Historical Results From The Swiss Figure Skating Championships

During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Davos, St. Moritz and other resort towns were without question the skating capitals of the world. Skaters flocked to Switzerland from all over the world. Celebrities mingled with elite skaters, Championships were won and lost and the rocker and counter became the universal language of the sport, uniting movers and shakers in the skating world who came from different cultures and spoke different languages.

Through extensive research in the archives of the Bibliothèque cantonale et universitaire and back issues of “Skating” and “Skating World” magazines, I've compiled a near-complete set of results from the Swiss Championships. Among the medallists are familiar names like Stéphane Lambiel and Denise Biellmann... and many others whose accomplishments have been long undernoticed. 

Two important notes... historically, for many years, the Swiss Championships were held in December or early January. In many cases, results are by season and not year. As you will notice, occasionally skaters from other countries (Germany, France, Sweden, etc.) have competed at this event. Non-Swiss winners are noted but non-Swiss medallists are not.

MEN

Year (Season)	Winner	2nd	3rd
1919	Alfred Mégroz	(not recorded)	(not recorded)
1921	Alfred Mégroz	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
1924	Alfred Mégroz	Charles H. Willi	H. Merker
1926	Georges Gautschi	(not recorded)	(not recorded)
1927	Georges Gautschi	Erwin Keller	T. Staubli
1931	Georges Gautschi	Heinz Cattani	Erwin Keller
1932	Heinz Cattani	Erwin Keller	T. Staubli
1933	Erwin Keller	Othmar Jordi	Heinz Cattani
1934	Erwin Keller	Lucian Büeler	Charles Rima
1935	Lucian Büeler	Ernest Fenner	Alexander Schlageter
1936	Lucian Büeler	Mr. Kunz	Mr. Sommerhalder
1937	Lucian Büeler	Ernest Fenner	Charles Rima
1938	Hans Gerschwiler	Martin Enderlin	Jacob Biedermann
1939	Hans Gerschwiler	Jacob Biedermann	Marcel Leimgruber
1940	Karl Enderlin	Marcel Leimgruber	Rolf Wieser
1941	Karl Enderlin	Rolf Wieser	Fred Stämpfli
1942	Karl Enderlin	Rolf Wieser	Fritz Durst
1943	Fritz Durst	Max Ersi	(no other competitors)
1944	Kurt Sönning	Rolf Wieser	Marcel Leimgruber
1945	Kurt Sönning	Rolf Wieser	Marcel Leimgruber
1946	Hans Gerschwiler	Fritz Durst	Kurt Sönning
1947	Hans Gerschwiler	François Pache	(no other competitors)
1948	Kurt Sönning	François Pache	Gérald Desbaillet
1949	Kurt Sönning	François Pache	Gérald Desbaillet
1950	Kurt Sönning	François Pache	Gérald Desbaillet
1951	François Pache	Fritz Loosli	Roland Schenkel
1952	François Pache	Fritz Loosli	Gérald Desbaillet
1953	Hubert Köpfler	François Pache	André Calame
1954	François Pache	Hans Müller	Fritz Loosli
1955	Hans Müller	Kurt Pulver	Gérald Desbaillet
1956	François Pache	Hans Müller	Hubert Köpfler
1957	François Pache	Hubert Köpfler	(no other competitors)
1958	François Pache	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
1959	Hubert Köpfler	François Pache	Marcel Paris
1960	Hubert Köpfler	François Pache	Markus Germann
1961	Hubert Köpfler	François Pache	Markus Germann
1962	François Pache	Markus Germann	Hans-Jürg Studer
1963	Markus Germann	Hans-Jürg Studer	Peter Grütter
1964	Markus Germann	Hans-Jürg Studer	Peter Stoehr
1965	Hans-Jürg Studer	Peter Grütter	Peter Stoehr
1966	Hans-Jürg Studer	Daniel Höner	Peter Grütter
1967	Daniel Höner	Jean-Pierre Devenoges	Blaise Rossinelli
1968	Daniel Höner	Jean-Pierre Devenoges	Blaise Rossinelli
1969	Daniel Höner	Jean-Pierre Devenoges	Meinrad Roessli
1970	Daniel Höner	Gaston Schaeffer	Meinrad Roessli
1971	Daniel Höner	Bernard Bauer	Gaston Schaeffer
1972	Daniel Höner	Gaston Schaeffer	(no other competitors)
1973	Daniel Höner	Leonardo Lienhard	Stéphane Prince
1974	Stéphane Prince	Leonardo Lienhard	(no other competitors)
1976	Martin Sochor	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
1977	Richard Furrer	Daniel Fürer	Martin Sochor
1978	Daniel Fürer	Richard Furrer	(no other competitors)
1979	Oliver Höner	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
1980	Oliver Höner	Marco Scheibler	Roberto Cavallaro
1981	Richard Furrer	Eugenio Biaggini	Paul Sonderegger
1982	Oliver Höner	Richard Furrer	Eugenio Biaggini
1983	Richard Furrer	Didier Dieufils	Eugenio Biaggini
1984	Oliver Höner	Richard Furrer	Didier Dieufils
1985	Oliver Höner	Paul Sonderegger	Adrian Anliker
1986	Oliver Höner	Mark Bachofen	Paul Sonderegger
1987	Oliver Höner	Mark Bachofen	Paul Sonderegger
1988	Oliver Höner	Alexandro Lo Monte	Mark Bachofen
1989	Oliver Höner	Sandro Bosshard	Theo Portmann
1990	Oliver Höner	Paul Sonderegger	Daniel Galliker
1991	Oliver Höner	Paul Sonderegger	Patrick Meier
1992	Patrick Meier	Paul Sonderegger	Daniel Galliker
1993	Nicolas Binz	Paul Sonderegger	Patrick Meier
1994	Patrick Meier	Nicolas Binz	Paul Sonderegger
1995	Marius Negrea	Patrick Meier	Nicolas Binz
1996	Patrick Meier	Nicolas Binz	Pierre-Daniel Liaudat
1997	Patrick Meier	Andreas von Arb	Nicolas Binz
1998	Patrick Meier	Oscar Peter	Nicolas Binz
1999	Patrick Meier	Oscar Peter	(no other competitors)
2000	Patrick Meier	Oscar Peter	(no other competitors)
2001	Stéphane Lambiel	Patrick Meier	Oscar Peter
2002	Stéphane Lambiel	Jamal Othman	Oscar Peter
2003	Stéphane Lambiel	Raphaël Bohren	Oscar Peter
2004	Stéphane Lambiel	Patrick Meier	Jamal Othman
2005	Stéphane Lambiel	Jamal Othman	Moris Pfeifhofer
2006	Stéphane Lambiel	Jamal Othman	Raphaël Bohren
2007	Stéphane Lambiel	Jamal Othman	Moris Pfeifhofer
2008	Stéphane Lambiel	Moris Pfeifhofer	Jamal Othman
2009	Jamal Othman	Tomi Pulkkinen	Mikael Redin
2010	Stéphane Lambiel	Jamal Othman	Mikael Redin
2011	Mikael Redin	Laurent Alvarez	Stéphane Walker
2012	Laurent Alvarez	Stéphane Walker	Mikael Redin
2013	Stéphane Walker	Nicolas Dubois	Mikael Redin
2014	Stéphane Walker	Mikael Redin	Nicola Todeschini
2015	Nicola Todeschini	Vincent Cuérel	Nicolas Dubois
2016	Stéphane Walker	Nicola Todeschini	Lukas Britschgi
2017	Stéphane Walker	Lukas Britschgi	Nurullah Sahaka
2018	Stéphane Walker	Nicola Todeschini	Lukas Britschgi
2019	Lukas Britschgi	Nurullah Sahaka	Tomas Llorenc
2020	Lukas Britschgi	Nurullah Sahaka	Nicola Todeschini
2022	Lukas Britschgi	Egor Murashov	Nurullah Sahaka

