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SkateFan4Life
Guest
Many of us remember Linda Fratianne, the Californian who won the silver medal at the Lake Placid Olympics of 1980. Linda burst into the US senior national scene in 1976 by winning the silver medal and narrowing losing to Dorothy Hamill, who won her third national title. Fratianne skated a strong long program with two triple jumps – a salchow and a toe – and there were those in the audience and in the media who felt she should have won the title with that program.
Fratianne finished 8th at Innsbruck, then won four consecutive US titles (1977-1980), two World titles (1977, 1979), one World silver medal (1978) and one World bronze medal (1980). When Fratianne won her first World championship in Tokyo in 1977, she competed with a bad case of the flu. Although she fell in her long program, her overall performance was very impressive and competitive.
During the late 1970s, Fratianne and Annet Poetszch of East Germany traded World titles, and they were the co-favorites for the 1980 Olympic gold medal. In what became a controversial finish, Poetszch won the gold medal after finishing first in the school figures, fourth in the short, and third in the long, and Fratianne won the silver medal after finishing third in the school figures, first in the short, and second in the long. Poetszch emassed enough overall points to win the title, fairly and squarely.
Fratianne became one of the first skaters to wear heavily-sequined skating dresses, and she was also known for wearing dresses with “petal skirts”. She was coached by Frank Carroll, and she remained with Frank throughout her amateur career. Fratianne was known more for her technical skills than for her artistry. IMHO, her skating appeared to be a bit robotic, with simple choreography and not the greatest musical interpretation. Her 1980 Olympic long program was skated to “Carmen”. Linda wore a red dress, in the spirit of the fiery Carmen, yet she somehow did not quite catch the spirit of this character, IMHO.
After the 1980 season, Linda turned pro and skated with Disney on Ice. She also competed several years at the World Professional Championships. One of her routines included pieces from “Chariots of Fire” and “E.T.” – a very nice number.
Unfortunately, Linda’s silver medal finish at Lake Placid was a source of disappointment to her for many years. An article in “Blades on Ice” quoted her as saying that it was years before she could bring herself to look at her medal. She felt she had let everyone down – her coach, her country, her family, and herself. That’s a shame, because, in my opinion at least, an Olympic medal of any color is a tremendous achievement.
Linda lives in Sun Valley, Idaho, and she coaches young skaters. It’s hard to believe that she’s 46 years old now!
Fratianne finished 8th at Innsbruck, then won four consecutive US titles (1977-1980), two World titles (1977, 1979), one World silver medal (1978) and one World bronze medal (1980). When Fratianne won her first World championship in Tokyo in 1977, she competed with a bad case of the flu. Although she fell in her long program, her overall performance was very impressive and competitive.
During the late 1970s, Fratianne and Annet Poetszch of East Germany traded World titles, and they were the co-favorites for the 1980 Olympic gold medal. In what became a controversial finish, Poetszch won the gold medal after finishing first in the school figures, fourth in the short, and third in the long, and Fratianne won the silver medal after finishing third in the school figures, first in the short, and second in the long. Poetszch emassed enough overall points to win the title, fairly and squarely.
Fratianne became one of the first skaters to wear heavily-sequined skating dresses, and she was also known for wearing dresses with “petal skirts”. She was coached by Frank Carroll, and she remained with Frank throughout her amateur career. Fratianne was known more for her technical skills than for her artistry. IMHO, her skating appeared to be a bit robotic, with simple choreography and not the greatest musical interpretation. Her 1980 Olympic long program was skated to “Carmen”. Linda wore a red dress, in the spirit of the fiery Carmen, yet she somehow did not quite catch the spirit of this character, IMHO.
After the 1980 season, Linda turned pro and skated with Disney on Ice. She also competed several years at the World Professional Championships. One of her routines included pieces from “Chariots of Fire” and “E.T.” – a very nice number.
Unfortunately, Linda’s silver medal finish at Lake Placid was a source of disappointment to her for many years. An article in “Blades on Ice” quoted her as saying that it was years before she could bring herself to look at her medal. She felt she had let everyone down – her coach, her country, her family, and herself. That’s a shame, because, in my opinion at least, an Olympic medal of any color is a tremendous achievement.
Linda lives in Sun Valley, Idaho, and she coaches young skaters. It’s hard to believe that she’s 46 years old now!