Although it was before I was born, the 1961 Flight 548 Crash of the Boeing 707 that carried most of the United States figure skating team was always a part of my skating life. That one moment changed the course of figure skating for many figure skaters around the world.
All 18 athletes of the 1961 team including Maribel Owen (9-time U.S. Ladies Champion) and her two daughters were just one of the significant skating families of that era. It was one of only a few times that the World Championships was cancelled.
Many of the now legendary champions of my time probably would not have went up the ranks of the skating world when they did. Peggy Fleming, Tim Wood, and coaches John Nicks and Carlo Fassi were just a fraction of skaters and coaches who along with the crash changed the course of the skating world.
The USFSA Memorial Fund was established only a few months later. This fund was started in honor of those that perished but the fund has helped to support the training of some of the most promising young skaters of the last 50 years.
I hope I am able to see the film that was made to celebrate and commemorate the anniversary. RISE was commissioned by the U.S. Figure Skating Association and is scheduled to be in select theatres for today only, February 17th.
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