Skate Guard explores the overlooked, the misunderstood, and the nearly forgotten corners of figure skating history. From vanished traditions and eccentric innovators to skaters whose stories never made the record books, the blog is about more than results and medals - it's about culture, context, and the people who shaped the sport in ways both obvious and invisible. If you're new here, the stories below are a great place to start.
A History of Doping in Figure Skating
Figure skating is often portrayed as immune to the performance-enhancing scandals seen in other Olympic sports - but the historical record suggests otherwise. This article examines the history of doping in figure skating, tracing how banned substances, testing policies, and institutional silence have influenced the sport from the early 20th century to the modern era.
Topics: figure skating doping history, performance-enhancing drugs in skating, ISU regulations
Bon Appétit: A Journey Through Skating's Culinary History
Food has always played a quiet but revealing role in figure skating - from banquet traditions and touring show meals to training diets and cultural expectations around bodies and discipline. This article traces the culinary history of figure skating, showing how what skaters ate (and were expected not to eat) reflects broader changes in the sport.
Topics: figure skating food history, diet and figure skating
Isabella Butler: Figure Skating's Best Kept Secret
Isabella Butler was an American figure skating pioneer who performed daring ice acts with Barnum & Bailey’s Circus and later became the first woman to apply to compete in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships - a request denied solely because of her gender. Her story highlights both the sport’s early showmanship and the barriers women faced in competitive skating.
Topics: forgotten figure skaters, women’s skating history, Edwardian era figure skating
Lucky Socks And Unlucky Frocks: The Strange History Of Skating Superstitions
Figure skating is a sport built on ritual, anxiety, and repetition - fertile ground for superstition. This article explores the strange history of figure skating superstitions, from lucky costumes and pre-competition habits to beliefs that shaped how skaters trained, dressed, and competed.
Topics: figure skating superstitions, skating rituals, competition psychology
From Carnations To Kale: The Curious History Of Figure Skating's Flower Throwing Tradition
Flower throwing was one of figure skating’s most recognizable traditions, yet few fans know where it began. This article explores the history of flower throwing in figure skating, from theatrical carnation tosses to modern-day plush toys and even produce.
Topics: figure skating traditions, flower throwing history, skating fan culture
The Skating Club
Founded in the 1830s on London's Serpentine River, The Skating Club was one of the earliest organized skating institutions and a key influence on Victorian-era figure skating. This article explores how the club shaped skating technique, fashion, and social customs - and how its legacy survives in modern skating culture through what became the Royal Skating Club.
Topics: early skating clubs, Victorian figure skating, British skating history
The Harlem-On-Ice Tour
The Harlem-On-Ice Tour represents a groundbreaking chapter in figure skating and ice show history. This article explores how the tour created opportunities for skaters of colour during segregation and expanded access to skating for new audiences across North America.
Topics: Black history in figure skating, Harlem-On-Ice, skating and segregation
Adele Inge: The Girl Who Did Backflips During World War II
No, that TikTok video you saw wasn't true. Surya Bonaly wasn't the first woman to do a backflip. During World War II, Adele Inge stunned audiences with acrobatic skating that pushed the boundaries of what women were expected to do on ice. This historical profile tells the story of a daring skater-performer whose athletic feats challenged both technical norms and wartime social constraints.
Topics: women in figure skating history, wartime skating, early acrobatic skating, backflips
One Of A Kind: The Osborne Colson Story
Osborne Colson was one of the most influential coaches in Canadian figure skating history, shaping generations of elite skaters while remaining largely unknown to the public. This article explores Mr C's coaching philosophy and lasting impact on modern figure skating.
Topics: Osborne Colson, figure skating coaches, Canadian figure skating
Contraptions and Contrivances: Figure Skating's Oddest Inventions
Throughout its history, figure skating has inspired strange and ambitious inventions designed to improve technique or guarantee success. This article catalogs some of the oddest figure skating inventions ever proposed, revealing what they say about innovation, anxiety, and progress in the sport.
Topics: figure skating inventions, skating technology history
The Art of Special Figures
Special figures were once considered the ultimate test of edge control and creativity in figure skating. This article explains the history of special figures, how they were judged, why they mattered, and why this demanding discipline eventually disappeared from competition.
Topics: special figures, compulsory figures
Those That Stayed: The Fates of Figure Skating's 'Enemy Aliens'
World conflicts reshaped figure skating in profound ways. This article investigates the lives of European skaters and officials labeled "enemy aliens" in the UK during wartime, documenting what happened to those who stayed behind and how geopolitics permanently altered figure skating history.
Topics: figure skating during World War II, enemy aliens, skating and politics