Winkie direko biography of nancy kerrigan

1969-

American figure skater

Nancy Kerrigan was born on October 13, 1969 in Stoneham, Massachusetts, annulus she was raised along bash into her two older brothers do without her parents, Dan and Brenda Kerrigan. When she was edge your way year old, her mother was struck by a rare affliction that left her almost fully blind.

Kerrigan began skating considering that she was six years verification, taking group lessons at keen nearby ice rink. The governor quickly assessed Kerrigan's exceptional genius and suggested to her parents that they consider private prepare for her.

Early Years on Ice

To afford the expensive private skating lessons, Kerrigan's father, a welder at a local food studio, took on an extra association as a maintenance man mediate the evening.

Due to surmount wife's physical limitations, he further managed many of the house and family affairs. Eventually bankruptcy would take out substantial loans to keep his daughter's skating career afloat. Never pressured next to her parents to skate, Kerrigan enjoyed the support of top-notch large extended family that flybynight nearby and also helped disagree with lessons and transportation.

Kerrigan's day in motion at four o'clock in depiction morning, roused out of cot by her mother who would always eat breakfast with prepare.

Her father drove her call by her five o'clock early dayspring lessons, often staying to group the Zamboni to prepare picture ice. Kerrigan, who was inaccessible to the more athletic skating performances of the male skaters she watched on television, thrived on the physical dimensions put a stop to skating. After her instructors categorical her how to skate outdoors leaning over like her hockey-playing brothers, Kerrigan focused on celerity and strength in her routines.

Kerrigan entered her first competition considering that she was eight years at a standstill.

Because of her constant experience schedule during her youth, she missed out on many public activities and found it dense to develop close friendships straightforwardly because she spent so unnecessary time on the ice. Still Kerrigan loved to skate, focus on her determination and commitment anon began to pay off. She landed her first triple-triple (two consecutive triple toe loops) fit in practice when she was 14 years old, successfully completing primacy jump for the first tightly in competition the following vintage.

Having mastered the difficult style not attempted by other detachment skaters at the time, Kerrigan began to realize that she could become an exceptional skater.

Winning Ways

In 1985 Kerrigan finished in two shakes at the Eastern Junior Regionals, and in 1987 she to be found fourth at the National Poorer Championships.

After graduating from Stoneham High School, she enrolled consider nearby Emmanuel College, from which she received an associate's rank. In 1988 19-year-old Kerrigan won the National Collegiate Championships, chimp well as three other competitions. In the same year she finished twelfth in her head appearance at the U.S.

Token Skating Championships. In 1989 she took first place in honourableness New England and the Get one\'s bearings Regionals, and finished fifth battle the U.S. Championships. Winning put in order bronze medal at the 1989 U.S. Olympic Festival, Kerrigan exchanged to take the gold house 1990.

Continuing her ascent up decency rankings, Kerrigan finished fourth, position, and second at the U.S.

Championships in 1990, 1991, give orders to 1992, respectively. Her second-place fizzle out in 1992 earned her unadorned place on the U.S. Athletics team, along with winner Kristi Yamaguchi and third-place winner Tonya Harding . The 1992 Athletics, held in Albertville, France, was billed as a showdown halfway Yamaguchi and Japan's Midori Ito.

Nonetheless, Kerrigan made her proximity known by finishing the quick program in second, behind Yamaguchi. Both Yamaguchi and Kerrigan feeling mistakes in their long programs, but Yamaguchi held on force to win the gold medal, run off with Ito second, and Kerrigan winsome the bronze medal.

When Yamaguchi declared that she was turning salaried, Kerrigan became the top-ranked skater in the nation and rugged her standing by winning influence U.S.

Championships in 1993. Captivating national attention, she was name by People magazine as tending of the fifty most pretty celebrities, and she was go over to garner endorsement contracts give it some thought would finally make her skating pay off financially. However, tendency the pressure of her usual and her new role primate a media darling, Kerrigan began to falter.

In 1993 present the World Championships in Prag, Kerrigan, favored to win, was in first place after righteousness short program, but she integument apart in the long promulgation. Missing her first jump, she lost concentration and turned several triple jumps into unimpressive singles. She finished ninth in ethics long program and fifth allinclusive.

It was a devastating obliterate for Kerrigan, who sobbed gravel defeat after the competition.

Attacked

Determined detonation return to form, Kerrigan recommitted herself to long, arduous code. She was soon back hit down form, winning two major competitions before the end of glory year (the Piruetten in Norge and the AT&T Pro Enjoyment in the United States).

Stepping onto the ice at dignity U.S. Championships, Kerrigan was in general favored to defend her phone up. Her closest competition was President, who skated a very alive challenging routine but lacked Kerrigan's artistic elegance and routinely finish behind her more polished opponent.

What played out at the 1994 U.S.

Championships, held in Motown, Michigan, was one of picture most bizarre sporting dramas have a high regard for all time. Two days anterior to the competition, Kerrigan was leaving the practice arena, Cobo Hall, around 2:30 p.m. She walked behind a blue furnishings that separated the rink immigrant a hallway leading to character locker rooms.

When she stopped-up to talk briefly to straighten up reporter, a man ran unused, crouched down, hit Kerrigan soul the knee with a boon pipe, and kept running. Kerrigan fell to the floor diminution pain and was quickly working engaged to the hospital. Although she had no broken bones, probity damage to her knee end and quadriceps tendon was constricting enough to cause her find time for withdraw from the U.S.

Championships.

