Customer Reviews

Frozen in Time: The Enduring Legacy of the 1961 U.S. Figure Skating Team

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You don't need to be a figure skating fan to become engrossed in reading this compelling human interest story. The author effectively breathes life into the tragic loss of the U.S. team making them real and memorable to generations that might only know them by name or historical event. This book is a tribute to the young athletes, at the peak of their performance and poised for greatness, and their family members and coaches, who become "unfrozen" long enough for us to come to know them. Skating terms and judging criteria are clearly explained and many well chosen photographs support the text. I highly recommend this book as an example of triumph over tragedy.

I bought this book as a gift for a friend who is a huge skating fan--always looking forward to her annual pilgrimage to the US Nationals. I knew she would enjoy reading about such a critical event in US skating history. But, I certainly didn't anticipate that I, a non-skater who enjoys watching the sport but has never shelled out dollars to do so, would find this book so fascinating. The author choose to focus on two particular skaters and their families, and by so doing, makes this true story read like a novel, not the possibly dry news report I expected. I felt particularly drawn into the lives of those two families, which set the context for the other characterizations. I also found the book surprisingly suspenseful, considering that, like the Titanic, I was well aware of how the story ends. The book benefits from the author's experience as a skater, providing good technical information but even better insight into the emotions of the sport. The photos are wonderful--my complaint is that there weren't enough.

Nikki Nichols did a fantastic job in researching the stories of each the 18 figure skaters - and their family members - that were on the ill-fated 1961 flight that crashed in Belgium on its way to the World Championships in Prague. Little has been written over the years on the lives of these talented athletes and it is wonderful to see their stories fleshed out far beyond just being a morbid statistic. Special attention - and deservedly so - is giving to the Owens family: Maribel Sr. (the many times National champion in singles and pairs whose students had included Tenley Albright and Frank Carroll), Maribel Jr. (the reserved, newly crowned pair champion with her boyfriend Dudley Richards), and Laurence Owen (the 16 year old, vivacious singles skater who was poised to succeed Albright and the lovely Carol Heiss as queen of the ice).

The loss of this young skating team and many of its top coaches obliterated US skating internationally for years and Nichols effectively captures the void this accident left on the sport. It would be three years before an American would medal at a major event - young Scott Allen's bronze at the '64 Olympics - and a World champion would not emerge again until 1966 when Peggy Fleming won the ladies title. My only complaint with the book is that Nichols includes fictional conversations attributed to the victims based on their known personality traits and the actions that transpired leading up to - as well as their time on - the airplane. For me, it crosses the line from biography - and Frozen In Time is a good biography - into romance novel cliche when she occasionally takes this dramatic license.

"Frozen in Time" is a well researched and well written look at the entire U.S. Skating team that was killed in a 1961 plane crash in Brussels. Author Nikki Nichols focuses mostly on the Owen family (nine time National Champion Maribel Vinson Owen and her daughters, "Little Maribel" and newly crowned National Champion, 16 year old Laurence) and Stephanie Westerfield, Laurence's closest rival and her sister Sharon. The book also gives insight into what skating was like at that time, with detailed explanations of elements such as school figures which are no longer included in competitions and the different competitions themselves, including the North American Championships which no longer exists. Finally, the book also talks about the devastating affect the deaths had on family members left behind as well as how the deaths forever changed the United States figure skating program.

Although I was just a baby when it happened, I'm a long time figure skating fan and I grew up hearing about the plane crash and wondered what had happened. This long overdue remembrance is a poignant read and by the end readers will feel as if they knew each skater. Nikki Nichols intersperses the history of skating with her narration, including the fact that 1961 was the first time Nationals was shown on television (although on tape, not live). Nichols also compares skating then to skating now and skating fans probably won't be too surprised to learn that even back in 1961 Maribel Owen was fighting corrupt judges. The book is full of pictures and many of them are haunting, such as the team posing for pictures on the steps of the doomed plane; a burnt skate; the charred copy of Sports Illustrated with Laurence Owen on the cover; and the ever present smile of Laurence.

