The 1994 Skate Canada International Competition

Photo courtesy "Chatelaine" magazine

From November 3 to 6, 1994, an international cast of skaters from fifteen countries gathered at the Centrium Arena in Red Deer, Alberta for the 1994 Skate Canada International competition. The event boasted seven and a half hours of coverage on CTV. Ticket prices ranged from twenty two to thirty two dollars, with the free skating finals playing to a packed house.

Though the competition offered a total purse of one hundred thousand dollars in prize money, the winners in singles 'only' received five thousand. One reporter speculated that France's Philippe Candeloro, who withdrew from the event with no explanation provided, did so because the prize money at Skate America was higher.

Incidentally, it was the final year that Skate Canada was held as a standalone event. In 1995, the event was first included in the Champions Series - now called the Grand Prix. It was during Skate Canada that David Dore of the CFSA first announced discussions to "combine Skate Canada and Skate America into a two-event championship... [called] North American Skate with combined prize money... We plan to increase the Skate Canada prize money, anyway, but if we combined our prizes together with the U.S. payout, it would be a good purse that could attract good fields. It also would eliminate competition for skaters."

Just as the prize money being offered at professional competitions enticed skaters to leave the amateur ranks behind, the pressure for skating federations to offer big bucks at amateur international events was already becoming 'a thing'. Let's take a look back at how the competition unfolded!

THE PAIRS COMPETITION

During the off-season, twenty year old Kristy Sargeant and twenty four year old Kris Wirtz spent a couple of weeks training with Igor Moskvin in St. Petersburg, Russia. They couldn't wait to get home to their training base in Brossard, Quebec. Kris Wirtz told reporter Cam Cole, "The things people don't have there is frightening. There was a woman at the end of our street, I could see the bones through the skin of her legs. Her face was black from exposure. I don't understand how they live. They have to be such strong people. I mean, I will work with Igor again... just not in those conditions. We were so out of our element, we couldn't concentrate on the things we went over there for.''

In the warm-up for the pairs short program, America skater Cheryl Marker collided with Kris Wirtz. Her shoulder smashed into his ribs, but he decided to compete anyway. Kristy Sargaent tumbled on the side-by-side triple toe-loop in their program, but the Canadians were still second heading into the free skate.

Photo courtesy Skate Canada Archives

Kristy Sargeant and Kris Wirtz managed to score their first major international victory in Red Deer - the city where Sargeant was born - skating a strong program that was only marred by a faulty death spiral. After the event, Sargeant told reporters, "Winning our first international event is very big for us because it shows that we have a chance to be on the ladder towards the next Olympics. Our skating was a little rough, but we executed the things we were trying to do up until the last little problem.'' The silver medal went to Latvia's Elena Berezhnaya and Oleg Shliakhov and the bronze to crowd favourites Sarah Abitbol and Stéphane Bernadis of France. Danielle Carr of Australia, who finished fifth with her brother Stephen, celebrated her twenty fifth birthday in Red Deer.

THE WOMEN'S COMPETITION

Germany's Marina Kielmann, ranked fourth in the world, was the favourite entering the competition after the withdrawal of China's Lu Chen. However, she tumbled twice in the short program, taking herself out of the running for the gold medal. France's Laetitia Hubert rose to the occasion, delivering a strong performance to René Duprée's "Tango" from "Cirque du Soleil" and taking top spot after the short program. She was working with Evy and Mary Scotland down in the United States at the time.

In the free skate, Laetitia Hubert faltered and Marina Kielmann rallied but it was fifteen year old Krisztina Czakó of Hungary who rose to the occasion and snatched the gold medal over Hubert and Chicago's Jessica Mills. Czakó was six weeks shy of her sixteenth birthday,

Czakó was the youngest woman in Red Deer. She tried eight triples, including a triple/triple combination, and landed six. All but the Canadian judge, who had her fourth, placed her first overall. Czakó had arrived in Red Deer with an unusual quandary. The hem on one of her dresses was too long and she almost had to skate in a costume donated by the Red Deer Figure Skating Club. She eventually found suitable dresses in a skating boutique. Canada's two entries, Angela Derochie and Jennifer Robinson, placed fifth and sixth. Robinson had been a last-minute replacement for an injured Susan Humphreys.

THE ICE DANCE COMPETITION

Photo courtesy Skate Canada Archives

Taking an early lead in the compulsories, Canadian Champions Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz dominated the ice dance event in Red Deer from start to finish, easily besting Lithuanians Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas and Americans Renée Roca and Gorsha Sur. Bourne and Kraatz received marks ranging from 5.4 to 5.7 for their winning free dance, a credit to their new coaches Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko. The Canadians had recently made the move to Lake Arrowhead to work with the Olympic Gold Medallists. They also worked with choreographer Uschi Keszler. Bourne told reporters, "With Marina and Sergei, everyone is going to be involved. Everyone's working toward the same thing. They're helping us to grow and become adults. Like a flower blossoms, we're going to blossom.'' Canada' second team, Jennifer Boyce and Michel Brunet, placed fifth of the eleven couples entered.