WOMEN

Year (Season)	Winner	2nd	3rd
1921*	Mlle. Reidel	Mlle. D'Alvares	Ethel Muckelt
1924**	Beatrix Loughran	Anita de St. Quentin	(no other competitors)
1931	Edith Gautschi	Edwige Rogger	Mlle. Kuhn
1932	Edith Gautschi	Edwige Rogger	Mlle. Saratz
1933	Guldborg Sjuresen	Mlle. Saratz	Mlle. Verly
1934	Guldborg Sjuresen	Angela Anderes	Edwige Rogger
1935	Angela Anderes	T. Bon	(no other competitors)
1936	Angela Anderes	Hertha Frey-Drexler	Edwige Rogger
1937	Angela Anderes	Hertha Frey-Drexler	Inge Manger
1938	Inge Manger	Angela Anderes	Gertrude Flury
1939	Angela Anderes	Ilse Schottlander	Gertrude Flury
1940	Angela Anderes	Ursula Arnold	Ilse Schottlander
1941	Ilse Schottlander	Ursula Arnold	(not recorded)
1942	Ursula Arnold	Anna Oetiker	Maja Hüg
1943	Doris Blanc	Ursula Arnold	Maja Hüg
1944	Ursula Arnold	Maja Hüg	Trudy Hufschmied
1945	Ursula Arnold	Maja Hüg	Trudy Hufschmied
1946	Maja Hüg	Ursula Arnold	Doris Blanc
1947	Maja Hüg	Lotty Höner	(no other competitors)
1948	Maja Hüg	Regula Arnold	Ghislaine Köpf
1949	Maja Hüg	Ghislaine Köpf	Regula Arnold
1950	Maja Hüg	Regula Arnold	Ghislaine Köpf
1951	Yolande Jobin	Susy Wirz	Ghislaine Köpf
1952	Susy Wirz	Yolande Jobin	Doris Zerbe
1953	Doris Zerbe	Yolande Jobin	Alice Fischer
1954	Georgette Fischer	Alice Fischer	Elvira Schürr
1955	Georgette Fischer	Alice Fischer	Carine Borner
1956	Alice Fischer	Carine Borner	Elvira Schürr
1957	Alice Fischer	Rita Müller	Carine Borner
1958	Rita Müller	Fränzi Schmidt	Edith Fuchs
1959	Liliane Crosa	Fränzi Schmidt	Edith Fuchs
1960	Liliane Crosa	Fränzi Schmidt	Ann-Margreth Frei
1961	Fränzi Schmidt	Dorette Bek	Ann-Margreth Frei
1962	Fränzi Schmidt	Dorette Bek	Gaby Kleiner
1963	Dorette Bek	Fränzi Schmidt	Monika Zingg
1964	Fränzi Schmidt	Monika Zingg	Christiane Boillod
1965	Pia Zürcher	Cécile Rusch	Charlotte Walter
1966	Pia Zürcher	Charlotte Walter	Cécile Rusch
1967	Pia Zürcher	Charlotte Walter	Monika Torriani
1968	Charlotte Walter	Ingrid Seiterle	Evi Maeder
1969	Charlotte Walter	Karin Iten	Eva Charles
1970	Charlotte Walter	Anne-Claire Riedi	Marlyse Eicher
1971	Charlotte Walter	Karin Iten	Donna Walter
1972	Charlotte Walter	Donna Walter	Karin Iten
1973	Karin Iten	Donna Walter	Danielle Dubuis
1974	Karin Iten	Cathy Brunner	Evelyne Reusser
1975	Karin Iten	Evi Koepfli	Michelle Haider
1976	Danielle Rieder	Evi Koepfli	Michelle Haider
1977	Danielle Rieder	Denise Biellmann	Anita Siegfried
1978	Danielle Rieder	Denise Biellmann	Anita Siegfried
1979	Denise Biellmann	Corinne Wyrsch	Anita Siegfried
1980	Denise Biellmann	Danielle Rieder	Myriam Oberwiler
1981	Denise Biellmann	Corinne Wyrsch	Anita Siegfried
1982	Myriam Oberwiler	Sandra Cariboni	Manuela Tschupp
1983	Sandra Cariboni	Myriam Oberwiler	Mirella Grazia
1984	Myriam Oberwiler	Sandra Cariboni	Manuela Tschupp
1985	Claudia Villiger	Sandra Cariboni	Stéfanie Schmid
1986	Claudia Villiger	Manuela Tschupp	Sophie Estermann
1987	Claudia Villiger	Stéfanie Schmid	Kathrin Schröter
1988	Stéfanie Schmid	Petra Wonmoos	Kathrin Schröter
1989	Stéfanie Schmid	Michèle Claret	Laurence Janner
1990	Michèle Claret	Mirjam Wehrli	Stéfanie Schmid
1991	Sabrina Tschudi	Nathalie Krieg	Stéfanie Schmid
1992	Nicole Skoda	Nathalie Krieg	Sabrina Tschudi
1993	Nathalie Krieg	Nicole Skoda	Janine Bur
1994	Nathalie Krieg	Janine Bur	Nicole Skoda
1995	Janine Bur	Nathalie Krieg	Lucinda Ruh
1996	Lucinda Ruh	Janine Bur	Anina Fivian
1997	Anina Fivian	Lucinda Ruh	Roberta Piazzini
1998	Anina Fivian	Lucinda Ruh	Christel Borghi
1999	Christel Borghi	Sarah Meier	Anina Fivian
2000	Sarah Meier	Kimena Brog-Meier	Nicole Skoda
2001	Sarah Meier	Kimena Brog-Meier	Simone Walthard
2002	Kimena Brog-Meier	Viviane Käser	Roberta Piazzini
2003	Sarah Meier	Kimena Brog-Meier	Corinne Djoungong
2004	Cindy Carquillat***	Lucie Ann Blazek***	Kristin Wieczorek***
2005	Sarah Meier	Kimena Brog-Meier	Cindy Carquillat
2006	Sarah Meier	Bettina Heim	Cindy Carquillat
2007	Sarah Meier	Bettina Heim	Myriam Leuenberger
2008	Sarah Meier	Viviane Käser	Noémie Silberer
2009	Nicole Graf	Romy Bühler	Noémie Silberer
2010	Sarah Meier	Bettina Heim	Romy Bühler
2011	Bettina Heim	Romy Bühler	Myriam Leuenberger
2012	Romy Bühler	Myriam Leuenberger	Nicole Graf
2013	Tina Stürzinger	Anna Ovcharova	Nicole Graf
2014	Anna Ovcharova	Tanja Odermatt	Tina Stürzinger
2015	Eveline Brunner	Anna Ovcharova	Tanja Odermatt
2016	Tanja Odermatt	Shaline Rüegger	Yasmine Kimiko Yamada
2017	Yasmine Kimiko Yamada	Yoonmi Lehmann	Jérômie Repond
2018	Alexia Paganini	Yoonmi Lehmann	Yasmine Kimiko Yamada
2019	Alexei Paganini	Yasmine Kimiko Yamada	Yoonmi Lehmann
2020	Alexia Paganini	Noémie Bodenstein	Yasmine Yamada
2022	Alexia Paganini	Yasmine Kimiko Yamada	Livia Kaiser

