Thanks for all the historical perspective and links, jcoates.
And a double(?) salchow in the opposite direction, ~2:54.
I think the point of some of this discussion is that Canadians are just as likely to remember Karen Magnussen because she was a big part of the Canadian skating narrative of the era. Not so much in the US narrative. Especially considering that Dick Button, who did the most to shape that US narrative, was married to Janet's coach for several years shortly after Janet retired from competition.
Of course her skating deserved the acclamation. But the focus of the historical narrative changes depending on who's writing the history. I wonder what it looked like in the Austrian media.
I didn't mean so much that people worldwide remember Janet above skaters from their own countries. But Americans, for example, don't know much about Julie Lynn Holmes, another accomplished American skater from that era. Most Americans don't remember JoJo Starbuck as a singles skater from the early seventies. (She also skated pairs and might be better known for that.) The one we primarily think of as our landmark skater from that time is Janet.
In terms of whether her fame endures only locally, I'd like to point out that the Japanese still admire Janet, and I suspect she influenced several of their more recent skaters, such as Yuka Sato. Additionally, Canadian Toller Cranston praised Lynn as one of the greatest female skaters ever. I'm just mentioning these examples to show that admiration of Janet Lynn isn't completely parochial. I'm sure you're right that the Austrians wrote far more about Trixi Schuba than Lynn, of course. It would be only natural.
I would be curious as to how an Austrian skate fan of today would work up a top ten list. Anyone here from Austria?
A double salchow in the opposite direction! Holy hat!
Last edited:
