Figure Skating's Most Exclusive Club

Gilbert Fuchs, Madge Syers and Anna Hübler and Heinrich Burger, Jean Westwood and Lawrence Demmy joined figure skating's most exclusive club by default, because they were the first World Champions in their respective disciplines.

Gösta Sandahl. Photo courtesy Sveriges Centralförening för Idrottens Främjande Archive.

Swedes Henning Grenander and Gösta Sandahl joined the club in 1896 and 1914. Helene Engelmann earned her admission in 1913 with her first partner Karl Mejstrik in 1913. Her second partner Alfred Berger joined the club in 1922. That same year, fellow Austrian Herma Szabo also became a member. Three years later, her pairs partner Ludwig Wrede joined in the fun.

Barbara Ann Scott

Hans Gerschwiler, Barbara Ann Scott and Micheline Lannoy and Pierre Laugniet all had to wait until 1947 to become members of the club. They likely would have joined sooner had the World Championships not been cancelled due to World War II. Ria Baran and Paul Falk also joined the club late due to circumstances beyond their control - the ISU hadn't allowed German skaters to compete in ISU Championships for several years after the War ended.

Ria Baran and Paul Falk

In 1959, Doreen Denny became only the third ice dancer to join the club... and the only one to join without her partner. Three years later, the only other ice dancers in the club became members. Czechoslovakian siblings Eva Romanová and Pavel Roman would have likely joined a year earlier had the World Championships not been cancelled due to the Sabena Crash that killed the entire American team.

The club got seven new members in the seventies and eighties - all decorated Soviet pairs teams. Irina Rodnina followed in Helene Engelmann's footsteps, gaining admission in 1969 with her first partner Alexei Ulanov and being joined by her second partner Aleksandr Zaitsev in 1973. Elena Valova and Oleg Vasiliev and Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov became members in 1983 and 1985.

In the last three decades, only six new members have been admitted to the club - Oksana Baiul in 1993, Kimmie Meissner in 2006 and Evgenia Medvedeva in 2016 and Anna Shcherbakova, Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov in 2021. 

Wondering what all of these talented skaters have in common and how they became members of figure skating's most exclusive club? It's quite simple. Incredibly, they were all winners on their very first trip to the World Figure Skating Championships.

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 1979 European Figure Skating Championships

The United Nations had just kicked off The International Year Of The Child with a massive benefit concert for UNICEF. Sadly, less than two weeks later, eight students were wounded at a school shooting in San Diego. British Prime Minister James Callaghan's term was nearing its end and Margaret Thatcher was eyeing his position. Kids of all ages were in love with the brand new Garfield comic strip and nightclub-goers were crazy like a fool for Boney M's "Daddy Cool".

The year was 1979 and from January 30 to February 4, one hundred and three skaters from twenty European nations gathered in Zagreb, Yugoslavia to compete in the European Figure Skating Championships. The event played a huge role in boosting interest in figure skating in the communist-run country, for the city's third artificial ice rink was built specifically for the occasion. 

The eight thousand seat arena was the second rink to be housed inside the Dom Sportova complex on Trešnjevka. Zagreb had played host to the European Championships only five years earlier. In 1974, skaters and officials were put up in a hotel that was frequented by 'ladies of the night'. Miss Gladys Hogg, on a rare trip to the Continent with students Karena Richardson and Robin Cousins, was mortified. Jan Hoffmann had won his first European title and Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov their first European medals that year. In 1979, they were all once again medal favourites.

The one-year ban ISU ban on Soviet judges had ended. Iron Curtain officials returned to the fray and their old tricks. Writing in "Le Monde", French journalist Pierre Georges remarked, "Everyone will tell you that the Soviet judges have just made their reappearance in Zagreb, after a year of collective suspension for, how to say... 'excess of national zeal'. Everyone will also tell you that this body of judges is, like the world, cut in two: East and West. Five judges on one side, four on the other. It does not take more to provoke a cold, even glacial war. Hence the many differences of judging, sometimes glaring in Zagreb." Speaking of judging, let's take a look back at how the events played out!

THE PAIRS COMPETITION

Pairs medallists in Zagreb. Photo courtesy Joseph Butchko Collection, an acquisition of the Skate Guard Archive.

The pairs event in Zagreb was, in contrast to the other disciplines, rather uneventful. Irina Rodnina and Aleksandr Zaitsev had won the last ten European titles (a record) but the pair was absent as Irina was due to give birth to their son in a matter of weeks. Also absent were the East German pair Manuela Mager and Uwe Bewersdorf. 

Fourteen year old Marina Cherkasova and twenty-one year old Sergei Shakrai, who had defeated Mager and Bewersdorf at the 1978 Europeans in Strasbourg, skated two strong programs to defeat their Soviet teammates Irina Vorobieva and Igor Livosky and East Germans Sabine Baeß and Tassilo Thierbach.

Kerstin Stolfig and Veit Kempe in Zagreb. Photo courtesy Joseph Butchko Collection, an acquisition of the Skate Guard Archive.

The third Soviet pair, Marina Pestova and Stanislav Leonovich, placed fourth, just ahead of East Germans Kerstin Stolfig and Veit Kempe. It was the third time in the seventies that Soviet and East German pairs had claimed the top five places at the European Championships, speaking greatly to the strength of the pairs programs of the two countries.

THE WOMEN'S COMPETITION

In contrast to the pairs event, which had only ten entries, there were a record-twenty nine skaters in the women's event in Zagreb. Defending European and World Champion Anett Pötzsch led the way after the figures, followed by Dagmar Lurz, Kristiina Wegelius, Susanna Driano, Susan Broman, Karena Richardson, Debbie Cottrill and Denise Biellmann. 

Anett Pötzsch's win in the short program, coupled with Biellmann's poor showing in figures, pretty much sealed the deal before the free skate even began. Pötzsch played indoor football backstage just half an hour before her turn to take the ice. Though she lost the free skate to Biellmann, she skated very well, landing her first planned triple Salchow but downgrading a second to a double. As expected, she took the gold. Lurz, only fifth in the free, placed second over Biellmann. Wegelius finished fourth, just ahead of East Germany's Carola Weißenberg. Yugoslavia's entry, Sanda Dubravčić, placed a very impressive seventh - nearly ten spots higher than she had finished the year prior in Strasbourg. Most surprising was Broman of Finland, who dropped all way down to an unlucky thirteenth after poor performances in the short and free. Kira Ivanova of the Soviet Union placed a creditable tenth in her European debut.

Katarina Witt at the 1979 European Championships. Video courtesy Frazer Ormondroyd.

Another skater making their European debut was Katarina Witt. At thirteen, she was the youngest competitor. She performed her free skate in a dress borrowed from Pötzsch. She was eighteenth after figures, but placed an impressive seventh in the free, attempting four triple jumps, and moving up to fourteenth overall. Many of the other women were trying only one; several didn't attempt any. The Yugoslavian audience really took a liking to Biellmann and after she lost, there were the usual cries of 'pre-judging'. Many in the audience didn't understand how the figures played into the final results.

