Seeking help IDing skaters in a jigsaw puzzle from 1972

[SubRosa]

Saw this on Reddit on r/FigureSkating, seeking to identify the skaters pictured in this ABC Wide World of Sports jigsaw puzzle from 1972. Any fans of figure skating history want to take a stab at this? Setting is definitely Sun Valley.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Saw this on Reddit on r/FigureSkating, seeking to identify the skaters pictured in this ABC Wide World of Sports jigsaw puzzle from 1972. Any fans of figure skating history want to take a stab at this? Setting is definitely Sun Valley.

It may be Melissa and Mark Militano.

 

[kolyadafan2002]

I find it quite bizarre that they wouldn't mention the skaters used on the jigsaw box

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Great guess @Ic3Rabbit! I think you are correct. Plus, the 1972 time period is accurate for when they were around. They were a brother/ sister team. But Melissa also later skated with Johnny Johns. All three of them are still alive. Johnny Johns has been a coach for a long time in the Boston area, I believe. Apparently, Mark Militano, has been a coach too for awhile. You can find more information about these past U.S. pairs skaters on Ryan Stevens' skateguard blog, Wikipedia, Google, and YouTube videos.

I find it quite bizarre that they wouldn't mention the skaters used on the jigsaw box

The box credits ABC Wide World of Sports, so the image was taken from a filmed performance which aired on that sports broadcast most likely. The skaters' names should definitely be mentioned somewhere. But, maybe not. When the jigsaw was sold during that time period, anyone who followed figure skating back then would have recognized the athletes. As well, the original box, when sold, might have contained an insert which listed their names. Who knows?

 

[yesterday]

There's two threads so far on this and the most mentioned guesses: Militanos // JoJo Starbuck and Kenneth Shelley.

Reddit - Dive into anything

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Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

 

[el henry]

That is not JoJo Starbuck, at least unless she had a period where she dyed and cut her hair. (I am joking, even with hair cut and dyed, not JoJo). I also vote the Militanos.

I have a different take on why the skaters aren't named. This is a Wide World of Sports jigsaw, not a skating jigsaw. Wide World of Sports was why many of us were glued to our TVs on a Saturday afternoon, and Wide World of Sports would have been the selling point, not any one particular skater.

At least that's my two cents.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

There's two threads so far on this and the most mentioned guesses: Militanos // JoJo Starbuck and Kenneth Shelley.

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

For sure, the skaters in the photo are not Ken Shelley and JoJo Starbuck. JoJo had and has blond hair and different facial features.

I'm pretty certain that it's Melissa and Mark Militano, based on old videos and a Google search of what they looked like back then. In the early 1970s, these two siblings were skating together. A few years later, Melissa paired with Johnny Johns, who somewhat resembled her brother.

You can also ask former skaters, such as Tai Babilonia, who was coming up as a young pairs skater back then, with Randy Gardner. She knew the Militanos, plus, she and Randy were mentored by Starbuck/ Shelley. And as I mentioned previously, all of these former skaters are still alive, so someone can confirm with certainty.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Here's a YouTube video of the Militanos at 1972 U.S. Nationals skating their long program outdoors in Long Beach, CA, to Scheherazade. The video quality is very poor, so we don't see their facial features that well. However, Mark wore his hair long, so the jigsaw puzzle picture doesn't resemble him as much. The lady in the jigsaw photo does seem to look a bit like Melissa. I will also link to a b&w photo of Melissa with her other partner, Johnny Johns.

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Another possibility is a sibling team who competed at the top in years prior to 1972: Ronald & Cynthia Kauffman. The Kauffmans probably retired after the 1968 Olympics, but they still may have competed in shows at venues such as Sun Valley. Still, Ronald Kauffman was fairly tall, so the man in the jigsaw photo doesn't look like him too much. So, back to the Militanos. Maybe Mark grew his hair out by 1972, and the Sun Valley photo was taken sometime earlier.

 

[dorispulaski]

One thing:

Coaches

FEFSC.org is the home of The Florida Everblades Figure Skating Club which sponsors USFSA Test sessions and holds a USFSA competition annually. The main objective of FEFSC has been to promote figure skating in the Southwest Florida area since its establishment in the year 2000. The Florida...

fefsc.org

Florida Everglades Figure Skating Club coach list.

Johnny Johns is in Florida with Marina Zoueva's group.

 

[4everchan]

No idea who they are. But this photo seems to confirm that it is Melissa Molitano. https://digitalcollections.lib.umanitoba.ca/islandora/object/uofm:1886573/manitoba_download

She is here with Johnny Johns however. I don't think she is skating with Johns on the Sun Valley picture... but that's how far my Saturday morning investigation took me

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

No idea who they are. But this photo seems to confirm that it is Melissa Molitano. https://digitalcollections.lib.umanitoba.ca/islandora/object/uofm:1886573/manitoba_download

She is here with Johnny Johns however. I don't think she is skating with Johns on the Sun Valley picture... but that's how far my Saturday morning investigation took me

I too think this photo confirms that it's Melissa Militano in the jigsaw picture. I had included a link to this same photo in above post #8.

