For the American actress Bonnie Blair Brown, see, Early career and first Olympics (19841986), Rise and becoming an Olympic medalist (19871989), List of multiple Olympic gold medalists in one event, "ESPN Classic - Blair is special but she doesn't know it", "Champaign's Bonnie Blair is, Quite Simply, Just a Good Skate", "Retiring at Top Speed; With Blair, Winning Comes First, Then the Party", "Parkland College Alumni Association - Notable Alumni Stories", "Coach Gets U.s. Speedskating Team Off Thin Ice", "Washingtonpost.com: Blair Wins 1,000, Sets Gold Record for U.S. Women", "Bonnie Blair shares the experience of her first Olympic Games, the ones in Sarajevo - Sarajevo Times", "World Cup Speed Skating: Bonnie Blair Derails East German Sweep", "Short-track Speedskating Long On Thrills", "Biographies & Statistics: 500m Ladies World Record Progression", "Blair, Jansen Top Speed Skaters in 500 for Second Night in Row", "Olympic Speed Skating Trials: Mary Docter Earns Spot on U.S. Encased in a glass tabletop in her house, Blair's gold medals have become part of her daily landscape. A year later she twice set a world record for the 500-metre event on the standard circuit. She also tried her hand at gymnastics for a while. Blair's last year as a competitive speed skater was 1995. [37] Blair's success at Lillehammer placed her among the most decorate American Olympians of all time. [51][52] Grant Cruikshank played hockey at Colorado College and as of 2021 for the University of Minnesota. Immediate Family: Daughter of ALONZA LONNIE RATLIFF and MAUDE RATLIFF. She entered her first competition at age four and won her first race at age seven. [3] Early on, Blair competed in "pack style," or short track speed skating, where several skaters race on the ice at once. She won the first American gold of the games when she won the 500 meter race. At the beginning of the 2002 Winter Olympics, Blair again took the spotlight when she became the last torchbearer on the Wisconsin segment of the Olympic torch run in January. Bonnie Blair is a retired American speed skater. Blair, under the weather with a cough and cold, finished second in the event. Bonnie Leola Dockery Blair (1911-2004) - Find a Grave Memorial Born December 29, 1911, in Hopkins County, KY, she was the daughter of the late Thomas Monroe Dockery and Thurman Fox Dockery. ." After the Olympics, Blair continued her education, studying physical education at Montana Tech University. 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. Cazeneuve, Brian. 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. Blair won two gold medals in the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville and her final two Olympic gold medals at the 1994 Lillehammer games. Moving on, she has a net worth of approximately $1.5 million dollars. Recognized as one of track and field history's most accomplished sprinters, Evelyn Ashford is, Moses, Edwin 1955 She agreed to go, but she lacked the backing to finance the trip. Bonnie was something of an afterthought in the Blair family scheme, coming 21 years after Chuck, the Blairs' first child, and seven years after Angela, their fifth. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. 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. Jenkins, Sally. 1939- login . Speed skater Eric Heiden won five gold medals in the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York. Speed skater who won Olympic gold medals in 1988, 1992, and 1994. Blair lost focus for a while after the death of her father on December 25, 1989. Bonnie Blair Speed skating champion Bonnie Blair (born 1964) is the most highly decorated American Winter Olympic athlete in history with six medals. She was the daughter of Charlie and Eleanor Blair, who raised their large Catholic family in Champaign, Illinois. [20] Blair also proved she could beat East-German world champion Karin Enke-Kania in head-to-head match-ups. Bonnie BLAIR Biography, Olympic Medals, Records and Age 23 Feb. 2023 . In December, Blair Cruikshank competed at the USA Speedskating Long Track National Championships in Utah. To win the 500-meter event, Blair beat Chinese skater Ye Qiaobo by 18 hundredths of a second. She was the youngest of six children. What were bonnie parkers siblings names? - Answers She also managed the oval built for the Calgary games after the Oympics ended for a number of years. A Life Remembered: Eldest Blair sister introduced family to The experience strengthened her determination to become an Olympian. In 1989, she won the World Sprint Championships, though she did not train as hard as she had for the Olympics. How many siblings did bonnie Parker have? [27] Blair also took a break from skating, enrolling in Montana Technological University. When Bonnie Blair was born on 9 August 1914, in Letcher, Kentucky, United States, her father, William Blair, was 31 and her mother, Delia Pratt, was 35. That's where Bonnie, born in Illinois, moved to train. She holds five gold medals, for the 500-meter and 1,000-meter events, as well as a bronze medal for the 1,000-meter event. 