THE ICE DANCE COMPETITION

Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov

The dance event in Zagreb was a tremendously exciting match-up between two very accomplished Soviet couples. Irina Moiseeva and Andrei Minenkov were the defending European titleholders; Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov the World Champions. At the Soviet Championships in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Linichuk and Karponosov had been victorious and when they led after the first two compulsories, many thought they had it in the bag. In her book "Figure Skating History: The Evolution Of Dance On Ice", Lynn Copley-Graves recalled how things played out thusly: "Barber/Slater almost didn't make it to Zagreb for their first Europeans. They drove nine hours in a snowstorm to Heathrow only to miss the plane and drive back in the same conditions. With NSA funding, they would have flown to London to catch the plane to Yugoslavia. But the NSA did not pay travel expenses to competitions. Finally on ice, they collided with Regőczy/Sallay in the first practice. Karen's blade came off in another practice. Torvill/Dean luckily drew second-last to start, but they skated into a rut in the Viennese Waltz. They quickly learned to move their pattern down ice to avoid ruts. Moiseeva/Minenkov skated the Yankee Polka with 'his chin out and her doe-eyed, beseeching look - which was totally at odds with the spontaneous peasant gaiety called for in this dance' (Alexandra Stevenson). Linichuk/Karponosov led after the Blues and maintained first in the waltz OSP, attracting attention with Natalia's double threes around Gennadi. Regőczy/Sallay skated the OSP to 'Die Fledermaus." The media focused on Robin Cousins as Natalia and Gennadi dethroned the graceful Mo and Min, who skated a very fine, if old-fashioned, waltz to one piece of music in their free dance and received their lowest marks for a free since 1974. Then the press brutalized Mo and Min and asked them if they would change their style. A reporter complimented Betty Callaway on her English for being a 'Hungarian.' Krisztina and András got their highest marks to date: two 5.9's from the East German judge, Dr. Wolfgang Kunz, and one 5.9 from the Swiss judge, Roland Wehinger."

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean had just started training with Betty Callaway in Budapest alongside Krisztina Regőczy and András Sallay prior to this event. In Nottingham, most of their practice time had been late at night. Daytime practices and access to novel new technology like video equipment helped them greatly. In their second Europeans, they moved up three places to sixth.

THE MEN'S COMPETITION

Robin Cousins. Photo courtesy Joseph Butchko Collection, an acquisition of the Skate Guard Archive.

Three years after John Curry made history as Great Britain's first Olympic Gold Medallist in men's figure skating, the British press had jumped on the story of Robin Cousins, the twenty-one year old from Bristol poised to follow in Curry's footsteps. The English papers offered daily updates of Cousins' progress in Zagreb, all but ignoring the efforts of the other British skaters in many of their reports. In the school figures, twenty-five year old Vladimir Kovalev (who had finished second to Curry at the 1976 Games) led the defending European Champion Jan Hoffmann and his Soviet teammate Igor Bobrin. Cousins was a disappointing sixth, receiving his lowest mark - a 2.9 - from British judge Sally Anne Stapleford. 

Robin Cousins won the short program with a spectacular display, earning a 6.0 from the West German judge, but Hoffmann and Kovalev were so close in points that they were in a virtual tie heading into the free skate.

Vladimir Kovalev. Photo courtesy Joseph Butchko Collection, an acquisition of the Skate Guard Archive.

Robin Cousins skated brilliantly in the final phase of the competition, earning two more perfect 6.0's. After his performance, he told John Curry (who was covering the event for BBC) that he "felt great until the last thirty seconds" when he slightly touched down his foot on the exit of a final double Axel. When Jean-Christophe Simond of France (the last skater) took the ice, Kovalev had a narrow lead over Hoffmann. A Dutch television broadcast went off the air telling viewers that Kovalev had won. However, Simond's marks flipped the ordinals in Hoffmann's favour and he serendipitously won his fourth European title in the same city where he won his first. In her "BBC Book Of Skating", Sandra Stevenson recalled, "Simond had a brilliant night. His high marks for the free skating changed the overall positions of the French and British judges. The French official put Simond second overall, which took one of Kovalev's votes of second or better away. This was the key factor. (The English official put Simond third overall which gave Kovalev fourth overall, but this was not to affect the final outcome.) Both the Russian and East German now had six votes of second or better. To decide between the two, following the recognized procedure, the sum of these six votes was calculated. Hoffmann's four firsts and two seconds was obviously better than Kovalev's two firsts and four seconds, so the East German was given the title. Pandemonium reigned in the press room when journalists sought to explain this amazing situation briefly."

Robin Cousins at the 1979 European Championships. Video courtesy Frazer Ormondroyd.

In the book "Robin Cousins: Skating For Gold", Cousins recalled, "Right from the very beginning, it appeared the Yugoslavians had become British citizens. To me they did not seem like Yugoslavs at all, having apparently adopted me as their own. It was all very flattering and I was thrilled; not only did I have people back home in Britain rooting for me, but also these locals right here."

Debbie Cottrill and Robin Cousins in Zagreb. Photo courtesy "Robin Cousins: Skating For Gold", Howard Bass.

As was the case with Denise Biellmann in the women's event, there was a lot of raucous in the stands about the fact that Cousins hadn't won gold. Even Olympic Silver Medallist and World Champion Alain Calmat chimed in, telling reporters, "Cousins is the one and only champion of today. I am outraged with the judges." After the results were announced, Cousins told a British reporter, "I have to be satisfied with what I got, but if they want a showdown they will have it in Vienna."

Ordinals and points from the men's event. Courtesy "Robin Cousins: Skating For Gold", Howard Bass. 

Making his debut at the European Championships was a teenager from Bratislava with a bright future. Jozef Sabovčík received a 2.2 for one of his figures. The best skaters were averaging two full points higher. He drew first to skate in the short program and pulled a groin muscle attempting the required combination jump. Consequently, his free skate was full of mistakes and he placed a disappointing seventeenth in a field of twenty. In his book "Jumpin' Joe", he recalled, "When I was invited to the post-banquet party, any disappointment I may have felt from the results of the competition disappeared. This was what was known as the 'illegal' party, which took place after all the formalities and where a skater could let their hair down. To be only fifteen years old and invited to such a gathering was a great honour and I hung on to everybody's words all night long. Unfortunately, this party is where I picked up a bad habit... I went home from Europeans thinking smoking was cool, began doing it regularly and never gave it up."

The parties weren't the only post-competition excitement in Zagreb. In the gala, Anett Pötzsch dazzled with a back Charlotte into the splits in her "Radetzky March". Linichuk and Karponosov's trademark exhibition to Joe Dassin's "Et Si Tu N'existais Pas" was a crowd favourite and a delightfully seventies performance by Jan Hoffmann to Henry Mancini's "Mystery Movie Theme" was quite entertaining.

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.

