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

Most sports fans have heard the tragic story of the plane crash that killed all the members of the 1961 U.S. World Figure Skating Team, along with sixteen of their friends, family and coaches. Now, for the first time, Frozen in Time takes readers inside the lives of the skaters, telling one of the most iconic stories in the history of American sport.The dramatic focus lingers on two families of powerful women. Maribel Owen—the most famous woman in figure skating at the time—who relentlessly drove her two young daughters, pairs champion Mara and the spectacular Laurence, who graced the cover of Sports Illustrated. Myra Westerfeld, meanwhile, lost her marriage while guiding her daughters Sherri and Steffi to the pinnacle of the sport.Author Nikki Nichols also explores the crash’s aftermath, an unprecedented period in American athletics. The U.S. skating program had lost all of its stars and struggled to rebuild with very young competitors, such as Peggy Fleming. But, perhaps the most far-reaching effect was the creation of a memorial fund that would support skaters who would not otherwise be able to afford the sport—among them Scott Hamilton, Kristi Yamaguchi, and others.