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). 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. [3] To finance the expense of training in Europe, the Champaign Policemen's Benevolent Association began sponsoring some of Blair. Toronto Star, January 11, 1995; March 19, 1995. Bonnie Blair Wins Gold By Record Distance - YouTube Bonnie Blair was born on March 18, 1964 in Cornwall, New York, USA. Father's influence Anthony Charles Lynton Blair was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on May 6, 1953. bonnie blair siblings. "Introspective Blair Rebuffs Outside World in Pursuit of Gold." Bonnie was born March 18, 1964. "Olympic Profile: Bonnie Blair; A Life of Skating Leads to Calgary." With the oval in Milwaukee closed in the off-season, the best [53][44] Blair's daughter competed at the 2018 United States Olympic speed skating trials at the 500 meter distance, held at Pettit National Ice Center. Bonnie Blair generally travels from Milwaukee, WI, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances . She was the first Canadian woman to win a medal in speed skating. Sports Illustrated (January 27, 1988): 236. Blair trained every morning before school and her discipline paid off; at age fifteen she qualified for the U.S. Olympic trials, but narrowly missed making the team. (b. Sports Illustrated (March 7, 1994): 42. After the turn of the twenty-first century, Blair still found herself involved in speed skating, even though she no longer competed. Great Women in Sports. Blair was born in Cornwall, New York to Charlie and Eleanor Blair. Boston Globe (January 9, 2002): F7. She won the 1986 short-track world championship. Bonnie Blair Biography, Life, Interesting Facts - Famous Birthdays By 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. [7][9], Blair made her international competitive debut at the 1984 World Sprinting Championships where she placed tenth. Bonnie Blair Profiles | Facebook "I just thought it was the right time," she said of her retirement to [5]:45 After the Olympics, Blair moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to train at the newly opened Pettit International Ice Center. Though four of Blair's other siblings went on to win national championships, it was Blair who did the best as a competitive speed skater. "People on the outside are like, 'Your mom is Bonnie Blair!' " Cruikshank said. Bonnie Blair | Encyclopedia.com One of Blair's most influential coaches was Cathy Priestner (later known as Cathy Priestner-Allinger when she married Todd Allinger in 1986). She died on 13 May 1977, in Lima, Allen, Ohio, United States, at the age of 49, and was buried in Wells Mill, Floyd, Kentucky, United States. She hired a different coach, Nick Thometz, who emphasized something different for Blair: explosive drills over strength and distance training. She and her husband, fellow speed skater Dave Cruikshank, made their home in Milwaukee, and Blair kept up a heavy travel schedule, flying to different cities around the country to meet various corporate endorsement obligations. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Watch a short video featuring Bonnie Blair. Sherrow, Victoria. Blair was born on March 18, 1964, in Cornwall, New York, the youngest of six children. [7][39] Less than a month after Lillehammer Olympics, Blair set another world record in the 500 meters, becoming the first female to complete the race in under 39 seconds, achieving a time of 38.99 seconds. In her teens, Blair began to apply herself to the sport of speed skating as she never had before, largely at the encouragement of her friend Dave Silk, who competed on the men's U.S. team. She also began serving on the board for U.S. American speed skater She lived in Whitesburg, Letcher, Kentucky, United States for about 10 . In addition to her ongoing endorsement commitments, Blair serves as a sports commentator on the ABC television network and sits on the board of directors of the U.S. speed skating team. For nearly a decade betw, Heiden, Eric Bonnie Hoellein - Net Worth 2023. "The kids eat cereal on top of it," she told Parrish, "but it's got a heavy top, so nothing gets underneath." I love to go fast and create the wind. Blair would also hold a number of world's and American records over the course of her speed skating career. She won the 1989 World Championship, setting a new world record in the overall event; finished second in 1990; and placed fifth in 1991, her worst finish in six years. Her 1.38 second margin in the 1,000 meters race is the largest margin of victory in the history of the event. 1. 