Norval Baptie (March 18, 1879 – November 26, 1966) was a World record holding speed skater, a champion figure skater, and pioneering ice showman. He was inducted into the Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1963., [1] and was one of the two charter members of the Ice Skating Institute Hall of Fame in the same year. [2] [3]
Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in travelling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating. In the Olympic Games, long-track speed skating is usually referred to as just "speed skating", while short-track speed skating is known as "short track". The ISU, the governing body of both ice sports, refers to long track as "speed skating" and short track as "short track skating".
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame is a hall of fame established in 1955 to "preserve the record of Canadian sports achievements and to promote a greater awareness of Canada's heritage of sport." It is located at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, Alberta. There are 611 honoured members of the hall.
The Ice Skating Institute is a trade association for ice rinks, and also an international governing body for recreational figure skating. It was founded in 1959 to proliferate the building of permanent indoor ice rinks, which numbered fewer than 100 at the time, as well as to promote skating as a recreational activity. One of the founders was Michael Kirby. The ISI has developed a program of tests and competitions in all areas of figure skating, as well as limited areas of speed skating and ice hockey, from "Tot" levels to advanced tests that would provide interesting challenges even to Olympic medalists.
Born in Bethany, Ontario, he grew up in Bathgate, North Dakota, United States. By the age of 14 he was the North Dakota speed skating champion. In 1897, he challenged World champion Jack McCulloch to a race, and easily won. Over his career, he won almost 5000 races and lost one. He shattered every amateur and professional speed skating record.
Bethany is an unincorporated village in the Canadian province of Ontario, within the single-tier municipality of Kawartha Lakes. Bethany is centred on Highway 7A. It is located a few kilometers west of Peterborough, the largest city in the area.
Bathgate is a small town in Pembina County, North Dakota, United States. It sits on the banks of the Tongue River. The population was 43 at the 2010 census. Bathgate was founded in 1881. In 1908 the North Dakota School for the Blind was placed in Bathgate. The building still stands and is now occupied by a publishing company. Bathgate was the childhood home of former world-champion speed skater and figure skater, Norval Baptie.
North Dakota is a U.S. state in the midwestern and northern regions of the United States. It is the nineteenth largest in area, the fourth smallest by population, and the fourth most sparsely populated of the 50 states. North Dakota was admitted to the Union on November 3, 1889, along with its neighboring state, South Dakota. Its capital is Bismarck, and its largest city is Fargo.
After his speed skating career, Baptie moved into stunt and figure skating. He set new records for broad jump, skating backwards, jumping over barrels, and even skating on stilts. Baptie began doing solo exhibition shows, which eventually evolved into the World's first ice shows. In the 1930s, he directed shows that featured Sonja Henie, a champion figure skater.
Sonja Henie was a Norwegian figure skater and film star. She was a three-time Olympic Champion in Ladies' Singles, a ten-time World Champion (1927–1936) and a six-time European Champion (1931–1936). Henie won more Olympic and World titles than any other ladies' figure skater. At the height of her acting career, she was one of the highest-paid stars in Hollywood and starred in a series of box-office hits, including Thin Ice (1937), My Lucky Star (1938), Second Fiddle (1939) and Sun Valley Serenade (1941).
Baptie was also influential in the design of skates. He helped design the tubular racing skate and eliminated the curled figure skating blade.
Ice skates are metal blades attached underfoot and used to propel the bearer across a sheet of ice while ice skating.
In 1938, Baptie retired from the ice. However, he became a professional coach and was listed as a member of the American Skaters Guild in 1940. [4] He continued to coach even after losing both legs from complications from diabetes. He was the Grandfather of noted figure skating coach, Betty Berens, and Great-grandfather of Ice Follies Star Susan Berens. [5]
The American Skaters Guild was the first skating teachers organization in North America. On August 10, 1938, a meeting took place of thirteen prominent figure skating coaches from the U.S. and Canada. The meeting took place in Lake Placid, N.Y. and was for the purpose of forming an association of professional figure skaters. The goals of this new organization were to provide mutual protection to the coaches and the clubs employing them, and to foster better relationships with the clubs and the United States Figure Skating Association. The group discussed the formulations of methods of ascertaining the competency of figure skating instructors by giving them tests directly associated with their actual teaching ability. Yearly dues of $5.00 were tentatively approved and officers were appointed, also temporarily. Willy Boeckl was elected President ; Willie Frick, 1st Vice-President; Walter Arian, 2nd Vice-President.
