Cecilia Colledge
Encyclopedia
Magdelena Cecilia Colledge (28 November 1920 – 12 April 2008) was a British
figure skater
. She was the 1936 Olympic silver medalist
, the 1937 World Champion
, the 1938-1939 European Champion
, and a six-time (1935–1938, 1946) British national champion
.
Colledge is credited as being the first female skater to perform a double jump
, as well as being the inventor of both of the camel spin
and the layback spin
.
. Her father, Lionel, was a throat surgeon. Her brother Maule was in the Royal Air Force
and died during World War II
.
Colledge began skating after watching the 1928 World Figure Skating Championships
, which were held in London. Reports differ on her influence to begin skating; some state that she was inspired by Sonja Henie
, others that Colledge's mother, Margaret, met the mother of Maribel Vinson, who also competed at those World Championships, and this meeting between the mothers inspired Colledge's mother to begin Cecilia in figure skating.
She was coached by Eva Keats and Jacques Gerschwiler
.
At age eleven years and four months, Colledge represented Great Britain at the 1932 Winter Olympics
, where she became the youngest Olympic figure skater. She placed 8th in the event
.
She won the silver medal at the 1933 European Figure Skating Championships
. She won her first British national title in 1935. She won the bronze medal at the 1935 European Figure Skating Championships
and the silver medal at the 1935 World Figure Skating Championships
.
In 1936, she won her second national title and her second Europeans silver medal. At the 1936 European Figure Skating Championships
, Colledge landed a double salchow jump
, becoming the first woman to perform a double jump in competition. At age fifteen, she represented Great Britain at the 1936 Winter Olympics
, where she won the silver medal behind Sonja Henie
. Indeed, she was very unlucky to lose out to Henie and finished a very close second to her. After the school figures section, Colledge and Henie were virtually neck and neck with Colledge trailing by just a few points. As Sandra Stevenson recounted in her article in The Independent
on 21 April 2008, "the closeness [of the competition] infuriated Henie, who, when the result for that section was posted on a wall in the competitors' lounge, swiped the piece of paper and tore it into little pieces. The draw for the free skating [then] came under suspicion after Henie landed the plum position of skating last, while Colledge had to perform second of the 26 competitors. The early start was seen as a disadvantage, with the audience not yet whipped into a clapping frenzy and the judges known to become freer with their higher marks as the event proceeded. Years later, a fairer, staggered draw was adopted to counteract this situation".
There were two British Championships held in 1937 and Colledge won both of them. She won her first European title at the 1937 European Figure Skating Championships
and her first World title at the 1937 World Figure Skating Championships
. The following year, Colledge won a fifth national title, a second European title, and won the silver medal at the 1938 World Figure Skating Championships
. Writing in 1938, T.D. Richardson
(author of Modern Figure Skating and Ice Rink Skating) said "Her Free Skating Programme is by far the most difficult attempted by anyone, man or woman, in the Skating World, but she brings off these staggeringly difficult combinations of jumps and spins with such ease and sureness and at such speed that even experts are sometimes deceived as to the real worth of her programme."
In 1939, she won a third European title, but was unable to compete at the 1939 World Figure Skating Championships
because of a strained achilles tendon
.
During World War II
, there were no skating competitions. Colledge drove an ambulance in the Motor Transport Corps during the London Blitz. Following the war, she returned to competitive skating and won the British national title for the sixth and final time.
After she turned professional, she won the 1947 and 1948 Open Professional Championship.
She moved to the United States
in 1951 and became a coach in Boston
. She coached at the Skating Club of Boston
between 1952 and 1977. Among her students were Albertina Noyes
, Paul McGrath, and Ron Ludington.
She was inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame
in 1980.
Colledge died on 12 April 2008 at Mount Auburn Hospital
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
.
, Colledge became the first female skater to land a two rotation jump
in competition when she landed a double salchow
.
She is credited as being the inventor of the camel spin
along with its catchfoot variation and the layback spin
. Although not named after her, she was one of the first skaters who transitioned from a layback spin to a one hand Biellmann spin in her free programs.
She also invented the one-foot axel jump
, which is also known as the Colledge.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
figure skater
Figure skating
Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
. She was the 1936 Olympic silver medalist
Figure skating at the 1936 Winter Olympics
At the 1936 Winter Olympics, three figure skating events were contested. The competitions were held from Sunday February 9, 1936 to Saturday February 15, 1936.-Medal summary:-Participating nations:...
, the 1937 World Champion
World Figure Skating Championships
The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...
, the 1938-1939 European Champion
European Figure Skating Championships
The European Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition in which figure skaters compete for the title of European Champion...
, and a six-time (1935–1938, 1946) British national champion
British Figure Skating Championships
The British Figure Skating Championships are a figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of the United Kingdom...
.
Colledge is credited as being the first female skater to perform a double jump
Figure skating jump
Figure skating jumps are a major element of competitive figure skating. Different jumps are identified by the take-off edge and the number of revolutions completed. There are six kinds of jumps currently counted as jump elements in ISU regulations.-Technique:...
