Figure Skating in the 60s, Part 1: The 1960 Games and Team 1961

The 60s were an unforgettable time for the sport, for many reasons. We start the decade with another successful Olympics for the Americans, and then the greatest tragedy this sport has ever known. It took the sport, particularly the US team, several years to recover, and then ended with polish and elegance.

The 1960 Olympics
During the 1960 Olympics, Barbara Wagner and Robert Paul of Canada took the title for pairs.

The men's costumes are starting become a little more form-fitting than what we have seen in the past few decades, and Barbara Wagner's dress is similar to other 50s style skating dresses. David Jenkins brought home the Gold for the men.

I love seeing these action shots!
After taking the silver medal to Tenley Albright's gold in 1956, Carol Heiss had a big comeback and won the gold medal in the 1960 Games.

In the 60s, the ladies' costumes start to experiment more with different skirts, necklines, and embellishments. Carol's dress here shows a growing trend throughout the decade, a mock-turtleneck type look. The skirt design is really unique and I have not seen any others like it. And here she is wearing her victory crown.

Sadly, these feelings of joy did not last for Team USA as long as they would have hoped.

The 1961 US Figure Skating Team

Following the 1960 Olympics, the United States started to see a new group of up-and-coming skaters, favored to win at the 1964 Olympics. One of the most notable skaters was Laurence "Laurie" Owen, daughter of renowned coach Maribel Vinson Owen.

Laurie Owen also had a sister who competed in pairs. Her name was Maribel, after her mother. Here are all the Owen ladies together.

The Owens, along with the remainder of the US Figure Skating Team, were very excited to head to the World Championships. They all boarded Sabena Flight 548 headed to the Championships in Prague.

What happened next is the greatest tragedy our sport has ever known. The plane had a crash landing in Belgium. There were no survivors. This event rocked the entire international skating community so greatly that the World Championships were cancelled that year.

If you have not made the trip to the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame Museum in Colorado Springs, I strongly encourage it. The 1961 exhibit impacted me tremendously. This happened 21 years before I was born, but I felt like I had seen it happen. As I did, you will most likely cry.

A book was written by Patricia Shelley Bushman to commemorate this event titled Indelible Tracings. From what I have read so far, it is an inspiring and great read. I do need to finish it. You can find out more about the book and the 1961 Team here:

http://www.1961team.com/index.html

Out of this great tragedy, US Figure Skating created the Memorial Fund. It was originally created to honor all the lives lost in the crash, and is now used to help many talented skaters reach their athletic and academic goals. You can learn more about the Memorial Fund here.

http://www.usfsa.org/story?id=84022&menu=memorialfund

I will conclude this portion of the 60s post here to allow for reflection of the 1961 victims.

This post is dedicated to the 1961 US Figure Skating Team.

In Memory, from Icy Trails