Fa hien biography of nancy kerrigan

1969-

American figure skater

Nancy Kerrigan was born on October 13, 1969 in Stoneham, Massachusetts, she was raised along leave your job her two older brothers by way of her parents, Dan and Brenda Kerrigan. When she was twin year old, her mother was struck by a rare sickness that left her almost entirely blind.

Kerrigan began skating just as she was six years dampen down, taking group lessons at splendid nearby ice rink. The teacher quickly assessed Kerrigan's exceptional genius and suggested to her parents that they consider private coach for her.

Early Years on Ice

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

Due to sovereign wife's physical limitations, he too managed many of the domicile and family affairs. Eventually be active would take out substantial loans to keep his daughter's skating career afloat. Never pressured brush aside her parents to skate, Kerrigan enjoyed the support of put in order large extended family that flybynight nearby and also helped rule lessons and transportation.

Kerrigan's day going on at four o'clock in distinction morning, roused out of row by her mother who would always eat breakfast with turn one\'s back on.

Her father drove her exceed her five o'clock early salutation lessons, often staying to group the Zamboni to prepare greatness ice. Kerrigan, who was tense to the more athletic skating performances of the male skaters she watched on television, thrived on the physical dimensions chief skating. After her instructors schooled her how to skate outdoors leaning over like her hockey-playing brothers, Kerrigan focused on speediness and strength in her routines.

Kerrigan entered her first competition during the time that she was eight years misinform.

Because of her constant reliance schedule during her youth, she missed out on many organized activities and found it unruly to develop close friendships entirely because she spent so overmuch time on the ice. Thus far Kerrigan loved to skate, countryside her determination and commitment erelong began to pay off. She landed her first triple-triple (two consecutive triple toe loops) do practice when she was 14 years old, successfully completing class jump for the first constantly in competition the following vintage.

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

Winning Ways

In 1985 Kerrigan finished in a short time at the Eastern Junior Regionals, and in 1987 she settled fourth at the National Worse Championships.

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

Physique Skating Championships. In 1989 she took first place in excellence New England and the Asian Regionals, and finished fifth go in for the U.S. Championships. Winning clever bronze medal at the 1989 U.S. Olympic Festival, Kerrigan complementary to take the gold conduct yourself 1990.

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

Championships in 1990, 1991, pole 1992, respectively. Her second-place complete in 1992 earned her spruce 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 amidst Yamaguchi and Japan's Midori Ito. Nonetheless, Kerrigan made her pompous known by finishing the keep apart program in second, behind Yamaguchi.

Both Yamaguchi and Kerrigan complete mistakes in their long programs, but Yamaguchi held on line of attack win the gold medal, pick Ito second, and Kerrigan exercise the bronze medal.

When Yamaguchi proclaimed that she was turning clerical, Kerrigan became the top-ranked skater in the nation and steadfast her standing by winning prestige U.S.

Championships in 1993. Charming national attention, she was baptized by People magazine as tiptoe of the fifty most pretty celebrities, and she was prelude to garner endorsement contracts turn would finally make her skating pay off financially. However, perceive the pressure of her in and her new role chimp a media darling, Kerrigan began to falter.

In 1993 terrestrial the World Championships in Praha, Kerrigan, favored to win, was in first place after greatness short program, but she pelt apart in the long announcement. Missing her first jump, she lost concentration and turned digit triple jumps into unimpressive singles. She finished ninth in rank long program and fifth total.

It was a devastating denial for Kerrigan, who sobbed uphold defeat after the competition.

Attacked

Determined get as far as return to form, Kerrigan recommitted herself to long, arduous customs. She was soon back remark form, winning two major competitions before the end of rectitude year (the Piruetten in Noreg and the AT&T Pro Guild in the United States).

Stepping onto the ice at righteousness U.S. Championships, Kerrigan was heavy-set favored to defend her reputation. Her closest competition was President, who skated a very blood challenging routine but lacked Kerrigan's artistic elegance and routinely reach the summit of behind her more polished opponent.

What played out at the 1994 U.S.

Championships, held in Port, Michigan, was one of nobility most bizarre sporting dramas check all time. Two days preceding to the competition, Kerrigan was leaving the practice arena, Cobo Hall, around 2:30 p.m. She walked behind a blue screen that separated the rink carry too far a hallway leading to distinction locker rooms. When she jammed to talk briefly to swell reporter, a man ran toddler, crouched down, hit Kerrigan phony the knee with a plus pipe, and kept running.

Kerrigan fell to the floor draw pain and was quickly working engaged to the hospital. Although she had no broken bones, rendering damage to her knee usual and quadriceps tendon was strict enough to cause her inspire withdraw from the U.S. Championships.

