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LWC
Skating History
(Lakewood
Winter Club)
Skating first blossomed at the
Lakewood Ice Arena on the shores of Steilacoom Lake after the facility
was converted from a dance hall to an ice rink in 1938. There were
show events, at first helped along by members of the Seattle Figure
Club, and later Johnny Johnson came down from Seattle to conduct morning
classes. A group of skaters and parents banded together as the
Lakewood Figure Skate Club. Ten years later (1948), they sold
memberships for $50.00 each, bought the arena and changed the name to
the Lakewood Winter Club.
With war raging in 1942, Johnson
joined the service, so Leah and George Mueller came to Lakewood to
teach. They left in 1947 and Johnson returned as a full-time
instructor in 1949. He taught a number of top skaters with Jimmy
Grogan (second at Nationals to Dick Button) Lois Screto, Marlene
Jackson, Joane Schenke, Pat Firth, Marianne Beeler Bourque and the
comedy duo of Larry Hamm and David Riggs each enjoying moments in the
spotlight.
In 1962 Kathy Casey, a young pro
from Great Falls, Montana came to the Lakewood arena to teach.
Over the years the sport had changed, but during Casey's 28 year stay,
skating went through a revolution. Popularized by Olympic exposure
and television, the graceful, lyrical skaters gradually gave way to
better athletes, especially jumpers. One such athlete was Jill
Sawyer of Lakewood, who in 1978, won a Junior World Championship in St.
Gervais, France. Casey was also the school Figures Coach for
Rosalynn Sumners, the World Champion in 1983 and Olympic Silver Medalist
in Sarajevo in 1984. Casey departed in 1990 to become skating
director at the Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs, perhaps the
top teaching post in the country.
In 1976, a new, spacious public
rink opened at Sprinker Recreation Center in Spanaway. Though it lacked
the Swiss Chalet charm of the older rink, its huge sheet of
ice earned high praise from skaters. Sprinker became
critical to skating in this region when the Lakewood
Ice Arena's roof collapsed, October 2, 1982. The old and
historical arena had to be demolished
and all skating practices and functions shifted to the Sprinker
facility.
Nearly 50 years after the sport
was introduced in Pierce County, Tacoma enjoyed one of its finest
moments when it served as host for the highly successful 1987 U.S.
National Championships at the Tacoma Dome. This competition
attracted record crowds, including more than 16,000 spectators for the
nationally televised women's final and more than 21,000 for the
post-competition exhibition. Brian Boitano, who would later strike
gold with a commanding performance at the Calgary Olympics, won the 1987
men's title.
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