Carol Elizabeth Heiss Jenkins (born January 20, 1940) is an American former
figure skater
Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are me ...
and actress. Competing in ladies' singles, she became the
1960 Olympic champion, the
1956 Olympic silver medalist, and a five-time
World
In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
champion (1956–1960).
Career
Competitive
Heiss started skating as a six-year-old in New York.
[ She was coached by Pierre Brunet. She first came to national prominence in 1951, when she won the U.S. novice ladies' title, at age 11. She won the U.S. junior ladies' title in 1952 and then moved up to the senior level in 1953. From 1953 to 1956, she finished second to ]Tenley Albright
Tenley Emma Albright (born July 18, 1935) is an American former figure skater and surgeon. She is the 1956 Olympic champion, the 1952 Olympic silver medalist, the 1953 and 1955 World Champion, the 1953 and 1955 North American champion, and the ...
at the national championships
A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...
. She competed with a slashed Achilles' tendon at the 1954 U.S. Championships.[
Heiss was named in the U.S. team to the ]1956 Winter Olympics
The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games ( it, VII Giochi Olimpici invernali) and commonly known as Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956 ( lld, Anpezo 1956 or ), was a multi-sport event held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, from ...
in Cortina d'Ampezzo
Cortina d'Ampezzo (; lld, Anpezo, ; historical de-AT, Hayden) is a town and ''comune'' in the heart of the southern (Dolomitic) Alps in the Province of Belluno, in the Veneto region of Northern Italy. Situated on the Boite river, in an alp ...
, Italy. She won the silver medal, while Albright took the gold. However, at the following World Championships
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen (; Bavarian: ''Garmasch-Partakurch''), nicknamed Ga-Pa, is an Alpine ski town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the seat of government of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (abbreviated ''GAP''), in the O ...
, West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
, Heiss defeated Albright for the title; it was the first of her five consecutive world titles.
After the 1956 Winter Olympics, Heiss had offers to turn professional and skate in ice shows. But her mother, Marie Heiss, was quite ill with cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
at the time, and before her death in October 1956, she asked Carol to win a gold medal for her. Between 1957 and 1960, Heiss dominated women's figure skating like nobody since Sonja Henie
Sonja Henie (8 April 1912 – 12 October 1969) was a Norway, Norwegian figure skating, figure skater and film star. She was a three-time List of Olympic medalists in figure skating, Olympic champion (Figure skating at the 1928 Winter Olympics, ...
. She was the World and U.S. Champion each year, and at the 1960 Winter Olympics
The 1960 Winter Olympics (officially the VIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Squaw Valley 1960) were a winter multi-sport event held from February 18 to 28, 1960, at the Squaw Valley Resort (now known as Palisades Tahoe) in Squaw Vall ...
in Squaw Valley, California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, Heiss captured the gold medal, being ranked first by all nine judges. She also took the Olympic Oath
The Olympic Oath (distinct from the Olympic creed) is a solemn promise made by one athlete, judge or official, and one coach at the Opening Ceremony of each Olympic Games. Each oath taker is from the host nation and takes the oath on behalf of al ...
as representative of the organizing country to open the 1960 games.[ :File:Carol Heiss 1960 oath.jpg] By winning the 1960 World Championships held after the Olympics, Heiss became one of three women to have won five consecutive World Championships. She then retired from competitive skating.[
In 1953, Heiss became the first female skater to land a double ]Axel jump
Axel may refer to:
People
* Axel (name), all persons with the name
Places
* Axel, Netherlands, a town
** Capture of Axel, a battle at Axel in 1586
Arts, entertainment, media
* ''Axel'', a 1988 short film by Nigel Wingrove
* ''Axel'', a Cirque d ...
. One of her trademarks was performing a series of alternating clockwise and counterclockwise single Axels.[ She normally rotated her jumps clockwise and spins counterclockwise; it is much more common for skaters to do both in the same direction (usually counterclockwise).