THE MEN'S COMPETITION

Elvis Stojko

Ticket buyers who had been anticipating a showdown between Elvis Stojko and Philippe Candeloro may have been disappointed, but Stojko more than gave them their money's worth, even if his competition wasn't as stiff. The twenty two year old had performed his new free skate to "1492: Conquest Of Paradise" every night on his Tour Of Champions, but had ditched a short program that wasn't working over the summer in favour of a new program to music from "Total Recall". He landed a triple Axel/double toe-loop, double Lutz and double Axel to take the lead in the short. His marks ranged from 5.5 to 5.9. He earned marks ranging from 5.7 to 5.9 for his "1492" free skate, landing six triples; two in combination. He tried the quad but just missed it. He told reporters, "There's still a lot left in the program. I left out some things, like the triple/triple combination, the quad-triple combination, and a second quad I want to put in and there's a lot of in-between's I want to improve on.'' Sébastien Britten landed five triples to take the bronze, just behind Michael Shmerkin, who made history as the first Israeli skater to win a medal at Skate Canada. Canada's third entry, a young Jeffrey Langdon, placed tenth.

Thanks to a generous donation of VHS tapes by Skate Guard reader Kate, you can take a trip back in time and rewatch the gala from the 1994 Skate Canada International competition in digitized video form. The YouTube playlist can be found above or at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6c_NN6KdCfJpMkd7HMpTpuc5GlZIpNx6.

Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering a copy of the figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.

Sonja Meets The Press

Courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection. Used with permission.

One the most talented and incredibly complex figures in figure skating history, Sonja Henie brought skating to a new audience on the silver screen after winning three Olympic gold medals and ten World titles. Enthralling audiences from Oslo to Oklahoma City, the Norwegian darling of the ice had plenty to say to reporters at the height of her success and today on the blog, we'll let her words speak for themselves. From backstage interviews to society pages to press conferences, here's an eclectic collection of Sonja Henie quotables.

Sonja Henie being interviewed by reporters. Photo courtesy Boston Public Library.

ON NORWEGIANS HAVING A SWEET TOOTH

"Norwegians are a hardy race with rugged constitutions and athletic tendencies. With this, and the long, cold winters, they become great consumers of sweets, cakes and cookies. The severe winters and strenuous life make their demand for sugars very high."

ON HER START IN HOLLYWOOD

"I wanted so much to be a picture star but I knew enough not to make the big mistake of going to Hollywood and begging for a job. No - that is not good showmanship. I gathered together a group of good skaters and took them to Hollywood with me. Then I rented the ice rink and put on my show. I told myself that this was the best way. If I was screen material, the studios would make me offers. If not, I would go back to Norway."

Courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection. Used with permission.

ON HER PROWESS IN THE KITCHEN

"I learned to bake, cook and keep house about the same time I learned to skate. In Norway, it's a lasting disgrace for a girl to fail to become a first class housekeeper."

ON IF SHE'D EVER CHANGE HER NAME IN HOLLYWOOD

"No. Sonja Henie is a lovely name."

ON MOVING INTO MYRNA LOY'S COLDWATER CANYON HOME

"When we moved in Myrna had the house filled with flowers and everything beautifully arranged for us, so we invited her to come and pay us a visit. She and Arthur [Hornblow] came together and I was glad to find them so happy. I suppose when we move out they will return here to live, it's so quiet and peaceful."

Courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection. Used with permission.

ON PERFORMING HER FAMOUS HULA NUMBER

"I've never had so much fun on skates as I do in the Hula, and in the 'Little Brown Girl' number which follows it."

ON HER DREAMS AFTER MARRYING DAN TOPPING

"I love to skate. It's a part of me, but I have told Dan that I won't go on tour, at least not until we spend a whole year together. We want to have a home. I am a Norwegian, my ancestors have all been homemakers. I want a garden, a place in the country."

Courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection. Used with permission.

ON ENDORSING CIGARETTES 

"No. I don't smoke. I think there is little honesty in endorsing things one doesn't believe in... As an athlete, I have no use for cigarettes. I think I have a large audience of children on the screen, too. To smoke, it seems to me, would be to teach them a poor lesson for their age."

A later ad that depicted Sonja endorsing Chesterfield cigarettes

ON NEW YORK GOSSIP COLUMNIST LEE MORTIMER 

"Where is this Mortimer? Others like me and like my show. But always this critic says bad things. And I have never seen him. Really, I would like to meet him. If we do meet, I will have to hold Dan [Topping] back or he will punch that Mortimer's eyes and that would be too bad. I really do want so badly to see what he looks like."

ON HER RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CONDUCTOR OF HER ORCHESTRA

"I drive our orchestra leader crazy. You see, I usually spin through one full chorus, but I can push him out to holding a chorus and a half. And sometimes I spin and spin until his musicians are blue in the face. Eighty-five times I can spin; I can spin more now than when I was younger, for some reason."

Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering a copy of the figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.

