Gordon Riley "Gordie" McKellen Jr. (born August 26, 1953) is an American former competitive
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 ...
. He is the 1973–75
U.S. national
Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constituti ...
champion and placed tenth at the
1972 Winter Olympics
The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially the and commonly known as Sapporo 1972 ( ja, 札幌1972), was a winter multi-sport event held from February 3 to 13, 1972, in Sapporo, Japan. It was the first Winter Olympic Games to take place outside Europe ...
.
Personal life
McKellen was born on August 26, 1953, in
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading ( ; Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Reddin'') is a city in and the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city had a population of 95,112 as of the 2020 census and is the fourth-largest city in Pennsylvania after Philade ...
.
[ His parents, Leila and Gordon "Tuffy" Sr., owned an ice rink,][ In 1977, McKellen married American figure skater Kath Malmberg, who gave birth to their two children in the 1980s.]
Career
McKellen won three consecutive U.S. national titles. He was selected to represent the United States at the 1972 Winter Olympics
The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially the and commonly known as Sapporo 1972 ( ja, 札幌1972), was a winter multi-sport event held from February 3 to 13, 1972, in Sapporo, Japan. It was the first Winter Olympic Games to take place outside Europe ...
and finished tenth. His highest placement at the World Championships was 5th, in 1975.
Although other skaters had practiced triple axels before then, McKellen was the first skater to attempt them in public performances. He landed several in exhibition in 1974–1975, as King of the Lake Placid Winter Festival exhibition and during the exhibitions following his third National championship win in Providence. The triple axel was not landed in competition until Vern Taylor did it in 1978.
McKellen retired from competitive skating after the 1975 season after his coach, Slavka Kohout
Slavka Kohout (born December 14, 1932) is an American figure skating coach and former competitor, best known for coaching 5-time U.S. Champion Janet Lynn throughout her entire competitive career.
Career
As a skater, Kohout was twice the Midwest ...
, left her position at the Wagon Wheel rink in Rockton, Illinois, where McKellen had been training. He toured with Toller Cranston's "The Ice Show" company after turning professional.
McKellen was inducted into the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1998. In July 2001, he was banned for life from U.S. Figure Skating
U.S. Figure Skating is the national governing body for the sport of figure skating in the United States. It is recognized as such by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee "USOPC" under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act an ...
because of allegations of inappropriate behavior and actions with underage female skaters.
Results
See also
Skatabase: 1970s Worlds
* Hamilton, Scott (1999). ''Landing It'', .
References
Navigation
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKellen, Gordon
American male single skaters
Olympic figure skaters of the United States
Figure skaters at the 1972 Winter Olympics
1953 births
Living people
Sportspeople banned for life