Nancy Kerrigan Biography
-She is an American figure skater from Stoneham, Massachusetts
-Born on October 13, 1969
-She has two older brothers
-Her father worked multiple jobs in order to pay for her skating
-She skated at Colonial Figure Skating Club in Boxborough, MA which is
located at Nashoba Valley Olympia Ice Rink
-She is an Olympic silver and bronze medalist, a world silver and bronze
medalist, a U.S. national champion, silver, and bronze medalist
-Was one of the most famous athletes during the 1994 Olympics due to
the attack
-She graduated from Stoneham High School and Emmanuel College
Nancy Kerrigan 1994 Olympic Short Program
Time: 0:40-2:00
Tonya Harding Biography
-She is an American figure skater who was born on November 12, 1970 in Portland
Oregon
-Raised in Vancouver, Washington with her parents and four siblings
-Her family struggled financially but managed to enroll her in skating lessons at
the age of four.
-Tonya immediately impressed her teachers with her natural talent and athletic
ability, and with the help of a series of sponsors she was able to enter skating
competitions. Soon after her parents arranged professional lessons for her.
-Tonya’s family moved thirteen times during her childhood and she dropped out out
high school shortly after she finished her freshman year to focus on her skating
career. But adolescence was spent drinking in bars and smoking cigarettes, and her
parents divorced when she was sixteen
-in 1991 she became the first American woman to land a triple axel in a competition
-Won several medals in the USFSA ladies championship, a silver medal in the World
Figure Skating Championships of 1991, and came in fourth place in the Albertville
Winter Olympics
Tonya Harding 1991 Long Program at U.S. Nationals
Time: 0:11-1:00
Background
-Nancy Kerrigan was America’s new favorite figure skater and was
predicted to beat Tonya Harding in the 1994 Winter Olympics in
Lillehammer, Norway
-Tonya was afraid that Nancy would beat her, because this would end the
brief fame that Tonya was having.
-The attack happened two days before U.S. nationals in a Detroit ice rink
-After the attack and back in the U.S, Harding pleaded guilty to
conspiracy to hinder the prosecution of Kerrigan’s attackers. She was
fined $100,000, sentenced to probation with 500 hours of community
service, and was banned from competing in future olympic games
The Attack
-On January 6, 1994 in Detroit, Michigan Nancy Kerrigan was
attacked
-She was clubbed in her right knee by a police baton
-She was assaulted by a hitman that was hired by Harding’s ex-
husband to hurt Kerrigan so she would be unable to compete at
nationals and Lillehammer
-The incident is known as the “whack heard around the world”
Primary Source
"It's a shock," said Claire Ferguson, president of the
United States Figure Skating Association. "I hope she's
O.K. It isn't a happy time for any sporting event."
What is the significance?
-The attack against Nancy Kerrigan,
according to Editor & Publisher, was the
fifth biggest news item of the 1994
calendar year.
-It was also considered “the most
dramatic moment if figure skating”
according to the Huffington Post
-Ice skating was thought to be a very
graceful and pretty sport, this scandal
showed the not-so-pretty side of it.
Where does the topic fit in?
During the late 1900s there were many political and sports scandals. In
politics there was watergate, the resignation of President Nixon, President
Ford being the first President not elected, and later the Monica Lewinsky
Scandal, and the Impeachment trial for President Clinton. In sports
there were multiple scandals about assaults and drug use. Since the 90’s
were part of what was known as the “drug era” this was not surprizing.
Since this period in time was very turbulent, the Nancy Kerrigan attack
was only one of many scandals that occurred in the 90s.
Where are they now?
-Kerrigan got married in 1995
-In 2004 she was inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame
-She appeared in Blades of Glory
-She received the Special Achievement Award at the Tradition
fundraiser at the New England Sports museum
-Kerrigan has three children
-She has appeared in many ice skating exhibitions since the Olympics
-She works with many charities
-In 1994 Harding was banned from U.S. figure skating for
life, she was striped of her national title, was on
probation, was fined, and faced 500 hours of community
service
-She has been interviewed many times about the attack
-She became a wrestler
-She married her third husband in 2010
-Harding has one son
Works Cited
3Axel1996. "Nancy Kerrigan (USA) - 1994 Lillehammer, Figure Skating, Ladies' Technical Program." YouTube.
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Http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTUun50igClGqyQB_1cPqcA. "Tonya Harding And Nancy Kerrigan: How The
Scandal Changed Olympic Skating." YouTube. YouTube, 07 Jan. 2014. Web. 06 June 2016.
IIIRikaIII. "Tonya Harding Triple Axel." YouTube. YouTube, 17 Jan. 2015. Web. 06 June 2016.
IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 06 June 2016.
Intersport Chicago. "Nancy Kerrigan Attack - Raw Footage and Interviews - January 6, 1994." YouTube. YouTube,
23 Jan. 2014. Web. 06 June 2016.
Longman, Jere. "Kerrigan Attacked After Practice; Assailant Flees." The New York Times. The New York Times, 06
Jan. 1994. Web. 06 June 2016.
"Nancy Kerrigan Bio, Stats, and Results." Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 June 2016.
"Nancy Kerrigan." Newsmakers. Detroit: Gale, 1994. Biography in Context. Web. 6 June 2016.
"PEOPLE.com." PEOPLE.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 June 2016.
"Skater Nancy Kerrigan Attacked." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 06 June 2016.
"Tonya Harding." Gale Biography in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2000. Biography in Context. Web. 6 June 2016.
"USA TODAY: Latest World and US News." USA Today. Gannett, n.d. Web. 06 June 2016.
Yodabeesh. "Tonya Harding 1991 Nationals LP." YouTube. YouTube, 28 May 2007. Web. 06 June 2016.