Fanny Cannan, A Victorian Women's Figure Skating Pioneer

Engraving of Fanny Cannan skating on the grounds of The Royal Toxophilite Society at Regent's Park from "The Graphic", January 31, 1891

"For the sexes to skate in company is no new thing, and one can see it portrayed in more than one old Dutch picture. In England, as we see, it is being gradually developed into a fine art through the medium of figure-skating, such difficult turns as the rocking turn being introduced. In Holland the development has long since taken place in the direction of hand-in-hand skating, for which a very natural inclination appears to exist wherever skating is indulged in." - Fanny Cannan, "The Gentlewoman", January 20, 1894

The daughter of Eliza (Adams) and Herbert Harris Cannan, Fanny Laura Cannan was born on July 21, 1858 in Guildford, Surrey, England. She was the youngest of five children, four of them girls. Her father was an accountant with the firm Kemp, Ford, Canaan, and Co. - the official liquidators for bankruptcies carried out through the London Bankers' Clearing House and Agra and Masterman's Bank. He served as an official assignee of the Court of Bankruptcy with "great zeal and ability". The family's home, Knight's Hill House in Lower Norwood, employed five servants.

As a young woman of a certain class growing up during Queen Victoria's reign, Fanny was afforded things her family's downstairs staff never would have dreamed of - a formal education and the opportunity to participate in sport. Her first exposure to skating was on rollers, but during the long winters she took up ice skating outdoors at Regent's Park. The fact that she was accepted as a member of The Skating Club and an honorary member of the Wimbledon Skating Club, which were then very much 'gentleman's clubs' speaks to both her hard work and natural talent.

In 1894, thirty-five year old Fanny began penning articles on figure skating, dog shows and racing for "The Gentlewoman". At the time, it was practically unheard of for upper-class women in England to write about sport, so she penned her articles under the nom de plum Diana. One article noted, "In America there are... lady sporting writers - journalists who take up sport as a study, though in the study only. We have plenty of sporting women in England who probably know a great deal more on... matters than many people who gain a living through a reputation for possessing knowledge."

A brochure on the history of The Skating Club credited Fanny with making "another step in advance with the development of systematic hand-in-hand skating by the discovery that all the known turns could be executed in four distinct ways (ie. apart from distinctions due to variations of direction or edge) by two partners simultaneously, while skating side by side." At the time, there was a class of four elaborate combined hand-in-hand figures that important skaters of the time like Henry Eugene Vandervell and Montagu Sneade Monier-Williams referred to as Scuds. Fanny was credited with inventing "a fifth Order of Scuds, if this term may be allowed. In these, the skaters move forwards together and backwards together, and yet each faces the other." Her discovery would be an important development in English Style combined figures which would later influence Continental Style pairs skating.

In 1897, Fanny skated in a fundraiser at Prince's Skating Club in Knightsbridge, held for the building fund of the London Homeopathic Hospital. Among those who took part were Henning Grenander, the Countess of Minto and Winston Churchill's mother. Numerous newspaper articles of the time counted her among the 'best lady skaters in England'. 

Though Lilly Cheetham, another Victorian era skater of note, had penned a chapter for Douglas Adams' book "Skating" in 1892, it was Fanny that had the distinction of being the first woman to author an English language book on figure skating. "Combined Hand-In-Hand Figure Skating", written with Norcliffe G. Thompson, the honorary secretary and treasurer of The Skating Club and Viscount Doneraile, was first printed in 1896 by Longmans, Green & Co. It is historically regarded as one of the first English books dedicated solely to combined or pairs skating.

Illustration of a skating scene by Charles H. Whymper, donated to The British Museum by Fanny Cannan. Photo courtesy The British Museum. Used with permissions under a Creative Commons Attribution International license.

Fanny and her older sister Emily never married or had children. They lived together at Cornwall Gardens, Kensington for decades, employing a ladies maid, cook, housemaid and parlourmaid. Fanny's enthusiasm for figure skating was a lifelong affair, evidenced by the fact she donated a considerable collection of skating memorabilia - books, china and prints - to the British Museum in 1931 when her sister passed away. Fanny passed away less than a year after the start of World War II on July 31, 1940 at the age of eighty-two, leaving a sizable fortune that would amount to over five million pounds today to Commander Reginald Foster Pitt Maton, O.B.E. and Major-General Sir Archibald Buchanan Ritchie, K.B.E. Her important contributions to figure skating history have been all but forgotten today.

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.

Exploring The Collections: Books

Every Skate Guard blog that is put together draws from a variety of different sources - everything from museum and library holdings and genealogical research to newspaper archives and dusty old printed materials I've amassed over the last ten years or so. 

I thought it would be fun to give you a bit of a 'behind the scenes' look at the Skate Guard Collections, which include books, magazines, VHS tapes, show and competition programs, photographs and many other items. These Collections date back to the nineteenth century and chronicle figure skating's rich history from the days of quaint waltzes in top hats and tails to quadruple toe-loop's. Whether you're doing your own research about a famous 'fancy' skater in your family tree or a long-lost ice rink in your community or just have a general skating history question you can't find the answer to online, I'm always happy to draw on these resources and try to help if I can.

Books are one of the and most indispensable and largest aspects of the Collections. About thirty percent of the books in the Collections are in digital format, the other seventy being in hard or soft cover format.

The books in the Skate Guard Collections bear witness to the evolution of figure skating from the nineteenth century to modern day, each author bringing their own perspective to the table. Biographies and autobiographies give us an in-depth perspective of the journeys of the world's top skaters. There are biographies or autobiographies of dozens of Olympic Medallists including Sonja Henie, Barbara Ann Scott, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, John Curry, Donald Jackson, Toller Cranston, Janet Lynn, Kurt Browning, Karen Magnussen, Peggy Fleming and Robin Cousins. Each of these books give us a bigger picture of the person behind the skater as well as their rise to the top and life after skating. No doubt you have many of these on your own bookshelves - they are to be treasured!

The first known English language figure skating book, Captain Robert Jones' "A Treatise On Skating: Founded On Certain Principles Deduced From Many Years Experience: By Which That Noble Exercise Is Now Reduced To An Art" was published in 1772. It serves as a starting point for the books that focus more on the instructional/educational side of things. A handful of Victorian era books from both England and the Continent chronicle the evolution of school and special figures and free skating. In the twentieth century, books like Captain T.D. Richardson's popularly combined instructional advice with history.

As you can imagine, the majority of the books in the Collections focus on the sport's history in some way, shape or form. A few 'must-haves' that I refer to often in my research are both of ISU Historian Benjamin T. Wright's books, T.D. Richardson's "Ice Skating", Nigel Brown's "Ice-Skating: A History", Lynn Copley-Graves' "Figure Skating History: The Evolution Of Dance On The Ice", Dennis Bird's "Our Skating Heritage" and Frances Dafoe's "Figure Skating and the Arts: Eight Centuries of Sport and Inspiration". 

As many excellent books about skating history are out of print, two things I always suggest to anyone looking for copies are to look on Biblio.com and talk to your friendly neighbourhood librarian about doing an inter-library loan.

If you'd like me to look up anything in the books I have for you, I'm always happy to do so. For a list of the books currently in the Skate Guard Collections, click here. If you have skating books collecting dust in your attic or basement that you'd like to donate, I'd love to hear from you.

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 1944 Canadian Figure Skating Championships

Ross Smith, Barbara Ann Scott, Sheila Smith, Suzanne Thouin and Roger Wickson with their trophies at the 1944 Canadian Championships in Toronto. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine.