If the book falters anywhere, it's when Nichols tries to imagine what the atmosphere on the doomed plane was. Of course, no one can know what conversations took place on the flight and Nichols valiant attempt doesn't work and tends to be over dramatic. I also wish the section dealing with the rebuilding of the U.S. Skating team had been a bit longer.

Still, these minor flaws shouldn't keep anyone from reading this excellent book.

If you are looking for an in-depth look at or understanding of the talented skaters who comprised the 1961 figure skating team, you may not find it in Frozen In Time: The Enduring Legacy of the 1961 U.S. Figure Skating Team. I didn't.

In this reviewer's opinion, the book fails to capture the glory of *all* the skaters and instead is a summary of already published and well-known information. Nothing new or personal is revealed, and there are precious few photographs. It could be argued that too much general information about figure skating -- not directly related to the skaters themselves or the disaster -- is included.

With Frozen In Time, a unique opportunity existed to present meaningful connections to who these skaters were as individuals, performers, rivals, and friends. The author succeeded in this respect with regard to the Owen sisters and Miss Westerfeld but came up short on the same subject with the remaining team members. After reading the book, I don't know any more about Rhode Michelson, Dudley Richards, or Bill and Laurie Hickox, for example, than I did before reading it. That was disappointing to me because the team was comprised of a number of talented skaters besides those named Owen or Westerfeld.

A major flaw in the book, as other reviewers have written, is the editorial license the author has taken in fictionalizing conversations and situations regarding the skaters and the ill-fated Sabena 548 flight. In addition, there are several factual errors, misreferences, and typographical errors in the book.

Frozen In Time did not deliver the substance or complete story that I expected, and, in this reviewer's opinion, was surprisingly disappointing and shallow.

Ms. Nichols is the perfect person to tell this amazing story, as her journalism and figure skating backgrounds shine through. She has brought these amazing skaters back to life, and shown their impact on the world of skating today. It is a story of triumph and great tradegy that will truly leave an impression on the reader. It is also filled with many beautiful and powerful photographs which are well placed throughout to support the narrative. A wonderful book!

I truly enjoyed this book. One of my best childhood friends died in the 1961 plane crash, her name was Laurence Owen. This book brought back many memories of a wonderful young girl taken far to soon. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves Figure Skating. It gives insight to many of the wonderful people who died on that February day.

I have a vested interest in this book. The author is a personal friend and former coworker of mine. When she first mentioned the book to me the image of a black and white picture flashed into my mind. It was of a pretty young girl with short brown hair and a huge smile. It was Laurence Owen and I recall seeing it a World Book supplement we had at home. I remember the horrific crash and the painful aftermath. Nikki has done a wonderful job of interweaving the joys and the hardships faced not only by the skaters but their families as well, with the flavor of the time in which they lived and died. I admit to crying at the loss of lives, their hopes and dreams and wondering "What if?" Yet, out of the ashes came new hopes and new dreams glittering in the medals of gold silver and bronze that US Skaters have since won. This is a book about triumph and tragedy, and I doubt anyone reading will ever forget the faces and names of the people whose young lives, though cut short still reach out and touch us all today. A superb and moving tribute. Well done Nikki!

I purchased this book for my 84 year old mother who lost her brother in this horrific plane crash. He was not a member of the Olympic Ice skating team , but was the head steward on board the flight. The 50th anniversary just passed and my mother requested a book written in english about the flight. Thank goodness I reviewed the book first before giving it to her. It is from an American perspective and focuses solely on the individuals of the Olympic team. The crew members and others who also lost their lives were mentioned as an after thought, essentially dehumanizing the effect this tragedy has had on our families. Sadly my Uncles name was grossly misspelled. If my Mom had read that, she would have been devastated. I'm returning the book. My Uncle left a young wife and 4 young daughters at the time of his death. My mother still has the tie he wore, burnt and singed along with other personal objects.

The human interest aspects of this detailed and historic tragedy far transcend the sport of ice skating. Written with an insider's perspective, the book is a painstaking and heart-breaking love letter to the sport as well as to those who perished in the crash. I highly recommend it whether or not you are a skating fan.