Figure Skating in the Formative Years: Singles, Pairs, and the Expanding Role of Women
James R. Hines
Abstract
Once a winter pastime for socializing and courtship, skating evolved into the wildly popular competitive sport of figure skating, one of the few athletic arenas where female athletes hold a public profile—and earning power—equal to that of men. This book chronicles figure skating's rise from its earliest days through its head-turning debut at the 1908 Olympics and its breakthrough as entertainment in the 1930s. The book credits figure skating's explosive expansion to an ever-increasing number of women who had become proficient skaters and wanted to compete, not just in singles but with partner ... More
Once a winter pastime for socializing and courtship, skating evolved into the wildly popular competitive sport of figure skating, one of the few athletic arenas where female athletes hold a public profile—and earning power—equal to that of men. This book chronicles figure skating's rise from its earliest days through its head-turning debut at the 1908 Olympics and its breakthrough as entertainment in the 1930s. The book credits figure skating's explosive expansion to an ever-increasing number of women who had become proficient skaters and wanted to compete, not just in singles but with partners as well. Matters reached a turning point when British skater Madge Syers entered the otherwise-male 1902 World Championship held in London and finished second. Called skating's first feminist, Syers led a wave of women who made significant contributions to figure skating and helped turn it into today's star-making showcase at every Olympic Winter Games.
Keywords:
figure skating,
female athletes,
earning power,
1908 Olympics,
Madge Syers,
1902 World Championship,
feminist,
Olympic Winter Games
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2015 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780252039065 |
| Published to Illinois Scholarship Online: April 2017 |
DOI:10.5406/illinois/9780252039065.001.0001 |
