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Nancy Kerrigan

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Nancy Kerrigan
Kerrigan interviewed in Turin, Italy, February 22, 2006
Full nameNancy Ann Kerrigan
Born (1969-10-13) October 13, 1969 (age 55)
Stoneham, Massachusetts, US
Height1.62 m (5 ft 4 in)[1]
Figure skating career
CountryUSA
Retired1994
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Ladies' figure skating
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1994 Lillehammer Ladies' singles
Bronze medal – third place 1992 Albertville Ladies' singles
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 1992 Oakland Ladies' singles
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Munich Ladies' singles
Winter Universiade
Bronze medal – third place 1989 Sofia Ladies' singles

Nancy Ann Kerrigan (born October 13, 1969)[2] is a former American figure skater.

Kerrigan is the 1992 Olympic Bronze medalist, the 1993 US National Champion, the 1994 Olympic Silver medalist, and a two-time world medalist. Kerrigan is noted for her conflict on and off the ice with skating rival Tonya Harding.

Early life and skating career

Kerrigan was born in Stoneham, Massachusetts,[2] the youngest child and only daughter of welder Daniel Kerrigan and homemaker Brenda Kerrigan.[2] Her ancestry includes English, Irish and German. She has stated: "There's very little Irish in me, just my name" .[3] While her brothers Michael and Mark played hockey, she took up figure skating[4] at age six. She did not start private lessons until age eight and won her first competition, the Boston Open, at age nine.[2]

The Kerrigan family was of modest means. Kerrigan's father sometimes worked three jobs to fund her skating career; he also drove the ice resurfacer at the local rink in exchange for Nancy's lessons.[5] Kerrigan was coached by Theresa Martin until she was 16, then began working with Evy and Mary Scotvold.[6] after a brief period with Denise Morrissey. The Scotvolds remained her coaches through the rest of her competitive career.

Kerrigan began to reach prominence at the national level when she placed fourth at the junior level at the 1987 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. She made an early impression as a strong jumper but was comparatively weak in compulsory figures.[7] Kerrigan made her senior debut the following season, moving up the national rankings each year: 12th in 1988, fifth in 1989, and fourth in 1990.[8] She continued to be held back by compulsory figures until they were eliminated from competitions after the 1990 season.[citation needed]

1991–1993 competitions

Kerrigan's rise at the national level continued when she placed 3rd at the 1991 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. She qualified for the 1991 World Figure Skating Championships, where she won the bronze medal. Her achievement was considered especially astonishing in that it was part of the first-ever sweep of the women's podium by a single country at the World Championships, as her team mates Kristi Yamaguchi and Tonya Harding won gold and silver, respectively.[9]

In the 1992 season, Kerrigan again improved on her placement at the previous year's national championships by finishing second. She received a bronze medal in the 1992 Winter Olympics (Yamaguchi won the gold) and the silver medal at the 1992 World Championships.[10]

The following season, with Yamaguchi retired from eligible competition, Kerrigan became United States Champion, although with a flawed performance she admitted she would have to improve upon for the World Championships.[11] She won the short program at the World Championships in Prague, but had a disastrous free skate that resulted in her tumbling to fifth in the standings.[citation needed] This was followed by an even worse performance at a televised pro-am event, where Kerrigan fell three times, botched the landing of another jump, and appeared dazed and depressed.[12]

After the 1992 Olympics, she had many corporate sponsorship contracts (with companies such as Campbell's Soup, Evian, Reebok, and Seiko.[13] and opportunities to perform professionally, which were permitted after the International Skating Union abolished the earlier strict amateur status rules that had governed eligibility for the sport.[citation needed] In preparation for the 1994 Olympic season, she curtailed these activities in order to focus on her training instead. She also began working with a sports psychologist to better handle her nerves in competition.[13][14]

January 1994 attack

Further information: Tonya Harding § Attack on Nancy Kerrigan

Kerrigan gained considerable fame beyond the skating world when, on January 6, 1994, she was clubbed in the right knee with a police baton by Shane Stant after a practice session at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit, an assault planned by rival Tonya Harding's ex-husband Jeff Gillooly and co-conspirator Shawn Eckardt (1967–2007).[15][16] The incident became known as The Whack Heard Round the World.[17]