The 1983 Skate America International Competition

An Australian yacht made history at the America's Cup, when it dethroned the New York Yacht Club, which had held the trophy for over a century. Ronald Reagan was America's President, a postage stamp cost twenty cents and everyone was dancing up a storm to Michael Sembello's hit song "Maniac" from "Flashdance".

The year was 1983 and from October 10 to 16, figure skaters from seventeen nations gathered at the War Memorial Arena in Rochester, New York to compete in Skate America, which was then only a few years old. The event was hosted by the Genesee Figure Skating Club, the home club of former USFSA President F. Ritter Shumway. The venue had been the site of the U.S. Championships twenty four years prior in the heyday of Carol Heiss and David Jenkins. Spectators flocked en masse to get their first glimpse at some of the world's top skaters as they began their season, which (if they were lucky) would culminate in a trip to the 1984 Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo.

Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine

The month prior to the event, a Soviet fighter plane shot down a South Korean airliner with nearly two hundred and seventy passengers aboard. In the aftermath of this dramatic world event, Soviet skaters had withdrawn from the St. Ivel competition in Great Britain. They pulled out of Skate America at the last minute as well. Writing in "Tracings" magazine about the mess, Alexandra Stevenson said, "You never know where you are with the Russians. The Skate America organizers weren't sure that the Soviet skaters would turn up until they received indication that several Russian political bigwigs from Washington wished to attend. After these VIP's had been informed that the USSR hadn't yet accepted the invitation to skate, a telegram came from the Soviets saying that a team would be sent comprised of their third-ranked woman, their fifth-ranked man, an unknown pair and last year's bronze medallist dance team at Skate Canada. Then a few days later they sent this telegram: 'Due to changed preparation schedule of Soviet skaters for 1984 I.S.U. Championships, regret unable to send delegation to Skate America '83. Thank you for invitation, hope for your understanding. Best regards.' It was probably just as well that the Russians decided not to come [to Skate America]. Rochester is the headquarters for Kodak, several of whose staff were lost on the Korean airliner... The public may have booed the Soviet skaters, or worse." George T. Yonekura, the USFSA President at the time, believed the cancellation had more to do with tensions over the jet liner incident than a change in any training program. Quoted in "The New York Times", he said, "I believe there were a couple of Kodak people on that plane and Kodak employs a lot of people around Rochester. Tension would probably be high in Rochester because of that. Frankly, I was relieved when the Russians withdrew. My personal feeling is that there would have been a big problem."

Even without the Cold War drama, Skate America provided for some dramatic showdowns on the ice. Let's take a look back at how things played out!

THE PAIRS COMPETITION

The absence of the previous year's Skate America Champions, Elena Valova and Oleg Vasiliev, paved the way for a rather easy victory for siblings Kitty and Peter Carruthers. The Americans won both the short program and free skate in convincing fashion on their way to winning their first and only Skate America title.

The Carruthers had missed the event a year prior because Kitty had chicken pox. Their teammates Jill Watson and Burt Lancon were a strong second. Canadians Melinda Kunheygi and Lyndon Johnston moved up from fourth after the short to win the bronze, landing side-by-side double Axels, a throw double Axel and throw triple Salchow in the free. Canada's second pair, Katherina Matousek and Lloyd Eisler, placed fifth behind Gillian Wachsman and Robert Daw.

In his review of the event, Howard Bass recalled, "The injured Susan Garland had the unusual experience of watching her former partner Robert, with whom she won three British national teams, during which time she outgrew him. The petite Gillian is obviously more suited to Robert, as evidenced by their throw triple Salchow, triple twist, and throw triple toe-loop. Robert, though qualifying by residence for the U.S. national team, is ineligible to compete for a second nation in the Olympics, having already represented Britain in Lake Placid."

THE ICE DANCE COMPETITION

Elisa Spitz and Scott Gregory. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine.

Elisa Spitz and Scott Gregory were the only winners from the 1982 Skate America event to turn up to try and defend their title. Judy Blumberg and Michael Seibert and Karen Barber and Nicky Slater had withdrawn, paving the way for an easy victory for America's number two dance team.

Spitz and Gregory amassed a considerable lead after the compulsory dances (Paso Doble, Rhumba and Westminster) and expanded it in the Paso Doble OSP. Their free dance, a mishmash of tunes including "Down By The Sea", "Paint It Black", "Scres Blues" and "When The Saints Go Marchin' In", offered plenty of speed and variety and went over well with the American crowd. Seven of the nine judges placed them first ahead of Canadians Kelly Johnson and John Thomas, whose free dance was a reimagination of "Faust". Britons Wendy Sessions and Stephen Williams, replacements for Barber and Slater, took the bronze. Canada's second couple, Karen Taylor and Robert Burk, had the misfortune of finishing last after colliding with the boards in the free dance.

