Documentary: Ellen Burka | Golden Skate

Documentary: Ellen Burka

BlackPack

Medalist
Joined
Mar 20, 2013
Sometimes reading the current posts are kind of disappointing, since only mostly current skaters are given attention. Even top skaters from just a decade earlier are almost forgotten or not discussed often.

Burka was the go-to Canadian coach for many decades. Sandra Bezic mentioned how Toller Cranston was very attached to Burka and didn't like it when she had to given attention to others, i.e. Bezic.
 

Ladskater

~ Figure Skating Is My Passion ~
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
I saw this documentary a couple of years ago on the CBC. Yes, thank goodness it was a wonderful outcome for both Ellen and Canada!
 

NaVi

Medalist
Joined
Oct 30, 2014
Sometimes reading the current posts are kind of disappointing, since only mostly current skaters are given attention. Even top skaters from just a decade earlier are almost forgotten or not discussed often.

Just compare social media presence of current skaters vs those who were previously popular. Figure skating "stardom" is extremely fleeting. Skaters need to(and should be taught to) embed themselves in others information spaces(get likes, followers, friends, etc) during their career because it's pretty much impossible for most to do that after you retire.

There may be a little bit of danger in doing this with both skater behavior and with trolls, but I'd like to see the skater's instagram(by far the most used social app for skaters) accounts put up sometime during their skates. I also think skaters should be encouraged to link to videos of their performances on their social media accounts.

Skaters(especially Russian skaters) tend to ignore facebook and twitter... but for some of them it may be a good idea for them to create accounts there, pipe their instagram photos through it, and pretty much ignore them both. They should also use a random password generator instead of using the same password for all accounts. Olympic bound skaters who know they're likely to receive a large amount of "flash" exposure should work to make it easy to keep in touch via social media.
 
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brightphoton

Medalist
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Hahaha, these people sound like the Swedish Chef. I had never heard of Ellen Burka before. I want to find out more about this lady.

I love how skating boots back then were high up to the calf.

Figure skating in Amsterdam reminds me of the 1860s article about NY figure skating. Figure skating was so popular, and young people went there to spend time with people of the opposite gender on Saturday nights, kind of like clubbing nowadays. But it was also respectable and classy.

I can sort of follow what they're saying from my high school German. But I have a few questions, for people who actually understand Dutch.

Her best friend from childhood, is that the old lady who came down by stair elevator?

What were those letters about, the ones around minute 17?

What was going on in the concentration camp? Did she get to dance and skate in exchange for not being worked to death?

Hmm, about halfway through. Will have to watch the rest tomorrow.
 

BlackPack

Medalist
Joined
Mar 20, 2013
Toronto was like a mecca of great Canadian figure skating and training with Burka helming it all in the 70s. Orser is doing something similar too today.

Social media has its limits. Popularity is fleeting. After all, hardcore FS fans are in it for the fabulous skating and memories, not popularity.
 

LisaM

Medalist
Joined
Nov 30, 2014
Her best friend from childhood, is that the old lady who came down by stair elevator?
Yes :)

What were those letters about, the ones around minute 17?
Those are the letters Ellen wrote to her friend Elsbeth in Amsterdam, while she was in the camp. She writes she had a position of privilege, due to her claiming to be National Champion in figure skating (which wasn't true at the time, but she said 'that if there had been a championship, she would've won it anyway'). She was protected by the Obersturmführer (camp commander basically) because he was a huge fan of figure skating. Her parents and grandmother were sent to Sobibor, an extermination camp.


What was going on in the concentration camp? Did she get to dance and skate in exchange for not being worked to death?
She got to work in the field at first, and then later she was allowed to work at a farm outside of the camp. She would act and dance in plays. There was a big lake that would freeze over in the winter and she was ordered to practice there so she could do demonstrations for the Germans. Her friend Elsbeth went by train to Camp Westerbork where Ellen was to bring her the skates.
 

el henry

Go have some cake. And come back with jollity.
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 3, 2014
Country
United-States
Sometimes reading the current posts are kind of disappointing, since only mostly current skaters are given attention. Even top skaters from just a decade earlier are almost forgotten or not discussed often.

Burka was the go-to Canadian coach for many decades. Sandra Bezic mentioned how Toller Cranston was very attached to Burka and didn't like it when she had to given attention to others, i.e. Bezic.

Yes. When I saw this header, I wondered "And how many here will know who Burka is." The way of the world, unfortunately ... but it is frustrating to see threads about "Best ever" and have folks talk about Jeremy or Julia or Yuzu. Sometimes I wish "ever" were that short. :hijacked:

The documentary sounds fascinating, but I don't speak or understand Dutch and barely any German, so I don't want to be frustrated by watching it.
 

brightphoton

Medalist
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
I just watched the second half, and there’s more English in it. It’s about Ellen’s life in Canada, so her English-speaking daughters give some interviews. It also shows Theater on Ice and Toller Cranston. Petra mentions that she won a bronze at Canadian nationals, and she and her mother came up with a plan to win next time and go to worlds: do a triple jump, which at the time was unheard of for ladies.

Some cool moments:
minute ~28 – really short Ellen among Netherland’s basketball players. I believe they paved over her old rink for a basketball court.
minute ~35 – a shot of Petra and other skaters doing so many figures that there are giant circular ruts in the ice from the same figures

I'm wondering what Ellen is talking about at minute 24. It sounds like she's describing a play.
 
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LisaM

Medalist
Joined
Nov 30, 2014
I'm wondering what Ellen is talking about at minute 24. It sounds like she's describing a play.

She was a servant at a party for German officers. One of the officers tried to get her drunk and was trying to get her to do things, if you catch my drift. The Obersturmführer found them before anything happend. He also found out she was drunk and she was sent back to the camp, where all her privileges were taken away from her. Generally, punishment like that meant straight to the extermination camp, but her name wasn't mentioned when they called out a list of people to get on the train to Sobibor or Auschwitz. But the mistress of the Obersturmführer made sure Ellen could go to Theresienstadt, which was a similar camp to Westerbork, but in Czech Republic. There she met Jan Burka.
 

brightphoton

Medalist
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Poor Ellen. She faced a lot of hardship.

What an extraordinary woman! I'm glad this documentary was made and I got to learn about her.
 
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