Heiss was inducted into the ]World Figure Skating Hall of Fame
The World Figure Skating Hall of Fame serves as a repository for the sport of figure skating. The World Figure Skating Hall of Fame is where the greatest names in the history of the sport are honored. It is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, ...
and the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame The United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame serves as a repository for the sport of figure skating. The United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame is where the greatest names in the history of the sport are honored. To be inducted into it is consid ...
.[
]
Post-competitive
Heiss played the female lead in the 1961 film ''Snow White and the Three Stooges
''Snow White and the Three Stooges'' is a 1961 American comedy, fantasy film. It is the second feature film to star the Three Stooges after their 1959 resurgence in popularity. By this time, the trio consisted of Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and "Cu ...
''. In the late 1970s, she began coaching several skaters in Lakewood, Ohio
Lakewood is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, on the southern shore of Lake Erie. Established in 1889, it is one of Cleveland's historical streetcar suburbs and part of the Greater Cleveland, Greater Clevelan ...
. Her former students include Timothy Goebel
Timothy Richard Goebel (born September 10, 1980) is an American former competitive figure skater. He is the 2002 Olympic bronze medalist. He was the first person to land a quadruple salchow jump in competition and the first person to land th ...
, Tonia Kwiatkowski
Tonia Sue Kwiatkowski (born February 12, 1971) is an American figure skating coach and former competitor. She is a two-time Winter Universiade champion, a winner of two silver medals on the Champions Series, and the 1996 U.S. national silver me ...
and Miki Ando
is a retired Japanese figure skater. She is the 2007 and 2011 World champion, 2011 Four Continents champion, 2004 World Junior champion, and a three-time (2003, 2004 & 2010) Japanese national champion.
Ando is the first female skater to c ...
.[
]
Personal life
Carol Heiss was born on January 20, 1940, in New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, and grew up in Ozone Park, Queens
Ozone Park is a neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Queens, New York, United States. It is next to the Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, a popular spot for Thoroughbred racing and home to the Resorts Wor ...
.[ Her younger sister and brother, ]Nancy Heiss
Nancy Heiss is a former American figure skater. She was the 1955 U.S. junior champion. At the senior level she placed 4th at the United States Figure Skating Championships in 1957 and 1958, and won the silver medal at the 1959 event. In thos ...
and Bruce Heiss
The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been a ...
, were also elite figure skating competitors. During the 1950s, the three skating Heiss siblings were featured in publications such as ''Life'' magazine.[
During her run of world titles, Heiss attended ]New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
, graduating after the 1960 Winter Olympics.[ In 1961, she married American figure skater ]Hayes Alan Jenkins
Hayes Alan Jenkins (born March 23, 1933) is an American former figure skater. He is the 1956 Olympic champion, a four-time World champion (1953–1956), and a four-time U.S. national champion (1953–1956).
Personal life
Jenkins was born on M ...
, who had won the 1956 Olympic gold medal.[ They have three children together.][
]
Results
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
*
Interview of Carol Heiss Jenkins
conducted by Dan Coughlin at Cleveland Public Library
Cleveland Public Library, located in Cleveland, Ohio, operates the Main Library on Superior Avenue in downtown Cleveland, 27 branches throughout the city, a mobile library, a Public Administration Library in City Hall, and the Ohio Library for the ...
on January 29, 2015. (audio only)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heiss, Carol
1940 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Queens, New York
American female single skaters
American figure skating coaches
Figure skaters at the 1956 Winter Olympics
Figure skaters at the 1960 Winter Olympics
Olympic gold medalists for the United States in figure skating
Olympic silver medalists for the United States in figure skating
Actresses from Akron, Ohio
World Figure Skating Championships medalists
Medalists at the 1956 Winter Olympics
Medalists at the 1960 Winter Olympics
Female sports coaches
New York University alumni
Oath takers at the Olympic Games
People from Ozone Park, Queens
21st-century American women