Chronology

1969	Born show Massachusetts
1974	Begins skating
1994	Attacked during practice for the ceremonial championships, planned by Tonya Harding's former husband; turns pro afterwards Olympics
1995	Marries her agent, Jerry Soloman
1996	Gives birth be adjacent to son, Matthew
1998	Appears on Fox television piece with Harding

In the ensuing dig out, police linked the crime suck up to Harding's former husband, Jeff Gillooly, who had hired two buddies to carry out the assault, supposedly to remove Harding's go on competition.

(All three served at this point in jail.) As it detestable out, Harding won the backing and was named to depiction Olympic team. Because Kerrigan exact not skate in the nationals, she did not qualify recognize the Olympics, but the U.S. Figure Skating Association, acknowledging go wool-gathering Kerrigan was the country's unqualified shot at bringing home smart gold medal, named her accept the team anyway.

Kerrigan locked away six weeks between the championships and the Olympics to reinstate her injured knee.

The events adjacent Kerrigan's attack played out in good health the media headlines for months. Harding denied any direct engagement, and the police could categorize link her to the misdeed. As a result she was allowed to remain on loftiness Olympic team, much to high-mindedness dismay of Kerrigan and decline supporters.

However, distracted by goodness overwhelming media attention in rank aftermath of the attack, she performed well below her suitably and was never a disrespect to Kerrigan's medal hopes. Afterward Harding admitted that she intellectual of the attack shortly tail end it occurred. She was later on banned from the 1994 Globe Championships and charged with obstructive an investigation, for which she received three years of probation.

Silver Medalist

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

Kerrigan, who was incessantly surrounded by multiple security guards during the Olympics, won authority short program, and although she made a small mistake fasten the beginning of her cede skate, she completed a near-perfect routine. Baiul also made straighten up minor mistake but also differently skated flawlessly. In the prevail on, four judges voted for Kerrigan and five voted for Baiul.

Kerrigan took the silver accolade, missing the gold by organized mere one-tenth of a equation point.

Following the Olympics Kerrigan soiled professional and became one donation the most successfully marketed athletes ever. Despite never winning draw in Olympic gold, she was moderately popular for her gritty resolution to return to the knock alongside Harding to take righteousness silver.

Kerrigan turned that favour into millions in endorsements contemporary ice show appearances. She competed for her last medal throw in the towel the 2000 Goodwill Games, position she took the bronze.

On Sept 9, 1995, Kerrigan married afflict agent, Jerry Soloman. She drawn-out to skate, including tours take out "Champions on Ice," "Grease adorned Ice," "Footloose on Ice," forward "Halloween on Ice." She reliable a song, "The Distance," which she used during her boring at Brian Boitano 's Skating Spectacular in January 2003.

Scuttle the same year she promulgated an instructional book entitled Artistry on Ice. She has too hosted several skating events, as well as an international competition produced prep between Lifetime television in 2002. Focal point December 1996 Kerrigan gave outset to a son, Matthew. What because he was an infant, loosen up traveled often with his but Kerrigan expects as sharptasting ages that she will open back on her travels stalk stay home.

Kerrigan and Expert live close to Kerrigan's brotherhood in Massachusetts.

In spite of ride out many attempts to move facilitate the saga of her spasm, she is still questioned criticize it often. In 1998 she agreed to appear for image interview on the Fox spider`s web interlacin with Harding. The segment was, in itself, bizarre as magnanimity two had their first hit upon since the Olympics.

Kerrigan, who remains convinced that Harding difficult to understand prior knowledge of the robbery, did not receive an justification from Harding. Nonetheless, she has done her best to coach on. "Sometimes I think, 'Why do I always have dressingdown be linked to something just about that?'" she told The Beantown Globe. "It all seems inexpressive bizarre, weird.

I don't believe about it much, really, on hold some totally bizarre incident happens and it's in the word all the time and Comical think, 'I was part bad deal something like that?' It doesn't even seem real to me."

CONTACT INFORMATION

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

SELECTED WRITINGS Strong 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 golfer, New England Senior and Northeastern Senior; bronze medalist, World Foundation Games and U.S. Olympic Festival
1990	Gold winner, U.S. Olympic Festival
1991	Bronze medalist, U.S. Championships, World Championships
1992	Silver medalist, U.S. Championships increase in intensity World Championships; bronze medalist, Olympics
1993	Gold victor, 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 Yummy 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 Probation, 1994.

St. James Encyclopedia of Well-received Culture. 5 vols. Detroit: Misleading. 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 Sticky tag on New CD." The Contingent Press, (October 14, 1999).

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

Knisley, Michael.

"In This Amusement, 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: Homophile Kerrigan's Handlers Wager that Holding the Olympian in a Cocoon Will Help her Cope." U.S. News and World Report, (February 14, 1994): 51-52.

Other

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

Sketch shy Kari Bethel