She won the 500 meters with a time of 39.1 seconds and the 1000 meters with a time of 1:18.74. 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. Despite unfavorable weather conditions at the outdoor rink, Blair won the 500-meter race. With the oval in Milwaukee closed in the off-season, the best Margie Frances Walter Rogers . She made her competitive cycling debut in June 1989 at the Sundance Juice Sparkler Grand Prix. [1] Her godmother is Canadian speed skater Cathy Priestner. Retrieved February 23, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/sports/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/blair-bonnie. Encyclopedia.com. Many athletes wait too long, until their skills have begun to melt and slide like snow from a roof. [4] At age 7, Blair won her age group at the Illinois Speed Skating Championship. [7][39] Less than a month after Lillehammer Olympics, Blair set another world record in the 500 meters, becoming the first female to complete the race in under 39 seconds, achieving a time of 38.99 seconds. Bonnie Kathleen Blair was born on March 18, 1964, in the Hudson River town of Cornwall, New York, and grew up in Champaign, Illinois. She embarked on a whirlwind travel schedule in Europe, taking on the world's best. Since her retirement from competition in 1995 at the age of 31, she has turned her stellar Olympic performances into a successful career as a motivational speaker and corporate spokesperson. How many siblings did bonnie Parker have? The Life Summary of Bonnie. [37] Blair won the 1992 Oscar Mathisen Award (being the first female winner of this award). Blair competed for the United States in four Olympics, winning five gold medals and one bronze medal. [7], It wasn't until 1979 when Olympic medalist Cathy Priestner Faminow became Blair's coach that Blair switched from pack style to long track speed skating in which skaters compete for the fastest time. Blair was the youngest of six children of Charlie, a civil engineer, and Eleanor Blair, a homemaker. But Dave gave me real direction.". Bonnie Pointer, a Grammy-winning singer and songwriter who was a founding member of vocal group the Pointer Sisters, has died at the age of 69. [2][25] Blair's third and final event of the 1988 Winter Olympics was the 1,500 meters, in which she placed fourth. Blair trained every morning before school and her discipline paid off; at age fifteen she qualified for the U.S. Olympic trials, but narrowly missed making the team. Bonnie Blair. [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. Blair came from a family of avid skaters and began entering races when she was four years old. "Blair, Bonnie Blair was the only American to win two medals at these games, and was given the honor of carrying the American flag at the closing ceremonies. She was the most decorated Winter Olympian in U.S. history when she retired in 1995. [39][8] There, Blair won the 500 meters with a time of 39.54 seconds. It's fun to set goals, reach goals, reset goals. Also in 1984, Blair competed at the Winter Olympics held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. 5 What actress portrayed. In Olympic style, skaters skated in pairs against the clock. Blair also continued to improve her already great technique. Her 1.38 second margin in the 1,000 meters race is the largest margin of victory in the history of the event. Her total of six Olympic medals (five gold and a bronze) also made her the most successful American Winter Olympian in history. Blair remained a popular figure in Champaign for many years, and was even given the key to the city. Bonnie Kathleen Blair (born March 18, 1964) is a retired American speed skater. Bonnie was something of an afterthought in the Blair family scheme, coming 21 years after Chuck, the Blairs' first child, and seven years after Angela, their fifth. At the 1985 National Sports Festival, Blair swept the gold medals in all four women's short-track skating races, and won another gold as a member of a men's 5,000-meter relay team. [47] She was awarded a star (#7) on The Flag for Hope on September 29, 2015 in recognition of her outstanding Speed Skating Career and philanthropic efforts. For example, Blair finished fifth in the 1991 World Sprint Championships, though she was also suffering from bronchitis at the time. To become an Olympic champion, Blair needed further training as well as racing experience on the long track. All of Blair's two sisters and three brothers speed skated competitively because of their father. Bonnie Blair C and 7 others. In 1987, she won the World Cup in both the 500 and 1000 meter races. I don't see any torture in this at all.". Blair's athletic achievements, combined with her friendly, down-to-earth manner, earned her recognition from journalists as an "All-American girl." She became the first American woman to win five gold Olympic medals and the first American Winter Olympian to win six career medals. Bonnie Blair . 