Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir	"Sympathy For The Devil" (The Rolling Stones)/"Hotel California" (The Eagles)/"Oye Como Va" (Carlos Santana)	"The Show Must Go On", "El Tango De Roxanne", "Come What May" from "Moulin Rouge" (David Baerwald, Kevin Gilbert)

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.

Sunflowers And Stilts: The Sidney Charlton Story

Born May 1, 1883 in the London suburb of Lambeth, Sidney James Mitchell grew up in one of England's earliest 'show biz' skating families. His Roman Catholic father Horace was one half of the roller duo Charlton & Tyme (the 'Arctic skaters') who performed at the rink at the Royal Leamington Spa in Warwickshire in the 1870's. Sidney's father later taught ice skating at the Glaciariums in Australia in the late Edwardian era under the name 'Professor Charlton'. His sister Lillian, one of England's first female skating instructors, accompanied him on these trips down under.

Horace and Lillian Mitchell. Photo courtesy Dan Weller.

At the age of fourteen, Sidney (adopting his father's stage name Charlton) skated alongside World Champion Henning Grenander in a carnival at Prince's Skating Club. Among the spectators were the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Teck, the Countess of Minto and Lady Randolph Churchill. He was billed as "the boy champion", having been presented by the future King Edward VII with a medal at another Prince's carnival that year.

Engraving of Sidney Charlton with the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII). Photo courtesy Dan Weller.

Sidney's promising skating career was cut short for a time, when he served with the First Imperial Light Horse regiment in South Africa in the Second Boer War. After the War, he taught skating at Prince's for a time, working with Olympic Silver Medallist Arthur Cumming early in his career. 

In 1905, Sidney travelled to North America to pursue his dream of becoming a professional skater. Not long after his arrival, he won the 'fancy skating contest' for the 'World's Champion fancy roller skater' at the Lenox Lyceum Rink in New York City and headlined on rollers at the New Ocean Park Casino Rink in Long Branch, New Jersey and the Third Regiment Army Rink in Atlanta, Georgia. 

Photo courtesy Dan Weller

In his signature act, Sidney portrayed a 'Black Hawk Chief', jumped barrels and demonstrated his prowess at both figure and speed skating. He performed on the ice in Montreal and on rollers everywhere from Albany, New York to Nashville, Tennessee. 

In 1909, Sidney married Emmy Campbell in Canada, returned to England and resumed teaching at Prince's, giving lessons to King Alfonso XIII of Spain. The T.H. Deane Company designed a special model of skates, The Charlton, in his honour.

Right photo courtesy Dan Weller

Though Sidney was living in England when The Great War broke out, he was able to join the Canadian Army Medical Corps. Not long after enlisting with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, he was admitted to a troop hospital to recover from trench fever and pleurisy. He returned to the trenches and saw considerable action on the front lines in France.

Photo courtesy Dan Weller

It was during the roaring twenties that Sidney's skating career really took off, thanks to a novel new addition to his specialty act. A pioneer in stilt skating, he toured small theatres in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland and took to the ice at the Palais de Glace at Champs-Élysées, Paris with Megan Taylor's famous father Phil, performing a double act on stilts. He taught figure skating for a time in Switzerland and had his fifteen minutes of fame in 1928, when he carved out an intricate special figure with a sunflower design. Pictures of Sidney and his sunflower appeared in newspapers around the world. He claimed that "he dreamed that he was skating before a large crowd who seemed to applaud out of all proportion for his act. When he looked on the ice he found that he had drawn, with his skates, a sunflower. The surprise awakened him and he jumped out of bed to jot down the turns which he found next day to be practicable." Eminent skater, judge and historian T.D. Richardson credited him as the first man to skate on stilts, but others - like Captain John Miner - had in fact beat him to the punch. He was, however, one of the first to achieve widespread attention for the feat, helping popularize the novelty.

When the Streatham Ice Rink opened in 1931, Sidney was hired on to serve as the venue's floor manager. His wife worked as a waitress at a Lyons teashop. He continued to perform sporadically in various events, such as the famous "St. Moritz" spectacle at the London Coliseum which featured Pamela Prior, Eva Keats and Erik van der Weyden and Hans Witte and the 1932 World's and British Open Professional Championships. By this point in time, a handful of other skaters had copied his stilt skating act. He performed a comedic roller skating act with The Derby Skaters during this period.

Sidney (top right, bottom middle) performing a comedy act on rollers with The Derby Skaters in 1937. Photo courtesy Dan Weller.

Sidney passed away three days before his sixty-third birthday on April 28, 1946. The "Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald" noted that during World War II, "An intense patriot, Mr. Mitchell... joined the A.R.P. at Streatham and was in action through many of the blitzes. It was while carrying a stretcher after one of the blitzes that he collapsed due to heart trouble - an affliction which incapacitated him for some time and was ultimately responsible for his sudden death." His legacy as one of the great pioneers in the nearly obsolete art of stilt skating is sadly all but forgotten.

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.