For example, Blair finished fifth in the 1991 World Sprint Championships, though she was also suffering from bronchitis at the time. This is an individual sport.". Perhaps one of the most decorated and honored female athletes of the twentieth century, Bonnie's accomplishments are extensive. At her peak, she considered the fastest woman in the world in speed skating. In 1989, she won the World Sprint Championships, though she did not train as hard as she had for the Olympics. [1] Her godmother is Canadian speed skater Cathy Priestner. "I just thought it was the right time," she said of her retirement to [5]:45 After the Olympics, Blair moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to train at the newly opened Pettit International Ice Center. Alice Blair, 86, of Tioga, an accounts processor for the Aramark Co. and a caregiver to her older siblings and neighbors, died in her sleep Dec. 17, of complications from dementia at Caring Heart Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Germantown. During the Olympics, Blair was given the nickname "Bonnie the Blur." Speed skating champion Bonnie Blair (born 1964) is the most highly decorated American Winter Olympic athlete in history with six medals. Sports Illustrated (January 20, 1997): 4. New York Times (January 16, 2002): D7. [16] Blair won both the 500 meter and 1500 meter at the West Allis event, and was considered one of the U.S. team's strongest medal contenders. Moving on, she has a net worth of approximately $1.5 million dollars. Background Bonnie Blair was born on March 18, 1964, in Cornwall, New York, United States; the youngest of six children. After retiring from skating, Blair had two children (son Grant and daughter Blair), worked as a motivational speaker, and wrote a book about her accomplishments, A Winning Edge (1996). [17], During this time, Blair trained in both short-track and long-track. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. [43] As of 2018, Blair serves on the board of the Pettit National Ice Center. "Bonnie Blair is a 5-4 Colossus on Skates." . Blair came from a family of avid skaters and began entering races when she was four years old. Washington Post (February 11, 1994): H5. "Repeat for Blair." She dominated the 500-meter and 1,000-meter women's events at three consecutive Olympic Games during her career. She also took these titles in 1995. 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 the daughter of Charlie and Eleanor Blair, who raised their large Catholic family in Champaign, Illinois. From 1986 to 1988 at the World Sprint Championships, Blair finished second once and third twice. Encased in a glass tabletop in her house, Blair's gold medals have become part of her daily landscape. [2][4] She completed her high school diploma through the mail in 1982. Blair finished fourth in a national sprint competition for cyclists. Blair's success came despite the fact that she was smaller and lighter than an average female speed skater. The second-place finisher, Ye Qiaobo of China, claimed to have been slowed down by an improper crossover from another skater. 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. Her 1.38 second margin in the 1,000 meters race is the largest margin of victory in the history of the event. Brownlee, Shannon. The coaching switch took place ten months before the 1992 Olympics. Sports Illustrated (February 7, 1994): 90. Time (March 7, 1988): 69. Encyclopedia of World Biography. And, as she told Barbara Matson in the Boston Globe, "Crossing that [finish] line was the happiest moment of my life.". She was the daughter of Charlie and Eleanor Blair, who raised their large Catholic family in Champaign, Illinois. American track and field athlete She was the daughter of Charlie and Eleanor Blair, who raised their large Catholic family in Champaign, Illinois. She won a number of races as a child, including the Illinois state championship when she was seven. [39] The Blair Bunch, the name given to Blair's family and friends, accounted for 12% of the crowd at the Pettit National Ice Center. (February 23, 2023). Jeansonne, John. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bonnie-Blair, Bonnie Blair - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). See also Alexander Wolff, "Bonnie's Bounty: Unassuming Bonnie Blair Sped to Victory in 1,000 Meters to Become the U.S.'s Most Gilded Woman Olympian Ever," Sports Illustrated (7 Mar. [3] Early on, Blair competed in "pack style," or short track speed skating, where several skaters race on the ice at once. [23], Blair went on to the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta, where her first event was the 500 meters. 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. "Child of innocence." Blair dedicated her successes in Albertville to the memory of her father, who had died on Christmas Day 1989. Blair also won the World Cup points championship 11 times. Of the six, five were gold, making Blair the only American woman to ever win five gold medals in the games. 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. [43] That same year she was a member of the U.S. Olympic delegation to Sochi. 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. 