Following the event, Howard Bass remarked, "Each of the leading couples [reflected] in their own distinctive ways a current trend towards more 'showy' presentations. It was apparent that dance judges, coaches and competitors alike have decided to turn a Nelsonian eye on some breaches of the rules regarding separations, jumps, lifts, and various other similarities to pair skating, now only half-heartedly curbed." In her book "Figure Skating History: The Evolution Of Dance On Ice", Lynn Copley-Graves suggested that the favourable response toward Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean's "Barnum" free dance played a role in this trend.

THE WOMEN'S COMPETITION

John Nicks and Tiffany Chin. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine.

There were fifteen competitors in the women's event in Rochester. Many were surprised when Yugoslavia's Sanda Dubravčić, who'd placed in the top ten at two World Championships in figures, finished behind sixteen year old Tiffany Chin in the event's first phase. After all, ice conditions weren't exactly great... owing partly to an October heat wave. Covering the event for "The Globe And Mail", Beverley Smith recalled, "Outside the War Memorial Arena, where the competition is being held, the temperature was a balmy twenty seven degrees. Inside, however, during the women's compulsory figures, it was hot and muggy and the ice was wet. The figures, which were to start at 7 a.m., were delayed. Two hours later, the sixteen women skaters had completed only one of three compulsories. Rink superintendent Charlie Mason said the air conditioning was turned on at 9 a.m. However, it did not take effect immediately because someone forgot to close all of the outside doors to keep out the heat. The rink was spotty, with wet patches at both ends."

Americans were delighted when Tiffany Chin turned in two outstanding performances in the short program and free skate on the way to winning her first of two Skate America titles. Her winning free skate featured a triple toe-loop, triple Salchow and two double Axel's. Canada's Cynthia Coull landed one more triple than Chin but, hampered by ninth place finishes in both the figures and short, was only able to move up to fifth. The silver and bronze went to Americans Jill Frost and Kelly Webster and Sanda Dubravčić ended up seventh. Canada's second entry, Monica Lipson, was an unlucky thirteenth. It was the first American sweep of the women's event at Skate America - a feat that wouldn't be repeated until 1996, when Michelle Kwan, Tonia Kwiatkowski and Sydne Vogel took the top three spots.

THE MEN'S COMPETITION

Bobby Beauchamp. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine.

At the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki, Brian Boitano had finished ninth in figures, one spot ahead of West Germany's Rudi Cerne. In Rochester, nineteen year old Boitano handed twenty five year old Cerne yet another defeat on the way to winning his first of two Skate America titles. The fact that Boitano had managed a triple Lutz/double loop combination in the short when almost all of the other men only tried double loop/triple toe-loop or triple toe-loop/double loop had perhaps been the clincher. In the free, Boitano two-footed a triple Axel attempt but landed five other triples, an effort matched by Japan's Masaru Ogawa, who finished second in the free but fourth overall because of his eighth place finish in figures. The bronze medallist, America's Bobby Beauchamp, made history as the first skater of colour to win a medal at Skate America. Canada's two entries, Gordon Forbes and Kevin Parker, were sixth and eighth.

In the aftermath of the event, CFSA President David Dore had plenty to say about the fact that several 'top flight' U.S. skaters weren't in attendance in Rochester. "We would never send Brian Orser and we would never send Tracy Wilson and Rob McCall. Would you send Wilson and McCall to be beaten by Spitz and Gregory?" And it would happen. I've told this to the people. We don't want them to make mincemeat of our skaters before the whole U.S. nation. I'm not debating the legitimacy of the Americans' finishing one-two-three, but I am debating whether it is healthy for skating to do that. I realize they may have to do it to make ticket sales. I don't know if they would make sales in the United States if they didn't...  If they want to do it for the good of the flag, then I wish they'd just let us know." Dore's comments perhaps hearkened back to old wounds from the days of the North American Championships that perhaps hadn't yet healed.

Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering a copy of the figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.

Brackets And Banking: The George Greenslet Story

Photo (HUD 328.04) courtesy Harvard University Archives. Used with permission.

Born August 12, 1906 in Cohasset, Massachusetts, George Ferris Greenslet was the son of Ellen Stoothoff (Hulst) and Ferris Greenslet. His father was a renowned historian, editor and writer who served as Director and General Manager of Trade Department at Houghton Mifflin. Ferris Greenslet worked tirelessly to 'clear the name' of ancestor Ann (Greenslet) Pudeator, who was hanged for witchcraft in Salem in 1692. The Greenslet's - Ferris, Ella, George and his older sister Marguerite - lived in affluent existence in Charles River Square in Boston, their needs tended to by a live-in nursemaid and cook.

George's father Ferris Greenslet

George started skating when he was a student at Milton Academy. In 1921, at the age of fourteen, he claimed the junior men's title at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Philadelphia, defeating Beatrix Loughran's future husband Raymond Harvey, Charles A. McCarthy of Chicago and four others. At the time, the distinction between the junior and senior classes at the U.S. Championships had absolutely nothing to do with age. In fact, it was unheard of for a 'boy' of fourteen to win such a prestigious title. Many of his competitors were twice his age.