*A women's event was held in conjunction with the 1921 Swiss Championships in St. Moritz. The top two women hailed from Switzerland and the third place finisher was British Champion Ethel Muckelt.

**An international women's event was held in conjunction with the 1923 Swiss Championships in St. Moritz. The winner, by forty-five points, was America's Beatrix Loughran.

***Cindy Carquillat defeated fourteen other skaters to win the women's event but was not awarded the title because she failed to skate to the standard of marks.

PAIRS

Year (Season)	Winner	2nd	3rd
1921*	Madeleine and Kenneth Macdonald Beaumont*	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
1924	Madeleine and Kenneth Macdonald Beaumont	Mme. And Dr. Gaetzchmann	(no other competitors)
1933	Mlle. Streuli and Erwin Keller	Mlle. Hauser and Mr. Persitz	Herta Schilling and Charles Rima
1934	Mlle. Hauser and Erwin Keller	Mlle. Klaesi and Mr. Steiger	(no other competitors)
1935	Mlle. Klaesi and Mr. Steiger	Herta Schilling and Charles Rima	Pierrette and Paul Du Bois
1936	Pierrette and Paul Du Bois	Herta Schilling and Charles Rima	Mlle. Hauser and Erwin Keller
1937	Pierrette and Paul Du Bois	Herta Schilling and Paul Beyeler	(no other competitors)
1938	Pierrette and Paul Du Bois	Herta Schilling and Paul Beyeler	Mlle. Kaiser and Lucian Büeler
1939	Pierrette and Paul Du Bois	Mlle. Kaiser and Lucian Büeler	Mlle. Nikkamer and Jacob Biedermann
1940	Pierrette and Paul Du Bois	Mlle. Kaiser and Mr. Gruber	Mlle. Jordan and Marcel Leimgruber
1941	Pierrette and Paul Du Bois	(not recorded)	(not recorded)
1942	Pierrete and Paul Du Bois	Mme. Pancaldi and Mr. Gabriel	Mlle. Jordan and Marcel Leimgruber
1943	Pierrette and Paul Du Bois	Mme. Pansaldi and Mr. Gabriel	Luny Unuld and Hans Kuster
1944	Pierrette and Paul Du Bois	Luny Unuld and Hans Kuster	(no other competitors)
1945	Pierrette and Paul Du Bois	Luny Unuld and Hans Kuster	(no other competitors)
1946	Luny Unuld and Hans Kuster	L. and Kurth Schneider	(no other competitors)
1947	Luny Unuld and Hans Kuster	Eliane Steinemann and André Calame	Albertine 'Alba' Rovida and Nigel Brown
1948	Eliane Steinemann and André Calame	Albertine 'Alba' Rovida and Nigel Brown	Silvia and Michel Grandjean
1949	Eliane Steinemann and André Calame	Ghislaine Köpf and François Pache	Albertine 'Alba' Rovida and Nigel Brown
1950	Eliane Steinemann and André Calame	Albertine 'Alba' Rovida and Nigel Brown	Silvia and Michel Grandjean
1951	Eliane Steinemann and André Calame	Silvia and Michel Grandjean	Albertine 'Alba' Rovida and Nigel Brown
1952	Silvia and Michel Grandjean	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
1953	Silvia and Michel Grandjean	Susy Holstein and Willy Wahl	Albertine 'Alba' (Rovida) and Nigel Brown
1954	Silvia and Michel Grandjean	Susy Holstein and Willy Wahl	Albertine 'Alba' (Rovida) and Nigel Brown
1955	Susy Holstein and Willy Wahl	Maya Hool and Fritz Loosli	(no other competitors)
1956	Susy Holstein and Willy Wahl	Maya Hool and Fritz Loosli	(no other competitors)
1957	Gerda and Rüdi Johner	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
1958	Gerda and Rüdi Johner	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
1959	Gerda and Rüdi Johner	R. Eberli and E. Jost	(no other competitors)
1960	Gerda and Rüdi Johner	Erika and Markus Germann	(no other competitors)
1961	Gerda and Rüdi Johner	Erika and Markus Germann	Ruth Frey and Gino Arnosti
1962	Gerda and Rüdi Johner	Jacqueline Steiner and Jean-Pierre Külling	Erika and Markus Germann
1963	Gerda and Rüdi Johner	Monique Mathys and Yves Aellig	(no other competitors)
1964	Gerda and Rüdi Johner	Monique Mathys and Yves Aellig	(no other competitors)
1965	Gerda and Rüdi Johner	Monique Mathys and Yves Aellig	Mona and Peter Szabo
1966	Monique Mathys and Yves Aellig	Mona and Peter Szabo	(no other competitors)
1967	Mona and Peter Szabo	Monique Mathys and Yves Aellig	Edith Sperl and Heinz Wirz
1968	Mona and Peter Szabo	Karin and Christian Künzle	(no other competitors)
1969	Edith Sperl and Heinz Wirz	Karin and Christian Künzle	Barbara Junker and Rolf Mueller
1970	Karin and Christian Künzle	Barbara Junker and Rolf Mueller	(no other competitors)
1971	Karin and Christian Künzle	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
1972	Karin and Christian Künzle	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
1973	Karin and Christian Künzle	Andrea and Roland Meier	(no other competitors)
1974	Karin and Christian Künzle	Andrea and Roland Meier	(no other competitors)
1975	Karin and Christian Künzle	Sibylle and Peter Dekumbis	(no other competitors)
1976	Karin and Christian Künzle	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
1977	Chantal Zürcher and Paul Huber	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
1978	Gaby and Jörg Galambos	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
1979	Christine Eicher and Paul Huber	Gaby and Jörg Kienzle	(no other competitors)
1980	Danielle Rieder and Paul Huber	Gaby and Jörg Galambos	(no other competitors)
1981	Gaby and Jörg Galambos	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
1982	Gaby and Jörg Galambos	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
1984	Gaby and Jörg Galambos	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
1988	Saskia and Guy Bourgeois	Leslie and Cédric Monod	(no other competitors)
1989	Saskia and Guy Bourgeois	Leslie and Cédric Monod	(no other competitors)
1990	Saskia and Guy Bourgeois	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
1991	Saskia and Guy Bourgeois	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
1992	Leslie and Cédric Monod	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
1993	Leslie and Cédric Monod	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
1994	Leslie and Cédric Monod	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
2008	Anaïs Morand and Antoine Dorsaz	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
2009	Anaïs Morand and Antoine Dorsaz	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
2010	Anaïs Morand and Antoine Dorsaz	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
2011	Anaïs Morand and Timothy Leemann	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
2012	Anaïs Morand and Timothy Leemann	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
2014	Méline Habechian and Noah Scherer	Alexandra Herbríková and Nicolas Roulet	(no other competitors)
2015	Alexandra Herbríková and Nicolas Roulet	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
2016	Alexandra Herbríková and Nicolas Roulet	Ioulia Chtchetinina and Noah Scherer	(no other competitors)
2017	Ioulia Chtchetinina and Noah Scherer	Alexandra Herbríková and Nicolas Roulet	(no other competitors)
2018	Ioulia Chtchetinina and Mikhail Akulov	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
2019	Alexandra Herbríková and Nicolas Roulet	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
2020	Alexandra Herbríková and Nicolas Roulet	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
2022	Jessica Pfund and Joshua Santillan	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)

*A pairs event was held in conjunction with the 1921 and 1924 Swiss Championships in St. Moritz. The winners on both occasions were the British couple of Madeleine and Kenneth Macdonald Beaumont.

