Etched in Ice: 6 skaters who left an imprint
As the figure skating competition heated up at the Sochi Olympics, two former American skating champions were to arrive in St. Petersburg, Russia, on a mission from the U.S. State Department. Evan Lysacek, 2010 gold medalist, and Rachael Flatt, former U.S. champion, were to conduct clinics with young Russian skaters as part of a good-will program, according to the State Department. The trip celebrated the 140th anniversary of modern figure skating, introduced in Russia by Jackson Haines, an American skater and dancer.
While many people have heard of Lysacek and Flatt, virtually no one outside of skating knows a thing about Jackson Haines – except James R. Hines, retired professor of Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Va., and author of “Figure Skating, A History,” (University of Illinois Press 2006).
Jackson Haines, as it turns out, was part showman, part skater and arguably the father of modern skating.
It’s not as though the Russians had never heard of skating before Haines popped up. But he was different. At a time when skating focused on figures etched in the ice, Haines prioritized body position and is credited with developing the sit spin. Announcements of his performances billed him as an “ice dancer.”
“It is usually said he was a champion of America, but there were multiple champions of America,” Hines says. “There was no major governing body for an extended period putting on the championships … Everyone you ran across claimed to be a champion.”
During Haines’ short life (he died in 1875 at 35), he became the sport’s first superstar. “There’s no question of his influence,” Hines said.
Some skaters are that way. They leave an imprint. Here are six examples:
