Linda Fratianne
Fratianne in 1979
Born (1960-08-02) August 2, 1960[1]
Northridge, California, U.S.[1]
Height153 cm (5 ft 0 in)[1]
Figure skating career
CountryUnited States
Skating clubLAFSC[1]
Retired1980
Medal record
Ladies' figure skating
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1980 Lake Placid Singles
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1977 TokyoSingles
Gold medal – first place 1979 ViennaSingles
Silver medal – second place 1978 OttawaSingles
Bronze medal – third place 1980 DortmundSingles

Linda Sue Fratianne (born August 2, 1960) is an American former figure skater known for winning two world-championship titles (1977, 1979), four consecutive U.S. championships (1977–1980) and a silver medal in the 1980 Winter Olympics.

Career

Throughout her figure-skating career, Fratianne was coached by Frank Carroll.[2]

Fratianne became the first female skater to land two different types of triple jumps (toe loop and Salchow) in her free-skating programs in 1976 at the U.S. National Championships, finishing in second place. The next year, Fratianne won the gold medal.[2]

At the World Figure Skating Championships in Tokyo in 1977, Fratianne won her first world title by upsetting the favorite, Anett Pötzsch of East Germany, despite having fallen following a triple-Salchow jump in her free-skating routine.

In 1979, Fratianne regained her world title, which she had lost to Pötzsch in 1978 in Ottawa, Canada.

Fratianne's chief rivals were Pötzsch (East Germany), Emi Watanabe (Japan) and Dagmar Lurz (West Germany). Her compulsory figures were considered to be significantly weaker than her free skating; consequently, she frequently placed well below Pötzsch and Lurz in the compulsories and compensated with strong short and free programs. In the short and free programs, Fratianne never placed lower than Pötzsch or Lurz between 1977 and 1980 in any competition. However, as the rules at the time placed much weight on compulsory figures, she only won a major title twice.

At the 1980 Winter Olympics, Fratianne placed third in the compulsory figures, first in the short program, and second in the free skate to place second overall, while Pötzsch took the gold with first in figures, fourth in the short program and third in the free skate. Fratianne and others have implied that she was robbed of the gold medal by political voting among Eastern-bloc judges,[3] but in fact only two of the nine judges on the panel were from Eastern-bloc countries, and only the judges from Japan and the U.S. placed Fratianne first. All others placed Pötzsch first, mainly because of her substantial lead in the compulsory figures.[4]

Judging
Anett Pötzsch Linda Fratianne
Compulsory Figures 46.04 points 9 places 1st rank 42.76 points 27 places 3rd rank
Short Program 39.76 points 37 places 4th rank 41.44 points 11 places 1st rank
Free Program 103.20 points 24 places 3rd rank 104.10 points 17 places 2nd rank
Total 189.00 points 11 places 1st rank 188.30 points 16 places 2nd rank
Fratianne in 1980

After the 1980 Winter Games, Fratianne turned professional and, at the 1980 World Figure Skating Championships, won the bronze medal behind Anett Pötzsch and Dagmar Lurz from West Germany.[1]

In 1981, the scoring system used in figure skating was modified to combine the results of the compulsory figures, short program and free skating by adding placements instead of employing raw scores. This lessened the capability of skaters to accumulate large leads in the compulsory figures.

After the 1980 season, Fratianne retired from competitive skating and performed in touring shows, including ten years as a lead skater of Disney on Ice. In 1993, she was inducted into the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame.[5]

Fratianne was known for "cementing the importance of triple jumps in [women's] skating."[6] She also popularized simple but elaborate ornamentation and the use of sequins on skating costumes.[6]

Personal life

Fratianne was married to ski racer Nick Maricich.[7]

Results

International
Event 73–74 74–75 75–76 76–77 77–78 78–79 79–80
Winter Olympics8th2nd
World Championships5th1st2nd1st3rd
Skate Canada1st
NHK Trophy2nd
Richmond Trophy3rd
St. Ivel International1st
St. Gervais1st
Nebelhorn Trophy2nd
National
U.S. Championships7th2nd1st1st1st1st

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Linda Fratianne. sports-reference.com
  2. 1 2 Bruce, Jeannette. "Great, big wonderful whirl". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Outside the Lines: Judging the Olympics". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  4. ↑ Figure Skating at the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Games: Women's Singles. sports-reference.com
  5. ↑ U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame Members. United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame
  6. 1 2 Kestnbaum, Ellyn (2003). Culture on Ice: Figure Skating and Cultural Meaning. Middleton, Connecticut: Wesleyan Publishing Press. p. 116. ISBN 0-8195-6641-1.
  7. ↑ Olympic Medalist Linda Fratianne Engaged. Associated Press. February 25, 1987
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