ICE DANCE

Year (Season)	Winner	2nd	3rd
1956	(not recorded)	(not recorded)	(not recorded)
1957	(not recorded)	(not recorded)	(not recorded)
1958	Danielle Jaton and Charly Pichard	Yolande Balmelli and Alain Herminjard	(no other competitors)
1959	Danielle Jaton and Charly Pichard	(not recorded)	(not recorded)
1960	Marlyse Fornachon and Charly Pichard	(not recorded)	(not recorded)
1961	Marlyse Fornachon and Charly Pichard	(not recorded)	(not recorded)
1962	Elsy Brunner and Fritz Meyer	Carmen Lardi and Hans-Jürg Studer	Susy Rosenthaler and Otto Heflinger
1963	Marlyse Fornachon and Charly Pichard	(not recorded)	(not recorded)
1964	Rosmarie Lerf and Roland Wehinger	(not recorded)	(not recorded)
1965	Elisabeth Schatz and Michel Lechaire	Micheline and Gilbert Guignard	Mary-Anne and Daniel Besse
1966	Rosmarie Lerf and Roland Wehinger	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
1967	Rosmarie Lerf and Roland Wehinger	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
1968	Margrit Roggwiller and Eugen Jost	Christiane Dällenbach and Léo Barblan	Silvia Bodmer and Beat Steib
1969	Christiane Dällenbach and Léo Barblan	Silvia Bodmer and Beat Steib	(no other competitors)
1970	Tatiana and Alessandro Grossen	Christiane Dällenbach and Léo Barblan	Silvia Bodmer and Beat Steib
1971	Tatiana and Alessandro Grossen	Silvia Bodmer and Beat Steib	Cathy Zbinden and Léo Barblan
1972	Silvia Bodmer and Beat Steib	Cathy Zbinden and Léo Barblan	Gerda Bühler and Mathis Baechi
1973	Gerda Bühler and Mathis Baechi	Silvia Bodmer and Beat Steib	Cathy Zbinden and Léo Barblan
1974	Gerda Bühler and Mathis Baechi	Cathy Zbinden and Léo Barblan	Nicole Blanc and Jean-Philippe Favre-Bulle
1975	Gerda Bühler and Maxime Erlanger	Nicole (Blanc) and Jean-Philippe Favre-Bulle	Cathy Zbinden and Lionel Focking
1976	Gerda Bühler and Maxime Erlanger	Sylvette Vaudois and Jean-Michel Pahud	(not recorded)
1977	Regula Lattmann and Hanspeter Müller	Marianne and Urs Zingg	Esther Giuglia and Attila Pauli
1978	Regula Lattmann and Hanspeter Müller	Claudia and Daniel Schmidlin	Esther Giuglia and Attila Pauli
1979	Regula Lattmann and Hanspeter Müller	(not recorded)	(not recorded)
1980	Regula Lattmann and Hanspeter Müller	Esther Giuglia and Roland Mäder	Beatrice Herzig and Attila Pauli
1981	Regula Lattmann and Hanspeter Müller	Esther Guiglia and Roland Mäder	Graziella and Marco Ferpozzi
1982	Graziella and Marco Ferpozzi	Esther Guiglia and Roland Mäder	Salome Brunner and Markus Merz
1983	Graziella and Marco Ferpozzi	Claudia and Daniel Schmidlin	Salome Brunner and Markus Merz
1984	Graziella and Marco Ferpozzi	Salome Brunner and Markus Merz	Claudia and Daniel Schmidlin
1985	Gaby Schuppli and Markus Merz	Beatrice Herzig and Roland Mäder	Dietlind Gerloff and Claude Hamori
1986	Claudia and Daniel Schmidlin	Dietlind Gerloff and Claude Hamori	(no other competitors)
1987	Désirée Schlegel and Patrick Brecht	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
1988	Désirée Schlegel and Patrick Brecht	Danielle Märk and Markus Merz	Dietlind Gerloff and Claude Hamori
1989	Diane Gerencser and Bernard Columberg	Désirée Schlegel and Patrick Brecht	Danielle Märk and Markus Merz
1990	Diane Gerencser and Bernard Columberg	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
1991	Diane Gerencser and Bernard Columberg	Yvette Rauber and Patrick Brecht	(no other competitors)
1992	Valérie Le Tensorer and Jörg Kienzle	Zuzana and Markus Merz	Yvette Rauber and Patrick Brecht
1993	Diane Gerencser and Alexander Stanislavov	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
1994	Diane Gerencser and Alexander Stanislavov	Anne-Catherine and Roger Conscience	(no other competitors)
1995	Diane Gerencser and Alexander Stanislavov	Irma Siradovic and Alexej Pospelov	Laurie-Agnes and Fabrice Pécoud
1996	Cornelia Diener and Alexej Pospelov	Laurie-Agnes and Fabrice Pécoud	Andrea Wyss and Marc Schneider
1997	Andrea Wyss and Marc Schneider*	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
1998	Eliane and Daniel Hugentobler	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
1999	Eliane and Daniel Hugentobler	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
2000	Eliane and Daniel Hugentobler	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
2001	Eliane and Daniel Hugentobler	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
2002	Eliane and Daniel Hugentobler	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
