Peggy Gale Fleming[2](born July 27, 1948) is a retired Americanfigure skater.[3]She is the1968 Winter Olympic Championin the ladies' singles, being the only American gold medalist at these Games, and a three-timeWorld Champion(1966–1968) in the same event. Fleming has been a television commentator in figure skating for over 20 years, including at severalWinter Olympic Games.
| Peggy Fleming | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Fleming at a joint Canada–USA event during the2010 Winter Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | July 27, 1948 San Jose, California,U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 4 in (163 cm)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Figure skating career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Skating club | Arctic Blades FSC, Lake Arrowhead Broadmoor Skating Club, Colorado Springs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 1968 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Career
editFleming was born and grew up inSan Jose, California,[4]the daughter of Doris Elizabeth (née Deal) and Albert Eugene Fleming, a newspaper journalist[2]and formerU.S. Marine.[5]She began skating at age nine[6]when her father took Peggy and her three sisters skating. In 1961, when Peggy was twelve years old, her coachWilliam Kippwas killed in the crash ofSabena Flight 548along with the rest of the United States figure skating team while en route to the 1961World Figure Skating Championships.Fleming was subsequently coached byCarlo Fassi.Her unusual style led her to unprecedented success and five U.S. titles, three World titles and the gold medal at the1968 OlympicsinGrenoble,France. Philosopher Spencer Wertz called Fleming's Olympic free skating program "a watershed in the development of an artistic component of competitive skating."[7]
Fleming's mother selected a color for her Grenoble skating costume,chartreuse,named after theliqueurof that color produced by neighboringCarthusiansin their founding monastery, which also gives the name "chartreuse" to the region, thereby perhaps inspiring local French audience support for Peggy's virtually flawless performance.[8]Her award in Grenoble was singularly important for the American athletes and the nation as a whole, for this was the only gold medal that theU.S. Olympic teamwon in the1968 Winter Olympics.It signaled a return to American dominance in the sport of women's figure skating following the unprecedented tragedy of the 1961Sabena plane crash.
Figure skating writer and historian Ellyn Kestnbaum states that although Fleming was from a working-class background, she presented the image of "well-groomed, well-disciplined...upper-class femininity."[9]Fleming's costumes were made by her mother; and as Kestnbaum puts it, "reflected the simple elegance of classic lines."[9]Fleming also drew uponballetconventions, displaying "graceful classical positions", as well as her use of classical music, and, encouraged bycompulsory figures,an upright and a relaxed upper-body carriage.[9]Kestnbaum recognizes, however, that Fleming's fame advanced women's visibility in the male-dominated sports world, which "paved some steps along the way to women's visibility in widening spheres of public life."[10]
After becoming an Olympic champion, Fleming turned professional, performed on TV shows including five NBC specials of her own and toured with many skating shows, likeIce Capades.Fleming had also filmed a TV show in theUSSR[11]and skated toButterfly Lovers' Violin ConcertoinChina.[12]Since 1981, she has been a skating commentator forABC Sports.[11]In 1993, theAssociated Pressreleased results of a national sports study[13]that ranked Fleming as the third most popular athlete in America, behind fellowOlympiansMary Lou RettonandDorothy Hamill.[14]
Personal life
editOn June 13, 1970, Fleming married her teenage sweetheart Greg Jenkins, a dermatologist and a former amateur figure skater.[15][16]The couple have two sons, Andy (born in 1977) and Todd (born in 1988),[11]and three grandchildren.[17]They currently reside inDenver, Colorado.[18]
Peggy Fleming was diagnosed withbreast cancerin 1998. The cancer was detected in its early stages, and surgery was successful. She became a breast cancer activist who recommends not procrastinating and advocates for early detection.[19]
Fleming and her husband owned and operated Fleming Jenkins Vineyards & Winery in California. The winery produced close to 2,000 cases of wine a year with names as "Choreography" a bordeaux-style blend from Napa Valley and a "Victories Rose" from the San Francisco Bay Syrah.[20]Profits from the "Victories Rosé" went toward charities that supported research towards breast cancer.[20]They had a tasting room in Los Gatos, California. The winery closed in 2011.[21]
In 1988, a Peggy Fleming all-porcelain doll was made byFranklin MintHeirloom Porcelain Dolls.
In 2007, Fleming appeared in the movieBlades of Gloryas a judge.
