Diane Towler
| Diane Towler | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Towler at the Nebelhorn Trophy in 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 16 December 1946 Kensington, London, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Figure skating career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Great Britain | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Diane Towler (married Green) (born 16 December 1946 in Kensington, London[1]) is a former English ice dancer and currently a figure skating coach. She is a four-time (1966–1969) World and European champion with skating partner Bernard Ford.
Career
Towler competed with Bernard Ford. Their coach was Gladys Hogg.
Towler / Ford debuted at the World Championships in 1964, finishing 13th. In 1965, they finished just off the podium in 4th. Towler / Ford won gold at the 1966 European Championships and went on to win their first World title. They would win the World and European titles for four consecutive seasons. At the 1968 Olympics, Towler / Ford skated in a demonstration event for ice dancing, winning the gold medal. Ice dancing became an official part of the Winter Olympics in 1976.
Towler / Ford are MBE recipients and were inducted into the World Figure skating Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs in 1993. Their best-known program was skated to Zorba the Greek.
After retiring from amateur competition, Towler / Ford performed in ice shows until Ford moved to Canada.
Towler became a figure skating coach. Among her students are Janet Sawbridge / Peter Dalby (1972 Europeans bronze medalists), Candice Towler-Green / James Phillipson and Phillipa Towler-Green / Phillip Poole, both British Junior ice dance champions and world competitors, her nephew Mark Bosley, a British junior ice dance champion and 5th at Junior Worlds, Elizabeth Coates / Alan Abretti who competed at the World and European Championships.
Personal life
Diane Towler-Green is the mother of Candice Towler-Green and Phillipa Towler-Green.[2]
Results
(with Ford)
| Event | 1963–64 | 1964–65 | 1965–66 | 1966–67 | 1967–68 | 1968–69 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Championships | 13th | 4th | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st |
| European Championships | 4th | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | |
| British Nationals | 3rd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st |
References
- ^ http://www.findmypast.co.uk/search/all/results?recordCount=-1&forenames=diane&_includeForenamesVariants=on&surname=towler&_includeSurnameVariants=on&fromYear=1946&toYear=1946®ion=5&county=&mothersMaidenName=&_useMothersMaidenNameAsSurname=on&sortOrder=RK%3Atrue&_performExactSearch=on&event=B&recordType=ALL&route=
- ^ "INTERVIEWS: Diane Towler-Green". ice-dance.com. 20 February 2004. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007.
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- Skatabase: 1960-1969 Worlds: Ice Dancing Results
- Skatabase: 1960-1969 Europeans: Ice Dancing Results
