Figure Skating - Gliding through history
Although skates have been around for thousands of years, they would not have looked familiar to skaters of today. The first Scandinavian skates were very rudimentary, short (only about 8 inches long), and made from pieces of ground down cattle bones. The bones were shaped flat, and attached to leather shoes - by leather ties - so a person could glide. Skates were first used for transportation across frozen water. Interestingly, the word “skate” comes from the Old Dutch word, “schenkel”, meaning “leg bone”. Since that time, skates have been made from materials such as wood and iron. The first all steel skate clamp was invented by Philadelphian, E.W. Bushnell, in 1848, and soon thereafter, a simple form of figure skating was begun. In 1865, an American New York skater, by the name of Jackson Haines, invented the two-plate all metal blade. Haines, who was a famous skater, is also credited for introducing dance steps and more stylishness into figure skating routines. In 1914, Minnesotan, John E. Strauss, invented the first closed toe blade made from one piece of steel.
In past figure skating programs, skaters traced a specific pattern on the ice, and were judged by how closely their figure skating matched the set ice pattern, and that’s how the sport got its name. As did skates, figure skating also evolved overtime, and in 1896, the first World Figure Skating Championships (for men) took place in St. Petersburg, Russia. The first ladies World Figure Skating Championship was not held until 1906, and took place in Switzerland. In 1908, Figure skating made its way into the Olympic Games, held in London, England. In 1921, the United States Figure Skating Association was formed.
Today, figure skating is an immensely well-liked and admired sport, with only professional football being more popular. The most anticipated and watched event, during the Winter Games, is figure skating. Olympic skaters, with the exception of the ice dancing event, complete two programs – the short and free skate program. Ice dancing, on the other hand, has three different programs, which include compulsory, original and free dances. The following is a list of past and present American Olympic results for this event. The latest information can be obtained from the Official Olympic web page.
American Female Olympic Medalist: Theresa Blanchard (1920 Bronze), Beatrix Loughran (1924 Silver & 1928 Bronze), Maribel Vinson (1932 Bronze), Tenley Alright (1952 Silver & 1956 Gold), Carol Heiss (1956 Silver & 1960 Gold), Barbara Roles (1960 Bronze), Peggy Fleming (1968 Gold), Janet Lynn (1972 Bronze), Dorothy Hamill (1976 Gold), Linda Fratianne (1980 Silver), Rosalyn Summers (1984 Silver), Debra Thomas (1988 Bronze), Kristi Yamaguchi (1992 Gold), Nancy Kerrigan (1992 Bronze & 1994 Silver), Michelle Kwan (1998 Silver), Tara Lipinski (1998 Gold), Michelle Kwan (2002 Bronze), Sarah Hughes (2002 Gold) The 2006 female individual figure skating competition has not yet taken place.
American Male Olympic Medalist: Richard Button (1948 & 1952 Gold), Hayes Alan Jenkins (1956 Gold), Ronald Robertson (1956 Silver), David Jenkins (1956 Bronze & 1960 Gold), Scott Allen (1964 Bronze), Timothy Woods (1968 Silver), Charles Tickner (1980 Bronze), Scott Hamilton (1984 Gold), Brian Boitano (1988 Gold), Paul Wylie (1992 Silver), Timothy Goebel (2002 Bronze)
American Olympic (Pairs) Medalist: Beatrix Loughran / Sherwin Badger (1932 Silver), Karol Kennedy / Michael Kennedy (1952 Silver), Nancy Ludington / Ronald Ludington (1960 Bronze), Colleen O’Connor / James Millns (1976 Bronze), Kitty Carruthers / Peter Carruthers (1984 Silver), Jill Watson / Peter Oppegard (1988 Bronze)
American Olympic (Ice Dancing) Medalist: Tanith Belbin / Ben Agosto (2006 Silver)
Due to World War II, the planned 1940 (Sapporo, Japan) and 1944 (Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy) Winter Olympics were cancelled.