Nearly five hundred Allied bombers had just raided Berlin. The British hospital ship St. David was bombed, killing nearly half of the passengers onboard. Thousands of Canadians served in the military, including skaters from coast to coast. Those on the home front faced meat, tea, coffee, butter, oil and gas rations and 'did their bit' by collecting cooking fat, planting victory gardens, buying war savings stamps and working in factories, hospitals and canteens. Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra's hit "My Heart Tells Me (Should I Believe My Heart?)" blared on gramophones, taking people back to a simpler, more romantic time.

When we think about the ways skaters on the home front would have 'done their bit' during World War II, things like ice shows benefiting war charities and selling Victory Bonds most likely come to mind, and with good reason. Canadian skating clubs raised thousands of dollars for the Red Cross through ticket sales at carnivals and competitions and donations from members. Many skaters also rolled up their sleeves at Blood Donors Clinics.

An advertisement from one of the Toronto Skating Club's advertisements illustrating the kind of War work skaters on the Canadian home front were engaged in

On January 28 and 29, 1944, the Minto Skating Club in Ottawa played host to the Canadian Figure Skating Championships. Senior competitions had been cancelled altogether the previous year due to wartime conditions and the number of rinks taken over for military use.

The 1944 event was largely abbreviated, with senior men's, pairs, fours and dance events not included due to the number of skaters serving overseas on active duty with the Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Canadian Air Force and Red Cross.

Left: Sandy McKechnie and Jack Vigeon, two former champion skaters missing in Ottawa, were posted at the Royal Canadian Navy's officer's training center in Halifax. Photo courtesy Lisa Vigeon. Right: Wartime advertisement for Pringle and Booth Limited featuring a figure skater.

Though a large audience attended the free skating events, the general tone of the event was subdued in relation to previous Canadian Championships. Naomi Slater Heydon and Mavis Berry Daane, reviewing the event in "Skating" magazine, recalled, "All frills in connection with the competition were eliminated. There were no top hats or tails on the ice, as is customary the final night; instead everything from a fur cap, to a cloth peak cap, to an officer's hat was worn by the judges." Melville Rogers served as the competition's Referee.

An interesting development in Ottawa was the rise of the record player. Though an orchestra was still available to the skaters, many opted to use records for their free skating performances instead. Naomi Slater Heydon and Mavis Berry Daane remarked, "Many of the competitors, who were anxious to have their music played and timed just as they were accustomed to skate to it, skated to their own records instead of to the orchestra. Some selections are difficult to play, and it is hard for the orchestra to make smooth transitions with only one rehearsal with the skater, so we understand why the skaters chose records. On the other hand, we feel they lack some of the lift which skating to an orchestra gives." Now that we've set the stage, let's reflect on the stories and skaters that shaped this event!

THE JUNIOR EVENTS

Three pairs sought the Dysart Cups for junior pairs skating in Ottawa in 1944. Sheila and Ross Smith, unrelated skaters with the same last name from Winnipeg, gave a nervous but creative performance to finish first of three of the five judges' scorecards. The second and third place teams, Marilyn Ruth Take and Will White, Jr. and Mary McPherson and John Greig of Toronto, were both ranked first by one judge. Sheila wore a startling orange velvet dress, a colour that would not have been seen often in competition in those days of conservative costumes. The Smith's were both accomplished singles skaters and included difficult solo moves like Axels and camel spins in their program. Sheila was a sixteen year old student at Rupert's Land School, while Ross was a twenty two year old employee of the Great West Life Insurance Company. He had been turned down by the military for medical reasons. They were coached by Rupert Whitehead and trained at an indoor rink at a boy's college, as the Winnipeg Winter Club had been commandeered by the military.

Only two young men had a crack at winning the Howard Trophy for junior men's skating. In 1943, Toronto's Norris Bowden had lost the event to Ottawa's Nigel Stephens. He returned in 1944 to compete against Roger Wickson, a talented young skater from the Connaught Skating Club in British Columbia who trained in Ottawa under Otto Gold. After the figures, Wickson had amassed an incredible sixty point lead. This, coupled with his excellent free skating, assured Wickson the win. Even though all but one judge had him in first, the audience took exception with his low marks. Wickson was a sixteen year old in his third year of high school who planned to study engineering in high school.

The first and second place finishers in the junior women's event in 1943, Nadine Phillips and Marilyn Ruth Take of Toronto, had both moved up to the senior ranks. In the figures, all six of the junior women were reasonably close. The leader was Suzanne Thouin, a young woman from Montreal who had spent the previous three winters skating at the Minto Skating Club after the Montreal Winter Club was taken over by the military. Niagara Falls' Gloria Lillico won the free skate and a first place ordinal from one judge, but remained in fifth overall due to her marks in figures. 

Suzanne Thouin

Suzanne Thouin took the gold, ahead of Doreen Dutton and Anne Westcott. Dutton hailed from Drumheller, Alberta. There was no skating club in her town so she was forced to drive ninety miles north to Calgary to practice. Thouin spoke three languages and was a budding actress and ballet dancer. She was seventeen and had only been skating for five years.

THE WOMEN'S COMPETITION

Barbara Ann Scott on a Victory Loan Drive in 1944 with Mayor J.E. Stanley Lewis and Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King. Photo courtesy Ross Dunn.

Fifteen year old Barbara Ann Scott of Ottawa had won the Canadian junior women's title in 1940 when she was just eleven years old. She finished second to Winnipeg's Mary Rose Thacker in the senior women's event in both 1941 and 1942, largely due to Thacker's strength in the school figures. Thacker had since turned professional, and the title in 1944 was Scott's for the taking. As the only skater in Canada who had passed her Eighth Test in both Canada and the U.S. at the time, she was a heavy favourite to win in her home town.

In Ottawa, the senior women skated twelve figures in all - rockers, counters, brackets, loops and threes on both feet. Marilyn Ruth Take managed to beat Barbara Ann Scott on one figure, the difficult loop-change-loop, but Scott managed to amass a ridiculous lead of one hundred and fifty seven points after the first round of the competition was completed. To put that number into context, at the same year's U.S. Championships in Minneapolis, the widest point spread between the five women competing in figures was ten points. Even if Scott wiped out on every jump in her free skating performance, she still would have won by a wide margin.

Barbara Ann Scott. Photo courtesy Bibliothèque de Québec.

Instead, Barbara Ann Scott won her first Canadian title with a marvellous performance. In "Skating" magazine, Naomi Slater Heydon and Mavis Berry Daane wrote, "In the free skating she was placed first by every judge... The performance of her free skating seemed as faultless as human performance can be. She received marks of 9.3, 9.4, 9.5, 9.5 and 9.5. Her grace, sure-footedness, her difficult contents and her showmanship had the audience leaning out of their seats in order not to miss a single move. Her double jumps and spin combinations were breathtaking. When she was through, she was acclaimed with roaring applause. Canada has a new and great Senior Lady Champion." In a three-two split of the judging panel, Marilyn Ruth Take outranked Nadine Phillips by one ordinal placing to finish second. Virginia 'Billee' Wilson, the first cousin of Canadian Champion Eleanor O'Meara, took a tumble early in her free skate and never recovered, placing fourth.

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: How Skating Is Taught

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 gem is an article that first appeared in "The Sketch" on March 13, 1895 called "How Skating Is Taught". It is an interview with two French skating instructors who came to England to teach at the Niagara Hall skating rink.

