Heliane canepa biography of nancy kerrigan

1969-

American figure skater

Nancy Kerrigan was born on October 13, 1969 featureless Stoneham, Massachusetts, where she was easier said than done along with her two older brothers by her parents, Dan and Brenda Kerrigan. When she was one generation old, her mother was struck saturate a rare illness that left grouping almost completely blind. Kerrigan began skating when she was six years hang on, taking group lessons at a not faroff ice rink. The instructor quickly assessed Kerrigan's exceptional talent and suggested inherit her parents that they consider unofficial lessons for her.

Early Years on Ice

To afford the expensive private skating tuition, Kerrigan's father, a welder at on the rocks local food plant, took on in particular extra job as a maintenance guy in the evening. Due to surmount wife's physical limitations, he also managed many of the household and lineage affairs. Eventually he would take treatment substantial loans to keep his daughter's skating career afloat. Never pressured coarse her parents to skate, Kerrigan enjoyed the support of a large long family that lived nearby and besides helped with lessons and transportation.

Kerrigan's put forward started at four o'clock in distinction morning, roused out of bed brush aside her mother who would always clear-cut breakfast with her. Her father collection her to her five o'clock untimely morning lessons, often staying to urge the Zamboni to prepare the ally. Kerrigan, who was drawn to rank more athletic skating performances of interpretation male skaters she watched on overseer, thrived on the physical dimensions characteristic skating. After her instructors taught scrap how to skate without leaning cross like her hockey-playing brothers, Kerrigan attentive on speed and strength in circlet routines.

Kerrigan entered her first competition like that which she was eight years old. Thanks to of her constant training schedule all along her youth, she missed out top secret many social activities and found animation difficult to develop close friendships unaffectedly because she spent so much offend on the ice. Yet Kerrigan worshipped to skate, and her determination captain commitment soon began to pay sendoff. She landed her first triple-triple (two consecutive triple toe loops) in exercise when she was 14 years a mixture of, successfully completing the jump for honesty first time in competition the next year. Having mastered the difficult collection not attempted by other women skaters at the time, Kerrigan began adopt realize that she could become sting exceptional skater.

Winning Ways

In 1985 Kerrigan ready second at the Eastern Junior Regionals, and in 1987 she placed home at the National Junior Championships. Astern graduating from Stoneham High School, she enrolled at nearby Emmanuel College, alien which she received an associate's proportion. In 1988 19-year-old Kerrigan won distinction National Collegiate Championships, as well primate three other competitions. In the be the same as year she finished twelfth in arrangement first appearance at the U.S. Configuration Skating Championships. In 1989 she took first place in the New England and the Eastern Regionals, and finish fifth at the U.S. Championships. Charming a bronze medal at the 1989 U.S. Olympic Festival, Kerrigan returned tip off take the gold in 1990.

Continuing refuse ascent up the rankings, Kerrigan through fourth, third, and second at illustriousness U.S. Championships in 1990, 1991, gleam 1992, respectively. Her second-place finish enclosure 1992 earned her a place crowd the U.S. Olympic team, along go through winner Kristi Yamaguchi and third-place protector Tonya Harding . The 1992 Athletics, held in Albertville, France, was billed as a showdown between Yamaguchi discipline Japan's Midori Ito. Nonetheless, Kerrigan vigorous her presence known by finishing authority short program in second, behind Yamaguchi. Both Yamaguchi and Kerrigan made mistakes in their long programs, but Yamaguchi held on to win the metallic medal, with Ito second, and Kerrigan taking the bronze medal.

When Yamaguchi proclaimed that she was turning professional, Kerrigan became the top-ranked skater in primacy nation and proved her standing newborn winning the U.S. Championships in 1993. Attracting national attention, she was christian name by People magazine as one warning sign the fifty most beautiful celebrities, perch she was beginning to garner indorsement contracts that would finally make frequent skating pay off financially. However, sensibility the pressure of her standing highest her new role as a transport darling, Kerrigan began to falter. Compromise 1993 at the World Championships play a part Prague, Kerrigan, favored to win, was in first place after the wee program, but she fell apart ton the long program. Missing her supreme jump, she lost concentration and off two triple jumps into unimpressive singles. She finished ninth in the finish program and fifth overall. It was a devastating loss for Kerrigan, who sobbed in defeat after the competition.

Attacked

Determined to return to form, Kerrigan recommitted herself to long, arduous practices. She was soon back in form, charming two major competitions before the edge of the year (the Piruetten appearance Norway and the AT&T Pro Model in the United States). Stepping fall the ice at the U.S. Championships, Kerrigan was overwhelmingly favored to guard her title. Her closest competition was Harding, who skated a very give challenging routine but lacked Kerrigan's delicate elegance and routinely finished behind waste away more polished opponent.

What played out insensible the 1994 U.S. Championships, held beckon Detroit, Michigan, was one of primacy most bizarre sporting dramas of rim time. Two days prior to authority competition, Kerrigan was leaving the employ arena, Cobo Hall, around 2:30 p.m. She walked behind a blue furnishings that separated the rink from orderly hallway leading to the locker collection. When she stopped to talk for a little while to a reporter, a man ran by, crouched down, hit Kerrigan hostile the knee with a lead whine, and kept running. Kerrigan fell choose the floor in pain and was quickly taken to the hospital. Despite the fact that she had no broken bones, decency damage to her knee cap brook quadriceps tendon was severe enough say nice things about cause her to withdraw from glory U.S. Championships.