However, what really made George's success at the U.S. Championships so remarkable was what he overcame. In his autobiography "Under The Bridge", George's father Ferris wrote, "Not long after the war... death for the first time threatened my own immediate family. After a series of heavy operations, my son, a boy of fourteen, developed a brain abscess. Hope was all but given up. His life was saved by a miracle of modern surgery. A technique just developed in the war hospitals in France made it possible to locate the invaded area with precision and a brilliant brain operation pulled him through so completely that a few months later, he won the Junior National Championship at his sport of figure skating. During his convalescence, Margaret [Phillips] MacDonald, the spectacled maid at Thayer's who had summoned Senator [Henry Cabot] Lodge to the telephone to hear the terms of the armistice, was employed to read to him."

The First National Bank of Boston in Buenos Aires

George 'retired' from skating as a teenager and immersed himself in his studies at Harvard College and Harvard Business School. He graduated with an M.B.A. from the latter in 1930, worked at the Revere Airport and toured Europe by car before accepting a position as a statistician at the First National Bank of Boston on Roque Sáenz Peña Avenue in Buenos Aires. He worked his way up the ladder to become the head of the bank's accounting department. In his role, he was responsible for personnel, purchasing, maintenance, taxes and communications for almost eight hundred people. In November 1933, he married Glencora Ada De Osborn. While living in South America, George worked to better American-Argentine relations. In his spare time, he enjoyed reading and playing golf. He passed away on February 20, 1953 in Buenos Aires at the age of forty seven, his remarkable win at the U.S. Championships in 1921 a forgotten footnote in figure skating history.

Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering a copy of the figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.

The 1938 European Figure Skating Championships

Cecilia Colledge's mother, Austrian Vice-Chancellor  Ernst Rüdiger Starhemberg, Megan Taylor, Henry Graham Sharp and Cecilia Colledge at the opening banquet for the 1938 European Championships. Photo courtesy National Archives of Poland.

As was far too often the case in the thirties, the 1938 European Figure Skating Championships were held in two different European cities at different times. The men's and women's titles were decided between January 20 and 23, 1938 at the Kulm Rink in St. Moritz, Switzerland, with the pairs champions crowned on January 30, 1938 in Troppau - now Opava in the Czech Republic.

Felix Kaspar and Cecilia Colledge in St. Moritz in 1938

The 'hothouse' British skaters arrived weeks in St. Moritz some weeks prior to the competitions to accustom themselves once again to outdoor ice conditions and gained many new fans by giving an exhibition on New Year's Eve, 1937 in the Swiss skating mecca. Not all the drama proved to be on the ice that year. The January 21, 1938 issue of the "Illustrierte Kronen Zeitung" reported, "World champion [Felix] Kaspar escaped in St. Moritz with a lot of luck from a serious accident. He was in
danger to be run over by a stray horse and was in the last moment taken to safety."

Henry Graham Sharp skating his figures in St. Moritz. Photo courtesy National Archives of Poland.

One had to wonder if that renegade horse was a bad omen when Great Britain's Henry Graham Sharp defeated Kaspar three judges to two in the school figures. The judges showed loyalties strictly down the familiar political lines of the era. The British, Hungarian and Danish judges cast their votes for Sharp, while the Germans and Austrians supported Kaspar.

Felix Kaspar in St. Moritz. Photo courtesy National Archives of Poland.

The styles of the two skaters couldn't have been any more different. Tall, lithe Sharp was a methodical skater and a fine exponent of the 'Modern English School' of skating, whereas short, athletic Kaspar was known for his high flying jumps. Both skated well, but three judges opted to place Kaspar first in the free skate. The German judge placed him in a tie with Herbert Alward and the British judge tied Kaspar, Sharp and Freddie Tomlins. As the two had been close in the school figures, Kaspar was able to handily move up to defend his European title by two points, with Sharp settling for silver ahead of Alward, Horst Faber, Elemér Terták, Tomlins and Edi Rada. Both Mildred and T.D. Richardson disagreed vehemently with the result. Writing for "The Times" and "The Skating Times" the British skating 'power couple' noted that "Faber, [Günther] Lorenz, Alward, Tomlins et all... completely out-skated the champion for variety and difficulty of program." They also expressed bewilderment as to why the German judge placed Tomlins seventh in the free skate while another judge had him third.

Freddie Tomlins and Henry Graham Sharp in Berlin. Photo courtesy National Archives of Poland

While in Switzerland, Sharp received tempting offers to turn professional and forgo competing at the 1938 World Championships. In a telephone interview with a reporter from the "Sunday Dispatch", he explained, "I am in an awful whirl. My ambition is to win the world's championship in Berlin. It is held in a covered rink to which I am used, and I think I have a very good chance. But, at the same time, I should very much like to go to Hollywood. I know Sonja [Henie] well, and have skated with her at Garmisch."

Felix Kaspar. Photo courtesy National Archives of Poland.

