Approach The Bench: Canada's Olympic And World Judges

Photo courtesy Skate Canada

"Hundreds of hours spent in freezing cold rinks... Early mornings, late nights..." Those words could easily describe the careers of any of Canada's top figure skaters, but they equally apply to the grossly underappreciated Canadians who have dedicated the better part of their lives to officiating the sport. Today's Skate Guard blog highlights the judges, referees and technical specialists who have represented The True North strong and free on the world's biggest stages.

CANADA'S OLYMPIC OFFICIALS

Year	Men's	Women's	Pairs	Ice Dance	Team Event
1932	J. Cecil McDougall	J. Cecil McDougall	(none)	N/A	N/A
1936	John Z. Machado*	(none)	(none)	N/A	N/A
1948	Melville Rogers	Melville Rogers	Melville Rogers	N/A	N/A
1952	Norman V.S. Gregory	Donald Gilchrist	Donald Gilchrist	N/A	N/A
1956	Ralph McCreath	Ralph McCreath	Ralph McCreath	N/A	N/A
1960	John Greig	John Greig	John Greig	N/A	N/A
1964	Bill Lewis	Suzanne (Morrow) Francis	Suzanne (Morrow) Francis	N/A	N/A
1968	Ralph McCreath	Pierrette Paquin Devine	Ralph McCreath, Donald Gilchrist (AR)	N/A	N/A
1972	Donald B. Cruikshank	Joan MacLagan	Joan MacLagan, Donald Gilchrist (AR)	N/A	N/A
1976	Suzanne (Morrow) Francis	Ralph McCreath, Donald Gilchrist (R)	Ralph McCreath	Dorothy Leamen	N/A
1980	Alice Pinos	Donald Gilchrist (AR)	Dennis McFarlane	Suzanne (Morrow) Francis	N/A
1984	Margaret (Crosland) Berezowski, Donald Gilchrist (R)	Norris Bowden	David Dore	Ann Shaw	N/A
1988	Jean Matthews	Dennis McFarlane, Donald Gilchrist (R)	Suzanne (Morrow) Francis	Ann Shaw	N/A
1992	Jean Matthews	Mary Pearson	Dennis McFarlane	Bill McLachlan	N/A
1994	Elizabeth Clark	Audrey Williams	Frances Dafoe	Jean Senft	N/A
1998	Sally Rehorick	(none)	John Greenwood	Jean Senft	N/A
2002	(none)	Debbie Islam	Benoit Lavoie	Ann Shaw (AR)	N/A
2006	William Thompson	Benoit Lavoie, Michael Slipchuk (TS)	William Thompson, David Moellenkamp (ATS)	John Greenwood, Marie Bowness (ATS)	N/A
2010	Debbie Islam	Cynthia Benson	Andrea Derby, David Moellenkamp (TS)	Jodi Abbott	N/A
2014	(none)	Karen Howard	Karen Butcher	Jodi Abbott	Karen Butcher
2018	Janice Hunter	Nicole LeBlanc-Richard	(none)	Leanna Caron	Janice Hunter, Leanna Caron
2022	Cynthia Benson	Janice Hunter, Kelly Cruickshank (ATS)	Andrea Derby	Nicole LeBlanc-Richard	Nicole LeBlanc-Richard, Andrea Derby, Kelly Cruickshank (ATS)

*John Z. Machado withdrew from the judging panel halfway through the men's event at the 1936 Winter Olympic Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen due to illness and was replaced by a German judge.