2005	Daniela and Fabian Keller	Christel Savioz and Jean-Philippe Mathieu	Leonie Krail and Oscar Peter
2006	Leonie Krail and Oscar Peter	Christel Savioz and Jean-Philippe Mathieu	(no other competitors)
2007	Nora von Bergen and David DeFazio	Christel Savioz and Jean-Philippe Mathieu	Leonie Krail and Oscar Peter
2008	Leonie Krail and Oscar Peter	Christel Savioz and Jean-Philippe Mathieu	(no other competitors)
2009	Leonie Krail and Oscar Peter	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
2010	Ramona Elsener and Florian Roost	Leonie Krail and Oscar Peter	(no other competitors)
2011	Ramona Elsener and Florian Roost	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
2012	Ramona Elsener and Florian Roost	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
2013	Ramona Elsener and Florian Roost	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
2014	Ramona Elsener and Florian Roost	Katarina Paice and Andrea Morrone	(no other competitors)
2015	Sandrine-Tebea Hofstetter and Jérémie Flemin	Katarina Paice and Yuri Yeremenko	(no other competitors)
2016	Katarina Paice and Yuri Yeremenko	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
2017	Victoria Manni and Carlo Röthlisberger	Bailey Melton and Darian Weiss	(no other competitors)
2018	Victoria Manni and Carlo Röthlisberger	(no other competitors)	(no other competitors)
2019	Victoria Manni and Carlo Röthlisberger	Arianna Wróblewska and Stéphane Walker	(no other competitors)
2020	Victoria Manni and Carlo Röthlisberger	Arianna Wróblewska and Stéphane Walker	(no other competitors)
2022	Jasmine Tessari and Stéphane Walker	Fiona Pernas and German Shamraey	Arianna Sassi and Luca Morini

*Though they were the only competitors, Andrea Wyss of Frenkendorf and Marc Schneider of Reinach were not awarded the ice dance title because they failed to skate to the standard of a mark of at least 4.4 from each judge.

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 Treasure Trove Of Results

If you're a skating history nerd like me, which I'm guessing may be the case if you're a long-time reader of Skate Guard, you're going to love what's coming in July.

Instead of the usual two blog a week format, I'll be mixing things up by releasing over a dozen blogs at once next week. They all have the same theme - results! Over the last couple of years during the pandemic, I have been toiling away in old records and archives to compile comprehensive historical competition results that haven't been previously made available online. 

Here's the line-up:

Pre-World War II World Championships (all categories from each event)

Pre-World War II European Championships (all categories from each event)

Precursors to the U.S. Championships (Championships Of America)

Canadian Divisional and Sectional Championships

U.S. Regional and Sectional Championships

Novice and Junior winners at the U.S. Championships

North American Championships

British Championships

Australian Championships

New Zealand Championships

South African Championships

Finnish Championships

Norwegian Championships

Swiss Championships

Polish Championships

All of these records will be linked from Skate Guard's Results page.

Skate Guard will be back with its usual two blog a week format in August... and I can't wait to share more fascinating stories from skating history with 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.

One Of A Kind: The Osborne Colson Story

Photo courtesy "Canadian Skater" magazine

"If you want to win at this game, kiddo, you've got to be tough as nails." - Osborne Colson

The son of Dorothy Delano-Osborne and Harry Arthur Colson, Harry Osborne 'Ossie' Colson was born March 31, 1916 in Toronto, Ontario. He had three siblings - an older sister named Margaret and a younger sister and brother named Joan and James. His parents were both born in England, though his mother grew up in Iowa. His grandfather, who was a big deal in the cigar trade, was born in South Africa. His great-grandmother was born in Germany. The Colson family were devotees of the Church of England and had homes on Saint Clements Avenue and Heath Street. "My family wasn't rich," recalled Osborne, "but they weren't poor either." Despite the fact the Colson's weren't rolling in dough, they were a family of very high social standing. When the Queen Mother visited Canada, she would have supper at one of his relative's homes.

