East German Women Figure Skaters | Golden Skate

East German Women Figure Skaters

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SkateFan4Life

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East German Women Figure Skaters

Since the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the unification of Germany, there has been a noticeable dearth of top German figure skaters, particuarly skaters from the former German Democratic Republic. For more than twenty years, there was usually one top East German woman figure skater on the World and/or Olympic podium.

<span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>Gabrielle Seyfert</strong></span>, the daughter of the renowned coach Mrs. Muller, was the World silver medalist for and Olympic silver medalist from 1966-1968 (all behind Peggy Fleming of the US). Gaby won the World title in 1969 and 1970, then retired as a competitor. I remember seeing Gaby compete against Peggy. While Gaby wasn't overly graceful or artistic, she was a delightful skater - exhuberant, strong jumps, and a bubbling personality.

The next East German woman to emerge as a world-class figure skater was <span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>Christine Errath</strong></span>, who won the World bronze medal in 1973 and 1975, the World title in 1974, the World silver medal in 1976, and Olympic bronze in 1976. Christine was a very sturdy skater - not very polished - but a strong athlete on skates. She had a habit of standing at the center of the ice at the end of her performances, with arms akimbo and staring at the judges, almost as if demanding them to give her good scores.

<span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>Annet Poetzsch</strong></span> of East Germany and Linda Fratianne of the US traded World titles for several years, with Annet winning the gold medal in 1978 and 1980 and Linda winning the title in 1977 and 1979. Annet became the first East German woman to win the Olympic figure skating gold medal, in 1980, under a somewhat controversial decision. While she won fairly and squarely, according to the then-judging system, she had won the school figures, was fourth in the short program and only third in the long program, so she wasn't the strongest free skater in the field. Annet married and divorced Katarina Witt's brother.

And, of course, <span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>Katarina Witt</strong></span> of the GDR was a skating superstar. She won World silver medals in 1982 and 1986, and World titles in 1984, 1985, 1987, and 1988. Katarina became the first woman since Sonja Henie to win consecutive Olympic gold medals, in 1984 and 1988. Kat also was a 6-time European champion. After Katarina won her last World title, she returned to East Germany and was able to convince the powers that be to give her permission to skate professionally outside of the GDR. When the Berlin Wall collapsed, she was truly free to pursue her skating career on her own terms.

Since then, there has been only one German woman figure skater on the World podium - <span style="text-decoration:underline"><strong>Tanja Szewczenko</strong></span>, in 1994.

I read an interesting story concerning the East German sports machine that spoke of the incentive these athletes had to excel in their particular fields - international travel, some money, cars, apartments, and other privileges not available to the average citizen of the GDR. Katarina Witt, when asked whether she thought it was "fair" for her to live at a higher style than her countrymen, defended her lifestyle. She said,
"I've brought honor to my country. I think I deserve these things because I've done something special. I don't want to be on the same level as the average factory worker."

While Kat did live at a higher standard than many in her country, she was hardly rich at that time, at least by Western standards. Two very small apartments, one of those hideous GDR cars that had "lemon" written all over it, and a small stipend for a salary. Still, it was all relative - she did have a higher standard of living than the average factory worker.
 
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Ladskater

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Re: East German Women Figure Skaters

Interesting post. Since I have begun researching the history of some of the moves that have been invented, I discovered a lot have come from German female skaters. It shows the depth that Germany held at one time in women's skating. It's sad to think one hardly sees any German skaters anymore. I wonder what happened.

Ladskater
 
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AY2006

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Re: East German Women Figure Skaters

I don't know about Errath, but Seyfert, Poetzsch and Witt were all coached by the same woman. So maybe it's Jutta Mueller, and not the East German system, that produced great skaters...
 
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SkateFan4Life

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Re: East German Women Figure Skaters

I suspect that the demise of the former East German sports machine, whereby elite athletes received free coaching and the kinds of goodies I mentioned in my previous post, has resulted in the demise of the system that generated the female figure skating champions from that country. Granted, the German Olympic team now includes a great many athletes from the former East Germany, but it's been 14 years since the Berlin Wall collapsed, so the influence once felt by the GDR is probably going to diminish in time.

I've read numerous reports and articles that stated the former East Germans expected to receive the comparatively wealthy lifestyle that was enjoyed by their West German compatriots. This hasn't happened. Similarly, the West Germans assumed that the East Germans would be seamlessly absorbed into one Germany, and that hasn't happened, either. It's hard to throw away a generation of Communist ideology, repression, and lack of independence.

Jutta Muller was a remarkable coach, and she was obviously intrumental in developing most, if not all, of the female skaters who represented East Germany. She also coached Jan Hoffman, who won World titles in 1974 and 1980 and the 1980 Olympic silver medal behind Robin Cousins. It was interesting that there was only one prominent East German woman skater, and this woman could be counted on being on the World and Olympic podium. It was a classic case of putting all your eggs into one basket.

Conversely, the United States has had a deep pool of women figure skating talent, and although the East German women won the Olympic gold medal in 1980, 1984, and 1988, there were always one, two, and sometimes three American women who were contenders for medals.

I'm sorry to not see any women from Germany emerge as stars
on the international scene. Perhaps it a matter of getting top coaches to settle in Germany - who knows?

:eek:
 
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Jaana

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Re: East German Women Figure Skaters

SkateFan4Life, are you sure you are not mixing Seyfert and Errath a bit? Or maybe I´m wrong, but I seem to remember Christine Errath as a bubbling personality.