"HOW SKATING IS TAUGHT" (UNKNOWN)

There is just now no prettier and cheerier sight in London than the Niagara Skating-Rink. All day long a happy crowd of skaters disport themselves on the artificial-ice lake, an occasional tumble only adding to the fun, which upper and lower galleries are filled with a seething crowd of spectators and not unkindly critics. It was among the latter (writes a representative of "The Sketch") that I found M. Léon, the French skating-master, who lately, together with his compatriot M. Plumet, had the honour of being sent to Buckingham Palace to act as instructor to the Marlborough House royal skating-party.

"Although I came here," observed M. Léon, "from the Pôle Nord - of course, I mean the Paris North Pole," he added parenthetically - "I first learnt skating at Hamburg, where I had been sent by my father to complete my education; but, as a skater, I claim to belong to the Viennese school, which is the best in Europe where our art is concerned."

"And in what way, Monsieur, does the Viennese differ from 'other forms'?"

"It is far more graceful, and the figures are infinitely better than those taught or acquired elsewhere," he answered promptly. "I myself studied for a considerable time with the famous Austrian skater, Alexander, of Vienna; but I do not consider," he added, smiling, "that I have yet exhausted the possibilities of this, my favourite form of le sport, for I am always learning and studying new figures and combinations of figures."

"And in how long a time do you and your fellow-instructors undertake to turn out a first-rate skater?"

"Well, some people take to it as ducks do to the water, others seem to find it as difficult as flying; but most of my pupils can begin to try the outside edge after a month's constant practice."

"Have you any view on the vexed question of costume?"

"Mais certainment!" he cried quickly. "Gentlemen should wear knickerbockers, and ladies short neat skirts and jackets. Those who persist in trying to skate in ordinary afternoon-gowns run a serious danger, especially when engaged in outside-edge skating. I may tell you," he continued, "that all the Princesses' costumes are thoroughly sensible in this respect, and it is a pity that royalty's example is not more widely followed. I myself consider a short skirt, neat jacket, and a small toque the ideal ice-costume for a lady. There should be no furbelows or trimming save what is quite flat and close to the figure."

"To become a good figure-skater must take up a great deal of time?"

"Yes, indeed; when one of my pupils can execute what I call the double-eight, I consider him perfect."

"Do you consider that men or women make the best skaters?"

M. Léon laughed gaily: "The ladies," he answered diplomatically, "always look more charming on the ice, even when they are not really so sure-footed as their brothers and gentleman friends."

"Do Londoners take as kindly to the art as Parisians?"

"Yes, indeed; and there are, no doubt, some splendid skaters over here; but, though French women take longer to learn, they, as a rule, end by becoming better skaters than the English women I have seen. By the way, I went down to Stowe House the other day; the Duke d'Orléans and his sister, Princess Hélène, are both admirable skaters."

"Did you get any open-air skating during the frost?"

"Yes, and I enjoyed it thoroughly; but I think that the music we have here greatly helps the skaters."

"May I ask you an indiscreet question? A general impression has got abroad that artificial ice is far harder than Nature's product, and that beginners run a greater risk of hurting themselves on a rink?"

"A tumble is always unpleasant, but I assure you there is no difference between artificial and real ice. I have had considerable experience of both, and so speak with knowledge. I am sure that, since the opening of the Pôle Nord, in Paris, many Parisians, and especially Parisiennes, have found their health and personal appearance improved by the steady exercise. Not only does it act like a tonic, but, what is, perhaps more important to ladies, it conduces to a bright and clear complexion. You see, it is not necessary to attempt figure-skating; it is possible to be an excellent skater for all practical purposes without having any knowledge of the higher forms of the art."

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.

A History Of Doping In Figure Skating

Photo courtesy Toronto Public Library, from Toronto Star Photographic Archive. Reproduced for educational purposes under license permission.

Back in the nineteenth century, there was always a bottle of brandy on hand to revive skaters that fell through the ice. In the days when figure skating competitions were held outdoors in subzero temperatures, it wasn't unheard of for skaters to warm themselves up with a swig of something strong¹ after doing their Lutzes and loop's. Though an adult beverage is a far cry from a doping violation, these kinds of stories serve as a reminder as to what the sport was like in the days before skaters were subjected to testing of any sort.

When talking about doping throughout figure skating's history, one of the first things to consider are the policies of early touring ice revues like the Ice Capades and Ice Follies. Skaters on these tours were subjected to weekly weigh-in's. If they weighed "too much", they were subject to fines or - in the case of "repeat offenders" - dismissal. An article from "The Bangor Daily News" reported that on tour with the Ice Capades, "Food and weight control dominated talk among the skaters, both male and female, especially when it got close to the weekly weigh-in time. Each skater was assigned a designated weight - called a 'set'. Skaters who didn't make [their designated] weight were docked money out of their paychecks and sometimes threatened with being sent home. Some skaters wouldn't eat for three days before the weigh-in. Others would pile on clothing to tip the scales. Many took laxatives to lose weight. Many thought the more alcohol they drank, the less weight they'd gain."² The lengths many professional skaters resorted to in order to keep their paycheques and jobs are largely undocumented. They weren't subject to drug tests.

Photo courtesy Ingrid Hunnewell

Amateur figure skaters were first subjected to drug testing at the 1968 Winter Olympic Games in Grenoble, France³. The International Skating Union issued one of its first Communications about doping in the autumn of 1972, announcing that going forward, testing would be conducted at all ISU Championships. The first tests were conducted at the 1973 European Championships in Cologne, West Germany⁴ and formal rules for doping controls were accepted at that year's ISU Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark⁵.

In the seventies and early eighties, doping control was only mandatory at the Winter Olympic Games, World Championships, European Championships and World Junior Championships. It could be conducted optionally at other international events, such as Skate Canada or the NHK Trophy, but the organizers were required to publicize that fact prior to the competition if they decided to do so.⁷ As doping tests at a national level were inconsistent at that point, this would have allowed skaters who were being doped or routinely taking prescription diet pills to fly under the radar. They simply had to stop well before the big international events each season so they wouldn't get caught.

Photo courtesy Toronto Public Library, from Toronto Star Photographic Archive. Reproduced for educational purposes under license permission.