2. "Blair has not Slowed Down: Family is her Life, Not Speed skating." The, Parra, Derek: 1970: Athlete Looney, Douglas S. "Sprinting to Calgary." Margie Frances Walter Rogers . She also took these titles in 1995. Genealogy profile for Bonnie Elaine BlaIr Bonnie Elaine BlaIr (1925 - 2016) - Genealogy Genealogy for Bonnie Elaine BlaIr (1925 - 2016) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. Bonnie Parker first met Clyde Barrow through a mutual friend in January 1930, when Bonnie was 19 years old. Place of Burial: Paintsville, Johnson, Kentucky, United States. [5]:44 Confidence in coach Crowe had waned in the lead up to the 1988 Olympics, Blair helped to recruit Peter Mueller to coach the U.S. team. memorial page for Bonnie Crest Walter Blair (18 Sep 1907-20 Mar 1998), Find a Grave Memorial ID 41060206, citing Oleander Memorial Gardens, Wilmington, New Hanover County . She has been married to Dave Cruikshank since June 23, 1996. The youngster was named for a close family friend, who was also a skater. Bonnie Blair was born in Cornwall, NY on March 18, 1964. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, James Eugene Blair. All Rights Reserved Blair told Shannon Brownlee of Sports Illustrated, "Skating is a joy. Sports Illustrated (December 19, 1994): 72. Blair competed for the United States in four Olympics, winning five gold medals and one bronze medal. She continued to compete in part because there were only two years between these Olympic Games. Blair later ran on her high school track team, where, she later claimed, she did not stand out among her peers. [40][41] Blair became involved with Right to Play, When the Winter Olympics returned to the United States in 2002, Blair was one of the final torchbearers to carry the Olympic flame into Rice-Eccles Stadium for the opening ceremony in Salt Lake City, Utah. Blair made the 1984 U.S. Olympic team and competed in the 500-meter event at the Winter Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. Although Ye claimed the crossover cost her the gold, the referee's rejected China's protest. I'm definitely going to miss hearing the sound of that gun. The trials were a breeze for her. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. "Blades of gold." "One-woman ice show." She won a number of races as a child, including the Illinois state championship when she was seven. Bonnie Blair, 68 passed away unexpectedly at her home on Thursday Oct 24,2019. That is, races that were conducted with a number of skaters competing against each other in a pack. Christensen, Karen, et al., eds. Williams, Lena. She did not win any medals, but it proved a valuable experience for her. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Blair had more success in 1984, making the U.S. women's speed skating team for the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. Bonnie Blair was born on 18 March, 1964 in Cornwall, New York, United States, is an American speed skater. To celebrate, she climbed into the stands, still wearing her skates, to hug her family and friends. Bonnie Blair Dream, Distance, Accomplishment 11 Copy quote I never could have achieved the success that I have without setting physical activity and health goals. She was so small at the time that her parents could not find skates that fit her, so she had to wear shoes under her skates. The results were impressive. She cut back on her skating and took up competitive bicycle racing. She went to work coaching the U.S. women's speed skating team, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. However, the date of retrieval is often important. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. bonnie blair siblings Search instead in Creative? Charlie had dreamed of Bonnie becoming an Olympic speed skater. Petruso, A. [8] Blair took classes at Parkland College, although college classes were less of a priority than training and she did not receive a degree. [30] Training with Mueller in the summer before the Olympics, Blair regained her competitive edge. [31], In her second event, the 1,500 meters, Blair finished 21st. It's fun to set goals, reach goals, reset goals. "Catching up with Bonnie Blair and Johann Olav Koss." Phillips, Angus. "Repeat for Blair." ESPN.com: Blair is special but she doesn't know it [23], Blair went on to the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta, where her first event was the 500 meters. [11] Her time was only 0.02 seconds faster than Ye. Retrieved February 23, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/sports/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/blair-bonnie. [2][25] Blair's third and final event of the 1988 Winter Olympics was the 1,500 meters, in which she placed fourth. Encyclopedia of World Biography. In fact, Charlie Blair had his children at a competition while his youngest child was being born. Janofsky, Michael. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Sports Illustrated (December 6, 1987): section 2, p. 10. 