"Skaters" by George Gach on Exhibit

"Skaters" by George Gach is currently on exhibit.

A beautiful piece that typifies the artistic direction of the Museum is "Skaters" by George Gach. 

Born in Hungary in 1909, Gach as a young boy studied exclusively with his father, Stephen Gach - also a renowned sculptor.  When Gach was 18 he began training at the Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest.  In contrast to his father, George Gach sculpted his pieces in life-size and then reduced the pieces to miniature. 

The mediums he worked in were wood, stone, terra cotta, plastic, and steel.  His favorite, however, was the "lost wax method" which involved burning away the wax mold.  This medium allows the creation of a unique one-of-a kind bronze. 

Gach is listed in Who's Who in American Art.  He created over 1,400 unique bronze sculptures and 997 paintings between 1952 - 1996. 

A Silent Auction to Shout About

Two-time Olympic men's champion, Dick Button, and World Figure Skating Museum Executive Director, Brian Alexander, in front of the skate autographed by Olympic champions.

Olympic neckties, skate screws from former champions, or even a Zamboni tour -- these were a few of the 62 items available for bidding in the silent auction held at U.S. Figure Skating's Governing Council meeting May 3 - 7, 2005, at the Hyatt Regency in Columbus, Ohio.

A highlight of the auction was a skate donated by Reidell Shoes, Inc. with signatures by every U.S. Olympic men's and ladies singles champions,  from Dick Button (1948) to Sarah Hughes (2002).  The logistics to obtain these signatures approached an Olympic marathon itself.  The skate traveled over 9,500 miles with intensive coaching along the way by our staff to ensure it crossed the finished line -- the Hyatt Regency -- in time for the auction.

Another popular item at the auction was a framed "Original Six" print donated by Richard Zamboni.  It featured six original vintage NHL Zamboni machines in front of their hockey team's building.  A representative colored enamel pin was handsomely displayed below each machine.

Items available from the Museum Store were also available for purchase during this five-day event.  The auction and store raised over $11,000 in contributions and store sales for the Museum.

Win a Beautiful Framed Skating Print

"Acrylic on Canvas" is a unique painting created by using skate blades in place of artist brushes.

As a thank you to our new readers, we will send a  framed museum poster to the first person to correctly identify the two artists of the painting shown here.

Two skaters created this painting, "Acrylic on Canvas,"  in 1982.  They were five-time U.S. Champions in their respective discipline from 1981 to 1985.  In addition, they won three bronze medals at World's from 1983 to 1985. 

To create the painting, they used their skate blades as artist brushes.  Paper and canvas were initially stretched over the ice, and paints were then applied.  The skaters then moved back and forth through the paint which caused the interesting line patterns to appear. 

Please e-mail us your answer by clicking here.  You must identify both skaters correctly to win.  We will reveal the winner in our next issue.

Good luck!

Click link at end of article for the Detailed Map.

If you're lucky enough to be vacationing along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains  this summer, be sure to put the World Figure Skating Museum and Hall of Fame on your "must see" list.

We apologize in advance that it might be difficult to find us because of current construction in the area. We are located at the national headquarters of U.S. Figure Skating at 20 First Street in Colorado Springs. 

The Museum and store are open Monday - Saturday
10 a.m. - 4 p.m.  (Please call 719.635.5200 to check the major holiday schedule.)   We offer an on-line admission discount through coloradokids.com.  In addition, 50% admission discounts are offered through the following travel books or group:  AAA, Travel Pal, and military ID.   U.S. Figure Skating members are free.  Local residents can check the Colorado Springs spring/summer edition of Quality Connections for a 50% admission discount. (Coupons need to be presented.)

We look forward to seeing you! 

1984 Olympic champion Scott Hamilton has remained active in  figure skating both as a performer and producer of "Stars on Ice." (Photo by Kimberly Butler)

Tucked away in the U.S. Figure Skating headquarters for 25 years, the World Figure Skating Museum and Hall of Fame existed primarily for U.S. Figure Skating members and those tourists who happened to hear about the Museum when visiting the Colorado Springs area.  Even people involved in figure skating often don't know that it's the only museum in the world devoted exclusively to the preservation and exhibition of materials related to the history of figure skating worldwide. 

Since July 2004, however, all of  that has been changing.  There is positive energy that has been harnessed to create a renaissance of significant changes at the Museum.  In July of last year, the Museum became an independent 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation.  A distinguished Board of Trustees and Advisory Council are now dedicated to help guide direction of the Museum. The Museum's new Executive Director, Brian Alexander, and the Trustees have a long-term strategic plan to ensure the Museum's success.  Alexander comes here with years of experience at top-rated museums across the country.

One of the Trustees is the 1984 Olympic men's champion Scott Hamilton.  We interviewed Hamilton for our inaugural issue because he is one of the great icons of the skating world.  We asked Hamilton why it is important to preserve and make skating-related artifacts available to the public.  Hamilton noted, "There are so many accomplishments and memorable moments that have touched people historically in the Olympic movement, and in figure skating in particular, that need to be seen and compared.  You know, it is one thing to hear about Dick Button, but it's another thing to see a film clip of his performance or see one of his costumes.  It takes you to that place and allows you to have a better understanding of where he came from." 

Hamilton laughed and continued, "Hey, I never saw an Olympic gold medal until I won one. Mine was just sitting around in a drawer and collecting dust.  So why not share it with some young children who might be able to use it for inspiration?"

Now it's possible to relive Hamilton's Olympic triumph by viewing his gold medal and the 1984 U.S. flag he carried, both of which are on exhibition at the Museum.  

Museum visitors are greeted by an impressive costume display of former Olympic and World champions.

What's in store for visitors this summer to the World Figure Skating Museum?  Like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, the Museum staff has spent a year in transformation.

Galleries have been renovated to better highlight collections and create a more pleasing visitor experience.  The walls surrounding individual exhibit areas have also been painted to complement the specific exhibits.

In addition, space has been made available to exhibit the Museum's entire collection of skates.  Did you know that the earliest skates date back to the eighth century, were made of shank bones, and used primarily for transportation across the ice? 

Lighting has been modified throughout the Museum to create a softer ambiance to view the exhibits.

Future plans include an upcoming exhibit highlighting the return of the Olympics to Italy in 2006.  It is scheduled to open this summer. The last time the Olympics were held in Italy was 1956 in the resort town of Cortina.  Five Americans medaled in figure skating during these Olympics, including Board of Trustee member, Hayes Jenkins and Advisory Council Member, Carol Heiss Jenkins.  Let's hope this is a sign of good things to come in the 2006 Olympics!