Feature Story
A Master Coach, professional athlete, devoted husband and father, retired military man - all things that describe the inimitable
Mr. Sheldon W. Galbraith

With a record of success unequaled by any other Canadian coach, Mr. Galbraith was coach and trainer to several Canadian, Olympic and World champions, including Barbara Ann Scott the 1948 Olympic and World Champion, as well as Frances Dafoe and Norris Bowden, Barbara Wagner and Robert Paul, Donald Jackson and Donald Knight.

We cover Mr. Galbraith's early childhood, developing show business years and his navy career prior to his becoming a master coach.
Sheldon was a technical innovator and shares with us perhaps the unorthodox tools and methods he used to increase the success of his athletes.

Barbara Ann Scott King
Known as "Canada’s Sweetheart”, Barbara Ann Scott is still the only Canadian to ever win Olympic gold at the senior women’s figure skating level.
We thank Barbara Ann for being gracious enough to allow us to feature her in our premier edition "An Inside Look at an Olympic Journey".
Our past features are being reworked under the new format and will be posted again at a later date.

Frances Dafoe
Frances Dafoe and Norris Bowden recorded a number of firsts in pair skating, including the first twist lift, overhead lasso lift, throw jump, and "leap of faith"
They finished second at the 1953 World Championships by only one-tenth of a point, missing the gold by the narrowest margin in history. They went on to win the 1954 & 1955 World Championships and an Olympic silver medal in 1956.
We are very grateful Francis took the time to share her illustrious career as a competitive skater and a costume designer for many famous celebrities.
The Frances Dafoe edition "The History of the Skating Costume" was tremendously popular and will be reposted once it has been laid out in our new format.

Did You Know?
Skippy Baxter, a figure skater born in Canada and raised in Oakland California was listed in the 1939 edition of Ripley's "Believe It Or Not" for the triple Salchow jumps he performed in exhibitions along with the split Lutz jump he first introduced.

In 1946, after serving his country in World War II he returned to skating, performing with the Center Theatre in New York city and became known as Nijinsky on ice for his dramatic back flip and jumping exhibitions.

About Skatehistory.ca
Skatehistory.ca exists to recall and share the richness of figure skating history that may not be available in any other format. Not only for skaters as a way of referencing things that have gone before them but for past skaters and interested fans to catch up, reminisce and enjoy

We would like to have a section titled "Where Are They Now" that will have information about past and present skaters that have been in the public eye. If you have current nformation about any elite athletes please send it along with permission to post on the internet. Supporting digital photographs would be very helpful. Of course no private information will be posted.

As the site continues to to develop there will be an extensive archive for skaters and non skaters alike to become informed and enlightend by the lore of skating's past. In the future some readers may have interesting stories of their own to share. If you have intesting ideas for a section of reader contributions or a story that would be captivating email us with your ideas.

Remember this site is done strictly on a volunteer basis for the love of skating. Please be patient with us if there is a gap between editions. We encourage your input and comments and do read and respond to all email. Feel free to contact us at info@skatehistory.ca

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