1962 U.S. Figure Skating Championships
The 1962 U.S. Figure Skating Championships was held in Boston, Massachusetts from February 1 to 4, 1962. The compulsory figures and initial round dance events were held at the Skating Club of Boston rink, while the finals were held at the McHugh Forum rink at Boston College. Medals were awarded in three colors: gold (first), silver (second), and bronze (third) in four disciplines – men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing – across three levels: senior, junior, and novice.
| 1962 U.S. Figure Skating Championships | |
|---|---|
| Type: | National Championship |
| Date: | February 1 – 4 |
| Season: | 1961–62 |
| Location: | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Previous: 1961 U.S. Championships | |
| Next: 1963 US Championships | |
The event determined the U.S. team for the 1962 World Championships.
It was the first national championship held following the deaths of the entire 1961 U.S. World Figure Skating team in the crash of Sabena Flight 548 near Brussels, Belgium on February 15, 1961. Not only were all of the 1961 champions dead, but so were the skaters who might have been expected to challenge them for the titles.
Senior results
Men
Monty Hoyt, the 1961 junior champion, won over 12-year-old Scott Ethan Allen. The junior men's free skating was considered the most exciting event of the entire competition, with Tommy Litz winning a split decision over Gary Visconti. Litz, