Ralph Scott McCreath (April 27, 1919 – May 2, 1997) was a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
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
single skating
Single skating is a discipline of figure skating in which male and female skaters compete individually. Men's singles and women's singles are governed by the International Skating Union (ISU). Figure skating is the oldest winter sport contested ...
,
pair skating
Pair skating is a figure skating discipline defined by the International Skating Union (ISU) as "the skating of two persons in unison who perform their movements in such harmony with each other as to give the impression of genuine Pair Skating a ...
,
ice dancing
Ice dance (sometimes referred to as ice dancing) is a discipline of figure skating that historically draws from ballroom dancing. It joined the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, and became a Winter Olympic Games medal sport in 1976. Ac ...
, and
fours. He competed in pairs with
Veronica Clarke
Veronica Clarke (May 17, 1912 - July 27, 1999) was a Canada, Canadian figure skater who competed in single skating, pair skating, and four skating. She competed in pairs with Ralph McCreath, winning the North American title in 1937, and three nat ...
,
Norah McCarthy
Norah McCarthy was a Canadian figure skater who competed in single skating winning the 1940 national title, and pair skating. She competed in pairs first with Ralph McCreath, winning the 1939 and 1940 national titles, and later with Sandy McKech ...
,
Eleanor O'Meara,
Bunty Lang, and
Betty Chambers, and in fours with
fours with
Dorothy Caley,
Hazel Caley, and
Montgomery Wilson
William Stewart Montgomery "Bud" Wilson (August 20, 1909 – November 15, 1964) was a Canadian figure skater. Competing in singles, he became the 1932 Olympic bronze medallist, the 1932 World silver medallist, a six-time North American champion, ...
, winning the 1939
North American
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Ca ...
title.
McCreath started skating for the
Toronto Skating Club
The Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club is a private sport and social club located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The club offers a variety of sporting and social programs including aquatics, cricket, croquet, curling, figure skating, fitne ...
in 1933. He was the 1940, 1941, and 1946
Canadian national champion and 1941 North American in single skating. In pairs, he won six national and two North American titles with three different partners. As an ice dancer, he competed with Veronica Clarke. They won the Tenstep gold medal and the Waltz silver medal at the
1937 Canadian Figure Skating Championships and the Fourteenstep gold medal at the
1938 Canadian Figure Skating Championships.
He served in the
48th Highlanders of Canada
, colors =
, march = " 48th Highlanders Slow March"; Quick – "Highland Laddie"
, mascot =
, battles = Second Boer WarFirst World WarSecond World ...
and the
Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps
The Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps (RCOC; french: Corps royal canadien des munitions, ''CRCM'') was an administrative corps of the Canadian Army. The Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps RCOC can trace its roots back to the Canadian Stores Department. ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
After his competitive career, he became a judge, team member, and member of the
Canadian Figure Skating Association
Skate Canada ( Canadian French: ''Patinage Canada'', lit. "Skating Canada") is the national governing body for figure skating in Canada, recognized by the International Skating Union and the Canadian Olympic Committee. It organizes the annual ...
. He was inducted into the
Canadian Figure Skating Hall of Fame The Skate Canada Hall of Fame is the sports hall of fame for figure skating maintained by Skate Canada. It was established in 1990 as the Canadian Figure Skating Hall of Fame. The members are inducted into one of four categories that best represent ...
in the Athlete category in 1994.
Results
Singles career
* J = Junior level
* McCreath did not compete between 1941 and 1946 due to World War Two.
Pairs career
(with
Eleanor O'Meara)
(with
Norah McCarthy
Norah McCarthy was a Canadian figure skater who competed in single skating winning the 1940 national title, and pair skating. She competed in pairs first with Ralph McCreath, winning the 1939 and 1940 national titles, and later with Sandy McKech ...
)
(with
Veronica Clarke
Veronica Clarke (May 17, 1912 - July 27, 1999) was a Canada, Canadian figure skater who competed in single skating, pair skating, and four skating. She competed in pairs with Ralph McCreath, winning the North American title in 1937, and three nat ...
)
(with Betty Chambers)
* J = Junior level
(with Bunty Lang)
* J = Junior level
Ice dancing career
(with
Veronica Clarke
Veronica Clarke (May 17, 1912 - July 27, 1999) was a Canada, Canadian figure skater who competed in single skating, pair skating, and four skating. She competed in pairs with Ralph McCreath, winning the North American title in 1937, and three nat ...
)
Fours career
(with
Dorothy Caley,
Hazel Caley, and
Montgomery Wilson
William Stewart Montgomery "Bud" Wilson (August 20, 1909 – November 15, 1964) was a Canadian figure skater. Competing in singles, he became the 1932 Olympic bronze medallist, the 1932 World silver medallist, a six-time North American champion, ...
)
(with
Constance Wilson-Samuel
Constance Wilson-Samuel (January 7, 1908 – April 6, 1963) was a Canadian figure skater, born in Toronto, Ontario. Competing in ladies' singles, she became the 1932 World bronze medallist, a four-time North American champion, and a nine-t ...
,
Montgomery Wilson
William Stewart Montgomery "Bud" Wilson (August 20, 1909 – November 15, 1964) was a Canadian figure skater. Competing in singles, he became the 1932 Olympic bronze medallist, the 1932 World silver medallist, a six-time North American champion, ...
, and
Veronica Clarke
Veronica Clarke (May 17, 1912 - July 27, 1999) was a Canada, Canadian figure skater who competed in single skating, pair skating, and four skating. She competed in pairs with Ralph McCreath, winning the North American title in 1937, and three nat ...
)
(with Elizabeth Fisher, Mrs. Spencer Merry, and Hubert Sprott)
References
1994 Canadian Figure Skating Hall of Fame Induction*
*
Canadian male single skaters
Canadian male pair skaters
Canadian male ice dancers
1919 births
1997 deaths
20th-century Canadian people
{{Canada-figure-skating-bio-stub