Some of the attack and its aftermath, which took place in a corridor at Cobo Arena, were caught on camera and broadcast around the world, particularly the now-famous footage of attendants helping Kerrigan as she grabbed at her knee wailing: "Why, why, why?" Although Kerrigan's injury forced her to withdraw from the U.S. Championships, her rivals agreed that she merited one of the two spots on the Olympic team.[18] The USFSA chose to name her to the Olympic team rather than second-place finisher Michelle Kwan.[19]

Kerrigan recovered quickly from her knee injury and resumed her intensive training. She practiced by doing complete back-to-back double runs-through of her programs, until she felt completely confident in her ability to compete under pressure.[14][20] The fame she had acquired from the attack led to further professional opportunities; it was reported that she had already signed contracts for $9.5 million before the Olympics began.[21]

1994 Winter Olympics and post-event controversy

Seven weeks after the attack, Kerrigan skated what she considered to be the best two performances of her life[20] and won the silver medal in the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics at the Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre, finishing second to Oksana Baiul and ahead of Chen Lu, who took the bronze medal as Tonya Harding finished in eighth place amid controversy. Kerrigan won the short program but lost the free skate to Baiul in a close and controversial 5–4 decision.[22] CBS Television played up the controversy by portraying it as a Cold War East-West split, singling out German judge Jan Hoffmann in particular for supposed biased judging.[23]

Then, while Kerrigan and Lu waited over 20 minutes for Olympic officials to find a copy of the Ukrainian national anthem, someone mistakenly told Kerrigan the delay in the presentation was because Baiul had cried off her make-up and was getting it retouched. Kerrigan, with obvious frustration, was caught on-camera saying "Oh, come on. So she's going to get out here and cry again. What's the difference?"[24] CBS chose to air the undiplomatic comment. This marked a distinct shift in the way Kerrigan was portrayed in the media, which had been somewhat protective of her image up to that point because of the attack against her.[25]

Kerrigan then chose not to attend the closing ceremonies at the Olympics. Her agent claimed this was because Norwegian security advised her not to do so because of death threats that had been made against her, but this was later denied.[25] Instead, she left Norway early to take part in a pre-arranged publicity parade at Walt Disney World, her $2-million sponsor. During the parade, she was caught on microphone saying to Mickey Mouse, "This is dumb. I hate it. This is the corniest thing I have ever done."[26] She later claimed her remark was taken out of context: She was not commenting on being in the parade, but rather because her agent insisted she wear her silver medal in the parade. She said showing off and bragging about her accomplishments was something that her parents always taught her not to do. She added that she had nothing against Disney or Mickey Mouse, and: "Who could find fault with Mickey Mouse? He's the greatest mouse I've ever known."[27][28]

Commenting on the media backlash, Mike Barnicle of The Boston Globe said "Now the thing is over so we've got to kill her. That's us [the media], not her."[29] Either because of the bad publicity or her own inclinations, some of Kerrigan's previously announced endorsements and television deals were dropped after the Olympics.[25]

Kerrigan's Olympic skating fashions

Kerrigan's Olympic skating outfits were designed by noted fashion designer Vera Wang. Along with Christian Lacroix's designs for Surya Bonaly in 1992, Wang's designs marked a new trend for couture designs in figure skating.[30] Kerrigan's white 1992 free skating costume resembled a wedding dress with sheer illusion sleeves and a basketweave design on the bodice.[citation needed] Kerrigan's 1994 Olympic dresses were also designed by Wang. She wore another white dress trimmed with black velvet bands and sheer black sleeves for the original program, and a champagne-colored dress set with 11,500 rhinestones for the free skate. Wang donated those two dresses to Kerrigan. The value of the white dress was estimated at $9,600 and the crystal-trimmed dress at $13,000.[31]

Post-Olympic skating career

Kerrigan retired from amateur competition after the Olympics. She appeared in a few professional competitions such as Ice Wars, but focused her career on performing in a variety of ice shows.[32] She has appeared in Champions on Ice, Broadway on Ice, and an ice show adaptation of the musical Footloose, among other productions.[citation needed]

In 2003, Kerrigan became a national spokeswoman for Fight for Sight.[33]

Television and movies

In 1995, Nancy had a guest appearance on Boy Meets World in the episode, "Wrong Side of the Track."