With a whopping seventeen entries, the 1938 St. Moritz competition tied the 1936 Berlin record for the largest number of entries in the women's competition European Championships at that point. Great Britain's Cecilia Colledge and Megan Taylor dominated the women's school figures and were one-two across the board on every judge's scorecard in the primary phase of the event. However, their marks were pretty much the only consistent element of the judging of the women's school figures. Both Eva Nyklova and Angela Anderes had ordinals ranging from third through tenth. Lydia Veicht's ordinals ranged from fourth through eleventh and Daphne Walker's ranged from fourth through thirteenth!

Cecilia Colledge, Pamela Stephany, Daphne Walker and Jacques Gerschwiler. Photo courtesy National Archives of Poland.

If the judges couldn't seem to agree early on, they were all on the same page in handing Cecilia Colledge her second consecutive European title by some twelve points. Six of the seven judges had her first in the free skate, with the Austrian judge opting to tie her with Taylor.

Left:Megan Taylor, Cecilia Colledge and Daphne Walker in St. Moritz. Right: Cecilia Colledge. Photo courtesy Bildarchiv Austria.

Austria's Emmy Puzinger was third on all but one judge's scorecard in the free skate, and repeated as the European bronze medallist.

Cecilia Colledge and Susi Demoll in St. Moritz. Photos courtesy National Archives of Poland.

If there were whiffs of national bias here and there in the marking of the singles competition, the pairs competition in Troppau a week later absolutely reeked of it! Four of the judges had Olympic and World Champions Maxi Herber and Ernst Baier first, while Austrian judge Eduard Engelmann Jr. supported his own and gave the nod to siblings Ilse and Erik Pausin.

Maxi Herber and Ernst Baier. Photos courtesy Bildarchiv Austria, National Archives Of Poland.

The German judge had the Pausin's behind the bronze medallists from Germany and Inge Koch and Günther Noack, the Polish judge had the Polish team third and the Hungarian judge had the Hungarian team third. Ironically, the only team not to receive a boost was the home one. The Czechoslovakian pair was dead last on all but one judge's scorecard.

Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering a copy of the figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.

The Search For The Next Sonja Henie

Sonja Henie. Courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection. Used with permission.

If one thing has been consistent throughout the history of competitive figure skating, it has been the drive for skating associations to produce champions. European skating associations certainly felt that pressure in the years that followed World War II just as America most certainly did in the decade that followed the tragic Sabena Crash in Belgium that claimed the lives of their country's entire skating team in 1961

Sometimes the pressure to come up with 'the next big star' had less to do with external factors and more to do with continuing the legacy of one great, once-in-a-lifetime champion... and that's exactly the scenario that the Norges Skøyteforbund faced when Sonja Henie turned professional after winning her third Olympic gold medal and tenth World title in 1936.

Nanna Egedius

Many thought the woman that would pick up Sonja's torch and run with it would be Nanna Egedius. From 1932 to 1936, the talented young skater from Oslo had racked up an impressive five Norwegian senior women's titles. Although Sonja had opted not to participate in those domestic events, Nanna's 'resume' was certainly impressive in itself. She had placed in the top ten in every major international competition she had entered and had defeated bona fide contenders like Yvonne de Ligne and Mollie Phillips. However, Nanna got married and retired from the sport the same year Sonja Henie did. Another of Sonja's contemporaries, the talented Erna Andersen, was busy making a name for herself in professional shows in Great Britain. It seemed the Norges Skøyteforbund would have to look harder and harder for their next Sonja.

Gerd and Turid Helland-Bjørnstad. Photo courtesy Norwegian Digitalarkivet.

Enter Gerd and Turid, the two talented daughters of Sverre and Mathilde Helland-Bjørnstad of Oslo. The Helland-Bjørnstad siblings dominated the Norwegian skating scene in the years that followed Sonja Henie's retirement but neither managed to make any sort of an impact internationally. Gerd's best result on the world stage was eighth at the 1938 World Championships in Stockholm; Turid's a twelfth place finish the following year in Prague. After competing head to head at those World Championships, the skating careers of both siblings were cut short by the cancellation of both domestic and international competitions during World War II.

 Turid Helland-Bjørnstad. Photo courtesy Norwegian Digitalarkivet.

The torch then got passed to the daughter of Rolf and Anne Marie Næs... Sonja Henie's cousin Marit. The talented young skater had claimed the Norwegian junior women's title the same year that her famous relative had retired from the sport and many believed that after the War, her time would come. Though much hyped by the Norwegian press, Marit Henie placed a disastrous twenty second in her only Olympic appearance in St. Moritz in 1948. Her only trip to the World Championships as a pairs skater with Erling Bjerkhoel in 1947 hadn't been any better. Out of their element, Henie and Bjerkhoel placed dead last, sixty placement points behind the winners.

In the over eighty years since Sonja Henie struck gold at the 1936 World Championships, a Norwegian woman has yet to win a gold medal in a major ISU Championship. Does that mean there won't be another great Norwegian champion in women's figure skating? Of course not! Many Europeans certainly didn't expect much when North Americans first burst on the international scene, nor did many North Americans when Asian skaters first started rising to prominence. No one can say where the next great skating champion will hail from... but the struggles of Norway to produce 'the next Sonja Henie' in the decade following her retirement certainly serve as a reminder that some acts can't be topped easily.

Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering a copy of the figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.

The Meteorology Of Skating

Brass weathervane depicting Andrée and Pierre Brunet at the Cambridge Skating Club clubhouse in Massachusetts. Designed by Elinor M. Goodridge. 

If you've ever talked to a skater who competed during the first half of the twentieth century, chances are you've heard the tales of competitions held in blizzards or the pouring rain; of 'hothouse' skaters who traced figures in bone-numbing minus zero temperatures. To those who haven't had the misfortune of competing under such conditions, these tales almost remind one of that parent or grandparent who "walked to school every day in a snowstorm... uphill both ways." In today's world of cushy indoor rinks, we tend to forget just how bad skaters of yesteryear sometimes had it... and how much of a factor the weather has played in the early development of figure skating as we know it. An interesting footnote in skating history that relates to this is how skating clubs in the nineteenth century took to studying meteorology.

Graham Hutchinson's "A Treatise On The Causes And Principles Of Meteorological Phenomena", published in 1835, noted that study of weather patterns and ice conditions for skating on the Clyde at Glasgow, Scotland were recorded as far back as Christmas of 1813. Eugene Beauharnais 'E.B.' Cook was perhaps best known for his prowess as a chess player, but he was also an avid skater, collector of historical skating literature and the New York Skating Club's first meteorologist. If he ascertained that there was 'good ice', a red ball would be placed atop a bell tower on Vista Rock signalling to skaters that it was safe to skate in Central Park. M.L. Gorby recalled, "'The Ball Is Up' was the cry all over Brooklyn whenever there was skating... As a youngster, I will remember the boys borrowing their father's or uncle's telescopes so that might go out in the middle of Vanderbilt Avenue from which, miles away, the big red 'ball' could be seen - if they were lucky."

A lengthy report by E.B. Cook published April 1, 1864 entitled (unoriginally) "Report of the Meteorologist of the New York Skating Club" noted his understanding of weather patterns to study and record frosts, ice conditions and trend. Through his research, he concluded, "Were all the scientific aids brought into requisition for our ponds, the number of skating days could be considerably extended." He suggested to the Club's President that "full hygrometric, barometric and other meteorological observations" be obtained from the New York observer of the Smithsonian Institute for study. He also suggested that a screen be purchased to shade the ice from the sun.

In London, England, a member of The Skating Club named P. Bicknell took a special interest in 'the meteorology of skating'. A fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society, Bicknell provided quarterly reports to the society's journal noting how many 'skating days' members of the club were able to enjoy each winter and analyzed the results. In 1886, Bicknell's research noted, "The only Club record of skating in November is two days (23rd and 24th) in 1858, but there was skating in Bushey Park on November 16th, 1879... On a pond (Captain Edwards') at Pinner there was almost continuous skating for three months, and at Rickmansworth for about seventy days; but at both places the ice was most carefully nursed - the snow kept swept, and skating was stopped in the middle of the day when desirable." That same year, a Mr. W.P. Warner of the Welsh Harp Fishery at Hendon noted that ice conditions only permitted two three day periods of 'good ice' for skating in January and February, but that in March skaters enjoyed 'good ice' until almost the end of the month!

Long before the days of weather apps, social media and the evening news, the research and advice being offered by these skating meteorologists sadly sometimes went ignored or unheeded. A prime example of this was the Regent's Park Skating Tragedy on January 15, 1867. Evidence from "The Gardeners' Chronicle" in 1841 - over twenty years before the tragedy - and reports published in the Royal Meteorological Society the year prior to the event prove that this skating hotspot was very much on the radar of weather researchers and that ice depths and temperatures were regularly monitored and researched. Had the skaters that day heeded warnings by meteorologists, many lives undoubtedly would have been spared.

If you stop and consider just how many people perished by skating on unsafe ice during the nineteenth century in particular, the importance of studying weather and ensuring ice thickness were absolutely paramount to keeping figure skaters and the sport/art itself alive.

Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering a copy of the figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.

The 1955 U.S. Figure Skating Championships

Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine

A Mickey Mouse lunchbox, Slinky and home perm all cost less than two dollars. "Sincerely" by The McGuire Sisters topped the music charts and pink typewriters and refrigerators were all the rage. Dwight Eisenhower was President and Marlon Brando was the hottest star in Hollywood.

The year was 1955 and from March 30 to April 2, America's best figure skaters gathered at the Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs for what was then the grand finale to their season: the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. It was the fourth time in less than a decade that the U.S. Nationals were held at the Broadmoor.

Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine

The weather was all over the place. There was a light snow, a wind storm and several days that were so summery that skaters put on their bathing suits and hopped in the outdoor pool! A who's who of figure skating was in attendance including Maribel Vinson Owen, Theresa Weld Blanchard, Norah (McCarthy) and Michael Kirby, Cecilia Colledge, Gene Turner, Hedy Stenuf, Jimmy Grogan and Pierre Brunet. Who were the big winners? Who were the 'losers'? Let's take a look back!