From the get-go, there were concerns that athletes were finding ways to outsmart doping controls. In 1980, journalist Norman Webster suggested that the reason not a single athlete failed doping controls at the Summer Olympic Games wasn't because "they all owe their success to nothing but clean living and mother's home cooking... What it does mean, according to the International Olympic Committee's medical commission, is that the athletes know when to stop... before a competition."⁸

In 1980, the ISU's doping penalties were rather straight-forward. For the first violation, skaters would be disqualified from the competition and suspended for fifteen months. If there was a second violation, no matter what the substance, they would be banned for life. These penalties remained in place until 1990, when a rule change put forth by the East German federation suggesting specific penalties for specific drugs was approved.⁹

One of the first instances of a disqualification due to doping controls actually occurred in the Soviet Union. In January of 1982, Kira Ivanova won the women's figure skating competition at the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR in Krasnoyarsk but was stripped of her title because she failed to show up at the doping test afterwards because she'd been drinking. As a result, she was removed from the national team for a time.¹⁰

That December at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Sarajevo the bronze-medal winning French ice dance team of Christine Chiniard and Martial Mette were later disqualified. Chiniard was taking a weight loss drug that was on the banned list.¹¹  An American duo, Christina and Keith Yatsuhashi, were eventually elevated to the bronze medal position.¹² 

Photo courtesy Los Angeles Public Library

In 1987, Dr. Thomas Kosten penned an article noting, "Although no sport is immune from 'doping', figure skating has had very little history of drug use. This reflects well on our sport and competitors, yet we need to be vigilant and concerned about this issue. Athletes are highly motivated to succeed, and this motivation can make them more than willing to experiment with a variety of drugs that they believe will improve their performance." Dr. Kosten warned skaters of the dangers of stimulants, specifically cocaine and amphetamines, and anabolic steroids.¹³

Vigilance about doping tests caused many skaters to forego necessary medical treatment. At the 1984 Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo, Canadian pairs skater Paul Martini suffered from asthma but elected not to use the Ventilin puffer he'd been prescribed on the advice of Team Canada's Doctor¹⁴ . Four years later at the Winter Olympic Games, the flu raged through Calgary¹⁵. The Olympic Village was not immune. American skater Caryn Kadavy was forced to withdraw due to illness¹⁶; Canada's Liz Manley suffered through¹⁷ and won a silver medal. Lenka Knapová and René Novotný cracked the top ten in the pairs short program at the Games. Afterwards, Novotný had a terrible migraine headache. The doctor of Czechoslovakian ski jump team prescribed him the drug Alnagon, which contained codeine, caffeine and phenobarbital. In an interview with the Czech newspaper "Aha!", he recalled, "I don't even want to remember what happened next. Before the competition, I was in the locker room putting on my skates when two 'gorillas' came and led me out of the hall. Then Lenka and I were locked up in the Olympic Village and interrogated until morning. The doctor denied everything and I had to take it. They pulled us from the competition."¹⁸ The ISU made its doping controls more strict the following season, incorporating random tests at different phases of the competitions at the European Championships in Birmingham, England.¹⁹ Ironically, when the World Championships were held in Birmingham in 1995, Novotný won the Czech Republic's first gold medal in pairs skating at the World Championships with his wife Radka Kovaříková.

On November 21, 1989, Heiko Fischer dropped dead during a friendly squash game. A five-time West German Champion and veteran of two Olympics, Fischer was only twenty-nine years of age.²⁰ Horst Klehr, a pharmacist who was responsible for creating one of the first lists of banned substances specific to sport, referenced the German skater in a 2009 speech about athletes involved in doping. He said, "Many fatalities could still be alive today if the officials in the West had not closed their eyes."²¹

A failed doping test at the 1991 European Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria almost cost World Champions Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko the title.²² Klimova's sample suggested steroid use, but a second test of the sample was done at a German laboratory and she was cleared. After the event, ISU Secretary Beat Häsler told reporters, "The result of the B analysis was no confirmation of the A analysis... There was no identity of the positive results of the A analysis through the B analysis... They made a huge mistake in Bulgaria. There was simply no comparison between the two measurements."²³ CFSA President David Dore expressed confusion over the ISU's ruling about Klimova's sample, citing the fact that there had "been problems between the ISU and CFSA over the reporting of doping tests at the 1990 World Championships in Halifax."²⁴ 

Romy Kermer and Rolf Oesterreich

In 1992, former residents of East Germany (the German Democratic Republic) were first allowed to view their Stasi records.²⁵ Within two years of the files being accessible, horrific doping stories started to trickle out. Swimmers were given round after round of testosterone injections; weight-lifters were given such high doses of steroids that they had to have operations to remove fatty tissue from their chests after they retired.²⁶ Through consultation of Stasi records, German radio station Deutschlandfunk reported that in 1976, pairs skater "Rolf Oesterreich... tested positive for anabolic steroids at the GDR exit control and only arrived when the doping abuse was no longer detectable."²⁷ Rolf Oesterreich and his partner Romy Kermer won the silver medal in the pairs event at the 1976 Games in Innsbruck.

After the fall of The Berlin Wall, several figure skaters, including Ingo Steuer²⁸, Karin Miegel, Susanne Schnierda and Katrin Kanitz, came forward in media interviews claiming they were administered  'the blue pill' - Oral-Turinabol - as part of East Germany's Staatsplanthema 14.25 state-organized forced doping program.²⁹  In her scholarly dissertation on the East German Sports System, Barbara Carol Cole argued, "We do not now know, nor probably ever will know, the extent of the drug usage of the GDR's competitors, because, there too, no records exist. [Dr. Werner] Franke adheres, in the meantime, to the conviction that 'universal' doping was applied in all realms by 1980. This does not mean, however, that there were not numerous cases and disciplines or even institutes where doping played no factor at all, or that only selective usage at certain levels was the rule."³⁰

Although many files related to Staatsplanthema 14.25 were destroyed by the time of German unification³¹ , documented proof of doping in East Germany emerged in 1994.³² We will likely never know the true extent to which doping affected East German athletes. The support group Doping-Opfer-Hilfe e.V. - Forum für selbstbestimmten Sport has reported that figure skaters that were doped under Staatsplanthema 14.25 had surgeries to remove tumours, cysts and ovaries and suffered from a range of long-term consequences such as depression, acute pain and eating disorders.³⁴

A document about the Staatsplanthema 14.25 doping program. Photo courtesy Stasi Unterlagen Archiv, German Federal Archive.

In 1996, the International Amateur Athletic Federation presented the results of a study on a masking agent called Bromantane (Ladasten) that several Russian athletes were found to be using at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. This report noted that one Russian figure skater tested positive for Bromantane in March of that year.³⁵ While this skater was not named, if we assume this test was taken at the World Championships in Edmonton, Alberta - it could only have been one of eight women.³⁶ Every single one of those women either won an Olympic medal or World title at some point in their career. In 1997, the Anti-Doping Agency added Bromantane to its banned list, as both a masking agent and stimulant.³⁷

At the 1998 European Championships in Milan, French Champion Thierry Cerez tested positive for the anabolic steroid Nandrolone. French lecturer Dr. Jean-Pierre de Mondenard considered it a particularly curious case. He explained, "When an athlete knowingly consumes Nandrolone or Norandrostenedione, its precursor, these two substances do not appear directly in the urine but are transformed in certain organs, including the liver, into two distinct metabolites: norandrosterone (NA) and noretiocholanone (NE) which can be detected in urine. Similarly, when eating a steak and fries, we do not find meat and potatoes in the urine, but only their waste. Thus, nandrolone is never present as such in the samples taken during a doping control. On the other hand, and according to the IOC rule, to confirm Nandrolone or Norandrosterone doping, the two metabolites must be present together in the urine."³⁹ Cerez's sample was sent to a laboratory in Rome, which found it contained only one of the two metabolites of Nandrolone. Because Noretiocholanone was absent, Cerez's name was cleared, but the ordeal put his skating career in limbo for six months.⁴⁰ 

Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze

In 2000, Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze were stripped of their gold medals at the European Championships in Vienna, Austria due to a failed doping test. Berezhnaya tested positive for pseudoephedrine.⁴¹ She was suffering from bronchitis at the time and was prescribed medication containing the banned substance by a doctor in New Jersey.⁴² As a result of the timing of the failed test, the Organizing Committee of the 2000 World Championships announced that Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze would not be competing. In the news release, they said "she had taken it inadvertently in medication for bronchitis and waived the right to the analysis of the B sample, thereby acknowledging the result and thus withdrawing from the Championships."⁴³ Not long after, it was announced that another team, Uzbekistan's Natalia Ponomareva and Evgeniy Sviridov, would also not be competing. Sviridov tested positive for a banned substance at the Four Continents Championships.⁴⁴ 

Kamila Valieva's positive test for Trimetazidine, which came to light at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, was and is big news⁴⁵, but it came after a decade and a half where allegations of doping in figure skating have significantly increased. Several Russian figure skaters who competed at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi were under investigation at one point as part of The McLaren Report, which was commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. One sample from a male skater was referenced where the DNA didn't even match other samples previously provided at the Games!⁴⁶ A very incomplete listing of doping related cases in figure skating since 2006 reveals a consistent rise in the number of cases involving diuretics and masking agents.