CANADA'S WORLD OFFICIALS

Year	Men's	Women's	Pairs	Ice Dance
1930	J. Cecil McDougall	J. Cecil McDougall	J. Cecil McDougall	N/A
1931	(none)	(none)	(none)	N/A
1932	Norman Mackie Scott	Norman Mackie Scott	Norman Mackie Scott	N/A
1933	(none)	(none)	(none)	N/A
1934	(none)	(none)	(none)	N/A
1935	(none)	(none)	(none)	N/A
1936	(none)	(none)	(none)	N/A
1937	(none)	(none)	(none)	N/A
1938	(none)	(none)	(none)	N/A
1939	(none)	(none)	(none)	N/A
1947	(none)	Donald B. Cruikshank	(none)	N/A
1948	Melville Rogers	Melville Rogers	Melville Rogers	N/A
1949	(none)	(none)	(none)	N/A
1950	Norman V.S. Gregory	Norman V.S. Gregory	Norman V.S. Gregory	(none)
1951	Donald Gilchrist	Donald Gilchrist	Donald Gilchrist	(none)
1952	Donald Gilchrist	Norman V.S. Gregory	Donald Gilchrist	Norman V.S. Gregory
1953	John Greig	John Greig	John Greig	(none)
1954	Melville Rogers	Melville Rogers	Melville Rogers	(none)
1955	Donald Gilchrist	Donald Gilchrist	Donald Gilchrist	(none)
1956	Ralph McCreath	Ralph McCreath	Ralph McCreath	(none)
1957	Pierrette Paquin Devine	Sandy McKechnie	Sandy McKechnie	Pierrette Paquin Devine
1958	Nigel Stephens	Gordon Jeffery	Nigel Stephens	Gordon Jeffery
1959	Donald Gilchrist	Pierrette Paquin Devine	Donald Gilchrist	Pierrette Paquin Devine
1960	Bill Lewis, Norman V.S. Gregory (R)	Bill Lewis, Sandy McKechnie (R)	Bill Lewis	Sandy McKechnie, Pierrette Paquin Devine (R)
1962	Norman V.S. Gregory	Melville Rogers	Melville Rogers	Norman V.S. Gregory
1963	Sandy McKechnie	Dick McLaughlin	Dick McLaughlin	Sandy McKechnie
1964	Pierrette Paquin Devine	Donald Gilchrist	Donald Gilchrist	Pierrette Paquin Devine
1965	Bill Lewis	Ralph McCreath	Ralph McCreath	Dorothy Leamen
1966	Suzanne (Morrow) Francis	Joan MacLagan	Suzanne (Morrow) Francis	Dorothy Leamen
1967	Donald Gilchrist	Donald B. Cruikshank	Donald Gilchrist	Frances (Abbott) Gunn
1968	Bill Lewis	Joan MacLagan	Bill Lewis	Frances (Abbott) Gunn
1969	Dorothy Leamen, Donald Gilchrist (R)	Donald B. Cruikshank	Dorothy Leamen	Barbara Lane
1970	Audrey Williams	Ralph McCreath	Ralph McCreath	George J. Blundun
1971	Donald Gilchrist (AR)	Barbara Graham	(none)	George J. Blundun
1972	Bill Lewis, Donald Gilchrist (R)	Suzanne (Morrow) Francis	Suzanne (Morrow) Francis	Audrey Moore
1973	Dorothy Leamen	Joan MacLagan	Alice Pinos, Donald Gilchrist (AR)	Frances (Abbott) Gunn
1974	Dorothy Leamen	David Dore	Dorothy Leamen, Donald Gilchrist (R)	Audrey Moore
1975	Ralph McCreath, Donald Gilchrist (AR)	Bill Lewis	Audrey Williams	Pierrette Paquin Devine
1976	Joan MacLagan	David Dore	Dorothy MacLeod, Donald Gilchrist (R)	George J. Blundun (AR), Joyce Hisey (S)
1977	David Dore	Norris Bowden	David Dore, Donald Gilchrist (R)	Joyce Hisey, George J. Blundun (AR)
1978	Dorothy MacLeod	Margaret (Crosland) Berezowski, David Dore (AR)	Norris Bowden, Donald Gilchrist (AR)	Roy Haines, George J. Blundun (R)
1979	Margaret (Crosland) Berezowski	Suzanne (Morrow) Francis	Suzanne (Morrow) Francis	Dennis McFarlane
1980	David Dore	Donald Gilchrist (AR)	Audrey Williams	Suzanne (Morrow) Francis
1981	Donald Gilchrist (R)	David Dore	Dorothy MacLeod	Joyce Hisey
1982	Norris Bowden, Dennis McFarlane (S)	Margaret (Crosland) Berezowski, Dennis McFarlane (S)	Norris Bowden	Joyce Hisey
1983	Margaret (Crosland) Berezowski	Margaret (Crosland) Berezowski	Suzanne (Morrow) Francis, Donald Gilchrist (R)	Ann Shaw
1984	Margaret (Crosland) Berezowski	(none)	Frances Dafoe, Donald Gilchrist (R)	Suzanne (Morrow) Francis, Joyce Hisey (AR)
1985	Norris Bowden	Jean Matthews	Frances Dafoe, Donald Gilchrist (AR)	Dennis McFarlane
1986	Jean Matthews	(none)	Ralph McCreath, Donald Gilchrist (R)	Bill McLachlan
1987	Jean Matthews	Donald Gilchrist (R)	Frances Dafoe	Suzanne (Morrow) Francis
1988	Jean Matthews	Audrey Moore	Suzanne (Morrow) Francis	Ann Shaw
1989	Jean Matthews	(none)	Audrey Williams, Donald Gilchrist (R)	Dennis McFarlane
1990	Audrey Williams (AR)	(none)	Frances Dafoe, Donald Gilchrist (R)	Jane Garden
1991	Mary Pearson	Jane Garden	Audrey Williams (S)	Joyce Hisey (AR)
1992	Jane Garden	(none)	Frances Dafoe (S)	(none)
1993	Elizabeth Clark	(none)	Frances Dafoe	(none)
1994	(none)	Margaret (Crosland) Berezowski	Susan Heffernan	Joyce Hisey (R)
1995	(none)	John Greenwood	Sally Rehorick (S)	Jane Garden, Ann Shaw (AR)
1996	Mary Pearson	(none)	Susan Blatz	Jean Senft, Ann Shaw (AR)
1997	Sally Rehorick	(none)	Debbie Islam	John Greenwood
1998	(none)	Susan Heffernan	(none)	Ann Shaw (R)
1999	(none)	(none)	Jane Garden	Elizabeth Clark
2000	Jane Garden	(none)	Susan Blatz	Elizabeth Clark
2001	Debbie Islam	John Greenwood (R)	Benoit Lavoie	Ann Shaw (AR)
2002	William Thompson	(none)	Sally Rehorick	John Greenwood (AR)
2003	Beth Crane	(none)	William Thompson, John Greenwood (R)	Elizabeth Clark
2004	Jean Senft	(none)	Sally Rehorick	Elizabeth Clark, Ann Shaw (R)
2005	Benoit Lavoie, Michael Slipchuk (TS)	(none)	Susan Blatz, Debbi Wilkes (ATS)	Marie Bowness (ATS)
2006	Debbie Islam, Benoit Lavoie (C)	Michael Slipchuk (TS)	Cynthia Benson, John Greenwood (R)	(none)
2007	Debbie Islam	Debbie Islam, Ravi Walia (TS)	Susan Heffernan, David Moellenkamp (ATS)	(none)
2008	Sally Rehorick (C)	Janice Hunter	Debbie Islam, David Moellenkamp (TS)	(none)
2009	(none)	Susan Heffernan (R)	Andrea Derby	(none)
2010	Ravi Walia (TS)	(none)	(none)	(none)
2011	(none)	(none)	(none)	Elizabeth Clark
2012	Ravi Walia (TS)	(none)	Andrea Derby	Jodi Abbott, Marie Bowness (TS)
2013	Beth Crane (C)	Susan Heffernan (R)	Karen Butcher, Jamie McGrigor (ATS)	Marie Bowness (TS)
2014	Benoit Lavoie	Cynthia Benson, Sally Rehorick (C)	Susan Heffernan	Leslie Keen, Shae Zukiwsky (TS)
2015	Beth Crane, Kelly Cruikshank (ATS)	(none)	Karen Howard	Rock Lemay (TS)
2016	Andrea Derby	Jean Senft, Benoit Lavoie (R), Jamie McGrigor (TS)	Benoit Lavoie	(none)
2017	Jeff Lukasik	Leanna Caron	Sally Rehorick	Nicole LeBlanc-Richard
2018	Susan Blatz, Sally Rehorick (R)	Lynne Dey	Karen Howard	Jean Senft, Marie Bowness (TS)
2019	Cynthia Benson	(none)	Andre-Marc Allain, Beth Crane (R)	Jodi Abbott (R)
2021	Ravi Walia (TS)	(none)	(none)	Marie Bowness (TS)
2022	Debbie Islam, Cynthia Benson (TC)	Karen Howard	Véronique Gosselin	(none)
2023	(none)	Beth Crane (TC)	Leanna Caron, Laurene Collin-Knoblauch (ATS)	(none)