Photo courtesy City of Toronto Archives

Osborne was introduced to figure skating by his famous cousins, the Smith sisters - Cecil and Maude - who ruled the roost at the Toronto Skating Club's rink on Dupont Street during the roaring twenties. After becoming a member, he began taking lessons with Gustave Lussi. In 1927, he had the honour of joining a group of the Club's members in one of the first ice carnivals at Madison Square Garden in New York. That same year, he drew inspiration from one of future Olympic Gold Medallist Karl Schäfer's first North American performances at Madison Square Garden. Schäfer skated a solo replete with a host of dazzling double jumps; twelve year old Osborne was a humble sailor boy whose big trick was tossing his cap into the audience.

Photo courtesy Cheryl Richardson

In the years that followed, Osborne quickly rose through the ranks of Canadian figure skating. After finishing second in the junior men's event at the Canadian Championships two years in a row, the dapper, five foot seven, brown-haired and green-grey eyed skater won the title in 1933. Two years later, he finished second to Bud Wilson in the senior men's class and represented Canada at his first of two North American Championships.

Photo courtesy Cheryl Richardson

In 1936 and 1937, when Bud Wilson didn't compete, Osborne reigned as Canadian Champion in men's singles. During this period, he also placed in the top three at the Canadian Championships in junior and senior pairs, fours and the Tenstep. He was lucky to have even competed in most of these events. His father, a banker, had set him up with a job at the Dominion Bank. He was youngest teller in the bank's history and was making thirty-two dollars a week - no paltry sum during The Great Depression. He convinced the bank's managers to allow him to take time off to participate in competitions. His father didn't approve whatsoever and discouraged his skating.

Photo courtesy Cheryl Richardson

In 1937, Osborne left behind the bank and followed the money down to the States as a member of Shipstads and Johnson's Ice Follies tour. He toured with the production for seven years as a featured soloist. He also skated a pair with former Canadian and North American Champion Frances Claudet Johnson.

Frances Claudet Johnson and Osborne Colson in the Ice Follies. Bottom photo courtesy Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec.

Over the years, Osborne played a prince, court jester, jack-in-the-box, Russian dancer, gypsy and a bow-and-arrow toting hunter. Newspaper columnists from Long Island to Los Angeles praised his uncanny ability to interpret music. In 1939, he appeared in the MGM film "The Ice Follies of 1939", which starred Joan Crawford and Jimmy Stewart. He even lived in Hollywood for a short time, where he met stars like Judy Garland, Ronald Reagan, Mickey Rooney and Boris Karloff.

Photo courtesy Cheryl Richardson

Osborne began coaching in 1946, just after World War II ended. Two years later, he attended his first major international competitions as a coach - the 1948 Winter Olympic Games and World Championships in Switzerland. His student, a beautiful artiste named Marilyn Ruth Take, finished twelfth in both events. The winner on both occasions was Canada's Sweetheart - Barbara Ann Scott. The two forged a very close bond and not long after, Osborne penned the introduction to her bestselling biography "She Skated Into Our Hearts" and choreographed her cross-Canada Skating Sensations of 1950 tour. Decades later, Barbara Ann and Frances Claudet Johnson would both make trips up from the States to Toronto to visit him. Doug Haw recalled, "Osborne and Barbara Ann became lifelong friends. She completely loved Osborne and was really, really good to him. I'd see her come in the Cricket Club and she'd want to greet Osborne first. They'd kiss on each cheek and it was like the Queen Mother had arrived when she came to the Club."

Barbara Ann Scott and Osborne Colson

Over the years, Osborne taught at the Granite Club, Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club, Toronto's Leaside, East York Memorial and Varsity Arenas, as well as the University and Silver Blades Skating Clubs. He also taught at the Cleveland Skating Club and at the Chevy Chase Ice Palace, which was home to the Washington (D.C.) Figure Skating Club. In the late sixties and early seventies, he served as President, Vice-President and Bursary Fund Trustee of the Professional Skating Association Of Canada.

If you wanted to hear fabulous stories about figure skating's golden age, no one could spin a yarn better than Osborne. When school figures were removed from ISU Championships in 1990, he reminisced in "Today's Skater" magazine, "More often than not, the World Championships were held outside... It was a tremendous advantage if you were your country's best. Then, all your countrymen would form a circle around you, like a putting green in golf, while you were skating and hold their coats open to block off the wind. But if you were an also-ran, everyone would leave for the hotel to have a grog while you were skating." 

Osborne Colson with students at the Banff School Of Fine Arts. Top photo courtesy The Banff Center Paul D. Fleck Library and Archives. Bottom photo courtesy Diana Flynn.

In 1947, Osborne founded the Summer Ice Club in Toronto. He went on to operate a similar school in Bracebridge, Barrie and Simcoe. However none of Osborne's summer schools would be as revolutionary as the one he started at the Banff School Of Fine Arts in Alberta.

Osborne Colson, Gordon Crossland and Sonja Davis. Photo courtesy Sarah Kawahara.

When the school was founded in 1961, most skating schools in Canada only offered patch, dance and freestyle sessions. The Banff school added stroking, edge and turn and off-ice dance classes as well as lessons in painting, sculpture and acting. It was perhaps the first school in Canada to give serious thought and effort to skating's artistic possibilities. It was also the first school to really open the door to the concept of team or collaborative coaching. Previously, skaters had mostly just worked one-on-one with one pro exclusively, unless of course they were going down to Lake Placid or something. The Banff school played host to the CFSA's first national training seminar and a host of well-respected coaches including Gustave Lussi, Donald Jackson, Paul Thomas, Sonja Davis, Peter Firstbrook and Gordon Crossland. The skaters all received report cards. A number of talented skaters trained there, including Lynn Nightingale, Ron Shaver, Louise (Lind) and Barry Soper, Karen Magnussen, Marie Petrie McGillvray, Frank Nowosad and Paul Bonenfant.

