Photo courtesy Deutsche Sport & Olympia Museum
The world was still in shock over the crash of Turkish Airlines Flight 891, the deadliest single aircraft crash in history, and the kidnapping of Patty Hearst. Children from Warsaw to Winnipeg were still playing with their latest Christmas gifts - roller skates, Hoppity Hops and transistor radios. Terry Jacks' "Seasons In The Sun" topped the music charts.
The year was 1974, and from March 5 to 10, the world's best figure skaters gathered in Munich, West Germany for the World Figure Skating Championships. They were held in the two-year-old Olympiahalle München, site of the gymnastics and handball events at the 1972 Summer Olympic Games. Many reporters covering the events had painful memories of the terrorist attack on the Israeli team that had occurred just two years prior.
Video courtesy Frazer Ormondroyd
Top: The Canadian team in Vienna prior to the 1974 World Championships. Photo courtesy Sandra Bezic. Bottom: Ticket stub from the 1974 World Championships.
The official hotel was the Holiday Inn on the Leopoldstraße, which was attached to a Beatles-inspired discotheque called the Yellow Submarine. Let's take a look back through the Sea of Time and see how the skaters of Yesterday came together in Munich!
THE PAIRS COMPETITION
Pairs medallists
Top: Romy Kermer and Rolf Österreich. Photo courtesy Julia C. Schulze. Bottom: Irina Rodnina and Aleksandr Zaitsev.
Romy Kermer and Rolf Österreich, only fifth in 1973, knocked their teammates Manuela Groß and Uwe Kagelmann off the podium with two strong performances. Canadian siblings Sandra and Val Bezic had their best result ever in an ISU Championship, placing a strong fifth in their final trip to the Worlds. Canada's number two team, Kathy Hutchinson and Jamie McGrigor, placed a disappointing last. An unlucky thirteenth were France's Florence Cahn and Jean-Roland Racle. Racle would later coach Laëtitia Hubert, who would famously collide with Midori Ito in a warm-up at the next World Championships in Munich seventeen years later, two years after the fall of The Berlin Wall.
THE WOMEN'S COMPETITION
Christine Errath. Photos courtesy Julia C. Schulze.
Karen Magnussen and Janet Lynn, the top two finishers at the 1973 World Championships in Bratislava, had turned professional. Seventeen-year-old Christine Errath, bronze medallist in 1973 and the winner of the European Championships in Zagreb, was heavily favoured to win. The sentimental favourite of the crowd, however, was Munich's own Gerti Schanderl, the three-time West German Champion who had recently brought home a gold medal from the Prize of Moscow News event in the Soviet Union and placed fourth at Europeans.
Christine Errath. Photo courtesy Julia C. Schulze.
Switzerland's Karin Iten carved out a three point lead over Christine Errath and Great Britain's Maria McLean in the school figures, while Schanderl placed a disappointing eleventh - all but taking her out of the medal equation. Errath moved into first place overall after the short program with a fine performance in that segment of the competition. Canada's Lynn Nightingale, twelfth in figures, placed third in that phase with an outstanding performance, just behind Dorothy Hamill.
Dorothy Hamill and Christine Errath on the podium
When the marks were tallied, Christine Errath finished first, to the delight of her coach Inge Wischnewski. Dorothy Hamill placed second and Dianne de Leeuw third. de Leeuw's medal was the first for a Dutch skater in an ISU Championship since Sjoukje Dijkstra turned professional ten years prior. Lynn Nightingale ended up sixth and Canada's second entry, Barbara Terpenning, was an unlucky thirteenth. In Elva Oglanby's book "Dorothy Hamill: On And Off The Ice", Hamill recalled, "I was crushed, disappointed, let down. I had anticipated victory but was tasting defeat. In the end, it was my Dad who helped me come to grips with it... And so I accepted it. The butterflies of hope folded their wings and waited. There was always next year."
Video courtesy Frazer Ormondroyd
One of the main talking points concerning the women's event in Munich was (surprise, surprise) the results. Karin Iten finished fourteenth in the short, but that only dropped her to second overall entering the free skate, as the figures were worth more than the short program. She actually finished seventeenth in the free skate but only dropped down to fifth overall. Maria McLean, who placed third in the figures, defeated Iten in both the short program and free skate by several places but dropped all the way down to twelfth overall. Some questioned whether the introduction of the short program had really changed things considerably.
