#tbt Throwback Thursday

TGI #tbt, my weekly excuse to revisit my favorite skating performances past. Today, I'm taking a look back at two of my skating idols, 1956 Olympic Champ Tenley Albright and 1976 Olympic Champ Dorothy Hamill. I always thought my skating style resembled theirs somewhat--graceful in a sort of commanding, athletic way, more so than an artistic or ostentatious one. They weren't bendy-flexy, flat-chested girls, they were solid women. And they were darn good out there on the ice.

Here's Tenley Albright at the 1953 National Championships in Hershey, PA (I skated there once too!):

Her split jumps are out of this world, and the cross-foot spin she does at the end is hypnotic. It's interesting to note that jumps are far from the focus of the performance, a very different tactic from today's competitive programs. There are about four total (five if you count the axel-double loop at the end), sprinkled in between her numerous footwork passes, which dominate the routine. The sport has evolved much since Albright's time, but skaters today can learn a lot from watching performances of this era (1950s).

Next up, Dorothy Hamill's Olympic Gold Medal--winning freeskate in Innsbruck, Austria at the 1976 Winter Games.

Girl got the job done. She was unstoppable on a mission for gold. Twenty years after Tenley won in Cortina D'Ampezzo, you can see jumps and spins become a heavier focus in programs, footwork becomes less so, and you begin to see the way the modern freeskate evolved. And I can't forget to mention the glorious Hamill Camel and her flawless layback spin.

In both performances, we also see the long lost Walley jump. It's kind of like a cross between a one-legged salchow and a toe loop without the toepick takeoff. Don't really see that anymore. I wonder why?

And now here's my Novice Ladies short program from long ago that I think proves that these two fine lady champions above influenced my skating. I once heard Dorothy Hamill describe herself as a "truck driver" on the ice. While I think she's exaggerating in regard to her own skating, I definitely think I was also of the truck driver variety of skater.