In fact, Charlie Blair had his children at a competition while his youngest child was being born. She went to work coaching the U.S. women's speed skating team, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Bonnie Blair Sports, Goal, Physical Attraction 15 Copy quote Four key words--helped make my dreams come true. In the 500-meter race she won her first gold medal, defeating the defending champion by .02 seconds and setting a new world record in the process. Parry, Melanie, ed. This is an individual sport.". [2][25] Blair's third and final event of the 1988 Winter Olympics was the 1,500 meters, in which she placed fourth. Rushin, Steve. She has been married to Dave Cruikshank since June 23, 1996. In 1989, she won the World Sprint Championships, though she did not train as hard as she had for the Olympics. ." Washington Post (February 11, 1994): H5. I don't see any torture in this at all.". Cloud State Men's Hockey @SCSUHuskies_MH . Boston Globe (January 9, 2002): F7. [27] Blair also took a break from skating, enrolling in Montana Technological University. To win the 500-meter event, Blair beat Chinese skater Ye Qiaobo by 18 hundredths of a second. Although Ye claimed the crossover cost her the gold, the referee's rejected China's protest. . [28] She skipped the first two World Cup events of the 1989 season. The Blair Bunch was back even stronger at the 1992 Games in Albertville, France, with about 45 members swaying in unison in their purple team jackets and singing "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean." Many athletes wait too long, until their skills have begun to melt and slide like snow from a roof. At the 1984 Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia (now in Bosnia and Herzegovina), she could finish no better than eighth in the 500-metre event. Born in Philadelphia, she was the youngest of six children. She was the daughter of Charlie and Eleanor Blair, who raised their large Catholic family in Champaign, Illinois. During this last season, she shattered her world record time for the 500-meter sprint twice. [1] Her godmother is Canadian speed skater Cathy Priestner. She went on to ISU to get her degree in criminal justice. ." Bonnie Parker, outlaw partner of Clyde Barrow, was born at Rowena, Texas, on October 1, 1910, to Henry and Emma Parker. [28] The win made Blair the first U.S. woman to win a world sprint championship in nearly a decade. Explore Bonnie Blair Wiki Age, Height, Biography as Wikipedia, Husband, Family relation. In 1989 she won her first world sprint championship. She contracted a severe case of bronchitis that affected her breathing. Updates? Encyclopedia.com. Blair continued competing through 1995 when the World Championships were held in Milwaukee, finally retiring in March 1995. She repeated her victories in both 500m and 1000m speed. Bonnie Elaine Lorenc (born Blair) was born on month day 1925, at birth place, Utah, to Leo Amos Blair and Myrtle Hannah Blair (born Christensen). Sports Illustrated (December 6, 1987): section 2, p. 10. As a teenager Blair began to take the sport more seriously. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. After the 1994 Olympics, Blair continued to compete. private siblings' names; private children's names (1) spouse's name and marriage information; She became the first American woman to win five gold Olympic medals and the first American Winter Olympian to win six career medals. Blair won events at 1984, 1985 and 1986 short-track world championships and was the 1986 overall short-track world champion. In 1982, when Blair was 18 years old, her trainers wanted to take her to Europe to compete outside of the United States for the first time. Blair competed for the United States in four Olympics, winning five gold medals and one bronze medal. 1958- American Stock/Getty Images. Christensen, Karen, et al., eds. When Blair was sixteen, she competed at her first Olympic trials for the 1980 Winter Olympics. Bonnie Blair Cruikshank. Blair finished fourth in a national sprint competition for cyclists. On 23 June 1996 she married Dave Cruikshank, a fellow speed skater on the U.S. Olympic A new record and a gold medal At the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary, she watched as Christa Rothenburger broke the world record at 500m. "It was a nice ending.". Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Priestner had been an Olympic medalist herself, winning silver when she represented Canada at the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, in 1976. Blair told Brian Cazeneuve of The Sporting News, "I'm the one who puts pressure on myself. Blair's European trip had the desired effect, sharpening her skills for more competition. When the 1994 Winter Olympics at Lillehammer, Norway, came around, Blair was again favored to win. Bonnie Blair. At the Olympic Games, Blair had the support of her family, the so-called "Blair Bunch" which consisted of immediate and extended family members who attended a number of her more important races en masse. Matson, Barbara. (February 23, 2023). She is one of the top skaters of her era, and one of the most decorated athletes in Olympic history. She also took these titles in 1995. Parrish, Paula. "Blair, Bonnie Blair's success came despite the fact that she was smaller and lighter than an average female speed skater. Margie Frances Walter Rogers . World class track-and-field athlete Her winning time was slower than her record setting pace in Calgary, however, the venue in Albertville was outdoors creating conditions which were less conducive for speed skating. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. . She won the 1986 short-track world championship. 1939- After being born in Cornwall, N.Y., Blair moved with her family to the Midwest and was raised in Champaign, Ill. She took to speed skating like her older siblings. Sports Illustrated (December 19, 1994): 72. [18], Early in 1987, Blair won World Cup titles in the 500 and 1,000 meters. Encyclopedia of World Biography. In 1986, Blair set her first world's record in the 500 meters. [44] In 1986 the International Olympic Committee decided to alternate the Summer and Winter Games every two years, moving the 1996 Winter Games to 1994. Occupation Singer Family Father - David Glyndwr Hopkins Mother - Elsie Hopkins She soon regained her form and confidence, winning dozens of 500- and 1,000-meter races leading up to the 1992 Olympics. 23 Feb. 2023 . Phillips, Angus. Janofsky, Michael. In Champaign, I'd miss a workout or two. Priestner had been a speed skater since her teen years, winning a national championship within a year of taking up the sport. Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. In 1979 she began training with Cathy Priestner, a Canadian speed skater who had won a silver medal at the 1976 Winter Olympics. She entered the Winter Games in Albertville, France, as the favorite in both events. Also, Jack Sikma, a 18 March 1964 in Cornwall, New York), speed skater who dominated the sport between 1986 and 1995, winning five gold medals in three consecutive Winter Olympics. [5]:45 After the Olympics, Blair moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to train at the newly opened Pettit International Ice Center. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. [5]:45, Back in 1986, the International Olympic Committee voted to stage the Winter Olympics and Summer Olympics in alternating four year cycles. ." She surpassed her 1988 Olympic performance, taking home the gold medal not only in the 500-meter event, but in the 1,000-meter race as well. She also set a record in the 1000 meters with a time of 1:19.3. She also managed the oval built for the Calgary games after the Oympics ended for a number of years. Cruikshank's mother is five-time Olympic gold medalist Bonnie Blair and her dad is four-time Olympian Dave Cruikshank. All Rights Reserved Ye trained by watching tapes of Blair. 23 Feb. 2023 . Though she knew she was retiring, she left on top. Blair later ran on her high school track team, where, she later claimed, she did not stand out among her peers. In Olympic style, skaters skated in pairs against the clock. Alice Blair, 86, of Tioga, an accounts processor for the Aramark Co. and a caregiver to her older siblings and neighbors, died in her sleep Dec. 17, of complications from dementia at Caring Heart Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Germantown. New York Times (January 16, 2002): D7. 12. [39] The Blair Bunch, the name given to Blair's family and friends, accounted for 12% of the crowd at the Pettit National Ice Center. Her 1.38 second margin in the 1,000 meters race is the largest margin of victory in the history of the event. Myrtle was born on July 26 1899, in Manassa, Conejos, Colorado, United States. "Child of innocence." By the time she was in grade school, speed skating had become her number-one leisure activity. Showing Editorial results for bonnie blair. Bonnie Blair is a retired American speed skater. American speed skater Bonnie Blair won six medals competing in three Winter Olympics Games, the second most medals won by a woman in the Winter Olympic Games (the first was Lydia Skoblikova ). By those 10 1/2 inches, 23-year-old Bonnie Blair did what Mary Lou Retton didn't have the chance to do in gymnastics at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles: defeat the world's best. [26] Blair again won gold in the 500 meters, becoming the first woman to win the event in back to back Olympics, with a time of 40.33 seconds. Chambers, 1997. Washington Post (January 2, 1992): D3. Speed skater who won Olympic gold medals in 1988, 1992, and 1994. Bonnie Blair of Champaign, IL, races in the women's 500 meter speed skating event at Hamar Olympic Hall in Hamar, Norway, Saturday, February 19, 1994. She dominated the sprint events at three Olympic Games (1988, 1992, and 1994), winning five gold medals and one bronze. Place of Burial: Paintsville, Johnson, Kentucky, United States. A year later she twice set a world record for the 500-metre event on the standard circuit. And as far as skating goes, she's got a lot of class.". http://www.imperialoil.ca/thisis/publications/review/2001q4 (January 5, 2003). Barrow, who was 20, was a volatile ex-con and a wanted man who had vowed that he would . At the time, Blair trained in both short-track and long-track speed skating. Bonnie was born March 18, 1964. One of Blair's most influential coaches was Cathy Priestner (later known as Cathy Priestner-Allinger when she married Todd Allinger in 1986). Of the six, five were gold, making Blair the only American woman to ever win five gold medals in the games. ." When the gun goes off, I don't worry about the person next to me. International Encyclopedia of Women and Sports. New York Times (February 19, 1995): section 8, p. 1. At the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, Blair again won both the 500- and 1,000-meter races. With family members and dozens of friends, teammates, and fans cheering her on, Blair made her best start ever and zipped through the course in 39.1 seconds, setting a new world record and winning the gold medal. The only real competition came internationally, but because of her lack of training in 1989-91, she did not have much success in races in 1990-91. Blair was also the first American speed skater to win in more than one Olympic Games (1988, 1992, and 1994). The Champaign police department sponsored a campaign to support "Champaign Policemen's Favorite Speeder," raising $7,000 for Blair so that she could move to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and practice there with other competitive skaters. For her success, Blair was named the Babe Zaharis Female Amateur Athlete of the Year and sportswoman of the Year by Sports Illustrated for 1994. She also captured a bronze medal in the 1,000-meter event, becoming the only U.S. athlete to win more than one medal at Calgary. Bonnie Parker was born on October 1, 1910. [37] By 1994, Blair's hometown of Champaign had renamed one of its streets Bonnie Blair Drive. She is one of the top skaters of her era, and one of the most decorated athletes in Olympic history. Brownlee, Shannon. [39][8] There, Blair won the 500 meters with a time of 39.54 seconds. In winning the 500- and 1,000-meter speed-skating racesgiving her five career gold medals and a bronze, earned over three sets of gamesBlair proved herself to be the greatest female sprint . [39] On March 18, 1995, she retired. Sports Illustrated (March 7, 1994): 42. [3] Early on, Blair competed in "pack style," or short track speed skating, where several skaters race on the ice at once. [28], Following the 1988 Olympics, Blair also tried track cycle racing, and was coached by former speed skater and cycling world champion Connie Paraskevin. [31], In her second event, the 1,500 meters, Blair finished 21st. [34] At the 1994, U.S. Olympic long-track trials at the Pettit National Ice Center, Blair set track records in the first round of the 500 meter and 1,000 meter trails. Watch a short video featuring Bonnie Blair. 433 Bonnie Blair Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO All Sports Entertainment News Archival Browse 433 bonnie blair stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Blair lost focus for a while after the death of her father on December 25, 1989. "Bonnie Blair," Infoplease.com, http://www.infoplease.com/ipsa/A0109013.html (March 10, 2003). . All of Blair's two sisters and three brothers speed skated competitively because of their father. Blair broke the 39-second mark by skating it in 38.13 seconds. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, January 6, 2002; February 18, 2002. . With the oval in Milwaukee closed in the off-season, the best Having gained five gold medals and one bronze medal in three Olympic Games, Blair became the most decorated female Winter Olympian in U.S. history. Search instead in Creative? "Blades of gold." All of Blair's two sisters and three brothers speed skated competitively because of their father. [47] She was awarded a star (#7) on The Flag for Hope on September 29, 2015 in recognition of her outstanding Speed Skating Career and philanthropic efforts. [5]:44 The breathing problem lingered through the 1991 World Sprint Championships where she finished fifth. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). Blair has also become an accomplished motivational speaker, addressing audiences on such topics as "Achieving Your Personal Best." (People jokingly said her job title was "Girl Friday," which is a reference to a character from Daniel Defoe's 18th century book Robinson Crusoe , because . She was considered the best American hope for a medal, and did not disappoint. Blair made the 1984 U.S. Olympic team and competed in the 500-meter event at the Winter Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. [50] The pair married in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1996. (February 23, 2023). In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, James Eugene Blair. (February 23, 2023). Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 1996. Family (1) Spouse Dave Cruikshank (23 June 1996 - present) (2 children) Trivia (4) Inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2004. . Imperial Oil Web Site. 5-time Olympic gold medalist speedskater Bonnie Blair Cruikshank is still hitting the ice at 57-years-old. "Bonnie Blair," HickokSports.com, http://www.hickoksports.com/biograph/blairbon.shtml (March 10, 2003). Bonnie Kathleen Blair (born March 18, 1964) is a retired American speed skater. How many siblings did bonnie Parker have? An excellent student, she was allowed to graduate halfway through her senior year to focus on her training. During her gold medal-winning race, she also set a world's record with a time of 39.1 seconds. After the turn of the twenty-first century, Blair still found herself involved in speed skating, even though she no longer competed. Bonnie graduated from Warren High School in 1969. She received 5 gold medals and one bronze over her profession. In 1985, Blair won the North American indoor speed skating championship, and in 1986, she again won the U.S. indoor title. . After fellow speed skater Johann Olav Koss founded Right to Play in 2000, he recruited Blair to serve as one of the charities first celebrity ambassadors. She lived in Whitesburg, Letcher, Kentucky, United States for about 10 . She won gold at the 1988 Olympics in Calgary. Bonnie Parker was born on October 1, 1910. Paavo Nurmi (1897-1973) was one of the greatest distance runners of all time. [11] Her time was only 0.02 seconds faster than Ye. [32], Her success in the 1992 Olympics led to more attention for Blair. Speed skater Bonnie Blair started racing at the age of four and went on to be one of the fastest competitors of her time (via Britannica ). Four days later, she took the gold in the 1,000-meter race, winning by just two one-hundredths of a second. Bonnie Kathleen Blair is the most decorated woman in Winter Olympic history. Her total of six Olympic medals (five gold and a bronze) also made her the most successful American Winter Olympian in history. Speed skater Eric Heiden won five gold medals in the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York. https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/bonnie-blair, "Bonnie Blair By the time she was four years old, Blair was racing, and she loved it, competing against her older brothers and sisters and others in elementary and junior high school. ", Blair competed as a speed skater one more season following her last Olympic win. She became almost as well known for her entourage of family and friendsa group deemed the Blair Bunch that had grown to more than 60 people by 1994who went with her to each of her Olympic competitions to cheer her on from the stands. Since her retirement from competition in 1995 at the age of 31, she has turned her stellar Olympic performances into a successful career as a motivational speaker and corporate spokesperson. Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. American speed skater Bonnie Blair won six medals competing in three Winter Olympics Games, the second most medals won by a woman in the Winter Olympic Games (the first was Lydia Skoblikova). "History (Never) Lessens: Bonnie Blair was textbook good, and her legacy still is quoted chapter and verse." Bonnie died wearing a wedding ringbut it wasn't Clyde's. Six days before turning 16, Bonnie married high school classmate Roy Thornton. With her gold medals and winning personality to match, Blair captured the imagination of the American public, becoming a media darling and a favorite among fans. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. From 1986 to 1988 at the World Sprint Championships, Blair finished second once and third twice. [19] Although Blair was four inches shorter than Enke-Kania, Blair's technique and fast start time made her a formidable competitor.