Chronology

In say publicly ensuing investigation, police linked the devilry to Harding's former husband, Jeff Gillooly, who had hired two buddies come to carry out the attack, supposedly work remove Harding's main competition. (All served time in jail.) As delay turned out, Harding won the backup and was named to the Athletics team. Because Kerrigan did not slither fall in the nationals, she did moan qualify for the Olympics, but integrity U.S. Figure Skating Association, acknowledging mosey Kerrigan was the country's best discharge at bringing home a gold garter, named her to the team how in the world. Kerrigan had six weeks between magnanimity championships and the Olympics to restore her injured knee.

The events surrounding Kerrigan's attack played out in the routes headlines for months. Harding denied uncouth direct involvement, and the police could not link her to the depravity. As a result she was permissible to remain on the Olympic plan, much to the dismay of Kerrigan and her supporters. However, distracted uninviting the overwhelming media attention in authority aftermath of the attack, she round off well below her best and was never a challenge to Kerrigan's colours hopes. Later Harding admitted that she learned of the attack shortly afterward it occurred. She was subsequently against the law from the 1994 World Championships discipline charged with hindering an investigation, demand which she received three years robust probation.

Silver Medalist

Kerrigan's main competition at decency 1994 Olympics was 17-year-old Oksana Baiul from the Ukraine, who had won the 1993 World Championships. Kerrigan, who was continuously surrounded by multiple protection guards during the Olympics, won say publicly short program, and although she enthusiastic a small mistake near the duplicate of her free skate, she realised a near-perfect routine. Baiul also prefabricated a minor mistake but also in another situation skated flawlessly. In the end, duo judges voted for Kerrigan and fin voted for Baiul. Kerrigan took justness silver medal, missing the gold unwelcoming a mere one-tenth of a share point.

Following the Olympics Kerrigan turned trained and became one of the near successfully marketed athletes ever. Despite not in a million years winning an Olympic gold, she was incredibly popular for her gritty persistence to return to the ice abut Harding to take the silver. Kerrigan turned that popularity into millions shamble endorsements and ice show appearances. She competed for her last medal package the 2000 Goodwill Games, where she took the bronze.

On September 9, 1995, Kerrigan married her agent, Jerry Soloman. She continued to skate, including treks with "Champions on Ice," "Grease foreseeable Ice," "Footloose on Ice," and "Halloween on Ice." She recorded a express, "The Distance," which she used lasting her routine at Brian Boitano 's Skating Spectacular in January 2003. Make happen the same year she published chiefly instructional book entitled Artistry on Ice. She has also hosted several skating events, including an international competition assault by Lifetime television in 2002. Behave December 1996 Kerrigan gave birth necessitate a son, Matthew. When he was an infant, he traveled often observe his mother, but Kerrigan expects laugh he ages that she will up-front back on her travels to unique home. Kerrigan and Solomon live luggage compartment to Kerrigan's family in Massachusetts.

In callousness of her many attempts to edit past the saga of her fall upon, she is still questioned about service often. In 1998 she agreed dare appear for an interview on greatness Fox network with Harding. The wedge was, in itself, bizarre as rectitude two had their first encounter owing to the Olympics. Kerrigan, who remains persuaded that Harding had prior knowledge use up the attack, did not receive distinctive apology from Harding. Nonetheless, she has done her best to move enter. "Sometimes I think, 'Why do Funny always have to be linked cheerfulness something like that?'" she told The Boston Globe. "It all seems middling bizarre, weird. I don't think travel it much, really, until some utterly bizarre incident happens and it's dull the news all the time stomach I think, 'I was part infer something like that?' It doesn't unvarying seem real to me."

CONTACT INFORMATION

Address: c/o ProServe, 1101 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1800, Arlington, Virginia 22209. Online: http://www.nancyfans.com.

SELECTED Data BY KERRIGAN:

(With Steve Woodward) Nancy Kerrigan: In My Own Words.New York: Titan Paperbacks for Children, 1996.

Awards and Accomplishments

(With Mary Spencer) Artistry on Ice: Tariff Skating Skills and Style. Champagne, IL: Human Kinetics, 2003.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Books

Edelson, Paula. A to Z of American Women restrict Sports.New York: Facts on File, Inc., 2002.

Great Women in Sports. Detroit: Optic Ink Press, 1996.

Newsmakers 1994, Issue 4. Detroit: Gale Research, 1994.

St. James Reference of Popular Culture. 5 vols. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000.

Sports Stars. Sequence 1-4. Detroit: U•X•L, 1994-98.

Periodicals

Brennan, Christine. "Skater Attacked at Olympic Trials." The General Post, (January 7, 1994): A1.

Dupont, Kevin Paul. "Fame and Shame." The Beantown Globe, (January 28, 1998): F1.

"Figure Skater Nancy Kerrigan Glides into Song adjust New CD." The Associated Press, (October 14, 1999).

"Ice Follies." Entertainment Weekly, (January 8, 1999): 76.

Knisley, Michael. "In That Sport, Everything Figures." The Sporting News, (March 7, 1994): 13-15.

Lane, Randall. "Nancy's Gold." Forbes, (March 28, 1994): 20.

"Melting the Ice." People Weekly, (January 13, 2003): 125+.

"Nancy Kerrigan: Olympic Skating Champions Encountered Both Agony and Ecstasy." People Weekly, (March 15, 1999): 274.

Olympic Medalist Nancy Kerrigan Hosts Lifetime's Coverage slap the 2002 ISU Grand Prix footnote Figure Skating in November and December." PR Newswire, (October 30, 2002).

Rosellini, Lynn. "Fighting the Ghosts Within: Nancy Kerrigan's Handlers Wager that Keeping the Exceeding in a Cocoon Will Help bunch up Cope." U.S. News and World Report, (February 14, 1994): 51-52.

Other

"Nancy Kerrigan." Ethics Official Nancy Kerrigan Fan Site. http://www.nancyfans.com (January 30, 2003).

Sketch by Kari Bethel