Kerrigan appeared in the Fox television program Skating with Celebrities (2006) and played a small part in the ice skating comedy feature film Blades of Glory (2007) with Will Ferrell. She hosted Nancy Kerrigan's World of Skating on the Comcast Network[citation needed][when?] and has done commentary work for other skating broadcasts.

In 2004, Kerrigan sang a cover of "The Best" for a Tina Turner tribute album.

During the 2010 Winter Olympics, Kerrigan served as a "special correspondent" for Entertainment Tonight.[34]

She has written an instructional book on advanced figure skating technique, Artistry on Ice (ISBN 0-7360-3697-0).

In 2014, ESPN aired The Price of Gold, a 30 for 30 documentary about the 1994 attack.[35] On February 23, 2014, NBC aired a documentary during the 2014 Winter Olympics on the incident called Nancy & Tonya. The documentary is available on Netflix.

Honors

Kerrigan was inducted into the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2004.[36] She was also honored at Ice Theatre of New York's annual benefit gala in 2008.[37]

Personal life

Kerrigan graduated from Stoneham High School and attended Emmanuel College in Boston to study business.[citation needed]

Kerrigan created The Nancy Kerrigan Foundation to raise awareness and support for the vision impaired. Her mother, Brenda, is legally blind.[citation needed]

Kerrigan married her agent, Jerry Solomon, on September 9, 1995, the year after she retired from competition. The marriage was her first and his third.[38] The couple have three children together, Matthew (b. 1996),[39] Brian (b. 2005), and Nicole (b. 2008).[40][41][42] Solomon also has a son from his second marriage.[43]

Kerrigan's father died at age 70 on January 24, 2010,[44] allegedly due to a violent struggle with his son Mark in a dispute over the use of a telephone.[45] Prosecutors said Mark was in a drunken rage when he choked his father during the incident; he was charged with manslaughter in connection with the death.[46] The family said her father died of a long-standing heart condition.[47] She called the allegation of homicide unjustified and said she would defend Mark. She and her mother appeared on a joint witness list to possibly testify at his trial, which was due to begin on May 13, 2011.[47] On May 25, 2011, Mark was acquitted of manslaughter but found guilty of assault and battery by a Middlesex County jury.[48] He was sentenced to 2½ years in prison with six months suspended.[49]

Results

International
Event 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94
Olympics 3rd 2nd
Worlds 3rd 2nd 5th
Skate America 5th 2nd
Lalique 3rd 3rd
NHK Trophy 5th
Nations Cup 1st
Goodwill Games 5th
Piruetten 1st
Novarat Trophy 1st
Universiade 3rd
National
U.S. Champ. 11th J. 4th J. 12th 5th 4th 3rd 2nd 1st

