Tonya Harding

[dorispulaski]

Tonya Maxene Price (née Harding; born November 12, 1970) is an American former figure skater, retired boxer, and reality television personality. She has a son, Gordon. Her wikipedia article reports the details of the Nancy Kerrigan attack and its aftermath. As a skater, Tonya won 1991 U.S. Nationals, and won the silver medal at 1991 Worlds. She finished first at 1994 U.S.Nationals, but USFSA invalidated that win. In skating, she was the first woman to land a triple Axel double toe combination, and the first to land a triple Axel in the short program. She also was the first to land triple flip double loop in competition.

Tonya has lived a highly publicized life, starting with the documentary "Sharp Edges" made in 1986 (when Tonya was 15, and was competing at her first US Nationals) by filmmaker Sandra Luckow. The film was Luckow's senior-thesis project for her Film studies major at Yale University. Luckow was Harding's childhood friend, and the documentary followed Harding and her coaches to Uniondale, New York, as she competed in the February 1986 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. The film features interviews with Harding, her mother and coaches, discussing her career in figure skating. This video is available on Amazon. It had been aired in a partial form on cable TV in 1986/87, where I chanced to see it.

Most recently, Tonya's life was the subject of the 2017 black comedy, "I, Tonya," which received multiple Oscar nominations. The Golden Skate thread discussing the movie is here:
2017
https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/showthread.php?65433-I-Tonya&highlight=Tonya

Many of the details from "I, Tonya" were clearly taken from "Sharp Edges," including Tonya's mother LaVona appearing in a fur coat with a parrot on her shoulder.

Some less well known incidents in Tonya's life:

On October 29, 1996, Harding received media attention after using mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to help revive an 81-year-old woman, Alice Olson, who collapsed at a bar in Portland while playing video poker.

She participated in Dancing With the Stars, finishing third, and won Worst Cooks in America, and donated her prize to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

On August 12, 2009, Harding set a new land speed record for a vintage gas coupe with a speed of 97.177 mph (156.391 km/h; 43.442 m/s) driving a 1931 Ford Model A, named Lickity-Split, on the Bonneville Salt Flats. Her setting of that land speed record was featured on an episode of "TruTV Presents: World's Dumbest..." that focused on "Record Breakers." Tonya became a commentator on that show in 2008.

Biographical Information & Social Media
​

Tonya's Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonya_Harding

Tonya videos from her post-skating life
http://www.tonyaharding.org/movies/index.html

All Golden Skate Media
Videos About Tonya Harding


​

PROGRAMS & VIDEOS

1985-1986

1985 Olympic Festival.SP

1986 US Championships documentary, "Sharp Edges" a movie, directed by Sandra Luckow as her senior-thesis project at Yale
Her figures, SO, and FS are included, but it Is not available on youtube at this time.

It can be viewed on Amazon Prime.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/det...oken=ADE07EB7B9E7DB86DEEEF0D5D4FC5F0B5FB44D3F

1986-1987
1986 Skate America FS
Arthur Fiedler's "Best Of" Overture

1986 Skate America
"99 Luftballons" by Nena EX
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c10kWro6pzk

1987-1988
1987 NHK SP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC3xshNNvRQ
1987 NHK FS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlUUDmn0lvo
1987 NHK EX When You Wish Upon a Star
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pU9K1W6w-Vw

1988 US Nationals FS
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cW0PhAju57k&list=PLE2TD9XJ90I3y9Z4GBOhcLkmMofZeURbt&index=6&pp=iAQB

1988-1989
1989 US Nationals SP
William Tell Overture by Gioachino Rossini
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoM0Ith-j_Q
1989 US Nationals FS

1989-1990
1989 Skate America SP

1989 Skate America FS
Batman soundtrack
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bRRTxqHEK6w&pp=ygUNVG9ueWEgaGFyZGluZw==

1989 Skate America EX
"I've Had) The Time of My Life;" performed by Bill Medley, Jennifer Warnes


1990 US Nationals SP
Frankie Goes To Hollywood soundtrack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKBR-JeVB4Q
1990 US Nationals FS

1990-1991
1990 Olympic Festival FS

1990 NHK SP
"Two Tribes" by Frankie Goes To Hollywood

1990 NHK FS
"Send in the Clowns"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kelvlfRkZ8

1991 US Nationals FS
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=w8xdflx1Q0s&list=PLE2TD9XJ90I3y9Z4GBOhcLkmMofZeURbt&index=12&pp=iAQB

1991 Worlds SP
"Two Tribes" by Frankie Goes To Hollywood
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsPS1bhAj6c
1991 Worlds FS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDcJQ1hZ32g

1991-1992
1991 Skate America SP
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uVz07QH2USM&pp=ygUNVG9ueWEgaGFyZGluZw==
1991 Skate America FS
"Europa (Earth's Cry, Heaven's Smile)" by Gato Barbieri
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OhGwWqRP4QI&pp=ygUNVG9ueWEgaGFyZGluZw==

