U.S. Figure Skating HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2014
Leadership, innovation propel Benson, Kubicka, Beard into elite company When Dr. Larry Mondschein, nom-
inating committee chair of the U.S. Fig- ure Skating Hall of Fame, announced the three new inductees, he was struck by the diversity of their remarkable credentials. “Their contributions to our sport are in
many ways so diff erent, but their impact is immeasurable,” Mondschein said. “Lynn Benson is clearly in a league of her
B Lynn
1986 — Silver 1987 — Silver 1988 — Gold 1989 — Gold 1990 — Silver 1991 — Gold 1992 — Gold 1993 — Gold 1994 — Gold 1995 — Silver
own,” Mondschein said. “Thanks in part to Lynn’s signifi cant contributions, the U.S. Syn- chronized Skating program has continued to fl ourish and remains a force on the world stage. “Terry Kubicka was one of our most ath-
letic skaters who captured the U.S. men’s tri- ple crown — novice, junior and senior. Today, Terry continues to contribute to our sport as
an ISU technical specialist. “And Al Beard simply was a man ahead of
his time. In the early 1970s, he single-hand- edly made U.S. Figure Skating the fi rst to use computerized scoring. What we now take for granted by obtaining competition results within seconds can be attributed to the pio- neering work of Al Beard.”
enson
COMPETITIVE HIGHLIGHTS
U.S. Synchronized Championships (fi rst contested in 1984):
1996 — Gold 1997 — Gold 1998 — Gold 1999 — Silver 2000 — Gold 2001 — Gold 2002 — Gold 2003 — Gold 2004 — Gold 2005 — Gold
International (World Champion- ships fi rst contested in 2000): 2000 French Cup — Gold 2000 World Synchronized Championships — 5th place 2001 Spring Cup — Silver 2001 World Synchronized Championships — 5th place 2002 Spring Cup — Bronze 2002 World Synchronized Championships — 4th place
2003 French Cup — Gold 2003 World Synchronized Championships — 5th place 2004 Neuchâtel Trophy — Silver 2004 World Synchronized Championships — 4th place
2005 Prague Cup — Bronze 2005 World Synchronized Championships — 4th place
50 JANUARY 2014
IN HER OWN WORDS: “Being elected into the Hall of Fame is such an honor. It’s amazing, really. To say ‘thank you’
to the electors doesn’t seem enough, because it means so much to me. I couldn’t have accomplished any of this without the help of so many good people along the way: the ath- letes, the offi cials and even the parents. They do a lot of work behind the scenes, and those parents have to be true to the thought that the whole is greater than the single skater. Being named to the hall is truly a highlight in my life.”
Considered the “Mother of Synchronized
Skating,” Lynn Benson founded the Haydenettes Synchronized Skating Teams in 1979 as a way to encourage young skaters to continue compet- ing in the sport of fi gure skating. After a singles career at The Skating Club of Boston, Benson embarked on a coaching career that would span 32 years, all in Lexington, Mass. For 26 of those years, Benson focused on the development of synchronized skating and the Haydenettes. Benson’s senior teams won 15 of the 22 U.S. Synchronized Championships in which they competed and earned a top-fi ve fi nish at the fi rst fi ve consecutive ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships. Benson’s Haydenettes performed during the lighting of the holiday tree at New York’s Rockefeller Center and were prominently featured performing on New York’s Wollman Rink during live broadcasts of the Ma- cy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. In 2003, Benson became the fi rst synchronized skating coach to be named Coach of the Year by both U.S. Figure Skating and the Professional Skaters As- sociation. Upon her retirement in 2005, Benson helped select current Haydenettes coach Saga Krantz, who continues the goal of excellence on an international level. For the past eight seasons, Benson has served as Team USA’s team leader at many international events. Lynn Benson is the fi rst synchronized skating coach or athlete to be named to the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame.
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