>She had a habit of standing at the center of the ice at the end of her performances, with arms akimbo and staring at the judges, almost as if demanding them to give her good scores. >

Somehow I don´t think that was Errath...?

Marjaana
 
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AY2006

Guest
Re: East German Women Figure Skaters

Speaking of East German skaters, does anyone know whatever happened to Simone Koch and Evelyn Grossman?
 
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SkateFan4Life

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Re: East German Women Figure Skaters

Hi Jaana, I have my facts correct about Christine Errath. I remember seeing her skate and also see and reading about her "habit" of standing at center ice with her ice folded, looking at the judges as if to say, "OK, I skated a great program, let's see you give me some good marks." I'm not saying Miss Errath wasn't lively, but I am stating what I saw and read about.

:)
 
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SkateFan4Life

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Re: East German Women Figure Skaters

The last time I saw Simone Koch compete was at the 1989 Skate Electric championships. She did not have a particularly good performance. Tonia Kwiatkowski of the US won that competion.

Another East German, Simone Lang, won a bronze medal at the 1989 Skate America competition. Her choregraphy and
"look" was very similar to Katarina Witt. She was a good skater, but her jumps were not up to the standard of the top women. That's the last time I saw Simone skate.

I really think that the East German figure skating machine came to a screeching halt, more or less, when the Berlin Wall collapsed in November 1989. I would have thought that some of the up and coming former East German skaters would qualify for the unified German team. A few of them did, but none of them reached the status of the star skaters from the former German Democratic Republic.
 
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EllynK

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Simone Lang

I saw a tape of Lang's short program at, I believe, 1991 Europeans. She was skating to the Pink Panther theme. I liked the concept, but the execution left much to be desired.

Then I saw her on a tape of 1995 Worlds, which I think was her last competition. By that time she had become quite polished, a mature artistic skater, skating to Jesus Christ Superstar in the short program (with good fun footwork to Herod's Song) and Last of the Mohicans for the long. She was attempting triple sal, triple toe, and in the LP triple flip, but I think she only managed one clean triple per program. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed those programs as programs and lament what a shame it is that so often by the time a skater develops "the complete package," they get passed by by younger skaters with more jumps.
 
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Lcp88

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Re: Simone Lang

I remember reading something about how, once the Berlin wall fell, alot of skaters that could have been World class left to become coaches or skate for another country. It seems strange now becasue you see more and more skaters leave other countries to skate for Germany ( Mikeliene Kirrgard, Sydne Vogel, ect.)
Laura
 
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Ptichka

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Re: East German Women Figure Skaters

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>While Kat did live at a higher standard than many in her country, she was hardly rich at that time, at least by Western standards. Two very small apartments, one of those hideous GDR cars that had "lemon" written all over it, and a small stipend for a salary. Still, it was all relative - she did have a higher standard of living than the average factory worker.[/quote]
It was not just a matter of an appartment and a car. Foreign travel gave one a chance to see the world outside; it also gave one a chance to buy goods not seen at home.

By itself, I think it is fair; athletes work very hard and should be rewarded (we are not talking NFL type salaries here). However, there have also been revelations about Kat reporting to the German equivalent of KGB. While I do not know want to be the one to cast stones, that to me does raise some uncomfortable moral issues.
 
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heyang

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Re: East German Women Figure Skaters

Assuming that Kat reported to the Stasi, I would give her the benefit of a doubt and say that she did it to survive. She may have co-operated in order to keep her freedom. Actions must be considered from the person's frame of reference - not just an outsider's perspective. If she had known the wall would fall, she may have acted differently. Hindsight is 20/20.
 
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DORISPULASKI

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Re: East German Women Figure Skaters

Another thought, too. When Germany was 2 countries, you could have both a East and West German judge on the same panel. I wonder if anyone knows whether they tended to favor each other's skaters more than the rest of the world? Did they team up in ISU meetings to get what they wanted?

dpp
 
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berthes ghost

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Re: East German Women Figure Skaters

" However, there have also been revelations about Kat reporting to the German equivalent of KGB."

:rollin:

Reporting what? Where capitalists kept the Zamboni. How much a cup of cocco cost at Rockefeller Center. Oh, that's right, most figure skaters are given the secrets to nuclear weapondry manufacturing right after they win their first major title. Now I remember all of those photos with Reagan and Thacher whispering things into Kat's ears. I had just assumed they were trying to pick her up, little did I know she was gathering top secret information.

:rollin:
 
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SkateFan4Life

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Re: East German Women Figure Skaters

None of us really know what Katarina Witt did or did not say to the Stasi during her competitive days. We have to remember that she lived and represented an oppressive Communist country, one in which people typically "spied" on each other - reporting questionable acts to the Stasi, etc.
I do remember one interview Witt gave, during the 1988 Winter Olympics, in which she said she was proud to live and represent a "worker's country" and that her skating success was a means for making people respect the GDR. I did not take that statement to mean anything other than that she was proud to be an East German and represent her country.
Maybe she did cooperate with the secret police. Perhaps she was encouraged to do so.

The East German skaters, when they competed and/or toured outside of their country, typically traveled with a posse of "security" folks whose primary goal might well have been to prevent any of them from jumping ship and defecting. It had to be a difficult way to live. :x
 
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