Skate Bench
THE STORY OF THE SKATE BENCH
ON FEBRUARY 15, 1961 ALL OF THE U.S. WORLD FIGURE
SKATING TEAM LOST THEIR LIVES IN AN AIRPLANE CRASH
IN BRUSSELS, BELGIUM. THEY WERE ON THEIR WAY TO
THE 1961 WORLD FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS IN
PRAGUE, CZECHOSLOVAKIA WHEN THE TRAGEDY
OCCURRED. SEVENTY-TWO PEOPLE WERE ON BOARD;
EIGHT INDIVIDUALS WERE MEMBERS OF THE BROADMOOR
SKATING CLUB - EDI SCHOLDAN (COACH) AND HIS SON
JIMMY, STEPHANIE AND SHARON WESTERFELD, GREG AND
NATHALIE KELLEY AND LAURIE AND WILLIAM HICKOX. THE
BROADMOOR SKATING CLUB CREATED THIS MARBLE
MEMORIAL TO THE MEMBERS OF THE BROADMOOR
SKATING CLUB WHO LOST THEIR LIVES. THE MEMORIAL
REPRESENTS A SKATE BLADE AND FUNCTIONS AS A
BENCH. IT IS SET BESIDE THE LAKE IN FRONT OF THE
LOCATION OF THE WORLD ARENA WHERE EDI AND THE
SKATERS MADE A HABIT TO REST BETWEEN LESSONS
AND PRACTICE SESSIONS.
submitted by John Bradley JEB