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, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering a copy of figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html. 

The Moonah Glaciarium

Photo courtesy National Library Of Australia

On October 24, 1950, three thousand people gathered in Moonah, Australia for the grand opening of a novel attraction: a rink hailed as the first artificial open-air ice skating rink in the Southern Hemisphere. 

At the Moonah Glaciarium's opening, Tasmania's longest-serving Premier Robert Cosgrove remarked that the tourist attraction had been "erected by Tasmanian courage, Tasmanian energy and Tasmanian money." As Australian Champions Gweneth Molony and Adrian Swan gave performances of solo and pairs skating, the people of Moonah marvelled at a sport many had never even seen before. 

Photo courtesy "Skating World" magazine

The Moonah Glaciarium was the brainchild of a company called Tasmanian Glaciarium Ltd. Its technical advisor was a man named A.J. Flach, who had previously established seven artificial rinks in Europe. The Glaciarium's manager was Rowland Worsley, a former Tasmanian forestry minister. Ted Molony, who was affiliated with the Melbourne Glaciarium, served as an associate director. The Glaciarium was attached to a joinery works and timber mill on Main Road and its ice surface measured one hundred and eighty-five by eighty five-feet. It was open every day from eight in the morning to eleven at night.

Photo courtesy National Library Of Australia

Over thirty-seven thousand patrons passed through the gates in the first three months that the Moonah Glaciarium was open. Though the influx of customers (fueled mostly by curiosity) certainly brought in money, the venue was largely funded by government loans and faced financial difficulties from the onset. 

