2. Blair was born on March 18, 1964, in Cornwall, New York, the youngest of six children. A Life Remembered: Eldest Blair sister introduced family to [2][3] To end the games, Blair was chosen to carry the American flag at the closing ceremonies. Blair dedicated her gold medal to her father, Charlie, who had died from lung cancer two years earlier. By those 10 1/2 inches, 23-year-old Bonnie Blair did what Mary Lou Retton didn't have the chance to do in gymnastics at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles: defeat the world's best. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). [8] With her increased focus on the 1984 Olympics, Blair went to train in Europe. Janofsky, Michael. Notable Sports Figures. ABC Sports - Wide World of Sports - ESPN 1958- Still Blair changed her training a bit. American track and field athlete Sherrow, Victoria. Sports Illustrated (February 27, 1995): 52. Blair won her fourth career gold medal with a . 9.04M subscribers Subscribe to @olympics: http://oly.ch/Subscribe Highlights as Bonnie Blair takes part in her third Olympic Games. 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). Williams, Lena. Overall, Blair won 4 of 18 women's medals at the 1987 World Cup; East German skaters, including Rothenburger, won 13. The, Parra, Derek: 1970: Athlete Blair was forced to rely on superior technique and a ferocious will to win because of her physical limitations. Sports Illustrated named Blair their Sportswoman of the Year for 1994. 23 Feb. 2023 . Born in Philadelphia, she was the youngest of six children. St. In March 1995, shortly after winning the World Cup and setting a new world record in the 500-meter event, Blair retired from competitive speed skating. 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. She dominated the sprint events at three Olympic Games (1988, 1992, and 1994), winning five gold medals and one bronze. She did not win any medals, but it proved a valuable experience for her. "A Bonnie blare." As Blair approached the final 400 meters, Mueller gave the signal. [7] Blair topped her own World Record the following year, achieving a time of 38.69 on February 12, 1995 in Calgary. All of Blair's two sisters and three brothers speed skated competitively because of their father. At the time, Blair trained in both short-track and long-track speed skating. The experience strengthened her determination to become an Olympian. [37] In addition to the 500 and 1,000 meters races, Blair also competing in the 1,500 meter distance missing the podium with a fourth place finish. In 1979 she began training with Cathy Priestner, a Canadian speed skater who had won a silver medal at the 1976 Winter Olympics. Facebook gives people the power to. Book Bonnie Blair | Speakers Bureau | Booking Agent Info They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. After the games ended, she received a number of commercial endorsements that funded her training, including Disney World and other commercials, though these opportunities were not as numerous or long-lived as originally hoped. She was named as the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year and the USOC Sportswoman of the Year. ." 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. Blair told Shannon Brownlee of Sports Illustrated, "Skating is a joy. She dominated the 500-meter and 1,000-meter women's events at three consecutive Olympic Games during her career. Siblings. [1][3] Already a hobby for her siblings, Bonnie first tried skating at age two. She went to work coaching the U.S. women's speed skating team, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. All Rights Reserved Her retirement from the sport, however, created a void in the talent pool of U.S. speed skaters that would be felt in the years to come. Blair had more success in 1984, making the U.S. women's speed skating team for the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. Instead, she skated vicariously through her husband, who competed in international events. Before Priestner, Blair only competed in short-track, pack-style racing. Omissions? (February 23, 2023). She achieved personal bests in all four of her events and recorded the fastest time of any junior in three of them. [8] Blair took classes at Parkland College, although college classes were less of a priority than training and she did not receive a degree. New Blair on big oval: Bonnie's daughter is a speedskater - USA TODAY Moving on, she has a net worth of approximately $1.5 million dollars. Updates? Bonnie Blair At the time, Blair worked as the secretary of the Retail Clerks International Union, which has since become part of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1529. It was an expensive undertaking, but with the help of her family, friends, and money from the Champaign police department, Blair was able to go. Bonnie Kathleen Blair (born March 18, 1964) is a retired American speed skater. Encyclopedia.com. 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. TSHA | Parker, Bonnie - Handbook of Texas She was the daughter of Charlie and Eleanor Blair, who raised their large Catholic family in Champaign, Illinois. Bonnie Pointer, Founding Member Of The Pointer Sisters, Dead At 69 Myrtle was born on July 26 1899, in Manassa, Conejos, Colorado, United States. At the 1992 Games in Albertville, France, she captured the gold medal in both the 500- and 1,000-metre competitions, a feat that she repeated at the 1994 Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway. [36], The 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, were another success for Blair: She again won gold in the 500 meters (39.25) and 1,000 meters (1:18.74)[35] races. "The kids eat cereal on top of it," she told Parrish, "but it's got a heavy top, so nothing gets underneath." Bonnie Blair Sports, Goal, Physical Attraction 15 Copy quote Four key words--helped make my dreams come true. She was the daughter of Charlie and Eleanor Blair, who raised their large Catholic family in Champaign, Illinois. [14], At the December 1987 U.S. speed skating trials for the 1988 Winter Olympics, Blair led the women's field in the 500,1,000, and 1,500 meters, securing her place on the U.S. Olympic team, as expected. Bonnie Blair, in full Bonnie Kathleen Blair, (born March 18, 1964, Cornwall, New