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

SkateGuard

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Terrific stuff, per usual and just wanted to thank you again for your blog, it's like crack for a skating history buff like myself and it's a great service to the sport.

Btw, was it common to hold Euros in three separate locations at that time? I didn't think it was.

You're most welcome and I'm glad you've been enjoying reading! :) To answer your question, women's and pairs events weren't officially contested at the European Championships until 1930, although there were multiple disciplines at many of the Europeans prior to that. The winners in women's and pairs (and sometimes even junior classes) just weren't recognized as European Champions. Only in five of the ten Europeans held in the thirties (1932, 1933, 1935, 1936, 1937) were the men's, women's and pairs titles contested in the same city. Skating was such a big deal in Europe back then that it was just the norm for larger cities like Vienna and Prague and skating centers like Davos and St. Moritz to host international competitions frequently. The ISU/IEV just announced at which of these events the European titles would be contested in each discipline.
 

jersey1302

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Real neat stuff posted in the links here..seriously.. fascinating for the figure skating fan who wants to know about details in history and strange or more un known stories that would otherwise go untold.. I just recently started searching the Archives of the Winnipeg Free Press and came across articles, relating to the 1942 Canadian Championships at the Winnipeg Winter Club and the local girl who was taking North America by storm by winning all her events. Mary Rose Thacker. Very very interesting stuff is to be found and told that are long forgot about!
 

SkateGuard

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2,146
Real neat stuff posted in the links here..seriously.. fascinating for the figure skating fan who wants to know about details in history and strange or more un known stories that would otherwise go untold.. I just recently started searching the Archives of the Winnipeg Free Press and came across articles, relating to the 1942 Canadian Championships at the Winnipeg Winter Club and the local girl who was taking North America by storm by winning all her events. Mary Rose Thacker. Very very interesting stuff is to be found and told that are long forgot about!

Glad you've been enjoying reading - I try to do a mix of those lesser known stories and thorough and accurate looks at events that may be remembered or known about, but not well. Newspaper archives are the best and I use them for just about every blog I do! There are pieces on the 1942 Canadians and Mary Rose Thacker in the Archives:

https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2017/07/the-1942-canadian-figure-skating.html

https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-other-barbara-anns-forgotten-era-of.html

Today's blog looks at the story of James Drake Digby, a Victorian journalist who founded the National Skating Association in England:

https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2019/02/james-drake-digby-founder-of-national.html
 

Seerek

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Today's blog is somewhat lighter - it's a look back at a 1987 Canadian made for television film called Blades Of Courage:

https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2019/01/blades-of-courage.html

All these years, I actually thought Tracey Wainman's story was the inspiration for this movie, since her 1 triple in the long program was key to her winning the 1986 Canadian National title, similar to Lori at the "1987 Nationals" in the movie.

Also, Lori's first coach seemed to be modelled after Linda Brauckmann? It also appeared Lori's dress was meant as a nod to Katarina Witt's West Side Story long program.

ETA: the Canadian men's team was Brian and Robin? How (not) original!
 
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SkateGuard

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All these years, I actually thought Tracey Wainman's story was the inspiration for this movie, since her 1 triple in the long program was key to her winning the 1986 Canadian National title, similar to Lori at the "1987 Nationals" in the movie.

There are definitely some similarities, Seerek!

The latest Skate Guard blog looks back twenty years ago at the first Four Continents Championships in Halifax, Nova Scotia:

https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-1999-four-continents-figure-skating.html
 

alj5

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Thanks for the info about Gösta. I had seen his name in records, but it's always interesting to learn more about their personal lives. He'd roll over in his grave (or urn?) at the professionalization of sport.
 

SkateGuard

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Glad you enjoyed the piece on Gösta, skatesindreams & alj5. It wasn't an easy one to put together, because there really wasn't anything out there to fact check so I had to start from scratch in Scandinavian newspapers & archives. It's rare to see a skater of that level (even historically) who completely walks away from the sport - his was quite an interesting & unique story!
 

Canadask8er

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181
Interesting read, and I love the Canadian Championship reflections (clearly :))

In reference to Toller, I remember reading somewhere that this was the catalyst for him to become "Toller" and work with Ellen Burka to become what we all know and love today!
 

SkateGuard

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Interesting read, and I love the Canadian Championship reflections (clearly :))

In reference to Toller, I remember reading somewhere that this was the catalyst for him to become "Toller" and work with Ellen Burka to become what we all know and love today!

Glad you enjoyed reading and I think your memory is correct! :) FYI - there will be plenty more reflections of past Canadians coming in the future.

Links to the latest Skate Guard blogs...

Melitta Brunner: https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-magical-melitta-brunner.html

February's #Unearthed (a piece on Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov): https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2019/02/unearthed-linichuk-and-karponosovs-road.html

The Beissbarth Brothers: https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-beissbarth-brothers.html

The 1936 World Championships: https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-1936-world-figure-skating.html
 

Spun Silver

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Nice! I don't often have time to read your columns so it was pleasant to happen upon one with Tenley Albright's World Gold, the first ever for the US [ETA: in Ladies], Also, as one with an occasional sentimental longing for the days of outdoor competitions, this part sobered me up:
High winds and biting temperatures coupled with the altitude made for a dire situation when the women took to the ice for the free skate. A light snow halfway through the event made things even more challenging for the competitors.... [Two observers from Boston] remarked, "With the temperature 8 degrees above zero at 10:30 AM, one has to wonder about the suitability of most of the dresses. They were beautiful, of course, but not designed for outdoor skating."...
Britons Erica Batchelor and Elaine Skevington both collapsed under the strain of the weather conditions. The February 16, 1953 issue of the "Dundee Courier" claimed, "They had to be carried from the rink after being overcome to fall sobbing on the ice."
It was fun to read about the skating Miss Fisher too!
 
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SkateGuard

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Nice! I don't often have time to read your columns so it was pleasant to happen upon one with Tenley Albright's World Gold, the first ever for the US [ETA: in Ladies], Also, as one with an occasional sentimental longing for the days of outdoor competitions, this part sobered me up:

It was fun to read about the skating Miss Fisher too!

Glad you find time to read the two latest! Skaters really had to be tough as nails back in those days to face the elements. It would have been doubly hard for those who mostly trained indoors in relative comfort. For that reason, most skaters would arrive a couple of weeks early at least to prepare themselves, but weather (as we all know) can be quite unpredictable.
 

Maximillian

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Foolhardy Ham Lint

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The latest #SkateGuard blog looks back at The 1990 European Figure Skating Championships in St. Petersburg (then Leningrad):

https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-1990-european-figure-skating.html

Other than The Duchesnays free dance, and Gordeeva & Grinkov's Romeo & Juliet long, the stand out moment was a scary fall experienced by Peggy Schwarz with Alexander Koenig. How she was able to continue after that, showed her mental and physical toughness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5F22bCCpcU
 

SkateGuard

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Other than The Duchesnays free dance, and Gordeeva & Grinkov's Romeo & Juliet long, the stand out moment was a scary fall experienced by Peggy Schwarz with Alexander Koenig. How she was able to continue after that, showed her mental and physical toughness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5F22bCCpcU

You have a very good point! Definitely a scary fall - quite surprising she kept going, especially with the rules at the time.
 

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