Photo courtesy "Skating World" magazine

The weather was also a major issue. The first summer the Moonah Glaciarium was open, temperatures reached record highs. The scorching heat, which alternated with spells of rain, forced Rowland Worsley to get creative and find a solution to maintain the ice's quality. A letter from one Mr. Foster to Cyril Beastall, the editor of "Skating World" magazine, noted, "To protect the ice during the heat of summer days, light covers built from pine and impregnated Sisalcraft, fitted on sleigh-runners and assembled in sections, have been used. This arrangement keeps the ice in perfect condition at a very low cost in refrigeration power. Though temperatures of over eighty degrees have been experienced, no difficulties have been encountered."

Photo courtesy National Library Of Australia

Interest in skating in Tasmania flourished and a restaurant serving afternoon tea and supper was added to the Moonah Glaciarium. The people of Hobart invested nearly thirty thousand pounds in ice skates and The Friends' School established skating lessons for its students. In December of 1950, the first hockey game in Tasmania was held. Soon, speed skating races were organized and The Hobart Skating Club was formed. An instructor named Lois Henty was hired to teach the people of Tasmania the difference between a sit spin and a Salchow. At the Glaciarium's carnivals, skaters like Gweneth, Pat and Ted Molony, Nancy Hallam and Ann MacGillicuddy wowed audiences. The December 30, 1950 of "The Mercury" reported on one carnival thusly: "One of the highlights was the flying of a model plane from the ice for the first time in Australia. The plane was flown by Mr. R. Wilson of the Hobart Model Aero Club. Miss Jan Levis, of Hobart, won a prize for being 'the most attractive girl on the ice.'"

Photos courtesy National Library Of Australia

Though skating couldn't have been any more popular in Tasmania in 1952, things behind the scenes at the Moonah Glaciarium were far from rosy. The management were really struggling financially, with tens of thousands of pounds in government loans looming over the heads. Late at night on August 2, 1952, there was a fire in one of the Glaciarium's changing rooms. Oil in the adjacent machinery room excelerated the blaze and between ten and fifteen thousand pounds of damage was done. Then, around two in the morning on May 25, 1953, there was another fire in a locker room that caused a further three thousand pounds of damage. Dozens of pairs of skates went up in flames and the local police launched an investigation. By this time, the Glaciarium was already in liquidation. It was sold in the summer of 1953, renovated and converted to a square dance hall. Despite its short run, the Moonah Glaciarium's memory lingers today... a very unique footnote in figure skating history.

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, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering a copy of figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.

Toe-Loop's In Texas: The Sully Kothmann Story

Lucile Ann Ash and Sully Kothmann

In the first half of the twentieth century, figure skating wasn't exactly a sport that thrived in the America's Deep South. In the late forties, the state of Texas only played host to three permanent ice rinks - the Texas Ice Palace in Beaumont, the Dallas Ice Arena and the San Pedro Park Ice Co's Iceland rink in San Antonio. Ice was only installed in the Will Rogers Coliseum in Fort Worth when a touring ice show like the Ice Follies rolled into town. Despite its lack of training facilities, The Lone Star State played host to some damn fine skaters... but never one that 'made it big'. All of that changed when Sully Kothmann came along.

The son of Agnes Anita (Riley) and Roy Monroe Kothmann, Carlos Anesee 'Sully' Kothmann was born February 26, 1933 in Uvalde, Texas. He grew up on West Huisache Avenue in the historic neighborhood of Jefferson, San Antonio with his parents and older brother Riley, who went by 'Boots'. Boots and Sully's father was a prominent cattleman who established a number of livestock sales companies which played a big part in supporting the economies of the rural areas where they were located.

Sully first took to the ice at the age of six at the San Pedro Park Iceland rink just before World War II broke out. As a tall, lanky student at the Central Catholic High School and Jesuit College Preparatory School in San Antonio, he divided his training time between the San Pedro Park Iceland and the Dallas Ice Arena over four hours away. After graduating high school, Sully moved north to attend Colorado College and joined the Broadmoor Skating Club. It was there his skating career really took off.

Mary Ann Dorsey, Sully Kothmann, Betty Lynne Stogner, Ronnie Robertson, Dickie Vraa, Stephanie Westerfeld and Carol Keyes at the 1952 Midwestern Championships. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine.

In 1952, Sully was the Midwestern Champion in junior men's and the bronze medallist in novice men's at the U.S. Championships - the first medal ever won by Texan man at the event. 

The following year, Sully and Kay Servatius took the bronze in senior pairs at the U.S. Championships. Kay received an offer to join Holiday On Ice, so Sully briefly teamed up with Frances Dorsey. The partnership didn't work out and within weeks he teamed up with Lucile Ann Ash.

Lucile Ann Ash and Sully Kothmann

In a matter of three years, Lucile and Sully won the Midwestern pairs title, three medals at the U.S. Championships, finished fourth in the North American Championships and in the top eight at two World Championships. They represented America at the 1956 Winter Olympic Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, where they placed a very impressive seventh ahead of two teams who would go on to medal at the European Championships two years later. Sully was the first Texan figure skater to ever compete at the Olympics, World and North American Championships.