York, U.S.), American speed skater who was one of the leading competitors in the sport. The victories led to more endorsements, and even more important to Blair, the popularity of speed skating. Bonnie Blair Biography, Age, Height, Husband, Net Worth, Family As a teenager Blair began to take the sport more seriously. seventeenth century), https://www.encyclopedia.com/sports/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/blair-bonnie, http://www.hickoksports.com/biograph/blairbon.shtml, http://www.infoplease.com/ipsa/A0109013.html, https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/bonnie-blair, https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/blair-bonnie, Begins competing as member of national speed skating team, Competes at the Olympic trials, but does not make team, Wins Olympic gold and bronze at Winter Olympic Games, Wins two Olympic golds at Winter Olympic Games, Retires from competitive speed skating; becomes motivational speaker, Marries speed skater Dave Cruikshank on June 23, Won Illinois state championship in speed skating for age group, Won gold medal in Olympics speed skating in 500 meters, Won gold medals in 500 meter and 1000 meter at Olympics in speed skating, Won gold in 500 meters at World Championships, Won gold medals in 500 meters and 1000 meters at Winter Olympic Games in speed skating; won gold in 500 meters and 1000 at World Sprint Championships and World Cup; named Babe Zaharis Female Amateur Athlete of the Year; named Sportswoman of the Year by Women's Sports Foundation, Set 500 meters speed skating world record at Calgary; retired in March as speed skater; named Sportswoman of the Year by Women's Sports Foundation; won world sprint championship, Given Sports Humanitarian Award, World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame. [5] She attended Jefferson Middle School and later Centennial High School in Champaign[6] In addition to skating, Blair was also a cheer leader and a member of the student council. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, James Eugene Blair. [32] Blair won her second gold of the 1992 Olympics in the 1,000 meters (1:21.90). Blair competed for the United States in four Olympics, winning five gold medals and one bronze medal. The following summer Blair moved to Butte, Montana, where she enrolled at the Montana College of Mineral Science and Technology. During her gold medal-winning race, she also set a world's record with a time of 39.1 seconds. (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 . [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. American Stock/Getty Images. Dec 6, 2013. [44], In 1992, Blair became the third winter athlete to win the Sullivan Award. [26], Despite her success at the 1988 Olympics, Blair did not enjoy a windfall from endorsements. After a decade in the broadcast booth working as a commentator for the Olympics for the CBC and CTV, Priestner later became associated with the Olympics as a member of the organizing committee for the Calgary games in 1988, Salt Lake City in 2002, and Turin, Italy in 2006. [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 has been inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame, the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame, and the United States Olympic Hall of Fame. Ten years later, however, doctors were able to remove about half of the tumor, giving Blair and her family hope for a cure. Rushin, Steve. Of the six, five were gold, making Blair the only American woman to ever win five gold medals in the games. Bonnie Elaine BlaIr (1925 - 2016) - Genealogy Russian speed skater Thus, the next Winter Games would be held in February 1994. Bonnie Blair. For nearly a decade betw, Heiden, Eric Obituary | Bonnie Louise Blair | LEAMONS FUNERAL HOME [28] She skipped the first two World Cup events of the 1989 season. Address: c/o 306 White Pine Rd., Delafield, WI 53018-1124. She knows just a thing or two about U.S. speed skating and the rise of women's sports. 12. Bonnie Blair Olympic Legend - Part 9 - Lillehammer 1994 Olympic Film | Olympic History 22,552 views Jan 7, 2015 99 Dislike Save Olympics 9.04M subscribers Subscribe to @olympics:. She received 5 gold medals and one bronze over her profession. [28], Following the 1988 Olympics, Blair also tried track cycle racing, and was coached by former speed skater and cycling world champion Connie Paraskevin. Christensen, Karen, et al., eds. ." When Bonnie was still an infant, Charlie, who called the new baby "missy" because the pregnancy was a mistake, took a new job and moved the family to Champaign, Illinois, then considered a mecca for speedskating. People Photos Purpose. Beatrice Blair (Ratliff) (1929 - 1976) - Genealogy 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 1. That's where Bonnie, born in Illinois, moved to train. Retrieved February 23, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/blair-bonnie. 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. Shortly after Blair's birth, her family moved to Champaign, Illinois. http://www.imperialoil.ca/thisis/publications/review/2001q4 (January 5, 2003). In 2021, Blair spoke out in opposition to allowing male-to-female transgender athletes to participate in organized athletics.[54]. Her 1.38 second margin in the 1,000 meters race is the largest margin of victory in the history of the event. Although she was small for a speed skater, Blairs technique was nearly flawless. American speed skater Bonnie Blair won six medals competing in three Winter Olympics Games, the second most medals won by a woman in the Winter Olympic Games (the first was Lydia Skoblikova). 5 What actress portrayed. [37] By 1994, Blair's hometown of Champaign had renamed one of its streets Bonnie Blair Drive. In 1982, when Blair was 18 years old, her trainers wanted to take her to Europe to compete outside of the United States for the first time. Bonnie Blair Cruikshank is our local Olympic superstar: five time gold medalist, six medals overall. Bonnie Parker - Clyde, Quotes & Death - Biography "Bonnie Blue (now Bonnie Vaughn) lived across the street . Heather McCabe in the Houston Chronicle. Winning doesn't always mean being first. https://www.encyclopedia.com/sports/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/blair-bonnie, Petruso, A.