Terry Kubicka
Terry Kubicka in 1976
Born (1956-04-03) April 3, 1956 (age 67)
Long Beach, California
Figure skating career
CountryUnited States

Terry Kubicka (born April 3, 1956) is an American retired figure skater who is known as the first American to perform the difficult triple Lutz jump.[1] He is the 1974 Prague Skate champion, 1975 Skate Canada International bronze medalist, and 1976 U.S. national champion. He competed at the 1976 Winter Olympics.

Personal life

Terry Kubicka was born on April 3, 1956, in Long Beach, California.[2] He received a Bachelor of Science degree from California Polytechnic State University and a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from University of California, Davis.[3] In September 1982, he married his wife, Annie, with whom he has three children – Katie, Christopher, and Scott.[3] He is currently the medical director at Four Corners Veterinary Hospital, Concord, California

Skating career

Kubicka decided to begin skating after his parents took him to the Ice Follies show.[3] Evy Scotvold coached him for nine years, from group to private lessons.[3]

Kubicka won silver at the 1972 Grand Prix International St. Gervais, gold at the 1974 Prague Skate, and bronze at the 1975 Skate Canada International. At the 1974 U.S. Championships, he became the first American to land the triple Lutz jump in competition.[1][4] He landed three triple jumps in his long program and in the process won second place and a spot at the World Championships.[5] Kubicka said that he had landed it in the short program but it was not filmed so he did it again in the long.[1][6] Next year, he won silver at the U.S. Championships and competed at the World Championships again.

In 1976, he won the U.S. national title, landing five triple jumps in the long program and landing his first back flip.[1] He was named to the American team for the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, where he became the first and only skater to perform a legal backflip; it was banned after the competition.[3][7] To the present time, this move is his most important claim to ice skating fame.[7] Less remembered is his ability to land five of the six triple jumps (except the Axel).[8] In comparison, the gold medalist (John Curry) landed only three triple jumps [9][10] in winning his Olympic gold medal. Indeed, it would not be until 1983 that any skater would land all six different kinds of triple jumps in competition. Brian Boitano accomplished that feat at the World Championships.[11]

After ending his competitive career, Kubicka toured with Ice Capades for three years then left skating to become a veterinarian. In 2005, he returned to skating as a National Technical Specialist.[3] He was named an International Technical Specialist as of August 1, 2007.[12]

Results


International
Event 70–71 71–72 72–73 73–74 74–75 75–76
Olympics 7th
World Champ. 12th 7th 6th
Skate Canada 3rd
St. Gervais 2nd
Prague Skate 1st
National
U.S. Champ. 1st N 1st J 2nd 2nd 1st
Levels: N = Novice; J = Junior

References

  1. ^ a b c d "KUBICKA THRILLS INNSBRUCK WITH ACROBATICS ON ICE". IOC News (Olympic.org). February 6, 1976. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  2. ^ "Terry Kubicka". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Schneider Farris, Jo Ann. "Terry Kubicka – 1976 United States Men's Figure Skating Champion". About.com. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
  4. ^ Rosewater, Amy (September 27, 2011). "Mroz attempting to push boundaries of sport". Icenetwork. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
  5. ^ "McKellen Retains Title In U.S. Figure Skating". The New York Times. February 10, 1974. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  6. ^ Rosewater, Amy (October 11, 2011). "Kubicka, Mroz's legacies linked by Lutzes". Icenetwork. Retrieved October 11, 2011.
  7. ^ a b Greene, Nick (February 21, 2018). "An Interview With the Figure Skater Who Did the Only Legal Backflip in Olympic Competition". Slate. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  8. ^ Hamilton, Scott, 1958- (1999). Landing it : my life on and off the ice. Benet, Lorenzo. New York: Kensington Books. ISBN 1575664666. OCLC 42467742.((cite book)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ Stevenson, Sandra (February 12, 2010). "From the archive: Curry hits the gold standard". The Guardian. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  10. ^ "Video 1976 Winter Olympics Free Skate". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 19, 2021.
  11. ^ Rosen, Karen (February 19, 2018). "Brian Boitano Looks Back On "The Battle Of The Brians" On 30th Anniversary Of Olympic Gold". TEAM USA: United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on February 20, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  12. ^ "Communication No. 1467". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on February 3, 2009.

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