Figure Skaters, Fans, parents of skaters.....a book you all should read!

[LJC1861]

I just finished reading "Frozen in Time" by Nikki Nichols. It is a biography/account of the 1961 U.S. Figure Skating Team that was so tragically killed when the plane that they were travelling in to the World Championships that year crashed in Belgium. The entire United States team was on that plane, and so were the hopes of a nation to do well at the World Championships. Skaters, coaches and chaperones were aboard, as well as siblings of skaters some of whom were skaters themselves. It forced the United States to rise quickly out of this tragedy and start again. The groundwork of skating as we know it today was started with this team, and the legacy lives on. Frank Carroll, who coached Michelle Kwan for many many years was coached by Maribel Vinson Owen, one of the coaches killed in the crash. Michelle recently tied Maribel's record when she became U.S. champion for the 9th time last year. Coaches who are now household names...John Nicks and Carly Fassi came to the U.S. to coach after this tragedy.

The Memorial Fund, which gives training money to many elite U.S. skaters was started to remember the skaters lost in the crash. We still hold events to honor those skaters and celebrate the future of skating in this country.

I highly recommend this book to any skater, fan, or parent. It is eye opening in it's description of the events that led up to it and how we found a way to keep skating in the aftermath. It will give young skaters a real sense of the history of their sport in the U.S.

Linda

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

So sad--I watched a skating special on some channel and it spoke of this tragedy. I forget who the rising stars that came out from the tragedy. I'd say names--but I may be placing them in the wrong decade.

Thank you for the suggestion!

 

[JennyMominRI]

So sad--I watched a skating special on some channel and it spoke of this tragedy. I forget who the rising stars that came out from the tragedy. I'd say names--but I may be placing them in the wrong decade.

Thank you for the suggestion!

Peggy Flemming for one..They had no oneleft and she stepped in and became THE womens figure skater

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Peggy Flemming for one..They had no oneleft and she stepped in and became THE womens figure skater

That's it! Thanks.

 

[sfskgn]

I was a high school senior when this tragedy occured. I remeber seeing these skaters on tv just before they left for Belgium. I will be looking for that book.

 

[LJC1861]

Peggy Fleming was probably the best known skater to come up in the ranks after the tragedy. Her coach was killed in the crash and she began working with a basically unknown Italian man named Carlo Fassi. It was Fassi who transformed her into the beautiful skater that we know today. Other coaches like Ron Ludington ( who was supposed to have been on that flight ) stepped in to take on younger students to carry on. Ludington had been coaching several of the elite skaters but was going through a divorce and other problems and was unable to make the trip.

1961 was also the first year that the U.S. Nationals were televised. The Winter Olympics had been televised in 1960 and skating became very popular. 1961 Nationals created a whole new bunch of skating stars...inlcuding Laurence Owen. Laurence, at 16, captured the U.S. title and was heavily favored to win a medal at Worlds that year. She had a vivacious style and was a true "star". Her picture appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated the day the team left for Worlds.

There is SO much more history discussed in the book, and it will really help anyone who chooses to read it see the true depth of figure skating in the United States.

I came across this book purely by accident while browsing in Barnes and Noble. It has a 2006 publishing date, so it must be brand new. Check it out, I am sure that if you are a fan of skating you will be intrigued. It is interesting just for the photos.

Linda

 

[icebrat001]

Peggy Fleming was probably the best known skater to come up in the ranks after the tragedy. Her coach was killed in the crash and she began working with a basically unknown Italian man named Carlo Fassi. It was Fassi who transformed her into the beautiful skater that we know today. Other coaches like Ron Ludington ( who was supposed to have been on that flight ) stepped in to take on younger students to carry on. Ludington had been coaching several of the elite skaters but was going through a divorce and other problems and was unable to make the trip.

1961 was also the first year that the U.S. Nationals were televised. The Winter Olympics had been televised in 1960 and skating became very popular. 1961 Nationals created a whole new bunch of skating stars...inlcuding Laurence Owen. Laurence, at 16, captured the U.S. title and was heavily favored to win a medal at Worlds that year. She had a vivacious style and was a true "star". Her picture appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated the day the team left for Worlds.

There is SO much more history discussed in the book, and it will really help anyone who chooses to read it see the true depth of figure skating in the United States.

I came across this book purely by accident while browsing in Barnes and Noble. It has a 2006 publishing date, so it must be brand new. Check it out, I am sure that if you are a fan of skating you will be intrigued. It is interesting just for the photos.