EX
"Bad to the Bone" by George Thorogood & the Destroyers (3A)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zswg1FPaDQI
Interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C60t16rzg3Q

1992 US Nationals SP
"People Are Stll Having Sex" by Tone Loc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxoq6CiERf0
1992 US Nationals FS
Robin Hood soundtrack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqP_lTDFJTg

1992 Olympics SP
"People Are Stll Having Sex" by Tone Loc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-1CB8FTEqE
1992 Olympics FS part 1
Robin Hood soundtrack; Europa (Earth's Cry, Heaven's Smile) by Gato Barbieri
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ms5Xk2vobiM&pp=ygUNVG9ueWEgaGFyZGluZw==

1992 Olympics EX
"Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany's
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzWMsH1xvy4

1992 Worlds SP
"Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany's

1992 Worlds FS
Robin Hood soundtrack

1992-1993
1992 Skate Canada LP
Robin Hood soundtrack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0HnEE1LN4M
1992 Skate Canada EX
"Against All Odds" by Phil Collins
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGPBkA5H0JY

1992 ProAm Technical Program

1992 ProAm Artistic Program

1993 US Nationals SP (no sound)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQA_PJS5syA
1993 US Nationals FS
Robin Hood soundtrack; Europa (Earth's Cry, Heaven's Smile) by Gato Barbieri
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMCk8pxx1tg

1993-1994
1993 Skate America SP
Much Ado About Nothing soundtrack by David Snell

1993 Skate America FS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyhLt-xJRbo

1994 US Nationals SP

1994 US Nationals FS


1994 Olympic SP
"Much Ado About Nothing"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5RwYkr-NEE
1994 Olympics FS Part One
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms5Xk2vobiM
1994 Olympics FS
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QcGLOYZoL_k&list=PLE2TD9XJ90I3y9Z4GBOhcLkmMofZeURbt&index=28&pp=iAQB

Dancing With the Stars, Pro Competition

1999 ESPN Pro Skating Championships SP
[URL unfurl="false"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3btztipAXAM[/URL]
1999 ESPN Pro Skating Championshs FS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN02COyzcZc

All Dancing With The Stars performances
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol7jdjhh_MI

Competitive History

1985–86	CF	SP	FS	Final (TFP)
1986 U.S. Championships[36][37]	12	5	6	6th
1985 U.S. Olympic Festival [37]	-	-	-	5th
1986-87​
1987 U.S. Championships[36][37]	-	-	-	5th
1986 Skate America	-	-	-	2nd
1987-88​
1988 U.S. Championships[36][37]	8	9	4	5th
1987 NHK Trophy	-	2	3	3rd (3.8)
1988-89​
1989 U.S. Championships [36][37]	4	3	3	3rd
1988 Prize of Moscow News[35]	-	-	-	1st
1989-90​
1990 U.S. Championships [36][37]	3	2	10	7th
1989 Skate America	-	1	1	1st (1.5)
1989 Nations Cup	-	-	-	1st
1990-91​
1991 World Championships	-	2	2	2nd (3.0)
1991 U.S. Championships[36][37]	-	2	1	1st
1990 NHK Trophy	-	2	2	2nd (3.0)
1990 U.S. Olympic Festival [37]	-	-	-	2nd
1991-1992​
1992 World Championships	-	4	6	6th (8.0)
1992 Winter Olympics	3	4	4th (7.0)
1992 U.S. Championships[36]	-	-	-	3rd
1991 Skate America	-	-	-	1st
1992-1993​
1993 U.S. Championships[36]	-	-	-	4th
1992 Skate Canada International	-	-	-	4th
1993-1994​
1994 Winter Olympics	-	-	-	8th (12.0)
1994 U.S. Championships[36][37]	-	1	1	[1s†]
1993 Skate America	-	-	-	3rd
1993 NHK Trophy	-	7	4	4th (7.5)

Interviews, Articles

Tonya Harding Tells RuPaul How She Learned to Love Herself
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlEAA0Iq58U

RuPaul Shares the Photo That Brought Tonya Harding to Tears
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFLQY4JYmbI

 

[dorispulaski]

I enjoyed rewatching Tonya's videos, especially those from the 1980's.

And I streamed Sharp Edges (the 1986 documentary about Tonya) from Amazon. Those of you who watched I, Tonya might well be interested. I was. Definitely worth the 99 cents I paid to watch it.

 

[el henry]

Whatever you think about Tonya, what a career.

And what an amazing amount of work

 

[dorispulaski]

.... I thought LaVona with the fur coat and parrot was part of the comedy in I, Tonya, but it was for realz

 

[demarinis5]

Thanks Doris. I was a fan of so many US skaters back in the day and Tonya was one of many ladies whose skating I enjoyed.