Terry Kubicka(born April 3, 1956) is an American retiredfigure skaterwho is known as the first American to perform the difficult triple Lutz jump.[1]He is the1974 Prague Skatechampion,1975 Skate Canada Internationalbronze medalist, and 1976U.S. nationalchampion. He competed at the1976 Winter Olympics.
| Terry Kubicka | |
|---|---|
 Terry Kubicka in 1976 | |
| Born | April 3, 1956 Long Beach, California |
| Figure skating career | |
| Country | United States |
Personal life
editTerry Kubicka was born on April 3, 1956, inLong Beach, California.[2]He received a Bachelor of Science degree fromCalifornia Polytechnic State Universityand a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine fromUniversity of California, Davis.[3]In September 1982, he married his wife, Annie, with whom he has three children – Katie, Christopher, and Scott.[3]He is currently the medical director at Four Corners Veterinary Hospital, Concord, California
Skating career
editKubicka decided to begin skating after his parents took him to theIce Folliesshow.[3]Evy Scotvold coached him for nine years, from group to private lessons.[3]
Kubicka won silver at the 1972Grand Prix International St. Gervais,gold at the1974 Prague Skate,and bronze at the1975 Skate Canada International.At the 1974U.S. Championships,he became the first American to land the tripleLutz jumpin competition.[1][4]He landed three triple jumps in his long program and in the process won second place and a spot at the World Championships.[5]Kubicka said that he had landed it in the short program but it was not filmed so he did it again in the long.[1][6]Next year, he won silver at the U.S. Championships and competed at the World Championships again.
In 1976, he won theU.S. national title,landing five triple jumps in the long program and landing his firstback flip.[1]He was named to the American team for the1976 Winter OlympicsinInnsbruck,Austria, where he became the first and only skater to perform a legal backflip; it was banned after the competition.[3][7]To the present time, this move is his most important claim to ice skating fame.[7]Less remembered is his ability to land five of the six triple jumps (except the Axel).[8]In comparison, the gold medalist (John Curry) landed only three triple jumps[9][10]in winning his Olympic gold medal. Indeed, it would not be until 1983 that any skater would land all six different kinds of triple jumps in competition.Brian Boitanoaccomplished that feat at the World Championships.[11]
After ending his competitive career, Kubicka toured withIce Capadesfor three years then left skating to become a veterinarian. In 2005, he returned to skating as a National Technical Specialist.[3]He was named an International Technical Specialist as of August 1, 2007.[12]
Results
edit
| International | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 70–71 | 71–72 | 72–73 | 73–74 | 74–75 | 75–76 |
| Olympics | 7th | |||||
| World Champ. | 12th | 7th | 6th | |||
| Skate Canada | 3rd | |||||
| St. Gervais | 2nd | |||||
| Prague Skate | 1st | |||||
| National | ||||||
| U.S. Champ. | 1st N | 1st J | 4th | 2nd | 2nd | 1st |
| Levels: N = Novice; J = Junior | ||||||
References
edit- ^abcd"KUBICKA THRILLS INNSBRUCK WITH ACROBATICS ON ICE".IOC News (Olympic.org).February 6, 1976.RetrievedJune 21,2019.
- ^"Terry Kubicka".Sports Reference.Archived fromthe originalon December 3, 2016.
- ^abcdefSchneider Farris, Jo Ann."Terry Kubicka – 1976 United States Men's Figure Skating Champion".About.com.RetrievedSeptember 27,2011.
- ^Rosewater, Amy (September 27, 2011)."Mroz attempting to push boundaries of sport".Icenetwork.RetrievedSeptember 27,2011.
- ^"McKellen Retains Title In U.S. Figure Skating".The New York Times.February 10, 1974.RetrievedJune 21,2019.
- ^Rosewater, Amy (October 11, 2011)."Kubicka, Mroz's legacies linked by Lutzes".Icenetwork.RetrievedOctober 11,2011.
- ^abGreene, Nick (February 21, 2018)."An Interview With the Figure Skater Who Did the Only Legal Backflip in Olympic Competition".Slate.RetrievedJune 21,2019.
- ^Hamilton, Scott, 1958- (1999).Landing it: my life on and off the ice.Benet, Lorenzo. New York: Kensington Books.ISBN1575664666.OCLC42467742.
{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^Stevenson, Sandra (February 12, 2010)."From the archive: Curry hits the gold standard".The Guardian.RetrievedJune 20,2019.
- ^"Video 1976 Winter Olympics Free Skate".YouTube.October 18, 2012.Archivedfrom the original on December 19, 2021.
- ^Rosen, Karen (February 19, 2018)."Brian Boitano Looks Back On" The Battle Of The Brians "On 30th Anniversary Of Olympic Gold".TEAM USA: United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee.Archived fromthe originalon February 20, 2018.RetrievedJune 21,2019.
- ^"Communication No. 1467".International Skating Union.Archived fromthe originalon February 3, 2009.