Video courtesy Frazer Ormondroyd

In the sixties, Sully coached at Westwood Ice Skating Studio in Los Angeles and the Van Nuys Iceland rink. Afterwards, he opened his own restaurant... which ended up going down a canyon embankment during The 1971 San Fernando Earthquake. That same year, his brother Boots passed away and he had to go back to Texas to help run one of the family businesses, the Uvalde Livestock Commission Co. A later four year offer to teach Olympic hopefuls in Australia turned into an eight year job. Sully and his wife Taylor settled moved to Arizona in 1982, where he opened his own figure skating school. Sully tragically passed away of a sudden heart attack on May 5, 1986 in Scarsdale at the age of fifty-three.

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, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering a copy of the figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.

Delightful Dancers From D.C.: The Anne Davies And Carleton Hoffner Jr. Story

Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine

Born December 21, 1930 and April 23, 1931, Anne Maxwell Davies and Carleton Crosby Hoffner Jr. both came from military families. Carleton's father was a Rear Admiral who was on active duty with the U.S. Navy in Hawaii when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941. Anne's father was on active domestic service during World War II at Camp Pendleton in California.

Anne and Carleton met at the Washington (D.C.) Figure Skating Club as youngsters. They were  primarily coached by Norval Baptie, but worked with Howard Nicholson and Nancy Allard in Lake Placid in the summers. Their first 'big break' as skaters came at the 1944 Middle Atlantic Championships, when they defeated fifteen other couples to win the Silver Dance event. Never before in the history of the event had a twelve and thirteen year old won the title. As tests passed (not age) decided who qualified for the event, some of their competitors were twice their age. They went on to finish second in Silver Dance at that year's Eastern Championships. The following year at the Middle Atlantics, they were second in senior pairs and first in Gold Dance. Carleton won the junior men's title as well. Anne was also a talented singles skater, placing fifth out of twenty four entries in the novice women's event at that year's Eastern Championships. They won their first of many medals - a bronze in dance - at that year's U.S. Championships.

Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine

At the ages of fourteen and fifteen, Anne and Carleton made history in 1946 as the youngest winners of the U.S. dance title and only the third and fourth skaters from D.C. to win a gold medal at the U.S. Championships in any discipline. Anne and Carleton also made history two of the first dozen skaters to pass the USFSA's Gold Dance Test. Anne was the youngest of the bunch and Carleton was the first double Gold Medallist, passing both Gold Dance and his Eighth Test in figures. In his book "Skating In America", ISU Historian and USFSA President Benjamin T. Wright recalled, "The quality of the compulsory dances of Davies and Hoffner was such that upon completion of their Kilian, the audience refused to permit the competition to continue until they did an encore, certainly an unprecedented occurrence in competition."

In the years that followed, Anne and Carleton won the bronze medal at the 1949 U.S. Championships in pairs skating, two medals in ice dance at the North American Championships and six more medals at the U.S. Championships in pairs and dance, including the U.S. junior pairs title in 1948. Most remarkable was their bronze medal win in dance at the 1949 North American Championships in Philadelphia. Anne had been hospitalized with a serious kidney infection and actually checked herself out to compete but was so ill the next day that they had to withdraw from the pairs event. Anne and Carleton's skating career ended in 1951. They had been practicing in Baltimore with hopes of competing at that year's U.S. Championships, but Carleton's schedule at the United States Naval Academy had made it impossible for them to have enough time to really practice.

Carleton Hoffner playing tennis at the United States Naval Academy

Carleton had graduated from high school at the top of his class and enrolled as a midshipman in the University Of Virginia's National Reserve Officer Training Corps program before attending the United States Naval Academy. When he wasn't skating, he was playing tennis and squash competitively or strumming his ukelele. Anne attended Woodrow Wilson High School, where she was an enthusiastic member of the cheerleading squad. She modelled clothing for a local department store.

Anne Davies with members of the Woodrow Wilson High School cheerleading squad

Anne married Robert Sinnette Rieley, an office manager with the Blake Construction Company of Washington, D.C., in 1950. She moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana when her husband took a job as the manager of the State Public Welfare Building. An avid gardener, swimmer and golfer, she wrote to "Skating" magazine in 1955, "Marriage, children, just plain homemaking... I really enjoy every minute of it. Our baby is a cute, curly-headed, red-haired fellow and is the joy of our lives." Sadly, Anne passed away on February 25, 1995 in Round Hill, Virginia at the age of sixty-three.

Carleton Hoffner (left) at the United States Naval Academy

Carleton married registered nurse Connie Read on June 5, 1953, the same day he graduated from the Naval Academy. He served with the United States Navy in the Korean War, worked at the Pentagon and with the Defense Department, providing logistical support in Asia and South Pacific during the Vietnam War. His military and work duties took his family to Guam, Hawaii, Virginia and California. In the nineties, he got into politics, serving as a city councillor in Palo Alto. He passed away on April 21, 2020, two days before his eighty-ninth birthday.

