#tbt 1947 Worlds

Toronto Sun

About a week late, I stumbled on this slideshow on Time.com, showcasing the skaters of the 1947 World Championships in Sweden. Rare photos of Dick Button, Barbara Ann Scott and others offer a neat glimpse into figure skating's past.

A few observations:

There are no female judges. All judges appear to be stodgy-looking older white men.

The figures weren't perfectly symmetrical.

Everyone looks gleefully happy to be skating. It's like pressure and anxiety are nonexistent.

*NOTE the photo above is not from the slideshow, it's a photo of Barbara Ann Scott and Hans Gerschwiler practicing before the 1948 Olympics, which she won. But it's around the same time, so you get the idea.