Dick Button on skates

by Dick Button

Part autobiography, and part discussion of the state of competitive figure skating.

217 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1955

About the author

Richard Totten Button was an American figure skater and skating analyst. He was a two-time Olympic champion (1948, 1952) and five-time consecutive world champion (1948–1952). He was also the only non-European man to have become European champion. Button is credited as having been the first skater to successfully land the double Axel jump in competition in 1948, as well as the first triple jump of any kind – a triple loop – in 1952. He also invented the flying camel spin, which was originally known as the "Button camel". He "brought increased athleticism" to figure skating in the years following World War II. According to figure skating historian James R. Hines, Button represented the "American School" of figure skating, which was a more athletic style than skaters from Europe.

Reviews

[Surreysmum · Rating 3 out of 5]

"What it's like to be a Champion - and how to do it." Autobiography plus instructional chapters on figures and free skating. Includes a chapter on judging, and another arguing against the disproportionate emphasis on compulsory figures at the expense of free skating.