They are back in London!

From October 24th to 27th, 1985, 45 skaters from 12 countries (Austria, Canada, China, Czechoslovakia, France, Great Britain, Hungary, Japan, Poland, Soviet Union, United States and West Germany) participated in Skate Canada at the London Gardens.  One of the many stars was silver medallist Elizabeth Manley from Trenton, Ontario. 

Arthur

On May 7th, 1947, world figure skating champion, Barbara Ann Scott (1928-2012)  visited London and

On December 10th, 1980, Governor-General Ed Shreyer and his wife, Lily, opened the 1981 World Junior Figure Skating Championships at The University of Western Ontario's Thompson Arena.

Arthur   

Charles Jewtraw, an Olympic skating champion, performed at the London Skating Club's Ice Festival on February 19th, 1926 before an audience of 1,500 spectators at the London Arena.  On

Almost 150 years ago on February 9, 1864, Jackson Haines (1840-1975) of New York performed at the London Skating Rink.  His repertoire included the clog hornpipe, the double cross back roll, the double grape vine twist and the sewing stitch.  Haines, the father of modern figure skating, is credited with inventing the sit spin and was the first skater to perform to musical accompaniment. 

Arthur    

The 2013 ISU World Figure Skating Championships are coming to London's Budweiser Gardens in March.  150 years ago this month on February 5, 1863, the London Skating Club hosted the grand opening of its rink on the southwest angle of Lake Horn (near present-day Kenneth Avenue and Waterloo Street).  The rink even contained a small refreshment room.  Stay tuned for more blogs on skating.     

Arthur