Year	Country	Skater	Substance	Outcome
2006	Russia	Tatiana Navka	None (failure to report for testing)	ISU official allowed Navka to skip testing due to "treatment of a wound presenting potentially serious trauma and requiring specialized medical care." Her partner, Roman Kostomarov, took her place. Investigated by WADA as doctor said her injury was not an emergency. Case dropped.⁴⁷
2007	Russia	Yuri Larionov	Furosemide	Two-year suspension from ISU, reduced to eighteen months⁴⁸
2012	Ukraine	Anastasia Galyeta	Furosemide	Eighteen-month suspension from ISU⁴⁹
2013	Russia	Oksana Nagalati	Furosemide	One-year suspension from ISU, results from 2013 Junior Grand Prix (Slovakia) disqualified.⁵⁰
2013	Japan	Nana Sugiki⁵¹	Furosemide	Three-month suspension from Japan Anti-Doping Agency⁵²
2014	Russia	Adelina Sotnikova	(unknown)	Italian media named in conjunction with The McLaren Report⁵³. ISU announced that IOC Disciplinary Commission dropped investigation in 2017.⁵⁴
2014	Russia	Tatiana Volosozhar	(unknown)	Italian media named in conjunction with The McLaren Report⁵³. No outcome was ever announced publicly, but she had already retired.
2014	China	Chang Liu	Prednisolone	One-year suspension from ISU, result from the 2014 Four Continents Championships disqualified.⁵⁵
2015	Italy	Carolina Kostner	None (co-operation issue with investigation of ex-boyfriend's anti-doping case)	Sixteen-month suspension from Italian National Anti-Doping Tribunal⁵⁶, increased to twenty-one months after appeal for a two-year ban by Italian National Olympic Committee⁵⁷
2016	Russia	Ekaterina Bobrova	Meldonium	Missed the 2016 World Championships, suspension was lifted and result from 2016 European Championships not disqualified⁵⁸
2016	South Korea	Yelin Kim	None (failure to report for testing)	Warning and reprimand⁵⁹
2017	Kazakhstan	Darya Sirotina	(unknown)	One-year suspension from KAZ-NADC⁶⁰
2018	Russia	Ksenia Stolbova	(unknown)	Italian media named in conjunction with The McLaren Report⁵³. Not disqualified by the Oswald Commission but "not invited to compete" in the 2018 Winter Olympics by The Invitation Review Panel and the Olympic Athlete from Russia Implementation Group. IOC chief said athletes excluded had "serious indications" of doping in their history.⁶¹
2018	Russia	Ivan Bukin	(unknown)	Not disqualified by the Oswald Commission but "not invited to compete" in the 2018 Winter Olympics by The Invitation Review Panel and the Olympic Athlete from Russia Implementation Group. IOC chief said athletes excluded had "serious indications" of doping in their history.⁶¹
2018	Russia	Anastasia Shakun	Furosemide	One-year suspension from ISU, Disqualification of medals, points and prizes earned at 2018 Pavel Roman Memorial⁶²
2019	Russia	Alexandra Koshevaia	Torasemide	Two-year suspension from ISU⁶³
2019	France	Laurine Lecavelier	Cocaine	Two-year suspension from Collège de l’Agence française de lutte contre le dopage, Disqualification of medals, points and prizes earned from September 28-October 31, 2019⁶⁴
2020	Russia	Maria Sotskova	Furosemide, forged medical documents	Ten-year suspension from Figure Skating Federation Of Russia on recommendation of RUSADA (had already retired)⁶⁵
2021	United States	Jessica Calalang	4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (metabolite of Meclofenoxate)	False positive, fully cleared by WADA and USADA in September of 2021⁶⁶
2021	Russia	Kamila Valieva*	Trimetazidine (in conjunction with hypoxen and L-Carnitine)⁶⁷	*investigation ongoing
2022	Russia	Valeria Starygina	(unspecified)	Two-year suspension from Figure Skating Federation Of Russia on recommendation of RUSADA⁶⁵
2022	Spain	Laura Barquero	Clostebol metabolite 4-chloro-3α-hydroxy-androst-4-en-17-one⁶⁹	*investigation ongoing

While figure skating simply hasn't historically had significantly high numbers of positive doping tests like track and field sports and weightlifting⁶⁸, that doesn't mean that it's not a major issue. Just because a mystery hasn't been solved doesn't mean a mystery doesn't exist.

THE RECEIPTS

Not a fan at all of footnotes, but due to the subject of tonight's lecture (which unfortunately isn't rhythm) I thought it was super important to "show my work". 

¹ The Manleywoman SkateCast, Interview with Frances Dafoe, April 3, 2012

² The Bangor Daily Times, "Skater Is Winning Her Battle Against Her Fear Of Food", August 28, 1993

³ Paul Dimeo, "A History of Drug Use in Sport 1876-1976: Beyond Good and Evil", 2009

⁴ Skating magazine, "ISU Council Meeting", November 1972

⁵ Skating magazine, "ISU Report" (John R. Shoemaker), November 1973

⁶ Benjamin T. Wright, "Skating Around The World 1892-1992 - The One Hundredth Anniversary History of the International Skating Union"

⁷ Skating magazine, "Sports Medicine: Brief" (Dr. Franklin S. Wilson), November 1984

⁸ The Globe And Mail, "Doping Outfoxes Officials" (Norman Webster), August 4, 1980

⁹ Benjamin T. Wright, "Skating Around The World 1892-1992 - The One Hundredth Anniversary History of the International Skating Union"

¹⁰ Sovetsky Sport, "Our First Olympic Medalist In Figure Skating Was Ruined By Vodka (Boris Valiev), December 23, 2006

¹¹ Benjamin T. Wright, "Skating In America: The 75th Anniversary History Of The United States Figure Skating Association"

¹² Skating magazine, "1983 USFSA Governing Council Meeting" (Ian A. Anderson), July 1983

¹³ Skating magazine, "Drug Use And The 'Chemical Edge' In Sports" (Dr. Thomas Kosten), January 1987

¹⁴ The Globe And Mail, "Sarajevo Rain Helps Martini" (James Christie), February 8, 1984