Photo courtesy Cheryl Richardson

Over the years, Osborne worked with a who's who of figure skating. Some of his students, like Patrick Chan, Karen Preston and Gordon Forbes, went on to become elite international competitors. Others, like Don Laws, Donald Tobin and Danny Ryan, made their mark as coaches. Pierrette Paquin Devine became Canada's first female judge at the World Championships. Sarah Kawahara and David Wilson made their marks as two of the most brilliant choreographers the sport has ever seen. He mentored great champions like Donald Jackson and Tracy Wilson and Rob McCall and often worked a case-by-case basis with elite skaters as a sort of 'finishing school', rather an as a primary coach. He injected style into the programs of skaters who struggled with presentation and amplified the choreography of those who were already well-packaged. "I remember when I was coaching Angela Derochie," recalled Doug Haw. "She wasn't the most artistically inclined skater. Ossie would go 'Oh darling Angela, you've got to soften these arms.' He'd touch her face and be like, 'Let's change this look, darling. Let's relax those eyebrows, darling and bring those cheekbones out... I want you to to feel more like a lady. These are chandeliers hanging, darling and you're wearing evening gloves. Now go skate.' Everything was darling and honey and she would feel all girly and feminine when he worked with her."

Osborne was particularly proud of his work with Patrick Chan. When he was teaching Patrick Chan his double jumps, he would always insist that he learn how to do the jumps from footwork. One day, it would be a double flip out out a counter and mohawk; another day a Split jump into a double Lutz. This played a huge role in Patrick's mastery of edges from an early age. Doug Haw remembered, "I can remember the day landed Patrick landed his double Axel and Osborne played it right down and said, 'It's only the beginning. You've got to do triples tomorrow.' He was like, 'Don't rest on your laurels, you've got triples to do.' Once he got the double Axel, the triples came really fast. He may have even landed a triple Salchow before the double Axel but the Axel took a long time and it was a big deal when it happened...Patrick and Don Laws actually met at Osborne's funeral. That's how Patrick ended up going to Don."

Osborne Colson and Donald Jackson working with a young skater

It was Osborne who convinced Mrs. Ellen Burka to start taking her daughter Petra's skating more seriously. Mrs. Burka, a single mother, had to prioritize teaching other students and earning money over giving her her daughter lessons. His advice proved sage when Petra won the World title in 1965, but the relationship between the two iconic Canadian coaches was at times rocky. They cared deeply about each other but also knew how to push each other's buttons. Mrs. Burka's student Toller Cranston once quipped to her, "Did Osborne dip his tongue in acid this morning?" Most of the time, their barbs at one another had the endearing cattiness of C.C. Babcock and Niles the butler on "The Nanny". Sandra Bezic recalled, "I remember he and Mrs. Burka hooting and hollering together at the Cricket Club. They always seemed to have a private joke going." Doug Haw remembered, "All of a sudden Osborne would start stretching at the ballet barre at the Cricket Club... and this was like when he was seventy-five, eighty years old! Ellen never wore skates at the end and she was always teaching on the other side of the rink and she'd always be leaning against this table she had there. We called it Ellen's table and she had a chair later and she'd always have it turned around and just lean against the back of the chair. All of a sudden I'd hear 'Doug! Doug! Come here, Doug!' Ellen would call me and she'd go 'Look at Osborne. He's stretching his leg up at the barre! There must be a good looking man in the lounge!' Osborne would always start posing if he thought there was a chance there was some hot man there, you know. She'd go, 'I can't see! Is there a man in the lounge?' and I said yes and she'd go, 'Oh, Osborne must like him! He's doing his stretches! Pretty soon, we'll see him do the splits.' Sure enough, he'd try to do the splits and she'd go, 'I told you Doug, I told you!' They used to make me laugh and laugh and laugh."

Photo courtesy "Canadian Skater" magazine

Though he didn't really have any enemies because most people knew that when he got angry it passed quickly, Osborne would at times direct his 'acid tongue' at the skaters and parents at the Cricket Club. Doug Haw recalled him calling over a young skater "bombing around an outside eight" on a patch session to tell them, 'I taught your grandmother, I taught your mother and none of you could skate!' He would go into the Cricket Club lounge and all the mothers would be sitting there watching the skaters and he'd yell, 'What are you all doing here? Why don't you go out and get a job?' When they talked on the phone in the lounge, he'd pull it out of the wall and tell them to 'stop yakking on the phone and watch your kids skate.'"

Photo courtesy Sarah Kawahara

A snappy dresser, Osborne was always known for his famous collection of hats and scarves. He dressed in plaid so often that when the ARC Skating Academy opened its plaid-decorated lounge in 1997, it was named after him. "He was always well-dressed and he always had colour," recalled Doug Haw. "One day he came in and he had this yellow turtleneck and wild vest on. I told him he looked like Mr. Roper from 'Three's Company' and he started to laugh but went home, put another outfit on and never wore that vest again." One of the wildest get-up's he sported was the costume Frances Dafoe designed for him for Toller Cranston's famous television special "Strawberry Ice".

Like Toller Cranston, Osborne was a connoisseur of the arts. He often attended ballets, book readings, plays, operas and art openings. His exposure to different art forms widened the scope of his choreography. Doug Haw remembered, "Back in the day, in the carnivals Osborne's numbers really stood out. Those kids got phenomenal numbers. Other coaches would have stuff drawn out on paper and Osborne would wing it every practice and it would turn out to be a complete masterpiece. He really was a wizard at choreography... I remember him yelling, 'Why don't you go to New York for the weekend? You've got a few bucks, Haw. Get to New York and take in a few Broadway shows and ballets because you've got to learn more than just skating.' I was always fortunate enough to be a busy skating coach but he would think my brain wouldn't develop if I didn't look at other mediums. I took his advice and went to New York and the ballet because Osborne told me... He'd read 'The Globe and Mail' - he called it the Toronto paper - and would always say, 'You've got to know more than an outside edge. You've got to know what's going on the world.'"

Osborne Colson and Sarah Kawahara. Photo courtesy Sarah Kawahara.

Osborne was infamous for his absent-mindedness. Doug Haw recalled, "Sometimes Osborne would come into the Cricket Club with his male purse under his arm. He would put it in the cubby holes that were on the support beams that came down from the rafters. He'd come into the office and go, 'Doug! Doug! My purse has been stolen! Somebody has stolen my purse!' I'd go, 'Oh, Osborne just a second.' So I'd go outside and I'd start looking in the rafters and go, 'Oh, here it is!'... The coaches would go in the coaches room and everyone would just throw their car keys on the table or chair. Of course, the session ends and some coach is coming up to me going 'Oh my God, I can't find my keys' and I'd yell 'Osborne!' and there he'd be with four sets of keys in his purse."