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 ). [7], She is a member of the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame and the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame. How many siblings did bonnie Parker have? Blair's European trip had the desired effect, sharpening her skills for more competition. In her teens, Blair began to apply herself to the sport of speed skating as she never had before, largely at the encouragement of her friend Dave Silk, who competed on the men's U.S. team. In the summer of 1991 Blair resumed full-time training back in Milwaukee under her new coach, Peter Mueller. She is one of the top skaters of her era, and one of the most decorated athletes in Olympic history. Priestner profoundly affected Blair's direction as a speed skater. When the 1994 Winter Olympics at Lillehammer, Norway, came around, Blair was again favored to win. She won the first American gold of the games when she won the 500 meter race. Blair began to succeed on the international speed skating stage. At the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, Blair again won both the 500- and 1,000-meter races. Blair told Shannon Brownlee of Sports Illustrated, "Skating is a joy. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Jenkins, Sally. Phillips, Angus. She dominated the sprint events at three Olympic Games (1988, 1992, and 1994), winning five gold medals and one bronze. She had an older brother, Hubert (Buster), and a younger sister, Billie. Rushin, Steve. "He's the hardest worker on the team," Blair later told Angus Phillips in the Washington Post, "and he got me into that, too. At the Olympic Games, Blair had the support of her family, the so-called "Blair Bunch" which consisted of immediate and extended family members who attended a number of her more important races en masse. 47 No. Retrieved February 23, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/blair-bonnie. Wolff, Alexander. Blair later credited her husband's continuing involvement in the sport with helping her to make the transition from competition to civilian life. In 1992, Blair received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement. 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. She again won the world sprint title in 1994, also winning the World Cup 500- and 1,000-metre races that year. Blair has also been involved in the American Brain Tumor Association's efforts to combat this little-understood disease; in 1987, Blair's brother Rob was diagnosed with brain cancer that was deemed terminal. International Encyclopedia of Women and Sports. professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks, donated $1,500 for her trip. 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. At fifteen, Blair was named to the U.S. speed skating team. She also was a cheerleader and on student council. Bonnie Parker was born on October 1, 1910. Leo was born on January 4 1898, in Bountiful, Davis, Utah, United States. (She finished fourth in the 1500 meter race.) She contracted a severe case of bronchitis that affected her breathing. 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. Her father, a bricklayer, died in 1914, and Emma Parker moved the family to "Cement City" in West Dallas to live closer to . Parker, Bonnie (1910-1934). 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. To celebrate, she climbed into the stands, still wearing her skates, to hug her family and friends. 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:. Father's influence Anthony Charles Lynton Blair was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on May 6, 1953. Four days later, she took the gold in the 1,000-meter race, winning by just two one-hundredths of a second. [8] With her increased focus on the 1984 Olympics, Blair went to train in Europe. When she was attending Centennial High School, she competed in track and field events, including 100 meter to 800 meter races, long jump, and triple jump. She remained connected to speed skating by serving as a coach and conducting clinics. . [11] Her time was only 0.02 seconds faster than Ye. Cruikshank had skated in four Olympics by 1998, and he narrowly missed qualifying for the U.S. team for the 2002 Olympics. By the time she was four years old, Blair was racing, and she loved it, competing against her older brothers and sisters and others in elementary and junior high school. As a teenager Blair began to take the sport more seriously. She was the daughter of Charlie and Eleanor Blair, who raised their large Catholic family in Champaign, Illinois. Bonnie Blair Cruikshank. Corrections? Blair told Brian Cazeneuve of The Sporting News, "I'm the one who puts pressure on myself. login . Though Blair briefly considered not competing in the 1992 games, she told Douglas S. Looney of Sports Illustrated, "Skating has always been a pleasure and a joy. ." "Blair Enjoys Being Olympic Spectator." New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2001. [28] At the event, Blair won the 500 meters twice and finished third and second in two 100 meters races for an overall victory. That's where Bonnie, born in Illinois, moved to train. She began training with Cathy Priestner, who had won a silver medal in speed skating for Canada in the 1976 games, at the University of Illinois rink. Occupation Singer Family Father - David Glyndwr Hopkins Mother - Elsie Hopkins ." Noden, Merrell. [19] Blair held a world record at 500 meters until December 1987 when Christa Rothenburger beat her time at the World Cup. She dominated the sprint events at three Olympic Games (1988, 1992, and 1994), winning five gold medals and one bronze. [2][3] To end the games, Blair was chosen to carry the American flag at the closing ceremonies. Blair won the 1000 meter race by only .02 seconds. Mother of bonnie Fay wiszniewski; Private and Private. These dramatic accomplishments earned her the 1992 Sullivan Award as the nation's leading amateur athlete and the 1992 U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) Sportswoman of the Year Award. Bonnie Blair. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. As a speed skater, Blair had exemplary technique which contributed to her success. As Jere Longman wrote in the New York Times, "Blair has no mountains to climb. Wife of William Edgar Blair. Blair's last year as a competitive speed skater was 1995. Rushin, Steve. Another problem for Blair was the lack of competition among the American women speed skaters in the late 1980s and early 1990s. https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/blair-bonnie, "Blair, Bonnie Looney, Douglas S. "Sprinting to Calgary." (The International Olympic Committee wanted Summer and Winter Olympic Games to alternate every two years.) 1957- "Blair, Bonnie For nearly a decade betw, Heiden, Eric Best. In 2021, Blair spoke out in opposition to allowing male-to-female transgender athletes to participate in organized athletics.[54]. Although Ye claimed the crossover cost her the gold, the referee's rejected China's protest. She also set a world record for the 500-meter event in Heerenveen, Holland, at the end of the 1987 season. She first gained acclaim by winning the world short-track title in 1986 at Chamonix, France. She won the 1986 short-track world championship. Detroit: Visible Ink Press, 1996. However, the date of retrieval is often important. Following her retirement from competitive skating, Blair remained extremely active, both in her sport and outside of it. Jenkins, Sally. [28] The win made Blair the first U.S. woman to win a world sprint championship in nearly a decade. Cloud State Men's Hockey @SCSUHuskies_MH . Who are Scott disick parents? 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. ABC-CLIO, 1996. Professionally, Charlie Blair was an engineer while Eleanor Blair worked in real estate. Blair has also become an accomplished motivational speaker, addressing audiences on such topics as "Achieving Your Personal Best." Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Bonnie Parker, outlaw partner of Clyde Barrow, was born at Rowena, Texas, on October 1, 1910, to Henry and Emma Parker. "Bonnie Blair," HickokSports.com, http://www.hickoksports.com/biograph/blairbon.shtml (March 10, 2003). (February 23, 2023). Myrtle was born on July 26 1899, in Manassa, Conejos, Colorado, United States. "Blair, Bonnie "Olympic Profile: Bonnie Blair; A Life of Skating Leads to Calgary." Blair was born on March 18, 1964, in Cornwall, New York, the youngest of six children. St. Watch a short video featuring Bonnie Blair. She lived in Whitesburg, Letcher, Kentucky, United States for about 10 . [50] Blair and Cruikshank have two children: a son, Grant, and daughter, Blair. "Blair, Bonnie [51][52] Grant Cruikshank played hockey at Colorado College and as of 2021 for the University of Minnesota. 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. For Blair, a skater in the prime of her career, the new schedule was an opportunity to try again for Olympic gold. Although she was small for a speed skater, Blairs technique was nearly flawless. Bonnie worked at the Sleezer Home in Freeport until retirement in 2016. To become an Olympic champion, Blair needed further training as well as racing experience on the long track. Blair wanted to continue to train for the 1984 Olympics and beyond, but had problems getting funding for her training. [26], Despite her success at the 1988 Olympics, Blair did not enjoy a windfall from endorsements. Encyclopedia of Women and Sports. They are: dedication, balance, risk, and love. 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. Bonnie Kathleen Blair (born March 18, 1964) is a retired American speed skater. Also, Jack Sikma, a Bonnie Blair was born in Cornwall, NY on March 18, 1964. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. She entered the Winter Games in Albertville, France, as the favorite in both events. Before Priestner, Blair only competed in short-track, pack-style racing. "I'm like, 'She's my mom.' It's never really a thought, and I guess I won't ever really . Address: c/o 306 White Pine Rd., Delafield, WI 53018-1124. 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). bonnie blair siblings. She would win this championship every year through 1994. [7][9], Blair made her international competitive debut at the 1984 World Sprinting Championships where she placed tenth. Edwin Mosess athletic achievement is extraordinary by any standards. Photos and Memories (0) Do you know Bonnie? Blair competed for the United States in four Olympics, winning five gold medals and one bronze medal. Bonnie Blair-Cruikshank's 21-year old daughter, Blair, has tested positive for COVID-19 and will not be able to compete in this week's U.S. long track speedskating Olympic trials at the. I just want to go fast. Winning means you're doing better than you've ever done before. 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. . All Rights Reserved She also won two gold medals at the '92 . In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, James Eugene Blair. No matter what the competition is, I try to find a goal that day and better that goal. There she won two more gold medals, for both the 500-meter and the 1,000-meter races. [8] Blair took classes at Parkland College, although college classes were less of a priority than training and she did not receive a degree. When Bonnie Blair was born on 1 March 1928, in Magoffin, Kentucky, United States, her father, Samuel Blair, was 46 and her mother, Louise Gambill, was 35. . [20] Blair continued on to the 1995 World Championships in her adopted home town of Milwaukee. All of Blair's two sisters and three brothers speed skated competitively because of their father. [5]:45, Back in 1986, the International Olympic Committee voted to stage the Winter Olympics and Summer Olympics in alternating four year cycles. Blair returned to the Olympics in 1988 competing in long-track at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. (b. She is one of the top skaters of her time, and one of the most decorated athletes in Olympic history. 