The linked photo is likely around 1974 or so, after Melissa had partnered with Johnny Johns (who slightly resembles Mark Militano). But yeah, it's not Johnny Johns in the jigsaw picture. It must be Mark with Melissa in the jigsaw pic, sporting a shorter haircut before growing his hair out by 1972 U.S. Nationals.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

One thing:

Coaches

FEFSC.org is the home of The Florida Everblades Figure Skating Club which sponsors USFSA Test sessions and holds a USFSA competition annually. The main objective of FEFSC has been to promote figure skating in the Southwest Florida area since its establishment in the year 2000. The Florida...

fefsc.org

Florida Everglades Figure Skating Club coach list.

Johnny Johns is in Florida with Marina Zoueva's group.

That's nice. I believe Johns used to work in Boston. I'm behind a bit, because I sorta forgot or didn't register that Zoueva had relocated to Florida.

It will be nice to see if Zoueva & Co can give Gamez/ Korovin enhanced skills and polish together. Already G/K looked a bit better at Worlds, with improved confidence.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

That's nice. I believe Johns used to work in Boston. I'm behind a bit, because I sorta forgot or didn't register that Zoueva had relocated to Florida.

It will be nice to see if Zoueva & Co can give Gamez/ Korovin enhanced skills and polish together. Already G/K looked a bit better at Worlds, with improved confidence.

Actually, Johnny Johns coached for almost 30 years at DSC, then moved to AE in Canton, MI to coach with Marina, then moved to Hertz in FL with her in 2019.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

^^ Thank you for the correction. It's Bobby Martin who coached pairs (coaches still?) in Boston. He coached Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir when they were partners.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

^^ Thank you for the correction. It's Bobby Martin who coached pairs (coaches still?) in Boston. He coached Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir when they were partners.

Yes, Bobby coached C/S in Boston, but not anymore.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Yes, Bobby coached C/S in Boston, but not anymore.

You mean Bobby doesn't coach anymore, period? Of course, he doesn't coach Castelli/Shnapir anymore -- they're both retired. They had split after the 2014 Olympics to skate with other partners, but neither achieved the same success they had as a team. I've heard that C/S got together in recent years to skate in exhibitions at SCOB. They have both mellowed with maturity. It's well known they had a difficult relationship when they were competitive partners.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

You mean Bobby doesn't coach anymore, period? Of course, he doesn't coach Castelli/Shnapir anymore -- they're both retired. They had split after the 2014 Olympics to skate with other partners, but neither achieved the same success they had as a team. I've heard that C/S got together in recent years to skate in exhibitions at SCOB. They have both mellowed with maturity. It's well known they had a difficult relationship when they were competitive partners.

You asked if Bobby coached pairs in Boston and I said yes he DID (and coached Marissa and Simon there). He does NOT coach there anymore. I know all the rest.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Okay, I was just asking for clarification. The way you phrased it could be variously interpreted as, 'he doesn't coach C/S anymore.' Or, that he doesn't coach anymore. Just one of the hazards of misinterpreting online communication. Nothing negative intended by me. In any case, I wasn't asking you if Martin used to coach in Boston. I was just wondering whether he still coached there. I realized I was thinking of a different coach when I mentioned Johnny Johns in Boston. I looked it up online to confirm that it was Bobby Martin who was based in Boston.

I mentioned the rest, realizing most fans who watched back then are aware of the C/S history.

 

[SubRosa]

Having looked at a ton of skating pictures, my best guess is Peter Burrows and Sjoukje Dijkstra. Keeping in mind the setting, Sun Valley in the summer suggests professional, not amateur, skaters. Burrows, a former British pairs champion, was coaching in the USA by the early '70s, and Dijkstra was finishing up her professional career in 1972. I can't find anything that puts these two skaters at this location during this time period, though, so wouldn't bet the farm on this guess.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Having looked at a ton of skating pictures, my best guess is Peter Burrows and Sjoukje Dijkstra. Keeping in mind the setting, Sun Valley in the summer suggests professional, not amateur, skaters. Burrows, a former British pairs champion, was coaching in the USA by the early '70s, and Dijkstra was finishing up her professional career in 1972. I can't find anything that puts these two skaters at this location during this time period, though, so wouldn't bet the farm on this guess.

Not necessarily. Sun Valley hosts Amateur/Eligible skaters in the summer for shows and as featured guests.