References

  1. ^ Kubatko, Justin. "Nancy Kerrigan Biography and Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d "Nancy Kerrigan Biography" Ice Skater, Athlete (1969–)". Biography.com (FYI / A&E Networks). Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  3. ^ Harvey, Randy (January 13, 1992). "Coach's Remarks Put Kerrigan on Thin Ice". Los Angeles Times.
  4. ^ "Nancy Kerrigan", Skating, December 1990, p. 34.
  5. ^ Nancy Kerrigan Releases a Statement Archived September 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "Nancy Kerrigan", Skating, December 1990, p. 33.
  7. ^ "Excitement Under the Dome", Skating, April 1987, p. 42.
  8. ^ "Nancy Kerrigan", Skating, December 1990, p. 35.
  9. ^ "Victory in Munich", Skating, June 1991, pp. 29–31.
  10. ^ "Yamaguchi Caps Her Year With World Title". The New York Times. March 30, 1992. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  11. ^ "Kerrigan's chase ends", The Arizona Republic, January 24, 1993.
  12. ^ "Hershey's Kisses Pro-Am Championships Point to the Future with a Past", Skating, May 1993, p. 14.
  13. ^ a b "Reaching for Gold". Skating. December 1993. p. 22.
  14. ^ a b Longman, Jere (February 25, 1994). "Baiul Is Injured In Skating Collision". The New York Times.
  15. ^ "Flashback: Kerrigan and Harding". ESPN. November 19, 2003.
  16. ^ Longman, Jere (February 6, 1994). "FOCUS ON SPORTS; The Whole World Is Watching". The New York Times.
  17. ^ Tonya, Nancy reflect on The Whack heard 'round the world, USA Today, January 3, 2014.
  18. ^ Longman, Jere (January 8, 1994). "Rivals Agree Kerrigan Rates Olympic Spot". The New York Times. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
  19. ^ Poisoned Ice, People, January 24, 1994.
  20. ^ a b The Official Book of Figure Skating, ISBN 0-684-84673-X, p. 174.
  21. ^ Smith, Beverley. Figure Skating: A Celebration, ISBN 0-7710-2819-9, p. 5.
  22. ^ "Ukraine's Baiul Edges Kerrigan For Gold Medal". The New York Times. February 26, 1994.
  23. ^ Scott Hamilton, Landing It, ISBN 1-57566-466-6, pp. 262–264.
  24. ^ Kerrigan's Latest Foe: Her Image, AP, March 2, 1994.
  25. ^ a b c Kerrigan's Off-Ice Spins Create 'Image Meltdown', Chicago Tribune, December 11, 1994.
  26. ^ "Harding, Kerrigan are linked forever by skating incident". Retrieved July 11, 2006.
  27. ^ "More Will Be Heard From Kerrigan". Courant.com (March 7, 1994).
  28. ^ Nancy Kerrigan Looks Back on "Sad" Tonya Harding Scandal, Defends Herself: I Wasn't Whining, TVGuide.com, 23 February 2014.
  29. ^ "The Souring of America's Sweetheart", The Washington Post, March 4, 1994.
  30. ^ "Two skaters give couture a twirl". The New York Times. February 16, 1992.
  31. ^ Smith, Beverley. Figure Skating: A Celebration (ISBN 0-7710-2819-9), p. 70.
  32. ^ Hamilton, Scott. Landing It, ISBN 1-57566-466-6, p. 270.
  33. ^ Lidz, Franz; Cazeneuve, Brian; Swift, E.M. (30 June 2003). "The Ice Storm". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 2013. Retrieved 4 June 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |archivedate= (help); Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  34. ^ Nancy Kerrigan Parties at the 2010 Olympics, Entertainment Tonight, ETOnline.com, 15 February 2010 (retrieved February 24, 2010).
  35. ^ The Price of Gold at ESPN.com
  36. ^ "Hall of Fame Members". World Figure Skating Museum and Hall of Fame. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
  37. ^ "Nancy Kerrigan and Ice Theatre of New York celebrate new season", Lifeskate.com, 1 December 2008.
  38. ^ "Marriages: Nancy Kerrigan, Jerry L. Solomon". The New York Times. September 10, 1995.
  39. ^ "Passages". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
  40. ^ Silverman, Stephen M.. (April 18, 2005) Skater Kerrigan Gives Birth to Baby Boy – Birth, Nancy Kerrigan. People.com.
  41. ^ Nancy Kerrigan Welcomes Third Child, Icenetwork.com, 14 May 2008.
  42. ^ Brannen, Sarah S.; Meekins, Drew (August 25, 2011). "The Inside Edge: Bradley takes mound for Royals". Icenetwork. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  43. ^ Green, Michelle (November 28, 1994). "Skating on Thin Ice". People. Vol. 42, no. 22.
  44. ^ Death Notice for Daniel Kerrigan. Boston Globe, January 25, 2010.
  45. ^ "Kerrigan's dad dies, brother accused of assault". USA Today. Stoneham, Massachusetts. Associated Press. January 26, 2010. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  46. ^ Nancy Kerrigan's Brother Charged With Manslaughter in Dad's Death. Foxnews.com.
  47. ^ a b "Nancy Kerrigan may testify at brother's trial". UniversalSports.com. Associated Press. March 28, 2011. Retrieved April 6, 2011.
  48. ^ "Jury acquits Nancy Kerrigan's brother in father's death". USA Today. Associated Press. May 25, 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  49. ^ "Nancy Kerrigan's brother sentenced to 2½ years". CBC News. Associated Press. May 26, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
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