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, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering a copy of figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.

Happy Canada Day!

Happy Canada Day to all of you! 

Wondering how you can celebrate the rich history of Canadian figure skating today? I've got you covered...

WATCH A DOCUMENTARY

Released on March 14, 1984 on what is now Global Television, "The Golden Age Of Canadian Skating" was produced by Milad Bessada and hosted by newscaster Jan Tennant. It was researched and written by David Young, who released his book "The Golden Age Of Canadian Figure Skating" that year. Through interviews with eleven of Canada's figure skating legends, including the likes of Barbara Ann Scott and Donald Jackson, this special remains to this day one of the more important historical documentaries on Canadian figure skating ever produced. 

READ A BOOK

The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating is a mammoth 432-page book crammed with fascinating facts and figures, many of which you simply can't find online.

This compelling reference book includes:

- Biographies of hundreds of skaters, coaches, choreographers, judges and builders... including many incredible people you have never even heard of.

- Detailed records of Canadian figure skating competitions dating back to the 19th century, including complete results of the Canadian Championships from the early 20th century to present day.

- Intriguing facts and figures about the governance and growth of Canada's most exciting winter sport.

Available for purchase on Amazon in paperback, hardcover, as well in as a Kindle e-book edition.

Order your copy today!

READ BLOGS, EXPLORE PHOTOS AND MORE!

Check out the Canadian Skating History board on Skate Guard's Pinterest for hundreds of blogs, photos and much, more more!

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, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering a copy of the figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.

King Of Coaches: The Pepi Weiß-Pfändler Story

 "Without him we wouldn't have a [winner]. The Vienna School owes him a lot." - "Neue Freie Presse", February 25, 1927

Josef 'Pepi' Weiß-Pfändler was born in Vienna, Austria in 1880. He first took to the ice at the Cottage Eislaufverein at the age of eleven. Two years later, he began skating at Eduard Engelmann's rink in Hernals and in 1896, he joined the Training-Eis-Klub. That same winter, he entered his first speed skating competition on the frozen Danube river, winning a five hundred meter race, backwards skating race and obstacle course. His successes as a speed skater continued through the Edwardian era. In 1913, he won his last five hundred and fifteen hundred meter races and was awarded the Pollak-Parnegg-Preis.

It wasn't until the age of thirty three, when he retired from speed skating, that Pepi started seriously pursuing speed skating. He started training for the 1914 European Championships, which were to be held in Vienna, but was talked out of it by the Österreichischer Eislauf-Verband's future President Hans Pfeiffer, who felt he could best serve the sport as an instructor. After one winter teaching at the Engelmann rink just before the Great War, he took a position as the head trainer at the prestigious Wiener Eislaufverein. 

Top: Pepi Weiß-Pfändler and Fritzi Burger. Bottom: Ludwig Wrede, Herma Szabo, Pepi Weiß-Pfändler and Willy Böckl.

From the early twentieth century until World War II, Austrian skaters dominated the international figure skating scene, bringing home dozens of medals at the European and World Championships... and Pepi had a hand in coaching nearly all of them. Over the years, he was the trainer of no less than thirteen Olympic Medallists: Karl Schäfer, Herma Szabo and Ludwig Wrede, Willy Böckl, Helene Engelmann and Alfred Berger, Fritzi Burger, Lilly Scholz and Otto Kaiser, Melitta Brunner, Felix Kaspar and Ilse and Erik Pausin. At one point or another, he also gave lessons to a fourteenth Olympic Gold Medallist, Sonja Henie.

Pepi Weiß-Pfändler and Fritzi Burger

After the Great War, Pepi worked with several pre-War champion skaters, including World Champions Gilbert Fuchs and Fritz Kachler and European Champion Ernst Herz. His other students included Karl Mejstrik, Idi Papez and Karl Zwack, Hilde Holovsky, Paula Zalaudek, Grete Lainer, Hedy Stenuf, Hanne Niernberger, Erich Erdös, Ilse Hornung, Liselotte Landbeck, Gisela Reichmann, Dr. Hugo Distler, Herbert Alward, Emil and Herta Ratzenhofer, Otto Preißecker and Ernst Oppacher. Skaters that Pepi taught won over eighty medals at the World Championships - a record that no modern coach can come to close to touching. It's important to recognize that the coach/skater relationships in Pepi's day weren't the same as today. There was no coach travelling to every competition, sitting in a kiss n' cry area and holding their skate guards. They were largely self-sufficient, but the intermittent lessons they had with their trainers in between these competitions played a very important role in their development.