¹⁵ The Ottawa Citizen, "Some Calgarians Have Flu; Many Are Just Sick Of The Games" (Bruce Ward), February 24, 1988

¹⁶ The Vancouver Sun, "Olympic Notebook", February 29, 1988

¹⁷ The Ottawa Citizen, "Manley Fights Flu Bug On Eve Of Competition" (Martin Cleary), February 23, 1988

¹⁸ Aha!, "Rebel krasobruslení" (Monika Brabcová), 1996

¹⁹ The Vancouver Sun, "Skaters Checked", January 17, 1989

²⁰ Internationales Sportarchiv, "Heiko Fischer", January 8, 1990

²¹ Speed Skating News, "Anti-Doping-Kämpfer aus Überzeugung" (Matthias Opatz), September 10, 2009 

²² The Ottawa Citizen, "Klimova Tests Positive For Drug; Second Positive Result Would Give Duchesnays European Ice Dance Gold", February 12, 1991

²³ The Ottawa Citizen, "2nd Sample Clears Skater For Worlds", February 21, 1991

²⁴ The Globe And Mail, "Canada Doping Tests Attacked: Just Too Tough Skate Union Says" (James Christie), February 21, 1991

²⁵ Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv (Stasi Records Archive)

²⁶ The Sunday Telegraph, "Doped Athletes Pay Tragic Price: For The Sports Stars Of The Old East Germany, It Was Win-At-Any-Cost" (Philip Sherwell), January 11, 1998

²⁷ Deutschlandfunk, "Schatten auf dem Eis" (Thomas Purschke), March 6, 2011

²⁸ Der Tagesspiegel, "Es wurde damals so gearbeitet", February 15, 2014

²⁹ WDR - Sport Inside, "Staatsdoping - Menschenversuche im DDR-Sport"

³⁰ Barbara Carol Cole, "The East German Sports System: Image And Reality", May 2000

³¹ Stasi-Unterlagen-Archiv (Stasi Records Archive)

³² Swimming World and Junior Swimmer, "Proof Of East German Drug Use" (Phillip Whitten), December 1994

³³ Opfer-Hilfe e.V. - Forum für selbstbestimmten Sport 

³⁴ Staatsdoping - Menschenversuche im DDR-Sport, "Dopingopferliste", September 9, 2019

³⁵ Star-Phoenix, "Bromantan Used By Cheats For Two Years", August 2, 1996

³⁶ Skating magazine, "2 At The Top: 1996 World Figure Skating Championships" (Peter K. Robertson), June 1996

³⁷ The Lancet, "Bromantan, A New Doping Agent" (Pascal Burnat, Alain Payen, Catherine Lu Brumant-Payen, Michel Hugon, Franck Ceppa), September 27, 1997

³⁸ Libération, "Dopage: Thierry Cerez Patine Dans La Nandrolone" (Christian Losson), March 6, 1998

³⁹ Doping - The Cases Decoded, Commented On By An Independent Expert From All National And International Bodies, "Thierry Cerez" (Dr. Jean-Pierre de Mondenard), December 25, 2020

⁴⁰ Libération, "Dopage: Le Patineur Thierry Cerez Innocente", June 27, 1998

⁴¹ Kingston Whig-Standard, "Berezhnaya Banned For Three Months", April 6, 2000

⁴² Kingston Whig-Standard, "Coach Takes Blame For Failed Doping Test" (Neil Stevens), March 28, 2000

⁴³ Skating magazine, "2000 World Championships" (Safvatore Zanca), May 2000

⁴⁴ ESPN.com, "Russian Pairs Champs Banned From World Championships" (Brooke Edwards), March 26, 2000

⁴⁵ BBC Sport, "Winter Olympics: Kamila Valieva Treatment By Entourage 'Chilling' - IOC" (Sonia Oxley), February 18, 2022

⁴⁶ World Anti-Doping Agency, The McLaren Report (Richard H. McLaren, IP in Sochi Investigation), December 9, 2016

⁴⁷ The Globe And Mail, "No Sanctions Expected For Ice Dancer" (January 28, 2006)

⁴⁸ ISU Communications 1493 and 1560, April 9, 2008 and May 2, 2009 (Decisions of ISU Disciplinary Committee)

⁴⁹ ISU Communication 1731, June 1, 2012 (Decision of ISU Disciplinary Committee)

⁵⁰ ISU Communication 1843, January 8, 2014 (Decision of ISU Disciplinary Committee)

⁵¹ Nikkan Sports, "Nana Sugiki Is Suspended For 3 Months Due To Drug Violation", October 16, 2013

⁵² Japan Anti-Doping Agency, 2013 Anti-Doping Rule Violation Decision List (JADA)

⁵³ La Gazetta dello Sport, "Ghiaccio, pattinaggio. Scandalo Sochi 2014. Sospetti sulla Sotnikova: Kostner d'argento?", December 30, 2016

⁵⁴ NBC Sports, "Adelina Sotnikova Cleared In Russia Doping Investigation", November 9, 2017

⁵⁵ International Skating Union, Full Decision of the Disciplinary Commission - Chang Liu, May 16, 2014

⁵⁶ CTV News, "Figure Skater Carolina Kostner Banned For 16 Months In Ex-Boyfriend's Doping Case", January 16, 2015

⁵⁷ Reuters, "Italy's Kostner Cleared To Compete Next Year", October 5, 2015

⁵⁸ CTV News, "Russian Athletes Plead To Be Allowed To Compete In Rio" (James Ellingworth), June 15, 2016

⁵⁹ International Skating Union, Full Decision of the Disciplinary Commission - Ms. Yelin Kim, November 28, 2016

⁶⁰ International Skating Union, Communication No. 2105, ISU Anti-Doping Program, Status of Skaters subject to a period of Ineligibility following an Anti-Doping Rule Violation

⁶¹ Reuters, "Olympics - Russia Ban Decision Was 'A Balance', Says IOC Chief Bach" (Karolos Grohmann), January 24, 2018

⁶² International Skating Union, Full Decision of the Disciplinary Commission - Ms. Shakun, April 8, 2019

⁶³ International Skating Union, Full Decision of the Disciplinary Commission - Ms. Koshvaia, October 9, 2019

⁶⁴ Agence française de lutte contre le dopage, "Décision relative à Mme Laurine Lecavelier", September 9, 2021

⁶⁵ RUSADA, The list of Athletes currently ineligible under decisions of the Russian Sport Federations, February 18, 2022

⁶⁶ Associated Press News, "US Pairs Skater Calalang Cleared Of Drug Violation" (Barry Wilner), October 14, 2021

⁶⁷ The New York Times, "Kamila Valieva's sample included three substances sometimes used to help the heart. Only one is banned." (Tariq Panja), February 15, 2022 (updated February 19, 2022)

⁶⁸ Kawasaki Journal of Medical Welfare, "A Historical Timeline of Doping in the Olympics (Part II 1970-1988)" (Michael Kremenik, Sho Onodera, Mitsushiro Nagao, Osamu Yuzuki, Shozo Yonetani), October 30, 2006

⁶⁹ International Testing Agency, "Beijing 2022 – The ITA asserts an apparent anti-doping rule violation against Spanish athlete Laura Barquero", February 22, 2022

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