In 2010,Art of the Olympiansproduced a 30-minute documentary about Fleming.[22]She is also an artist with works on display with the Art of the Olympians.[23]
Along with former OlympianVonetta Flowers,Fleming was injured and briefly hospitalized after a traffic accident while riding in U.S. Vice PresidentJoe Biden's motorcade at the2010 Winter OlympicsinVancouver.[24]
Performance
| Event | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympics | 6th | 1st | |||||
| World Championships | 7th | 3rd | 1st | 1st | 1st | ||
| North American Championships | 2nd | 1st | |||||
| U.S. Championships | 2nd N. | 3rd J. | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st |
Awards and honors
edit- ABC'sWide World of SportsAthlete of the Year, 1967.
- In 2003, Fleming was honored with the "Lombardi Award of Excellence" from the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation. The award was created to honor CoachLombardi's legacy, and is awarded annually to an individual who exemplifies the spirit of the Coach.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen;Mallon, Bill;et al."Peggy Fleming".Olympics at Sports-Reference.com.Sports Reference LLC.Archived fromthe originalon June 25, 2014.RetrievedMarch 28,2014.
- ^ab"Peggy Flemming".Filmreference.com.
- ^"1968 Grenoble Winter Games | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com".April 17, 2020. Archived fromthe originalon April 17, 2020.
- ^Almond, Elliot (August 13, 2016) [January 20, 2012]."Figure skating legend Peggy Fleming thrilled to see U.S. championships back in San Jose".The Mercury News.Archivedfrom the original on October 28, 2020.RetrievedSeptember 18,2024.
- ^"Peggy Fleming (2012) Remembers".youTube.com. December 18, 2012.Archivedfrom the original on December 21, 2021.RetrievedNovember 21,2016.
- ^Woolum, Janet (1998)Outstanding Women Athletes: Who They Are and How They Influenced Sports in America.Greenwood Publishing Group.ISBN1-57356-120-7.p. 124
- ^Kestnbaum, p. 114
- ^Friedersdorf, Conor (February 7, 2018)."Peggy Fleming and the 1968 Winter Olympics".The Atlantic.
- ^abcKestnbaum, Ellyn (2003).Culture on Ice: Figure Skating and Cultural Meaning.Middleton, Connecticut: Wesleyan Publishing Press. p. 110.ISBN0-8195-6641-1.
- ^Kestnbaum, p. 111
- ^abcHilton, Lisette (2005)."Fleming launched modern era of figure skating".ESPN Classics.
- ^"Peggy Fleming"(videos). Peggy Fleming's Official Site. 2014.
- ^Wilstein, Steve (May 17, 1993)."Retton, Hammill most popular American athletes".Associated Press.
- ^"Athletes".Archived fromthe originalon March 27, 2010.RetrievedSeptember 17,2014.
- ^Borden, Timothy (2004)."Fleming, Peggy".Notable Sports Figures.
- ^Kaminsky, Peter (November 1, 1999)."Picks and Pans Review: The Long Program".People Magazine.Archived fromthe originalon March 28, 2014.
- ^"Peggy Fleming".biography.com. 2014.
- ^Summers, Danny (September 2, 2020)."Olympic gold medalist to be honored with larger-than-life sculpture".Colorado Springs Gazette.Pikes Peak Newspapers.Archivedfrom the original on October 11, 2020.
- ^"American Breast Cancer Guide – Celebrities Inspiration Roundup".April 27, 2006. Archived fromthe originalon April 27, 2006.RetrievedMarch 28,2014.
- ^abSports Illustrated,July 2, 2007, p. 87
- ^Hamilton, Marianne L. (January 16, 2012)."Fleming Jenkins tasting room closes for good".San Jose Mercury News.RetrievedMarch 28,2014.
- ^"hosted by Fleming".YouTube.September 8, 2015.Archivedfrom the original on December 21, 2021.
- ^"Art of the Olympians | Peggy Fleming".
- ^"Fleming injured in accident in Biden's motorcade".Team USA.Associated Press. February 14, 2010. Archived fromthe originalon October 5, 2011.
External links
edit
- Peggy Fleming Jenkinsat theTeam USA Hall of Fame(archive July 20, 2023)
- Peggy Fleming at usolympicteam.comatarchive.today(archived January 17, 2008)
- Peggy FlemingatOlympics.com
- Peggy Flemingat OlympicChannel.com (archived)
- Peggy Flemingat Olympic.org (archived)
- Peggy FlemingatOlympedia(archive)
- Peggy Fleming onTo Tell the Truthin 1966onYouTube
- Sixteen-year old Peggy Fleming practicing,1965, inLos Angeles TimesPhotographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections,Charles E. Young Research Library,University of California, Los Angeles.