9 August 1914-21 December 1983 (Age 69) Letcher, Kentucky, United States. Overall, Blair won 4 of 18 women's medals at the 1987 World Cup; East German skaters, including Rothenburger, won 13. When was Bonnie Parker born? "One-woman ice show." Bonnie Kathleen Blair [30] Training with Mueller in the summer before the Olympics, Blair regained her competitive edge. Cycling became part of Blair's speed skating training as both sports utilized the same muscle groups. In both races, she was pushed by Ye Qiaobo of China who earned two silver medals. Sports Illustrated (December 19, 1994): 72. Bonnie Hoellein - Net Worth 2023. Sports Illustrated (March 7, 1988): 50. View the profiles of people named Bonnie Blair. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Bonnie E. (Hankins) Blair. She entered her first competition at age four and won her first race at age seven. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. Sports Illustrated (January 15, 1990): 92. Immediate Family: Daughter of ALONZA LONNIE RATLIFF and MAUDE RATLIFF. She did not medal, but finished eighth in the 500-meter race. She was only 5'5" and 125-130 lbs. Dec 6, 2013. She continued to compete in part because there were only two years between these Olympic Games. 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 ). 18 March 1964 in Cornwall, New York), speed skater who dominated the sport between 1986 and 1995, winning five gold medals in three consecutive Winter Olympics. [3] She moved to the Milwaukee area to train with the United States national speed skating team,[7] living with a family friend while she trained. To win the 500-meter event, Blair beat Chinese skater Ye Qiaobo by 18 hundredths of a second. Born December 29, 1911, in Hopkins County, KY, she was the daughter of the late Thomas Monroe Dockery and Thurman Fox Dockery. Facing a Big Chill in Her Sport," Sports Illustrated (27 Feb. 1995). With family members and dozens of friends, teammates, and fans cheering her on, Blair made her best start ever and zipped through the course in 39.1 seconds, setting a new world record and winning the gold medal. Blair was touched by the adulations of the crowd, saying that she had never heard any group of spectators cheer so hard for her. She ran wherever her coach decided he was missing a bodyon the long jump, high jump, short distances, and relays. Though she did well at the meet, she did not make the team. [32] Blair's gold made her the most decorated U.S. woman in Winter Olympics of all time. She also managed the oval built for the Calgary games after the Oympics ended for a number of years. [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. Known as "The Flying Finn" and "The King of Runners," he do, Bonnie and Clyde (Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow), Bonnevault, Pierre (ca. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. Bonnie Kathleen Blair (born March 18, 1964) is a retired American speed skater. After fellow speed skater Johann Olav Koss founded Right to Play in 2000, he recruited Blair to serve as one of the charities first celebrity ambassadors. "Yanks on the move." [16][10] On the 1985-1986 World Cup Circuit, Blair finished fourth in four distances: the 500 meter, 1,000 meter, and 1,500 meter. Matson, Barbara. In 1987, she won the World Cup in both the 500 and 1000 meter races. Blairs greatest success came at the Olympics, though she started slowly. At the time, Blair trained in both short-track and long-track speed skating. Before American speed skaters Eric Heiden and Bonnie Blair raced to fame as Olympic champions, Soviet sp, Ashford, Evelyn Ye Qiaobo was expected to challenge Bonnie Blair in Calgary's 1988 Olympic . 1958- On 23 June 1996 she married Dave Cruikshank, a fellow speed skater on the U.S. Olympic Blair also won gold in the 1000 meter race. Scottish-born prime minister of Great Britain British politician and Prime Minister Tony Blair represented a new era in Parliament and made major changes to the Labour Party along the way. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. She and Apolo Anton Ohno are both world-famous speed skaters. By the time of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary, Alberta, Blair was regarded as one of the hopes for the future of American speed skating. "Bonnie's bounty." [32], Her success in the 1992 Olympics led to more attention for Blair. 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. [5]:44 The breathing problem lingered through the 1991 World Sprint Championships where she finished fifth. Priestner had been an Olympic medalist herself, winning silver when she represented Canada at the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, in 1976. Bonnie Blair C and 7 others. Sports Illustrated (February 17, 1992): 38. [44], In 1992, Blair became the third winter athlete to win the Sullivan Award. In 1985, Blair won the North American indoor speed skating championship, and in 1986, she again won the U.S. indoor title. She received 5 gold medals and one bronze over her profession. [24][25] Rothenburger skating first, setting a new world record. [40][41] Blair became involved with Right to Play, When the Winter Olympics returned to the United States in 2002, Blair was one of the final torchbearers to carry the Olympic flame into Rice-Eccles Stadium for the opening ceremony in Salt Lake City, Utah. Bonnie Kathleen Blair was born on March 18, 1964, in the Hudson River town of Cornwall, New York, and grew up in Champaign, Illinois. "Bonnie Blair "The last lap." She signed with Advantage International, a sports marketing group, and did a number of commercials endorsements including Jeep, Evian, National Frozen Foods, and Rollerblades. Copyright 2023 Web Solutions LLC. This allowed Blair to train seriously, including one stint with the U.S. men's speed skating team in Butte, Montana.