, as well as being the inventor of both of the camel spin
Camel spin
A camel spin, also known in Europe as a parallel spin, is one of the three basic figure skating spins, along with the sit spin and upright spin...
and the layback spin
Layback spin
A layback spin is an upright figure skating spin in which the head and shoulders are dropped backwards and the back arched downwards toward the ice. A common variation has the free leg lifted toward the back, typically in an attitude position, with the arms held above the body...
.
Biography
Cecilia Colledge grew up in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Her father, Lionel, was a throat surgeon. Her brother Maule was in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
and died during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Colledge began skating after watching the 1928 World Figure Skating Championships
1928 World Figure Skating Championships
The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion....
, which were held in London. Reports differ on her influence to begin skating; some state that she was inspired by Sonja Henie
Sonja Henie
Sonja Henie was a Norwegian figure skater and film star. She was a three-time Olympic Champion in Ladies Singles, a ten-time World Champion and a six-time European Champion . Henie won more Olympic and World titles than any other ladies figure skater...
, others that Colledge's mother, Margaret, met the mother of Maribel Vinson, who also competed at those World Championships, and this meeting between the mothers inspired Colledge's mother to begin Cecilia in figure skating.
She was coached by Eva Keats and Jacques Gerschwiler
Jacques Gerschwiler
Jacques Gerschwiler was a noted Swiss figure skater and coach. He was later elected to the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame. Among his students were Cecilia Colledge, Jeannette Altwegg, and Sally Stapleford. Born in Arbon, Switzerland, he was the brother of Arnold Gerschwiler and the uncle of...
.
At age eleven years and four months, Colledge represented Great Britain at the 1932 Winter Olympics
Great Britain at the 1932 Winter Olympics
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland competed as Great Britain at the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, United States....
, where she became the youngest Olympic figure skater. She placed 8th in the event
Figure skating at the 1932 Winter Olympics
At the 1932 Winter Olympics, three figure skating events were contested. The competitions were held from Monday, February 8, 1932 to Friday, February 12, 1932...
.
She won the silver medal at the 1933 European Figure Skating Championships
1933 European Figure Skating Championships
The 1933 European Figure Skating Championships were the European Figure Skating Championships of the 1932-1933 season. Elite senior-level figure skaters from European ISU Member Nations competed for the title of European Champion...
. She won her first British national title in 1935. She won the bronze medal at the 1935 European Figure Skating Championships
1935 European Figure Skating Championships
The European Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which figure skaters compete for the title of European Champion. Skaters competed in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, and pair skating.The 1935...
and the silver medal at the 1935 World Figure Skating Championships
1935 World Figure Skating Championships
The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion....
.
In 1936, she won her second national title and her second Europeans silver medal. At the 1936 European Figure Skating Championships
1936 European Figure Skating Championships
The 1936 European Figure Skating Championships were the European Figure Skating Championships of the 1935-1936 season. Elite senior-level figure skaters from European ISU Member Nations, as well as Japan, competed for the title of European Champion...
, Colledge landed a double salchow jump
Salchow jump
The Salchow is a figure skating jump with a takeoff from a back inside edge of one foot. The rotation in the air is made in the direction of the curve of the take-off edge. The landing is made on the back outside edge of the foot opposite the one used for take-off. One or more rotations may be...
, becoming the first woman to perform a double jump in competition. At age fifteen, she represented Great Britain at the 1936 Winter Olympics
Great Britain at the 1936 Winter Olympics
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland competed as Great Britain at the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.-Medallists:- Alpine skiing:MenWomen- Bobsleigh:- Cross-country skiing:Men...
, where she won the silver medal behind Sonja Henie
Sonja Henie
Sonja Henie was a Norwegian figure skater and film star. She was a three-time Olympic Champion in Ladies Singles, a ten-time World Champion and a six-time European Champion . Henie won more Olympic and World titles than any other ladies figure skater...
. Indeed, she was very unlucky to lose out to Henie and finished a very close second to her. After the school figures section, Colledge and Henie were virtually neck and neck with Colledge trailing by just a few points. As Sandra Stevenson recounted in her article in The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
on 21 April 2008, "the closeness [of the competition] infuriated Henie, who, when the result for that section was posted on a wall in the competitors' lounge, swiped the piece of paper and tore it into little pieces. The draw for the free skating [then] came under suspicion after Henie landed the plum position of skating last, while Colledge had to perform second of the 26 competitors. The early start was seen as a disadvantage, with the audience not yet whipped into a clapping frenzy and the judges known to become freer with their higher marks as the event proceeded. Years later, a fairer, staggered draw was adopted to counteract this situation".
There were two British Championships held in 1937 and Colledge won both of them. She won her first European title at the 1937 European Figure Skating Championships
1937 European Figure Skating Championships
The 1937 European Figure Skating Championships were the European Figure Skating Championships of the 1936-1937 season. Elite senior-level figure skaters from European ISU Member Nations competed for the title of European Champion...
and her first World title at the 1937 World Figure Skating Championships
1937 World Figure Skating Championships
The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion....