THE NOVICE AND JUNIOR EVENTS

Robert Brewer. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine.

Fourteen year old Carol Wanek of the Skating Club of New York's lead in the figures was enough to secure her the novice women's title. She was upstaged in the free skate by a twelve year old from Brooklyn named Lynn Finnegan, who moved all the way up from fifth to take the silver. Wanek lived in Ozone Park, New Jersey and was coached by Pierre Brunet. In her free time, she enjoyed ballet, horseback riding and speed skating. Seventeen year old Jim Short of Los Angeles, fifth in 1954, similarly used a lead in figures to his advantage in winning the novice men's crown.

Tommy Moore. Photo courtesy "Skating World" magazine.

It was a different story in the junior men's event, when Tommy Moore came from behind to defeat Robert Brewer, who had won the figures. Sixteen year old Moore had two first place ordinals to Brewer and Barlow Nelson's one apiece. Moore had been skating for eight years and excelled in track and field and football.

To the delight of Maribel Vinson Owen, her daughter 'little Maribel' and partner Chuck Foster were the clear winners in the junior pairs event. Maribel had won the same title with Thornton Coolidge twenty eight years prior. Nancy and Bruce Heiss, siblings of Carol, placed sixth. Thirteen year old Nancy made up for her finish in junior pairs by winning the junior women's title. The standings had been very close after the figures and when three of the top contenders faltered in free skating, she was able to earn a three judge majority over Los Angeles' Janice Marie Crappa.

After skating the European Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot and Paso Doble, the top Silver (Junior) Dancers were deemed to be Californians Barbara Jean 'Bobby' Stein and Raymond Sato. Years before Wen-an Sun claimed the novice women's crown in 1967, Sato was one of the first Asian American skaters to win a national title. He was thirty two years old, roller skated in his spare time and financed his skating with a job as a sales clerk at a supermarket. 

THE PAIRS AND ICE DANCE COMPETITIONS

Two time U.S. Champions Carole Ann Ormaca and Robin Greiner were fresh off a fourth place finish at the World Championships in Vienna. They easily defended their national title, besting Lucille Ash and Sully Kothman and Agnes Tyson and Richard Swenning. The judges were unanimous in their marks for first, second and third... a rarity at the national level!

Ed and Carmel Bodel with Barbara Jean Stein and Ray Sato. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine

In the quest for the Harry E. Radix Trophy, Gold dancers performed the Three-Lobe Waltz, Blues, Kilian and Viennese Waltz as well as a free dance. Married couple Carmel and Ed Bodel managed to win their third national title in a very close competition. They received two first place ordinals and three second's.

Third place Phyllis and Martin Forney tied with second place Joan Zamboni and Roland Junso in points, but the Forney's had two first place ordinals to Zamboni and Juno's one. The  fact that Zamboni and Junso had two second's and the Forney's three third's was what decided second and third.

THE WOMEN'S COMPETITION

Fresh off reclaiming her World title and defending her North American title, Tenley Albright of Boston was the clear favourite in the senior women's event, but as always faced stiff competition from Carol Heiss, the young upstart who was clearly 'waiting in the wings' to fill her shoes as the next U.S. Champion. Albright took a strong lead and figures and skated a strong enough free skate to earn a wild ovation and unanimous first place marks on her way to her fourth consecutive U.S. title. Her marks averaged at 9.7. Fifteen year old Heiss was again second but won the hearts of the crowd. Catherine 'Chado' Machado moved up past Patricia Firth to take the bronze. She won the Oscar L. Richard Trophy for the second consecutive year. The trophy was awarded for the most artistic performance by a woman at Nationals.

THE MEN'S COMPETITION 

As in the senior women's event, twenty two year old Hayes Alan Jenkins was considered a heavy favourite heading into the National Championships. A bout with bronchial pneumonia forced World Silver Medallist Ronnie Robertson to the sidelines, but he still had his brother David to contend with in Colorado Springs. Motivated by a challenge between him and Tenley Albright to see who could earn the higher point total, Hayes delivered a more jam-packed program than normal to "Rhapsody In Blue" to earn a spate of 9.8's and win the informal challenge, gold medal and Oscar L. Richard Trophy for most artistic men's performance. David Jenkins was unanimously second, but landed two double Axels, a triple loop, triple Salchow and a double Axel/flying sit spin... showing clearly that in 1955 technical content didn't trump the pecking order. Hugh Graham Jr. took the bronze, ahead of Tim Brown and Raymond Blommer.

Photos courtesy "Skating" magazine

The Broadmoor Skating Club and Los Angeles Figure Skating Club tied with sixty six points each, and thusly became the joint winners of the Bedell H. Harned Trophy. After the competition was over, Tenley Albright wowed the crowd with an exhibition as "Peter Pan", dressed in a gold spangled forest green jacket and gold cap. An awards presentation and supper dance at The Broadmoor Hotel capped off another successful Nationals.

Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering a copy of the figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.