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

SkateGuard

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The latest Skate Guard blog is up and can be found at http://skateguard1.blogspot.ca. I'll no longer be sharing each week's articles or discussing them on FSUniverse but as always, you will find 2 new articles shared on the blog's social media accounts - Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. :)
 

alj5

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Ok fine, you've got a new follower. Just because I don't always comment don't mean it's not my absolute favorite thread in the Trash Can. ;)
 

Sylvia

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Time to revive the thread for @SkateGuard's blog! :) http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/

From December 2016:
ISU statement on the death of Lawrence Demmy, the first man to win a World title in ice dance:
New working link to the news item (Communication No. 2063 dated December 14, 2016) on the ISU website: https://www.isu.org/docman-document...rchives/547-2063-death-of-lawrence-demmy/file
For those of you looking to learn a little more about Lawrence's career, here's a February 2015 interview with his partner Jean Westwood:

http://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2015/02/interview-with-jean-westwood.html
Tweeted on July 28, 2022: https://twitter.com/SkateGuardBlog/status/1552799087132639232
The skating world has lost a legend. Jean Westwood passed away in BC at the age of 90 on Tuesday. Though she is perhaps best remembered for her love of dogs and incredible coaching career both in Canada and down in the States, Jean was the original queen of ice dance.
She was the first woman to win a gold medal in the discipline at both the World and European Championships. Jean and her partner Lawrence Demmy were the first in a long line of successful British ice dance teams to strike gold under the tutelage of Miss Gladys Hogg.
Jean also won two European titles (1954-1955), two British ice dance titles (1954-1955) and the British junior pairs title (1952 season).
After moving to North America, Jean partnered up with Bill Kipp, one of the incredible American coaches who passed away in the Sabena Crash in 1961.
They stole the show in carnivals, earning standing ovations nightly. A fellow skater once said, "Any guy dancing with Jean could just hang on and soar." Jean had a fabulous sense of humour and was extremely generous with her time and knowledge over the years. She will be missed.
Skate Canada BC/YK Section Mourns the Passing of Jean Westwood: https://www.skatinginbc.com/news/skate-canada-bcyk-section-mourns-passing-jean-westwood
Excerpt:
Jean also taught Victor Kraatz when he first arrived in British Columbia and helped mentor him to pursue his competitive career back east in Quebec where he eventually met and partnered with Shae Lynne Bourne.
Jean's positive and upbeat personality not only guided skaters through generations here in BC but also had an impact on other coaches in our province while they pursued their passion and profession.
Jean's other passion was her love of dogs as she was one of the best dog breeders in Canada.
British Ice Skating's Jean Westwood Obituary:
 
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