Photo courtesy Skate Canada Archives

Osborne also had a really difficult time managing money. Doug Haw remembered, "He was such an artistic person that he had no concept of money or saving. He never did his bills properly so I would have to do his bills for his kids. I'd say, 'Well, you taught Patrick [Chan] for an hour and a half today.' He'd say, 'Well, no, just put down fifteen minutes.' He didn't want to overcharge Patrick because he didn't want him to leave him. Money was just not in his skill set."

Two other things Osborne was known for were his tendency to push the rules and the fact he hung up on everyone whenever he talked on the phone. Doug Haw recalled, "There used to be, of course, smoking back in the day. All of the coaches smoked at the rink and even the skaters - at the Cricket Club they had an orchestra playing the dances and all of the skaters would be smoking in between their dances. Eventually, the club went non-smoking. All of a sudden one night Osborne lights up a cigarette. I said, 'What are you doing? You can't smoke now.' He yelled, 'Well we used to smoke!' I said, 'Osborne, those rules have changed now.' He goes, 'What are they going to do, fire me?'" Doug took the cigarette "so I didn't have ten parents running into the skating office" and that was the end of that. He would dote on Doug's grandmother whenever she'd visit the Cricket Club. "Osborne would remember her birthday," he recalled. "He called me every birthday after she passed away and say, 'Now Doug, it's Os. I know you're having a tough day but just want you to know I'm thinking about you," and then he'd hang up. He was famous for never saying goodbye. You'd be talking to Osborne on the phone and all of a sudden he'd just hang up."

Photo courtesy Skate Canada Archives

Osborne was perhaps most famous for his driving, which wasn't exactly what you'd call speedy. Doug Haw remembered, "He would never buy a new car. He'd buy a used car. I'm driving one day and I said, 'Oh Osborne, I saw your new car. You need to adjust the seat.' He said, 'What are you talking about?' I said, 'Well, you look like Mr. Magoo when you're driving it.' You could only see his hands on the wheel and his cap. He didn't realize that you could adjust the seat to come up higher... Then we were at Divisionals in Woodbridge. Back then it was that new Underhill and Martini arena, basically built out in the middle of a cornfield. There was a snowstorm. I had been there later because I was coaching Marcus Christensen and was there for the senior men's practice. Osborne had, I think, like a novice lady or something and had been done for two hours or so. I walk in the rink and see Osborne and he's like, 'Oh Doug, you need to help me!' and he's like 'You've got to come to my car.' We get out there and his car was full of snow. He left the door open and I had to literally dig the car out... Also, there used to be a little specialty grocery store around the corner from the Cricket Club called Bruno's Food Market. Osborne, of course, would go to Bruno's and he couldn't parallel park so he'd stick the nose of his car into the parking spot and block one lane of traffic on Avenue Road. He'd go in, do whatever he had to do and sometimes, he'd set his things on top of the car. Well, one day he set his groceries on top of the car, got in the car and drove to the Cricket Club. I came out and said, 'Oh, Osborne, you were at Bruno's.' He said, 'I'm not telling you where I've been!' I said, 'Well, you don't have to because you left the Bruno's grocery bag on top of your car.'"

It's important to note that many of the biggest highlights of Osborne's career in the last two decades of his life, when he was in his seventies and eighties. In 1993, he joined forces with Joanne McLeod, Mrs. Ellen Burka and dancer Gaetan Gingras to choreograph the Ice Theatre of Toronto's first show. In 1995, he was inducted to the CFSA (Skate Canada) Hall of Fame. In 2005, he earned the Skate Canada Central Ontario Section Competitive Coach of the Year Award.

In 1999, Sandra Bezic talked him into performing in the "The Legendary Night Of Figure Skating" at Air Canada Centre. She recalled, "We had the idea to do a number reflecting the life of a skater with Chris Mabee as the young boy, Emanuel Sandhu as the skater in his prime, and Ossie representing someone who had lived a full life in skating. I started with the request to Ossie and he agreed wholeheartedly. But then he backed out at least twice! I certainly understood his nerves. I think his last decline was just a few days before the show and I do remember having many phone calls with him to try to convince him. But I was also feeling guilty for pushing. What if it wasn't a great experience for him? What if he fell and hurt himself? I didn't want to take advantage either. So I left it up to him. We were never certain the number would ever happen.  We didn't have a plan B for his position since he was irreplaceable. Without Ossie the concept was gone. But finally, he did show up for his performance, and he was magnificent!"

On July 14, 2006, when Osborne passed away at the age of ninety, he was having none of it. He had no interest in dying. He wanted his shoes so he could go to the rink. After his death, a who's who of Canadian skating tried to find the words to express their feelings about him. Sarah Kawahara said, "I studied with Mr. C. from six to fifty one years of age. He was my mentor and my friend. He introduced me to the idea that all the arts are related and that figure skating is also an art form. He molded my artistic vision. Never totally satisfied, he would be constantly changing my programs. My movements were in a continual state of evolution. He guided me through my amateur and professional career. Throughout his life I continued to share my personal life with him, as well as my professional career as a choreographer and director. We thought as one." At his memorial, Joyce Hisey read the following remarks by Ron Vincent: "There is no question that Osborne was eccentric. He would not have had it any other way. He may even have deliberately cultivated his eccentricities and sensitivities. He did not wish to be boring and he certainly didn't want to be around people who were. This sometimes led him into some rather bizarre theatricalities of which his colleagues were familiar. He could be quick to judgment [and] dismissive... He seemed to want to protect skating from being taken over by Philistines and in some ways he succeeded. He was vigilant in his protection of the art and if we think about it, I believe that may explain a lot. Osborne's esthetic, not surprisingly, derived from the era of his youth. It was a time when figure-skating was a little bit upper-crust and strangely perhaps, influenced by the glamour of Hollywood as it then was... I, personally, will remember that he was glamorous, that he was grand and that he was a star!"

Though he may not be with us anymore, Osborne will be long remembered, not only for his immense talent and important contributions to figure skating in Canada, but for his larger than life personality. Ask anyone - he was one of a kind.

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.