THE MEN'S COMPETITION
In Munich, the men's field was faced with an identical situation to that of the women's. The top two skaters at the 1973 World Championships, Ondrej Nepela and Sergei Chetverukhin, had moved on, and the East German bronze medallist from the year prior had won the European title. Eighteen-year-old Jan Hoffmann, a student from Dresden, had come a long way from his twenty-sixth-place finish at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble. The press heavily favoured him to win in 1974, but he faced some stiff competition.
Manfred Schnelldorfer, Jan Hoffmann and Donald McPherson posing for photographers in Munich
Twenty-six-year-old Canadian Champion Toller Cranston stole the show in practices. In his book "When Hell Freezes Over Should I Bring My Skates?" he recalled, "Because Ellen [Burka] wanted me to shine whenever I practiced, she pushed me to the max. Later, Tamara Moskvina... confided that the Russians had laughed at me. They knew it was foolish to be too brilliant in practice. Better to hold back energy for the performance that counts." This 'shining' included a full runthrough of a brand new exhibition to "I, Pagliacci" that he would later perform in the exhibition gala, in full costume and make-up, the day prior to the free skate. He invited John Curry to the practice. Quoted in Elva Oglanby's book "Black Ice", Curry recalled, "It was one of those times that you remember all your life. I wasn't really expecting anything, although I knew Toller to be a highly unusual performer. When we arrived at the arena, almost two thousand people were inside. I was shocked, because very few people outside the competitive fraternity will normally come to a practice session. Eventually, it was Toller's turn, and the other skaters cleared the ice. As he came out, there was an audible gasp from around the building. He was dressed in black and was in white face make-up with a tear painted on one cheek. For four minutes, he skated to the music of 'Pagliacci' like someone possessed, bringing to life in exquisite cameo the tragedy of Leoncavallo's clown. It was as much about his strength as an actor and a mime as it was about his ability as a skater, although this too was original and thrilling as he cut strange, asysmetrical shapes in the air. As he finished, the crowd stood and cheered and I found myself choking back sobs. I felt I had just witnessed the future of skating." Cranston's performance not only moved Curry - it thoroughly psyched him out.
Toller Cranston and Jan Hoffmann in Munich
Jan Hoffmann, Sergei Volkov and Vladimir Kovalev (back after a year's ban from his federation after a an alcohol-related incident in Moscow) took the top three spots in the school figures. Curry placed a very commendable fourth, while Cranston finished all the way down in eighth. It could have actually been much worse for Cranston. He finished seventeenth of the twenty-six skaters on the first figure, a right forward outside rocker, blaming the fact that he'd inexplicably teared up at the start of his tracing, making it difficult for him to see what he was doing, and made the figure much larger than he wanted to. Moving up to eighth from seventeenth on the last two figures was actually quite a feat.
Video courtesy Frazer Ormondroyd
In the short program, Toller Cranston redeemed himself with one of his finest performances to Aram Khatchaturian's "Sabre Dance", earning a standing ovation and two perfect 6.0s for presentation, one of them from Canadian judge Dorothy Leamen. His victory in that phase of the event moved him up to fourth overall, in striking distance of the podium. Just behind Cranston in the short was his teammate Ron Shaver, who "set the hall on fire" with an equally dazzling performance to sit in fifth entering the free skate. Hoffmann retained his overall lead despite a fifth-place finish in the short, while Curry missed his combination in the short, placing only sixth.
One of the more dramatic moments occurred when American skater Terry Kubicka's bootstrap came undone. The referee, Elemér Terták, failed to stop his program until he stepped on it and fell. Hugh Graham went over to Terták and convinced him to allow Kubicka a reskate. He finished fifteenth after falling again in the reskate and told reporters, "I knew something was wrong. I could tell my strap was off, but I didn't think I should stop. I thought they would blow the whistle, but they didn't. I was really nervous the second time and didn't know how I came through."
Eight thousand spectators showed up for the men's free skate and the top two finishers in that phase of the event offered a show of contrasts. Toller Cranston placed first with a show-stopping performance to music by Offenbach from the ballet "Le Papillon" which earned him another standing ovation. In his book "When Hell Freezes Over Should I Bring My Skates?", he recalled, "The performance was meticulous and emotional. By today's standards, it was hardly technically difficult. It contained two triple Salchows and one triple loop. But that was good for its day." Hoffmann's performance lacked Cranston's flair and musicality, but it did contain an important technical achievement - the first triple Lutz performed at the World Championships since Donald Jackson's in 1961.