Linda

Off topic, but I miss Mr. Fassi, he was truly as great coach, as was his wife.

 

[SueM in MN]

I remember seeing a show about this. Very sad story. I'll have to look for the book.
I found this website is about burial sites, but it has a bit of history of all the team members who were killed and some nice pictures, including the Sports Illustrated cover of Laurence Owen that was mentioned.

 

[sandramaac]

My daughter is figure skater at the University of Delaware and her skating coach Ron Ludington was suppose to be on that flight. He won the bronze medal in pairs in the 1960 Olympics. He was telling dd, that home issue's did not allow him to make that trip. He told us he was one of the only coaches left. And what really hurt was that it was the natural progression for the skaters to go on to teach. So not only did the US loose all of its elite coaches, but all of their future coaches. He told us it took the US a good 15 years to come back.

 

[LJC1861]

You are right about that fact...not only did the U.S. lose all the current coaches we lost the future ones as well. I would definitely agree with the fact that it took a good 15 years for the USFSA to rebound. I am sure that it also pushed skaters into becoming coaches just to fill the gap. I know that is true in the case of Carole Heiss Jenkins. Some skaters who won medals in the 1960 Olympics came out of retirement to skate again, just to give the U.S. a fighting chance in 1962 and thereby setting the U.S. up to send skaters to the 1964 Olympics. My former coach was good friends with the Owen girls. 45 years later, Darlene still gets upset at the mention of Laurence, Maribel and their Mother and the tragedy.

I attended a breathtaking performance just after the first anniversary of Sept. 11. It was a benefit for the Memorial Fund as well as for the NYPD and FDNY. The skaters paid tribute to the 1961 team as well as to the City of NY. Sarah Hughes skated a wonderful performance, that I also believe she did after the Olympics, where she started with a spoken piece talking about the future, the U.S. team and their Legacy. She then skated several school figures as she started her program. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen....especially as she skated off the ice and there was a boupuet of roses left behind in the circle of the spotlight.

Linda

 

[sandramaac]

How old are you now LJC. How far did you go, and who was your coach. DD is doing wonderful. She is coached also by Tiffany Scott for moves, another coach for stroking, and then her coach here at a more local rink who also was trained by Luddy the same time he coached the Carruthers. This summer she will start with a trainer that will work on core training and off ice jumps and a spins coach. She started just a bit later than many of the other kids privastely trained who all started private lesson at 6 or 7 so did not make the cut off juv level. She just turned 12 in January and took her juv freestyle in October. She was about 6 months off from being competive at that level. She has all her doubles, except her axel, and she has the full rotations on that, she just isnt quite high enought yet to hit the landing. Probably a few months from that. Then come her starting triples, so we are shooting for intermediate next year if she gets at least one triple over summer training. Will shall see.

 

[LJC1861]

Sandramaac,

I am 45, and started taking skating lessons when I was 28. I skated on lakes as a kid and was always interested in skating. When I began taking lessons, it was so I could coach Special Olympics for the school I was teaching for. I had to be one lesson ahead of my students. I fell in love with it.

In 1995 I began competing at the Adult Level and went to Nationals from '95-2000. I had all my singles and was just starting to learn my axel and double toe when I fell...hard...and herniated a disc in my neck. Although I came back to competition after my first surgery, I had lost a bit of my confidence and falling was that much harder. I stopped competing in 2000 when ice time and coaching fees just began to get a bit too much to afford. I miss it terribly and wish that there was a rink here in Asheville NC where I could skate regularly. We do have public skating at the Civic Center on weekends, but that ends next week and I am back to no ice.

I was coached by a wonderful woman by the name of Darlene Parent who teaches at Sky Rink in New York City. She skated at the National level during the time of Maribel and Laurence Owen and was good friends with both girls. She specialized in teaching adult skaters.....and treated us like the serious competitors that we were.

It sounds like your daughter is well on her way to fulfilling her dream. Best of luck to her and to you. Being the parent of a skater is often an even bigger sacrifice than being the skater. There is much joy in this sport, both competing and watching. Make sure she skates for the love of it and for the way it makes her feel. Skating for medals is fine, but without the joy is it almost just a job. I only won 2 medals...both silver..in all my years competing, yet each competition that I did was precious. I loved the way I felt while skating by myself, to music that I loved in a dress I designed and made myself. There is just nothing else like it.

Linda