six U.S. pair crowns with Tornton Coolidge and George Hill. She enjoyed success internationally, earning medals at the Olympics and Worlds and was both a ladies and pairs champion at the North American Championships. Skating legends Dick Button, Gretchen
Dick Button Tenley Albright Laurence Owen
Merrill and Tenley Albright competed during the “Golden Age” of skating following World War II. Button, the winner of seven U.S. titles, won his second Olympic crown in 1952 as a member of Te Skating Club of Boston. He also collected three of his five World titles as a club member from 1950 to 1952. Merrill nabbed six U.S. la- dies titles from 1943 to 1948. Albright, a five-time U.S. ladies champion and the 1952 Olympic silver medalist, won World titles in 1953 (the first for the U.S. ladies) and 1955 before claiming gold at the 1956 Olympics (also a first for the U.S. ladies.) Nancy Rouillard and Ron Ludington secured two U.S. pairs titles from 1957 to 1958 while representing the club, and subsequently won two more U.S. titles and the bronze medal at the 1960 Olympics. Te Skating Club of Boston’s reputation as one of the country’s premier clubs continued to grow with an influx of talented young skaters, who were making their mark in the junior ranks. Brad- ley Lord, Laurence R. Owen and her sister Mari- bel Y. Owen, Dudley Richards and Gregory Kelley all captured junior titles or medals at the end of the 1950s. In 1961, this group of young athletes secured five titles at the U.S. Championships in Colorado Springs, Colo., and qualified for the World Championships in Prague. Tragically, they, along with the rest of the 1961 U.S. World Figure Skating Team, perished in a plane crash near Brus- sels, Belgium, on their way to Prague. Te disaster also claimed the lives of club members Maribel Vinson Owen, who coached her daughters; Kel- ley’s sister, Nathalie; as well as U.S. Figure Skating officials Walter Powell and Edward LeMaire, and LeMaire’s son, Richard. Te accident left the club, U.S. Figure Skat- ing and the world’s sports community devastated. Te Skating Club of Boston eventually be- gan the difficult task of moving forward. In 1962, the brother-and-sister team of Elizabeth and Paul George won the U.S. junior pair title. Lorraine Hanlon nabbed the U.S. ladies crown in 1963, while Tina Noyes secured the 1963 U.S. junior ladies title. Noyes also competed at two Olympics in 1964 and 1968. For the next half century, Te Skating Club
of Boston enjoyed moderate successes in the com- petitive arena. Suna Murray competed at the 1972 Olympic Games. In 1976, the team of Susan Kel- ley and Andy Stroukoff vied in the first Olympics that featured ice dancing. At the 1980 Olympics, Michael Botticelli placed seventh in pairs with partner Sheryl Franks. Paul Wylie, who skated at the 1988 Olympics, won the silver medal at the 1992 Olympics. Mark Mitchell, who coaches at the club, collected two bronze and one silver med- al at the U.S. Championships in the early 1990s. Jennifer Kirk, the 2004 U.S. bronze medalist,
26 APRIL 2012
grabbed the 2002 Four Continents title. Stephen Carriere and Ross Miner have each won bronze medals at recent U.S. Championships. Carriere and Kirk also won World Junior titles. Te club continues to have success in the
novice and junior ranks, nationally and interna- tionally, as well as at the U.S. Junior Champion- ships. Te Teachers Te Skating Club of Boston has always had some of the top coaches in the land. Fritz Schmidt of Germany was the club’s first
official teacher. Also from Germany, Georg and El- speth Muller, brother and sister, followed Schmidt and stayed until 1917. Georg invented the Dutch Waltz and the Fiesta Tango, among other compul- sory dances. Willie Frick, known as the “Boy Wonder
from Berlin,” came to the club in 1920 and was soon after joined by his accomplished American wife Cathleen Pope. Tey were regarded as great teachers and exhibition skaters. Tey taught at the club for more than 40 years, and guided the careers of virtually all the champions and near champions of the club during their tenure. Montgomery (Bud) Wilson arrived in 1946.
A Canadian, Wilson was a six-time titlist of the North American Championships from 1929-1939 and a nine-time Canadian champion. He was also a champion pair skater with his sister. He taught at the club for 18 years and was the director of the annual Ice Chips show. Cecilia Colledge of England joined the club
in 1952. Her skating credentials included win- ning the silver medal at the 1936 Olympics and the 1937 World title. She coached into the 1970s and became a member of the World Figure Skat- ing Hall of Fame in 1980. Tere have been many other distinguished members of the club’s coaching fraternity over the years. Tommy McGinnis is the senior member of the current staff. He has been instrumental in the annual Ice Chips production, as well as the club’s burgeoning learn-to-skate program with Linda Blount. Peter Johansson, Mark Mitchell, Barrett
Brown, Suna Murray and Bobbie Martin are also on the current staff and have helped many skat- ers achieve national and international recognition over the years since 1961. Ice Chips Te Skating Club of Boston’s century of suc- cess likely wouldn’t have been possible without its popular annual carnival, which has been known as “Ice Chips” since 1946. Tis year’s event on March 31 fittingly cel-
ebrated “100 years of Excellence,” with Olympic champion Evan Lysacek on the performance card. Te club presented its first ice carnival in
1911, showcasing the international style of skating to the public for the first time. In the mid-1920s it joined the New York and Philadelphia clubs for carnivals, which were the first joint ventures under the newly formed United States Figure Skating As- sociation.
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