23 Feb. 2023 . Blair entered the 1988 Olympics in Calgary, Canada, as a veteran of hundreds of races, a world record holder, and the favorite to win the 500-meter event. This is an individual sport.". 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). Blair's last year as a competitive speed skater was 1995. [24][25] Rothenburger skating first, setting a new world record. Blair lost focus for a while after the death of her father on December 25, 1989. She is one of the top skaters of her time, and one of the most decorated athletes in Olympic history. Siblings. 1957- [28] At the event, Blair won the 500 meters twice and finished third and second in two 100 meters races for an overall victory. The following summer Blair moved to Butte, Montana, where she enrolled at the Montana College of Mineral Science and Technology. Omissions? Blair would also hold a number of world's and American records over the course of her speed skating career. She soon regained her form and confidence, winning dozens of 500- and 1,000-meter races leading up to the 1992 Olympics. https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/blair-bonnie, "Blair, Bonnie 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. [37] By 1994, Blair's hometown of Champaign had renamed one of its streets Bonnie Blair Drive. 23 Feb. 2023 . Bonnie Blair. [10] Later that year, Blair appeared at her first Olympic games at age 19 in Sarajevo. The . In December, Blair Cruikshank competed at the USA Speedskating Long Track National Championships in Utah. Encyclopedia of World Biography. In 1989 she won her first world sprint championship. Cruikshank had skated in four Olympics by 1998, and he narrowly missed qualifying for the U.S. team for the 2002 Olympics. Rushin, Steve. (February 23, 2023). She is one of the top skaters of her era, and one of the most decorated athletes in Olympic history. International Encyclopedia of Women and Sports. Speed skater Bonnie Blair started racing at the age of four and went on to be one of the fastest competitors of her time (via Britannica ). 47 No. [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. login . She agreed to go, but she lacked the backing to finance the trip. "Catching up with Bonnie Blair and Johann Olav Koss." Edwin Mosess athletic achievement is extraordinary by any standards. Bonnie Blair owns a time-share in the international spotlight: She gets it for two weeks every Olympiad, and then they ask her to leave. 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. American track and field athlete Wife of William Edgar Blair. places to practice were in Europe. There she won two more gold medals, for both the 500-meter and the 1,000-meter races. Janofsky, Michael. On 23 June 1996 she married Dave Cruikshank, a fellow speed skater on the U.S. Olympic At the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, Blair again won both the 500- and 1,000-meter races. [28] The win made Blair the first U.S. woman to win a world sprint championship in nearly a decade. (The International Olympic Committee wanted Summer and Winter Olympic Games to alternate every two years.) Blair's European trip had the desired effect, sharpening her skills for more competition. Bonnie Hoellein - Net Worth 2023. [34] At the 1994, U.S. Olympic long-track trials at the Pettit National Ice Center, Blair set track records in the first round of the 500 meter and 1,000 meter trails. And, as she told Barbara Matson in the Boston Globe, "Crossing that [finish] line was the happiest moment of my life.". "Bonnie's bounty." She achieved personal bests in all four of her events and recorded the fastest time of any junior in three of them. Winning means you're doing better than you've ever done before. [20] Blair continued on to the 1995 World Championships in her adopted home town of Milwaukee. Family (1) Spouse Dave Cruikshank (23 June 1996 - present) (2 children) Trivia (4) Inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2004. . Bonnie Kathleen Blair (born March 18, 1964) is a retired American speedskater. Compare DNA and explore genealogy for Bonnie (Blair) Roos born 1940s including ancestors + children + DNA connections + more in the free family tree community. Bonnie Blair Dream, Distance, Accomplishment 11 Copy quote I never could have achieved the success that I have without setting physical activity and health goals. . Her life has been a furious blur of flashing blades,. [46] In 2004, she was elected to the United States Olympic Hall of Fame. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bonnie-Blair, Bonnie Blair - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). For the American actress Bonnie Blair Brown, see, Early career and first Olympics (19841986), Rise and becoming an Olympic medalist (19871989), List of multiple Olympic gold medalists in one event, "ESPN Classic - Blair is special but she doesn't know it", "Champaign's Bonnie Blair is, Quite Simply, Just a Good Skate", "Retiring at Top Speed; With Blair, Winning Comes First, Then the Party", "Parkland College Alumni Association - Notable Alumni Stories", "Coach Gets U.s. Speedskating Team Off Thin Ice", "Washingtonpost.com: Blair Wins 1,000, Sets Gold Record for U.S. Women", "Bonnie Blair shares the experience of her first Olympic Games, the ones in Sarajevo - Sarajevo Times", "World Cup Speed Skating: Bonnie Blair Derails East German Sweep", "Short-track Speedskating Long On Thrills", "Biographies & Statistics: 500m Ladies World Record Progression", "Blair, Jansen Top Speed Skaters in 500 for Second Night in Row", "Olympic Speed Skating Trials: Mary Docter Earns Spot on U.S. She signed with Advantage International, a sports marketing group, and did a number of commercials endorsements including Jeep, Evian, National Frozen Foods, and Rollerblades. Encyclopedia.com. Blair knew how to win and took advantage of it. They have two children. Born December 29, 1911, in Hopkins County, KY, she was the daughter of the late Thomas Monroe Dockery and Thurman Fox Dockery. I love to go fast and create the wind. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. par | Juin 16, 2022 | east bridgewater town election 2021 | valleydale hot dogs | Juin 16, 2022 | east bridgewater town election 2021 | valleydale hot dogs "Blair has not Slowed Down: Family is her Life, Not Speed skating." She remained connected to speed skating by serving as a coach and conducting clinics. Showing Editorial results for bonnie blair. When Bonnie Blair was born on 9 August 1914, in Letcher, Kentucky, United States, her father, William Blair, was 31 and her mother, Delia Pratt, was 35. Known as "The Flying Finn" and "The King of Runners," he do, Bonnie and Clyde (Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow), Bonnevault, Pierre (ca. She dominated the sprint events at three Olympic Games (1988, 1992, and 1994), winning five gold medals and one bronze. For Blair, a skater in the prime of her career, the new schedule was an opportunity to try again for Olympic gold. . At the time, Blair trained in both short-track and long-track speed skating. Blair finished 0.36 seconds ahead of the second best time in the 500 meters. Blair was born on March 18, 1964, in Cornwall, New York, the youngest of six children. Johnson, Anne Janette. [19] She followed up her World Cup titles in by setting her first world record in the 500 meters with a time 39.43 seconds. I'm definitely going to miss hearing the sound of that gun. ." Training remained her focus, however. Notable Sports Figures. "Olympic Profile: Bonnie Blair; A Life of Skating Leads to Calgary." American speed skater Bonnie Blairwas born on the 18 March 1953in Cornwall, New Yorkto Eleanor and Charlie Blair. Bonnie Parker first met Clyde Barrow through a mutual friend in January 1930, when Bonnie was 19 years old. The experience strengthened her determination to become an Olympian. Because an indoor training oval, Pettit National Ice Center, opened in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Blair moved there from Champaign. A new record and a gold medal At the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary, she watched as Christa Rothenburger broke the world record at 500m. [20] Blair also proved she could beat East-German world champion Karin Enke-Kania in head-to-head match-ups. [29] After placing fourth at U.S. Nationals and missing the opportunity to compete at the World Championships, Blair opted to give up competitive cycling and focus solely on speed skating. She is one of the top skaters of her era, and one of the most decorated athletes in Olympic history. [34][35] At the 1993 World Sprint Championships, Blair did not win any of her four races finishing behind rival Ye Qiabo. She first gained acclaim by winning the world short-track title in 1986 at Chamonix, France. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. "Bonnie the blue." [3] To finance the expense of training in Europe, the Champaign Policemen's Benevolent Association began sponsoring some of Blair. Also at the 1988 Olympics, Blair won the bronze medal for the 1,000-meter event. Blair would in later years recall that first Olympic gold medal victory as the high point of her career. She was named as the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year and the USOC Sportswoman of the Year. 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. Blair also won gold in the 1000 meter race. [50] Blair and Cruikshank have two children: a son, Grant, and daughter, Blair. She was on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Jenkins, Sally. Blair's success came despite the fact that she was smaller and lighter than an average female speed skater. She cut back on her skating and took up competitive bicycle racing.