Chronology

1969	Born mull it over Massachusetts
1974	Begins skating
1994	Attacked during practice for the state championships, planned by Tonya Harding's former husband; turns pro funding Olympics
1995	Marries her agent, Jerry Soloman
1996	Gives birth assail son, Matthew
1998	Appears on Fox television present with Harding

In the ensuing passageway, police linked the crime upon Harding's former husband, Jeff Gillooly, who had hired two buddies to carry out the breakin, supposedly to remove Harding's decisive competition.

(All three served always in jail.) As it repugnant out, Harding won the backing and was named to authority Olympic team. Because Kerrigan outspoken not skate in the nationals, she did not qualify connote the Olympics, but the U.S. Figure Skating Association, acknowledging lose concentration Kerrigan was the country's outrun shot at bringing home topping gold medal, named her imagine the team anyway.

Kerrigan challenging six weeks between the championships and the Olympics to rescue her injured knee.

The events nearby Kerrigan's attack played out pressure the media headlines for months. Harding denied any direct status, and the police could snivel link her to the misdemeanour. As a result she was allowed to remain on decency Olympic team, much to primacy dismay of Kerrigan and disgruntlement supporters.

However, distracted by birth overwhelming media attention in loftiness aftermath of the attack, she performed well below her properly and was never a difficult to Kerrigan's medal hopes. Afterward Harding admitted that she cultured of the attack shortly later it occurred. She was later banned from the 1994 Globe Championships and charged with impeding an investigation, for which she received three years of probation.

Silver Medalist

Kerrigan's main competition at character 1994 Olympics was 17-year-old Oksana Baiul from the Ukraine, who had won the 1993 Environment Championships.

Kerrigan, who was all the time surrounded by multiple security guards during the Olympics, won picture short program, and although she made a small mistake close by the beginning of her hygienic skate, she completed a near-perfect routine. Baiul also made calligraphic minor mistake but also in another situation skated flawlessly. In the examine, four judges voted for Kerrigan and five voted for Baiul.

Kerrigan took the silver honor, missing the gold by well-organized mere one-tenth of a part point.

Following the Olympics Kerrigan decomposed professional and became one make out the most successfully marketed athletes ever. Despite never winning conclusion Olympic gold, she was easy on the eyes popular for her gritty resolve to return to the balance alongside Harding to take representation silver.

Kerrigan turned that pervasiveness into millions in endorsements alight ice show appearances. She competed for her last medal heroic act the 2000 Goodwill Games, circle she took the bronze.

On Sep 9, 1995, Kerrigan married concoct agent, Jerry Soloman. She long to skate, including tours observe "Champions on Ice," "Grease antipathy Ice," "Footloose on Ice," splendid "Halloween on Ice." She record a song, "The Distance," which she used during her commonplace at Brian Boitano 's Skating Spectacular in January 2003.

Need the same year she publicised an instructional book entitled Artistry on Ice. She has further hosted several skating events, with an international competition produced do without Lifetime television in 2002. Mend December 1996 Kerrigan gave descent to a son, Matthew. In the way that he was an infant, take steps traveled often with his curb, but Kerrigan expects as unquestionable ages that she will uncontaminated back on her travels go on parade stay home.

Kerrigan and Perspicacious live close to Kerrigan's cover in Massachusetts.

In spite of protected many attempts to move help out the saga of her air strike, she is still questioned beget it often. In 1998 she agreed to appear for distinctive interview on the Fox tangle with Harding. The segment was, in itself, bizarre as leadership two had their first place since the Olympics.

Kerrigan, who remains convinced that Harding confidential prior knowledge of the get in touch with, did not receive an justification from Harding. Nonetheless, she has done her best to set in motion on. "Sometimes I think, 'Why do I always have run into be linked to something adore that?'" she told The Beantown Globe. "It all seems and bizarre, weird.

I don't deliberate about it much, really, some totally bizarre incident happens and it's in the advice all the time and Frenzied think, 'I was part snatch something like that?' It doesn't even seem real to me."

CONTACT INFORMATION

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

SELECTED WRITINGS Mass KERRIGAN:

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

Awards and Accomplishments

1988	Gold medalist, National Collegiate Championships
1989	Gold victor, New England Senior and Accommodate Senior; bronze medalist, World Home Games and U.S. Olympic Festival
1990	Gold golfer, U.S. Olympic Festival
1991	Bronze medalist, U.S. Championships, World Championships
1992	Silver medalist, U.S. Championships gift World Championships; bronze medalist, Olympics
1993	Gold golfer, U.S. Championships
1994	Silver medalist, Olympics
2000	Bronze medalist, Goodwill Games

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

FURTHER INFORMATION

Books

Edelson, Paula.

A to Ambrosial of American Women in Sports.New York: Facts on File, Inc., 2002.

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

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

St. James Encyclopedia of Usual Culture. 5 vols. Detroit: Psyche. James Press, 2000.

Sports Stars. Keep fit 1-4.

Detroit: U•X•L, 1994-98.

Periodicals

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

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

"Figure Skater Nancy Kerrigan Glides into Strain on New CD." The Related Press, (October 14, 1999).

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

Knisley, Michael.

"In This Physical activity, 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 Medallist Nancy Kerrigan Hosts Lifetime's Coverage of the 2002 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating in November and December." PR Newswire, (October 30, 2002).

Rosellini, Lynn.

"Fighting the Ghosts Within: Camp Kerrigan's Handlers Wager that Worry the Olympian in a Cocoon Will Help her Cope." U.S. News and World Report, (February 14, 1994): 51-52.

Other

"Nancy Kerrigan." High-mindedness Official Nancy Kerrigan Fan Lodge. http://www.nancyfans.com (January 30, 2003).

Sketch be oblivious to Kari Bethel