TWO ERAS OF GREATNESS
They stand forever tied in history, the number 9
the fi nal result. In the 100 years of U.S. Figure Skating Cham-
pionships, Maribel Vinson dominated the fi rst 50 years; Michelle Kwan dominated the next. Icons of their own eras, Vinson and Kwan each won nine U.S. ladies titles, a record unlikely to be challenged. And while the tragedy of Sabena Flight 548 pre-
vented them from ever meeting one another, they will be forever connected. “Maribel Vinson Owen taught my coach, Frank
Carroll,” Kwan said so profoundly in the documenta- ry RISE. “The discipline, precision and technique she ingrained in him were in turn ingrained in me. So in a way, it was through him that I became her student. And it is through both of them that I became World champion.”
Maribel Vinson and Michelle Kwan are tied for most U.S. titles. That’s where the similarities end. By Barb Reichert
Maribel Vinson
U.S. ladies champion: 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1936, 1937
Maribel Vinson did not back down from any-
one or anything. She was a force, a larger-than-life personality, a maverick at a time when conformi- ty and moderation were en vogue. With the Great Depression as her back-
Maribel Vinson refused to compromise her athletic style to conform with the times. She went on to coach, leading her daughters (pictured above) Maribel Y. Owen, left, and Laurence Owen, right, to U.S. titles in 1961.
18 JANUARY 2014
drop, Vinson shook off drab trappings and mindsets to perform with unapologetic joy. Encouraged to become more ladylike, Vin- son would have none of it. With a fi rm respect of fi gures, she chal- lenged the delicate lines by attacking them with speed. She took that athleticism into the free skate, where she executed pro- grams in a style uniquely her own. A Re- naissance woman, Vinson’s innovative performance was criticized in a 1925
WORLD FIGURE SKATING MUSEUM
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