. The following year, Colledge won a fifth national title, a second European title, and won the silver medal at the 1938 World Figure Skating Championships
1938 World Figure Skating Championships
The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion....
. Writing in 1938, T.D. Richardson
T.D. Richardson
Thomas Dow "Tyke" Richardson OBE was a British competitive pair skater, author and judge.With his wife, Mildred Richardson, he represented Great Britain at the 1924 Winter Olympics, where they placed 8th...
(author of Modern Figure Skating and Ice Rink Skating) said "Her Free Skating Programme is by far the most difficult attempted by anyone, man or woman, in the Skating World, but she brings off these staggeringly difficult combinations of jumps and spins with such ease and sureness and at such speed that even experts are sometimes deceived as to the real worth of her programme."
In 1939, she won a third European title, but was unable to compete at the 1939 World Figure Skating Championships
1939 World Figure Skating Championships
The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion....
because of a strained achilles tendon
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon , also known as the calcaneal tendon or the tendo calcaneus, is a tendon of the posterior leg. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to the calcaneus bone.- Anatomy :The Achilles is the tendonous extension of 3 muscles in the lower leg:...
.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, there were no skating competitions. Colledge drove an ambulance in the Motor Transport Corps during the London Blitz. Following the war, she returned to competitive skating and won the British national title for the sixth and final time.
After she turned professional, she won the 1947 and 1948 Open Professional Championship.
She moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1951 and became a coach in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. She coached at the Skating Club of Boston
Skating Club of Boston
The Skating Club of Boston is a figure skating club based in Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 1912, it is one of the oldest skating clubs in the United States, predating the formation of U.S. Figure Skating. The club owns its own rink in Brighton, Massachusetts, built in 1938.-Club activities:An...
between 1952 and 1977. Among her students were Albertina Noyes
Albertina Noyes
Albertina Natalie "Tina" Noyes is an American former figure skater. She won the silver medal at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships four times and is the 1967 North American bronze medalist. She represented the United States at the 1964 Winter Olympics, where she placed 8th, and at the 1968...
, Paul McGrath, and Ron Ludington.
She was inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame
World Figure Skating Hall of Fame
The World Figure Skating Hall of Fame serves as a repository for the sport of figure skating. The World Figure Skating Hall of Fame is where the greatest names in the history of the sport are honored...
in 1980.
Colledge died on 12 April 2008 at Mount Auburn Hospital
Mount Auburn Hospital
Mount Auburn Hospital is a hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1886 as the first hospital in Cambridge, and is currently affiliated with Harvard Medical School.-External links:*...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
.
Innovations
At the 1936 European Figure Skating Championships1936 European Figure Skating Championships
The 1936 European Figure Skating Championships were the European Figure Skating Championships of the 1935-1936 season. Elite senior-level figure skaters from European ISU Member Nations, as well as Japan, competed for the title of European Champion...
, Colledge became the first female skater to land a two rotation jump
Figure skating jump
Figure skating jumps are a major element of competitive figure skating. Different jumps are identified by the take-off edge and the number of revolutions completed. There are six kinds of jumps currently counted as jump elements in ISU regulations.-Technique:...
in competition when she landed a double salchow
Salchow jump
The Salchow is a figure skating jump with a takeoff from a back inside edge of one foot. The rotation in the air is made in the direction of the curve of the take-off edge. The landing is made on the back outside edge of the foot opposite the one used for take-off. One or more rotations may be...
.
She is credited as being the inventor of the camel spin
Camel spin
A camel spin, also known in Europe as a parallel spin, is one of the three basic figure skating spins, along with the sit spin and upright spin...
along with its catchfoot variation and the layback spin
Layback spin
A layback spin is an upright figure skating spin in which the head and shoulders are dropped backwards and the back arched downwards toward the ice. A common variation has the free leg lifted toward the back, typically in an attitude position, with the arms held above the body...
. Although not named after her, she was one of the first skaters who transitioned from a layback spin to a one hand Biellmann spin in her free programs.
She also invented the one-foot axel jump
Axel jump
The Axel is a figure skating jump with a forward take-off. It is named after the Norwegian skater Axel Paulsen, who first performed the jump in 1882. An Axel jump has an extra ½ rotation in the air due to its forward take-off...
, which is also known as the Colledge.
Competitive highlights
| Event/Season | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1946 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympics Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating... |
8th | 2nd | |||||||
| World Championships World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion... |
8th | 5th | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | ||||
| European Championships European Figure Skating Championships The European Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition in which figure skaters compete for the title of European Champion... |
2nd | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | |||
| British Championships British Figure Skating Championships The British Figure Skating Championships are a figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of the United Kingdom... |
2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st |
Further reading
- E.R. HallE.R. HallEdward "Eddie" Ramsden Hall was an English racing driver. He was born in Milnsbridge into a wealthy Yorkshire family in 1900, the heir to a successful textiles business which funded his motor racing and other sporting exploits...
& T.D. Richardson - Champions all: camera studies by E.R. Hall (Frederick Muller, 1938) - Richardson T.D - Modern Figure Skating (Methuen, 1938)