When the marks were tallied, the gold went to Jan Hoffmann, the silver to Sergei Volkov (only seventh in the free skate) and the bronze to Toller Cranston. It was Canada's first medal in men's figure skating at the World Championships since 1965.
Jan Hoffmann wasn't the only skater to go for the technical gusto in Munich. Twenty-year-old U.S. Champion Gordon McKellen Jr. attempted to make history as the first man to perform the triple Axel in an ISU Championship but fell short and finished sixth overall. He went on to successfully land the jump in the post-Championship exhibition, when the announcer called him back out after his performance to "McArthur Park" to perform a series of jumps as an encore. In a 1999 interview in "American Skating World" magazine, he recalled, "I nailed it. I lifted it, and I finished with this look on my face like 'There it is, take that.' Meanwhile, I suffered two nights earlier, taking it out on myself."
A nervous John Curry begged his coach to let him withdraw in the minutes leading up to his free skate. When he finally took center ice, he went for the artistic gusto, but his performance to Tchaikovsky's "Symphony No. 6 in B minor" ("Pathétique") and Ravel's "Bolero" wasn't his most thrilling. Curry later referred to it as the worst performance of his life. In the Bill Jones book "Alone: The Triumph And Tragedy Of John Curry", Ellen Streeter recalled, "It was agonising. It was like he was going around and around in slow motion. Mum and me were horrified. He just got worse and worse, and then he gave up right there. I was amazed he got seventh." After his performance, one judge allegedly told him that he should quit.
Ron Shaver had two errors in his free skate, but still placed third in that segment and fifth overall. Canada's third man, Robert Rubens, was fifteenth. Though the West German press was kind to Easterner Jan Hoffmann's win, they hailed Toller Cranston as the 'unofficial World Champion'. After winning, Cranston was introduced to the eccentric Ernst Hanfstaengl, a former friend of Adolf Hitler who turned against the Nazis in World War II. He bought several of Cranston's paintings. Cranston reflected, "The fame that I was able to achieve as a result of events in Munich was the passkey to a life of adventure - good, bad and bizarre - and an entree into privileged circles."
THE ICE DANCE COMPETITION
Lyudmila Pakhomova and Aleksandr Gorshkov, twenty-seven-year-olds from Moscow, had won the last four World Championships. Their rivals Angelika and Erich Buck had turned professional, sparing them a showdown in the West German siblings' home country in 1974. Pakhomova and Gorshkov won the compulsory dances by a comfortable margin and won the OSP with their Tango Romantica. The dance earned them a perfect 6.0 and later of course became a compulsory dance.
In the free dance, Pakhomova and Gorshkov fended off a strong challenge from Britons Hilary Green and Glyn Watts, who trained under Peri Horne and worked with ballroom champions Bill and Bobbie Irvine. With one of their finest performances ever, the Soviets received eight perfect 6.0's - one for technical merit and seven for presentation. Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov won the bronze in their very first trip to the Worlds. Canadians Louise and Barry Soper and Barbara Berezowski and David Porter were ninth and fifteenth. Berezowski caught the eye of British sportswriter Howard Bass, who campaigned for her to win a typewriter in a contest judged by sportswriters for "the most charming competitor."
In "Skating" magazine, Frank Loeser wrote of Pakhomova and Gorshkov, "Their consistency is amazing, but even more impressive is their union of technical and aesthetic excellence. The weaving, turning, symmetrical layout of their dance and the fast, silver-smooth edges never suggest strain or awkwardness. Lyudmila is the essence of drama on ice. Her expression alone is worth countless performances. At one time, she seemed a little pretentious and affected, but now her presentation is honed to an authentic naturalness. Her tango had a subtle, arrogant sensuality, and her smooth, convincing switch to the 'folk music' was both [joyous] and coyful."
Eight thousand spectators showed up for the men's free skate and the top two finishers in that phase of the event offered a show of contrasts. Toller Cranston placed first with a show-stopping performance to music by Offenbach from the ballet "Le Papillon" which earned him another standing ovation. In his book "When Hell Freezes Over Should I Bring My Skates?", he recalled, "The performance was meticulous and emotional. By today's standards, it was hardly technically difficult. It contained two triple Salchows and one triple loop. But that was good for its day." Hoffmann's performance lacked Cranston's flair and musicality, but it did contain an important technical achievement - the first triple Lutz performed at the World Championships since Donald Jackson's in 1961.
Jan Hoffmann and Frau Jutta Müller
When the marks were tallied, the gold went to Jan Hoffmann, the silver to Sergei Volkov (only seventh in the free skate) and the bronze to Toller Cranston. It was Canada's first medal in men's figure skating at the World Championships since 1965.