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. 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. [3] She moved to the Milwaukee area to train with the United States national speed skating team,[7] living with a family friend while she trained. Blair won events at 1984, 1985 and 1986 short-track world championships and was the 1986 overall short-track world champion. St. But Blair is going out on top." Blair began to succeed on the international speed skating stage. "Blair Has a FlairFor Gold." In 1993 and 1994, she won gold medals at the World Championships in 500 meters. Biography Bonne Blair began competing as a speed skater when she was four years old. ." American speed skater Bonnie Blairwas born on the 18 March 1953in Cornwall, New Yorkto Eleanor and Charlie Blair. Blair also won gold in the 1000 meter race. She was a member of four U.S. Olympic Speed Skating Teams, winner of five Olympic gold medals between 1988 and 1994 . 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. Born in Cornwall, New York on March 18, 1964 as the youngest of six children, her family moved to Champaign, Illinois and Bonnie first donned skates at the age of two and was competing as a speed skater by the age of four. Facebook gives people the power to. Notable Sports Figures. Cycling became part of Blair's speed skating training as both sports utilized the same muscle groups. [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. She knows just a thing or two about U.S. speed skating and the rise of women's sports. 5-time Olympic gold medalist speedskater Bonnie Blair Cruikshank is still hitting the ice at 57-years-old. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Blair came from a family of avid skaters and began entering races when she was four years old. Many athletes wait too long, until their skills have begun to melt and slide like snow from a roof. [8] With her increased focus on the 1984 Olympics, Blair went to train in Europe. http://www.imperialoil.ca/thisis/publications/review/2001q4 (January 5, 2003). (February 23, 2023). No longer a relative unknown, Blair was considered a favorite when she headed to the 1992 Winter Olympics held in Albertville, France. Death: May 16, 1976 (47) Prestonsburg, floyd, Kentucky, United States. "Bonnie Blair," HickokSports.com, http://www.hickoksports.com/biograph/blairbon.shtml (March 10, 2003). For example, Blair finished fifth in the 1991 World Sprint Championships, though she was also suffering from bronchitis at the time. Witteman, Paul A. Blair remained a popular figure in Champaign for many years, and was even given the key to the city. [16] Blair won both the 500 meter and 1500 meter at the West Allis event, and was considered one of the U.S. team's strongest medal contenders. Blair knew how to win and took advantage of it. child of innocence - Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com Bonnie Elaine BlaIr (1925 - 2016) - Genealogy Wife of William Edgar Blair. Priestner had Blair train in the Olympic style on both short and long-track races. After retiring from speed skating, Blair became a motivational speaker. American Stock/Getty Images. Though she knew she was retiring, she left on top. [2] The family moved to Champaign, Illinois when Bonnie was a toddler. 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. [2][3] To end the games, Blair was chosen to carry the American flag at the closing ceremonies. Her win in the 500-meter event broke the world record, which had been set only minutes before by the East German skater Christa Rothenburger. Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 1996. She was the daughter of Charlie and Eleanor Blair, who raised their large Catholic family in Champaign, Illinois. 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. . Wolff, Alexander. 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 ). The 53-year-old champion has stayed close to the sport, serving on the Pettit's board of directors and promoting Milwaukee, which is hosting. She began training with Cathy Priestner, who had won a silver medal in speed skating for Canada in the 1976 games, at the University of Illinois rink. Nobody makes you do it. 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. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Instead, she skated vicariously through her husband, who competed in international events. [50] Blair and Cruikshank have two children: a son, Grant, and daughter, Blair. She skated twice around the Pettit National Ice Center for a cheering crowd of ten thousand fans before lighting the Olympic caldron set up at the Center. (With Greg Brown) A Winning Edge, Taylor, 1996. Blair continued competing through 1995 when the World Championships were held in Milwaukee, finally retiring in March 1995. Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. American track and field athlete Longman, Jere. She was named as the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year and the USOC Sportswoman of the Year. [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. [32] Blair won her second gold of the 1992 Olympics in the 1,000 meters (1:21.90). Showing Editorial results for bonnie blair. Blair finished 0.36 seconds ahead of the second best time in the 500 meters. [21][22] Blair was considered a stronger competitor in the shorter distances, where she was seen as the United States' best chance at a gold medal in speed skating. [1] The U.S. failed to win any speed skating medals at the 1984 Olympics. . Blair's introduction to competitive skating was as a pack racer on short tracks where she competed against many people in one race. "A Bonnie blare." In early 1995, she set another world's record in the 500 meters skating on the Olympic oval in Calgary where she won her first medal. Known as "The Flying Finn" and "The King of Runners," he do, Bonnie and Clyde (Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow), Bonnevault, Pierre (ca. [28] She skipped the first two World Cup events of the 1989 season. She was born to Wayne and Delma (Guenzler) Blair on June 9 th 1951. All of Blair's two sisters and three brothers speed skated competitively because of their father. As the 1992 Winter Olympic Games in Albertville, France, approached, Blair regained her focus on speed skating. Bonnie Blair - Historical records and family trees - MyHeritage [15], A strong performance at the United States International Skating Association Metric All-Around Championships, held in West Allis, Wisconsin, earned Blair a spot on the U.S. long track women's sprint team for the 1985 World Championships. Encyclopedia.com. Blair was also the first American speed skater to win in more than one Olympic Games (1988, 1992, and 1994). Bonnie died wearing a wedding ringbut it wasn't Clyde's. Six days before turning 16, Bonnie married high school classmate Roy Thornton. It's a solitary sport, one in which you can claim all the rewards as your own. Bonnie Blair. (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 . Blair competed for the United States in four Olympics, and in her Olympic career won five gold medals and one bronze medal. [31] Although she had won gold at the prior Olympics, Blair felt that her small stature made her an underdog against much larger East German competitors. Bonnie Blair Sports, Goal, Physical Attraction 15 Copy quote Four key words--helped make my dreams come true. . [32] Blair's gold made her the most decorated U.S. woman in Winter Olympics of all time. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Speed skater who received Olympic gold medals in 1988, 1992, and 1994. [28] At the event, Blair won the 500 meters twice and finished third and second in two 100 meters races for an overall victory. Bonnie's Bounty - Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com She stopped training as a skater for a brief period, spending four months training as a cyclist. Bonnie Kathleen Blair is the most decorated woman in Winter Olympic history. See also Alexander Wolff, "Bonnie's Bounty: Unassuming Bonnie Blair Sped to Victory in 1,000 Meters to Become the U.S.'s Most Gilded Woman Olympian Ever," Sports Illustrated (7 Mar. It was the first time a woman had won two Olympic gold medals for the 500-meter event in two successive Winter Olympics. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2001. [7], She is a member of the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame and the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame. Blair was born on March 18, 1964, in Cornwall, New York, the youngest of six children. TSHA | Parker, Bonnie - Handbook of Texas ", Blair competed as a speed skater one more season following her last Olympic win. Before American speed skaters Eric Heiden and Bonnie Blair raced to fame as Olympic champions, Soviet sp, Ashford, Evelyn She would win this championship every year through 1994. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Bonnie E. (Hankins) Blair. As a speed skater, Blair had exemplary technique which contributed to her success. Speed skating. Bonnie Blair Olympic Legend - Part 9 - Lillehammer 1994 - YouTube Blair said she quit because there was nothing left for her to prove. [34] Blair felt as though she had lost her quickness and after failing to rectify the problem with coach Peter Mueller, she switched to Nick Thometz. Sports Illustrated (February 27, 1995): 52. Professionally, Charlie Blair was an engineer while Eleanor Blair worked in real estate. Overall, Blair won 4 of 18 women's medals at the 1987 World Cup; East German skaters, including Rothenburger, won 13. . (February 23, 2023). She became the first American woman to win five gold Olympic medals and the first American Winter Olympian to win six career medals.