In an interview with Harrington E. Crissey Jr. for "The Journal of the Figure Skating Historical Society" in 1994, Melitta Brunner recalled, "Weisz was paid a salary by the Wiener Eislauf Verein rather than having his students pay him. He wouldn't just take anyone under his wing; he would send out talent scouts on the rink - it was a very large rink, one of the biggest in Europe. The scouts, who were skaters who taught the general public, would comb the rink for children with ability. These children were taken to a special portion of the rink for training on a two-week trial basis. If Weisz didn't feel the chid merited instruction, he or she would be let go. That's how Vienna became so well known for its skating instruction. People from all over the world studied at the Wiener Eislauf Verein. One day, right after the Chamonix Olympics of 1924, a young girl showed up to have lessons with Pepi Weisz. When I asked who the girl was, I learned she had skated in the Olympics and finished last. I thought she looked very good. It was Sonja Henie. Wilhelm Henie, Sonja's father, was a top Norwegian fur merchant and a smart guy. When the 1924 Olympics ended, he asked where Herma Szabo, the gold medalist, had trained and found that she studied with Weisz at the Wiener Eislauf Verein; so he headed there and stayed at the Imperial Hotel. He used Sonja to help his business by dressing her up in a mink coat and fur hats and while Sonja had daily lessons from Weisz for a month, Papa Henie took orders from Viennese fur merchants."

Lilly Weiller, Pepi Weiß-Pfändler, Fritzi Burger, Ilse Hornung and Edith Hecht

The skaters that listened to Pepi clearly succeeded, and unfortunately one skater who didn't paid the ultimate price. In November of 1934, Pepi expressly forbade a twenty-three year old ice clown named Oskar Loschitz from practicing a somersault on the ice. Oskar waited until Pepi wasn't around, tried it anyway and smashed his head. He was taken to the hospital and died of cerebral bleeding not long after.

The Eislaufstlefel, a brand of skating boots endorsed by Pepi in the thirties

Pepi's talents extended far beyond figure and speed skating. He also worked with Vienna's hockey teams and speed skaters and enjoyed playing bandy, hunting, skiing, cycling, fencing, boxing and wrestling. He was a member of the Danube rowing team and by all accounts, and excellent marksman. His greatest love, however, was music. For over thirty years, he played the cornet and flugelhorn with the Wiener Volksoper orchestra.

In 1934, Pepi was honoured by the Wiener Eislaufverein for his twenty years of service, "care and tireless zeal". He retired a few years later, leaving the club's skaters in the hands of Gustav Hügel and Anton Steiner. He passed away after a long illness on May 25, 1939 at the age of fifty-nine. Two months before his death, Vienna's Vice-Mayor presented him with a certificate on behalf of the city, noting his contribution to skating in Austria. Sadly, since his death, his contributions to the sport have gone almost completely unnoticed... and he's yet to have been inducted to the World Figure Skating Hall Of Fame.

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, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering a copy of the figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.

The 1933 World Figure Skating Championships

Sonja Henie receiving an award in Stockholm. Photo courtesy National Archives of Poland.

The year was 1933. Ulrich Salchow was the President of the International Skating Union, everyone was humming along to Saul Chaplin and Sammy Cahn's hit song "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen" and the world marvelled at two exciting new convenience food products: Skippy Churned Peanut Butter and Kraft Miracle Whip Dressing. That February, a who's who of the figure skating world convened in two of the burgeoning sport's biggest 'power countries' to decide the 1933 World Figure Skating Championships. The women's and pairs competitions were organized by Salchow's home club - the Stockholms Allmanna Skridskoklubb - and held on February 11 and 12, 1933.

The Swedish organizers spared no expense, concluding the event with a lavish banquet at the Grand Hôtel Royal every single competitor and judge received souvenirs and prizes. Held the week after the Swiss Winter Sports Week in Zürich, the men's event at the Doldier Stadion was held with much less fanfare. One of the more interesting footnotes from this events was the fact that professional skater Phil Taylor - Megan Taylor's father, entertained the Swedes with an exhibition... a rarity in an ISU sanctioned competition in a period where the strict rules of amateurism were constantly espoused. Hop in the time machine as we take a brief look back at the stories and scandals from this competition of yesteryear!

THE PAIRS COMPETITION

Photo of Stockholm venue. Courtesy National Archives of Poland.

The most interesting story surrounding the pairs competition at the 1933 World Championships had more to do with who didn't attend than who did. Former Olympic Gold Medallist and World Champion Lilly Gaillard (Scholz) was one of the most decorated pairs skaters of her era and had won an incredible five consecutive medals with her first partner, Otto Kaiser, in the twenties. Her new partner Willy Petter caused quite a stir in the Austrian press at the time by announcing that the duo would not attend the World Championships. Frustrated by their loss at the 1933 European Championships in London, Petter was clear that the reason that he and Gaillard declined an invitation to Stockholm was because they felt the judges had shown clear bias towards the other top Austrian pair of the time, Idi Papez and Karl Zwack.

