Douglas Ramsay (May 5, 1944 – February 15, 1961) was an American
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 ...
who competed in men's singles.
Known as "Dick Button Jr.", he early won the reputation of being a particularly charismatic free skater and an audience favorite. After placing 4th at the Junior level at the 1959
United States Figure Skating Championships
The U.S. Figure Skating Championships is a figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of the United States. The competition is sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating. In the U.S. skating community, the event is often ...
, in 1960 he narrowly won the Junior title over Bruce Heiss (brother of
Carol Heiss
Carol Elizabeth Heiss Jenkins (born January 20, 1940) is an American former figure skater and actress. Competing in ladies' singles, she became the 1960 Olympic champion, the 1956 Olympic silver medalist, and a five-time World champion (1956†...
) and
Frank Carroll with a performance described as "dazzling".
Ramsay was the only skater to perform a triple jump at the
1961 United States Figure Skating Championships
The 1961 U.S. Figure Skating Championships was held at the World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado, from January 25 to 29, 1961. Medals were awarded in three colors: gold (first), silver (second), and bronze (third) in four disciplines – ...
, where he finished only fourth due to a poor performance in
compulsory figures
Compulsory figures or school figures were formerly a segment of figure skating, and gave the sport its name. They are the "circular patterns which skaters trace on the ice to demonstrate skill in placing clean turns evenly on round circles". For ...
. However, due to the illness of bronze medalist
Tim Brown Timothy, Timmy, or Tim Brown may refer to:
Music
* Timothy Brown (bassist) (born 1969), bassist for the band The Boo Radleys
* Timothy Brown (conductor) (born 1946), English choral conductor
* Timothy Brown (hornist), English hornist
Sports Gridir ...
, he was selected to compete at the 1961
North American Figure Skating Championships
The North American Figure Skating Championships were a former elite figure skating competition for skaters from the United States and Canada. It was a biennial (every two years) competition held between 1923 and 1971, with locations alternating ...
and
World Figure Skating Championships
The World Figure Skating Championships (''"Worlds"'') is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the categories of single skating, men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ...
as the alternate. At the North American Championships in Philadelphia, Ramsay again established himself as "the darling of the audience" and finished fourth in spite of missing a double axel.
["North Americans", ''Skating'' magazine, April 1961]
Ramsey grew up in Detroit. His grade school, Thomas A. Edison, where he practiced skating on a rink they would flood every winter, renamed the park adjacent to the playground in his memory.
Ramsay was en route to the World Championships in 1961 when his plane (
Sabena Flight 548
Sabena Flight 548 was a Boeing 707-329 flight operated by Sabena that crashed en route from New York City to Brussels, Belgium, on February 15, 1961. The flight, which had originated at Idlewild International Airport, crashed on approach to Bru ...
) crashed near
Brussels, Belgium
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, killing all on board. He was 16 at the time of his death.
Results
* N. = novice, J. = junior
References
External links
U.S. Figure Skating biography*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramsay, Douglas
American male single skaters
1944 births
1961 deaths
Burials in Michigan
Figure skaters from Detroit
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Belgium
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1961