What's Old Is New Again: New Articles Re: Figure Skating History

SkateGuard

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Starting a new catch-all thread to share and discuss ALL new articles re: figure skating history. As Mrs. Peacock said in Clue, "someone's got to get the ball rolling and it might as well be me..."

The latest Skate Guard blog, Minnie Cummings, The Minneapolis Skating Gypsy, introduces you to an entrepreneurial young skating queen from Minnesota who took North America by storm in the early twentieth century:

http://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard
http://skateguard1.blogspot.ca/2016/08/minnie-cummings-minneapolis-skating.html
 

SkateGuard

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In your blog about Minnie Cummings you mention she did a (Frank) Bacon whirl. What did that look like? And how about pivots and vine combinations? The way her skating is described made me wish I could watch her on the ice. Your digging up so many stories and people from the past makes me realise how there was a lot more going on in skating than average skating history often shows.

A really great book which offers some interesting descriptions of the differences between a lot of the different pivots and grapevines is the late George Meagher's "Lessons In Skating". It's in the public domain and there is a link online at https://archive.org/details/cihm_10464. The descriptions of the North American 'fancy skating' figures seem to differ exponentially from the descriptions and diagrams in British and Austrian skating books of the period, but by all accounts, Minnie was a pro at many of them. Skating history is far more complicated and less cut and dry than most glossy coffee table books will have you believe, and I really love digging up these stories. Tons more on the way!

The latest Skate Guard blog is a little lighter fare, a look at The 1978 Skate Canada International Competition in Vancouver, B.C.:

http://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard
http://skateguard1.blogspot.ca/2016/08/the-1978-skate-canada-international.html
 

skatesindreams

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I was familiar with the competition and the clips, Ryan.
However, I didn't know the backstory about Norton Skate/Skate America.

Thanks, as always.
 

SkateGuard

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Glad you enjoyed reading the piece on Skate Canada '78, skatesindreams. I've been getting requests to try to do more pieces on skaters, events from the 70's, 80's so it was neat to look back at this one! Sadya, hope you are enjoying some of the fascinating material in Meagher's book.

This week on the blog, I'm exploring three tales from skating history that come out of a country that actually no longer exists... Czechoslovakia. The first of these blogs , Czech This Out: A Look At Early Czechoslovakian Skating History, offers a quick primer on the early history of figure skating in the region:

http://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard
http://skateguard1.blogspot.ca/2016/08/czech-this-out-look-at-early.html

Also of interest to skating history buffs is PJ Kwong's @skatingpj podcast interview with Galit Chait:

http://www.openkwongdore.com/2016/08/15/episode-14-galit-chait-moracci/
 

suki

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Hi N Halifax. Your blog and stories on the history of figure skating are fascinating. Since you have been covering Czech skaters from the past, do you have any plans to write about one of my personal favorites. Hana Maskova? She finished third in the 1968 Olympics behind Peggy Fleming and Gabby Seyfert. She turned pro in 1969-1970, I think. Her story did not have a happy ending unfortunately.
 

SkateGuard

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Hi N Halifax. Your blog and stories on the history of figure skating are fascinating. Since you have been covering Czech skaters from the past, do you have any plans to write about one of my personal favorites. Hana Maskova? She finished third in the 1968 Olympics behind Peggy Fleming and Gabby Seyfert. She turned pro in 1969-1970, I think. Her story did not have a happy ending unfortunately.

I'm familiar with Hana's story and her tragic death but I haven't yet put anything together on her! Will definitely add it to the list of requests. :) Do have something coming on Eva Romanová and Pavel Roman but it won't be until November. :)
 

Artistic Skaters

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SkateGuard

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Thanks for sharing this, Artistic Skaters! Definitely need to pick up a copy of this one. :)

The Simcoe Reformer ran a piece today on the induction of Delhi's precision (synchro) team into the Norfolk Sports Hall Of Recognition:

http://www.simcoereformer.ca/2016/08/22/sports-hall-honours-delhi-champions

And... here's the latest Skate Guard blog, Lamartine Sur Le Lac: The Intoxification Of Skating:

http://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard
http://skateguard1.blogspot.ca/2016/08/lamartine-sur-le-lac-intoxification-of.html
 

SkateGuard

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The latest Skate Guard blog takes an ever so brief look at The 1931 Australian Figure Skating Championships:

http://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard
http://skateguard1.blogspot.ca/2016/09/the-1931-australian-figure-skating.html

Also of interest to skating history buffs...

Various pieces re: Ellen Burka:

Toronto Star (Peter Goffin):
https://www.thestar.com/sports/2016...ure-skating-coach-ellen-burka-dies-at-95.html

The Algemeiner:
http://www.algemeiner.com/2016/09/1...nadian-hall-of-fame-figure-skater-dies-at-95/

Metro News Canada (John Chidley Hill): http://www.metronews.ca/news/canada...skating-coach-ellen-burka-dies-at-age-95.html

National Post (Sean Fitz-Gerald):
http://news.nationalpost.com/olympi...ionized-her-sport-and-kept-working-in-her-90s

Sportsnet (Janis Rosen):
http://www.sportsnet.ca/more/ellen-...-holocaust-survivor-leaves-remarkable-legacy/

The Frisky article on 25th anniversary of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and Scott Williams' program to it (Bronwyn Isaac):


http://www.thefrisky.com/2016-09-12...rit-18-years-ago-and-it-was-poetry-in-motion/

Stuff You Missed In History Class touched on Olympic history and the 1908 Olympics this week (no skating mention but some great context):


http://www.missedinhistory.com/podcasts/live-dma-coubertin.htm
 

skatesindreams

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I will always be grateful to the poster who shared that on YT. I never forgot seeing it in 1973.
I nearly fainted when I found it, some time ago. I had been looking for the special for years.

After all this time, it's still extraordinary.
 

SkateGuard

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I will always be grateful to the poster who shared that on YT. I never forgot seeing it in 1973.
I nearly fainted when I found it, some time ago. I had been looking for the special for years.

After all this time, it's still extraordinary.

Glad you enjoyed revisiting this wonderful TV special as much as I did. The poster was Elena Bogolyuobov, a wonderful skater in her own right!

The latest Skate Guard blog, A Virtuoso From Vienna: The Edi Rada Story, explores the fascinating story of an Olympic, World & European Champion from the forties who went on to an incredible coaching career in Canada:

http://www.facebook.com/SkateGuard
http://skateguard1.blogspot.ca/2016/09/a-virtuoso-from-vienna-edi-rada-story.html

Some more fascinating new pieces relating to skating history out there this weekend:

Beverley Smith's 9/23 Globe And Mail piece on Mrs. Burka: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/spor...a-made-figure-skating-an-art/article32041781/

Winnipeg Free Press piece on Manitoba skate sharpener Gord Hymers: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/cutting-edge-business-394593701.html
 

SkateGuard

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Pieces on the passing of Frances Dafoe:

The First Queen Of Canadian Pairs Skating: The Frances Dafoe Story (Skate Guard): http://skateguard1.blogspot.ca/2016/09/the-first-queen-of-canadian-pairs.html
Olympic figure skating silver medallist Frances Dafoe dies at 86 (CBC): http://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/winter/figureskating/frances-dafoe-death-figure-skating-1.3779574

Allison Manley's wonderful 2011 with Frances on The Manleywoman SkateCast: http://www.manleywoman.com/episode-55-frances-dafoe/
 

SkateGuard

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