Idi Papez and Karl Zwack. Photo courtesy National Archives of Poland.

Though only five teams ultimately vied for the pairs title that year, the event was really a two-way battle between Papez and Zwack and the Hungarians, Emília Rotter and László Szollás. Swedish skating historian Gunnar Bang recalled that Rotter and Szollás "lift and small 'step' always goes 'home' among the general public... The battle against Papez and Zwack of Vienna was hard and even, as the latter had many small, clever combinations and a very funny little pirouette, which later became their speciality." In an extremely close three-two split of the judging panel, the Hungarians narrowly edged the Austrians for the title.

Randi Bakke and Christen Christensen. Photo courtesy Nasjonalbiblioteket.

Norway's Randi Bakke and Christen Christensen edged two Swedish teams for the bronze. Their medal win was Norway's first in pairs skating at the World Championships in ten years.

THE WOMEN'S COMPETITION

The nine competitors in the women's event at the 1933 World Championships in Stockholm. Photo courtesy Bildarchiv Austria.

If there was one central theme to the women's event in 1933, it was youth. At twenty, two time Olympic Gold Medallist and heavy favourite Sonja Henie was one of the 'elder stateswomen' of the field. She faced significant challenges from twelve year old Megan Taylor, thirteen year old Cecilia Colledge and fifteen Hilde Holovsky... but then again, she was Sonja Henie. The "Sport Tagblatt" praised the efforts of both Taylor and Colledge in the school figures highly, noting that Megan was "surprisingly good" and "really had no weak sides" and saying Cecilia was a "pure" skater who always had correct tracings.

Hilde Holovsky (left); Cecilia Colledge in Stockholm (right). Photos courtesy Anno, National Archives of Poland.

The same newspaper described Henie as "more masculine, with a great swing." After the figures, Henie led with two hundred and fifteen points to Sweden's Vivi-Anne Hultén's two hundred and two. Taylor was third, Colledge fourth, Holovsky fifth and Belgium's Liselotte Landbeck sixth.

Vivi-Anne Hultén skating her figures. Photo courtesy National Archives of Poland.

Between twenty and twenty five thousand spectators turned out at the outdoor stadium in Stockholm to watch the women's free skate, with many more sent home at the turnstiles as there simply wasn't any more room. In dramatic fashion, Henie drew the 'unlucky' first position in the starting order. Of the thirty dresses she packed, she chose a red one. Starting out very strong, the dominant Norwegian almost fell near the end of her program. When Hultén took the ice in a white dress, one Swedish journalist had all the ammo they needed to pen an article which Gunnar Bang later described as "cruel" casting Hultén as the angel and Henie as the devil. However, the real star of the evening was young Hilde Holovsky. Her brilliant performance was lauded by the Swedish press, who said she was in "a class by herself". The Austrian press claimed that Henie herself admitted that the young Austrian had outskated her. One brave judge, Austria's Otto Bohatsch, even dared to place Holovsky ahead of Henie in the free skate. In the end, Henie won yet another World title, Hultén narrowly edged Holovsky for the bronze and the two talented young Britons Taylor and Colledge placed fourth and fifth. When Henie returned to Oslo days after the event, some fifteen thousand well-wishers gathered in a throng hoping to catch a glimpse of the young starlet.

Sonja Henie in Stockholm. Photo courtesy Bibliothèque nationale de France.

THE MEN'S COMPETITION

Karl Schäfer

Unlike the dramatic pairs and women's competitions, the 1933 men's event was about as anti-climactic as a restaurant that only serves wine by the glass and not the carafe or bottle. As much as the Austrian press tried to point out the fact that their 'number two' man Erich Erdös had made great improvements as of late and might give Karl Schäfer a run for his money, everyone knew Schäfer was the man to beat and that unless he made uncharacteristic errors, it would next to impossible for anyone to do so.

With outstanding performances in both the school figures and free skate, Schäfer easily won his fourth consecutive World title with first place ordinals from all five judges in both phases of the competition. Similarly, Germany's Ernst Baier - who Gunnar Bang noted had "progressed extremely in the last year" was a solid second on all but one judge's scorecard. 

Ernst Baier. Photo courtesy Bibliothèque nationale de France.

The battles between the skaters that followed were perhaps the most interesting. Markus Nikkanen and Erich Erdös (third and fourth place) and Herbert Haertel and Edi Scholdan (fifth and sixth place) tied in ordinal placings, with the point totals determining the result in both cases to the detriment of both Austrian skaters. In a case of blatant national bias, French judge Charles Sabouret stood alone in placing his country's own entry, Jean Henrion, sixth when no other judge had him higher than last or second to last place.

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, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering a copy of the figure skating reference books "The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating", "Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps" and "A Bibliography of Figure Skating": https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.