Ronald Ludington
Encyclopedia
Ronald Ludington is an American
figure skater
and coach. He was born in Boston
.
four times, between 1957 and 1960, after having been the junior national champions in 1956. They won bronze medals at the 1959 World Figure Skating Championships
and 1960 Winter Olympics
. Ludington also won the 1958 U.S. junior (silver) dance championship, partnered with Judy Ann Lamar.
Following his competitive career, Ludington took up coaching. His first pupils included Patricia
and Robert Dineen
, who were killed along with the rest of the U.S. team in the crash of Sabena Flight 548
on their way to the 1961 World Championships. Ludington was not on the plane because neither he nor the Dineens had the money to fund his travel expenses; it was the only World Championships between 1957 and the end of the century which he did not attend as either a competitor or a coach.
Ludington's best-known pupils include U.S. pair champions, Melissa Militano and Johny Johns, and Kitty
and Peter Carruthers, the silver medalists in pair skating at the 1984 Winter Olympics
. He was also the coach of ice dancers Carol Fox and Richard Dalley
at those Olympic Games. Ludington also coached Stacey Smith and John Summers, three-time national champion ice dancers, and US national pair silver medalists, Gale and Joel Fuhrman, and Lee Ann Miller and Billy Fauver, and US pair bronze medalists, Cozette Cady and Jack Courtney.
After his divorce from Nancy Rouillard, Ludington was married to Mary Batdorf, who is now better known as Mary Scotvold
. They both taught skating at the Skating Club of Wilmington, in Wilmington, Delaware, and had a son, Michael. They were divorced in the mid-1970s. He is now married to Karen Ludington, another skating coach.
Their current students include Melissa Bulanhagui
.
Ludington is director of the Skating Science Development Center the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club
. He was named to the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame
in 1999 and the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame
in 2000.
)
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
and coach. He was born 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...
.
Biography
With his then-wife, Nancy Rouillard Ludington, he won the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in pair skatingPair skating
Pair skating is a figure skating discipline. International Skating Union regulations describe pair teams as consisting of "one lady and one man." The sport is distinguished from ice dancing and single skating by elements unique to pair skating, including overhead lifts, twist lifts, death spirals,...
four times, between 1957 and 1960, after having been the junior national champions in 1956. They won bronze medals at the 1959 World Figure Skating 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...
and 1960 Winter Olympics
1960 Winter Olympics
The 1960 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event held between February 18 and 28, 1960 in Squaw Valley, California, United States. In 1955 at the 50th IOC meeting, the organizing committee made the surprise choice to award Squaw Valley as...
. Ludington also won the 1958 U.S. junior (silver) dance championship, partnered with Judy Ann Lamar.
Following his competitive career, Ludington took up coaching. His first pupils included Patricia
Patricia Dineen
Patricia Major Dineen was an American ice dancer who competed with her husband Robert Dineen. The duo won the Silver dance title at the 1960 United States Figure Skating Championships and then the bronze at the senior level at the 1961 United States Figure Skating Championships, earning them the...
and Robert Dineen
Robert Dineen
Robert Dineen was an American ice dancer who competed with his wife Patricia Dineen. The duo won Silver dance title at the 1960 United States Figure Skating Championships and then the bronze in the senior division at the 1961 United States Figure Skating Championships, earning them the right to...
, who were killed along with the rest of the U.S. team in the crash of Sabena Flight 548
Sabena Flight 548
Sabena Flight 548, registration OO-SJB, was a Boeing 707 aircraft that crashed en route to Brussels, Belgium, from New York City on February 15, 1961, killing the entire United States Figure Skating team on its way to the 1961 World Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia.The flight, which...
on their way to the 1961 World Championships. Ludington was not on the plane because neither he nor the Dineens had the money to fund his travel expenses; it was the only World Championships between 1957 and the end of the century which he did not attend as either a competitor or a coach.
Ludington's best-known pupils include U.S. pair champions, Melissa Militano and Johny Johns, and Kitty
Kitty Carruthers
Caitlin A. "Kitty" Carruthers is an American figure skater. She competed in pairs with her brother Peter Carruthers. They are the 1981-1984 U.S. national champions, the 1982 World bronze medalists, and the 1984 Olympic silver medalists...
and Peter Carruthers, the silver medalists in pair skating at the 1984 Winter Olympics
1984 Winter Olympics
The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from 8–19 February 1984 in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. Other candidate cities were Sapporo, Japan; and Gothenburg, Sweden...
. He was also the coach of ice dancers Carol Fox and Richard Dalley
Richard Dalley
Richard Dalley was an American ice dancer. Nicknamed "Beanie", he is from the Detroit, Michigan area. He competed in ice dance with Carol Fox at the 1984 Winter Olympics. The dance team is probably the most decorated team never to have won the US Championships....
at those Olympic Games. Ludington also coached Stacey Smith and John Summers, three-time national champion ice dancers, and US national pair silver medalists, Gale and Joel Fuhrman, and Lee Ann Miller and Billy Fauver, and US pair bronze medalists, Cozette Cady and Jack Courtney.
After his divorce from Nancy Rouillard, Ludington was married to Mary Batdorf, who is now better known as Mary Scotvold
Mary Scotvold
Mary Batdorf Scotvold is an American figure skating coach, best known for her work with Olympic medalists Paul Wylie and Nancy Kerrigan, whom she co-coached with her husband, Evy Scotvold....
. They both taught skating at the Skating Club of Wilmington, in Wilmington, Delaware, and had a son, Michael. They were divorced in the mid-1970s. He is now married to Karen Ludington, another skating coach.
Their current students include Melissa Bulanhagui
Melissa Bulanhagui
-External links:*...
.
Ludington is director of the Skating Science Development Center the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club
University of Delaware Figure Skating Club
The University of Delaware Figure Skating Club was chartered in January 1986. The University of Delaware is home to the Blue and Gold arenas which serve as the home of the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club and the Delaware Ice Skating Science Development Center...
. He was named to 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 1999 and the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame
Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame
The Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame is a membership-based organization founded in 1976. The organization runs a museum with exhibits at Daniel S...
in 2000.
Pairs
(with Nancy LudingtonNancy Ludington
Nancy Irene Rouillard is an American pair skater.-Personal life:She was born in Stoneham, Massachusetts...
)
Event | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Winter Olympic Games 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... |
3rd | |||
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... |
4th | 5th | 3rd | 6th |
North American Championships North American Figure Skating Championships The North American Figure Skating Championships were a former elite figure skating competition for skaters from the United States and Canada. It was a biennial competition held between 1923 and 1971, with locations alternating between the two countries.Although the event was classified as an... |
3rd | |||
U.S. Championships United States Figure Skating Championships The United States Figure Skating Championships is figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of the United States. The competition is sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating. In the U.S. skating community, the event is often referred to informally as "Nationals".Skaters... |
1st | 1st | 1st | 1st |
Ice Dance
(with Lamar)Event | 1958 |
---|---|
U.S. Championships United States Figure Skating Championships The United States Figure Skating Championships is figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of the United States. The competition is sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating. In the U.S. skating community, the event is often referred to informally as "Nationals".Skaters... |
1st J. |