Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine "What we used to call 'carry lifts,' so spectacular today, were adagio skating, done only in professional shows. I could do all the lifts we were permitted on one foot and sneak in a few the others weren't yet doing." - Peter Kennedy, "The Seattle Times", February 25, 1994 The children of Michael and Clarice Kennedy, Michael Edward Kennedy III and Karol Estelle Kennedy were born on September 4, 1927 and Valentine's Day of 1932 - he in Olympia and she in Shelton, Washington. They grew up on East 17th Street in Olympia. Their Wisconsin-born father ran a photo ..read more

Photo courtesy "Ice & Roller Skate" magazine "Mr. Wilkie was without a doubt one of the greatest authorities on skating and the title 'Mr. Ice Dancing' was surely his. His vast knowledge was deeply respected, and he gave freely of his time to help beginner and champion alike." - Lawrence Demmy Born in 1907 in the London borough of Wandsworth, Reginald Joseph Wilkie grew up in Clapham, North Yorkshire. Instead of gravitating to the ice in his youth, he studied the violin and without a doubt, his early musical education helped him once he took up the sport in 1930 at the age of twenty-thr ..read more

When I recently posted a picture of Sonja Henie on Skate Guard's Facebook and Instagram pages, I received comments and messages asking where you could watch her movies. I thought it might be helpful to put together a list of links to watch Sonja Henie and Belita's films online. So, if you're on the lookout for a film to enjoy on your next movie night, why not grab a bowl of popcorn and lose yourself in one of these classics? SONJA HENIE'S FILMS* Happy Landing Hello London Iceland It's A Pleasure (colourized) My Lucky Star One In A Million Second Fiddle Sun Valley Serenade The Counte ..read more

Photo courtesy Bildarchiv Austria "I prefer skating over compulsory figures... In the freestyle, you can jump a lot if you want and I like to jump... A waltz is too long for me. [I prefer] a foxtrot." - Emmy Puzinger, "Tiroler Anzeiger", January 14, 1937 Emmy Puzinger was born on February 8, 1921, in Vienna, Austria. Her parents came from Hernals, a quiet district in the city's northwest, and her father Leopold was a taxi driver. At the age of four, she was taken to the doctor because she looked pale. The doctor recommended she take up skating at the nearby Engelmann rink for health and exe ..read more

History had just been made, when complete proceedings from the House of Commons were nationally televised for the very first time. Margaret Atwood released the critically acclaimed short story collection "Dancing Girls and Other Stories" featuring the brilliant piece "The War in the Bathroom". Women from Cranbrook to Cornerbrook copied Farrah Fawcett's feathered hairdo. Cool cats of all ages got down to K.C. and The Sunshine Band's "Keep It Comin' Love". The year was 1977 and from October 27 to 29, fifty-four skaters from Austria, West Germany, Czechoslovakia, Finland, France, Great Brita ..read more

Eileen Seigh holding a pair of wooden skate guards at the 1947 World Championships "It was raining in torrents and the ice was covered with nearly an inch and a half of water," recalled World Champion Jacqueline du Bief. "The loud speaker having announced me, I sprang forward with all my force. Alas! I had forgotten to take off my rubber skate guards and I made my entrance flat on my stomach, shooting across the rink from one end to the other and leaving in a wake a big wash and a multitude of little waves. I sat up, calmly took off the guards responsible for my unorthodox entrance and, afte ..read more

Photo courtesy Sveriges Centralförening för Idrottens Främjande Archive Born on October 23, 1885, in Stockholm, Sweden, Elna Charlotta Elvira Montgomery was the daughter of Frans Otto Vilhelm Fabian Montgomery, a bookkeeper and office manager for a machine company, and his second wife, Lydia Wilhelmina Lamberg.  Right off the bat, I know what you're probably thinking. Montgomery? That doesn't sound very Swedish. The last name Montgommerie was actually adopted by Elna's father's ancestors in the early eighteenth century. Over the years, it got anglicized.  At any rate, Elna was th ..read more

Figure skating wouldn't be figure skating without its judges. From the encouraging judges who guide us through our Preliminary Dance tests to the crooked 'tap-dancing judges' and Marie-Reine Le Gougne in Salt Lake City, these volunteers certainly do run the gamut.  In 2020 and 2022, the blog looked back at fascinating stories of judges from years past. It's been a couple of years but here's a third installment! A JUDGE WHO STOOD BEHIND HIS MARKS In 1964, British judge Harry Lawrence earned himself a one-year suspension from the ISU for 'inexperience'. Serving as a judge at the World ..read more

At the turn of the century, Hindley Street in Adelaide, Australia played host to a busy shopping center and the popular Theatre Royal, which showcased the first Lumière moving pictures in the country. The street's businesses were serviceable by a tram car, which travelled from nearby King William Street up to the hills or down to the sea coast. In 1899, another of the street's attractions, the Cyclorama was razed to the ground by fire. It was on the site of this Cyclorama that Henry Newman Reid set to work building a novelty never before seen down under... the first ice rink in the Southern ..read more

Held on January 21, 1900, in Berlin, the 1900 European Figure Skating Championships marked the first time since 1893 that Germany played host to the European Championships. Although good ol' Wikipedia claims "Skaters competed only in the categories of men's singles" and "the competitors performed only compulsory figures", the event included competitions for senior men, junior men and pairs skating. It also most definitely included free skating competitions, referenced in both ISU records and numerous German and Austrian newspaper accounts. The judging panel for all three events consisted of th ..read more