Toller Cranston. Photo courtesy "Der Spiegel".
Jan Hoffmann wasn't the only skater to go for the technical gusto in Munich. Twenty-year-old U.S. Champion Gordon McKellen Jr. attempted to make history as the first man to perform the triple Axel in an ISU Championship but fell short and finished sixth overall. He went on to successfully land the jump in the post-Championship exhibition, when the announcer called him back out after his performance to "McArthur Park" to perform a series of jumps as an encore. In a 1999 interview in "American Skating World" magazine, he recalled, "I nailed it. I lifted it, and I finished with this look on my face like 'There it is, take that.' Meanwhile, I suffered two nights earlier, taking it out on myself."
Gordon McKellen Jr. Photo courtesy Sepp Schönmetzler.
A nervous John Curry begged his coach to let him withdraw in the minutes leading up to his free skate. When he finally took center ice, he went for the artistic gusto, but his performance to Tchaikovsky's "Symphony No. 6 in B minor" ("Pathétique") and Ravel's "Bolero" wasn't his most thrilling. Curry later referred to it as the worst performance of his life. In the Bill Jones book "Alone: The Triumph And Tragedy Of John Curry", Ellen Streeter recalled, "It was agonising. It was like he was going around and around in slow motion. Mum and me were horrified. He just got worse and worse, and then he gave up right there. I was amazed he got seventh." After his performance, one judge allegedly told him that he should quit.
Video courtesy Frazer Ormondroyd
Ron Shaver had two errors in his free skate, but still placed third in that segment and fifth overall. Canada's third man, Robert Rubens, was fifteenth. Though the West German press was kind to Easterner Jan Hoffmann's win, they hailed Toller Cranston as the 'unofficial World Champion'. After winning, Cranston was introduced to the eccentric Ernst Hanfstaengl, a former friend of Adolf Hitler who turned against the Nazis in World War II. He bought several of Cranston's paintings. Cranston reflected, "The fame that I was able to achieve as a result of events in Munich was the passkey to a life of adventure - good, bad and bizarre - and an entree into privileged circles."
THE ICE DANCE COMPETITION
Lyudmila Pakhomova and Aleksandr Gorshkov, twenty-seven-year-olds from Moscow, had won the last four World Championships. Their rivals Angelika and Erich Buck had turned professional, sparing them a showdown in the West German siblings' home country in 1974. Pakhomova and Gorshkov won the compulsory dances by a comfortable margin and won the OSP with their Tango Romantica. The dance earned them a perfect 6.0 and later of course became a compulsory dance.
In the free dance, Pakhomova and Gorshkov fended off a strong challenge from Britons Hilary Green and Glyn Watts, who trained under Peri Horne and worked with ballroom champions Bill and Bobbie Irvine. With one of their finest performances ever, the Soviets received eight perfect 6.0's - one for technical merit and seven for presentation. Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov won the bronze in their very first trip to the Worlds. Canadians Louise and Barry Soper and Barbara Berezowski and David Porter were ninth and fifteenth. Berezowski caught the eye of British sportswriter Howard Bass, who campaigned for her to win a typewriter in a contest judged by sportswriters for "the most charming competitor."
Video courtesy Frazer Ormondroyd
In "Skating" magazine, Frank Loeser wrote of Pakhomova and Gorshkov, "Their consistency is amazing, but even more impressive is their union of technical and aesthetic excellence. The weaving, turning, symmetrical layout of their dance and the fast, silver-smooth edges never suggest strain or awkwardness. Lyudmila is the essence of drama on ice. Her expression alone is worth countless performances. At one time, she seemed a little pretentious and affected, but now her presentation is honed to an authentic naturalness. Her tango had a subtle, arrogant sensuality, and her smooth, convincing switch to the 'folk music' was both [joyous] and coyful."
Dance medallists. Photo courtesy "Skate & Ski" magazine.
On the post-exhibition tour of East Germany, the American skaters got found themselves in hot - or more accurately, soapy - water, when they added soap to a large water fountain in Dresden. Gordon McKellen Jr. recalled, "There were police with machine guns all around the fountain looking for people who might have had a hand in this. Of course, we did not volunteer any information."
Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on Facebook, Bluesky, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering one of eight fascinating books highlighting the history of figure skating: https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.
Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on Facebook, Bluesky, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering one of eight fascinating books highlighting the history of figure skating: https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.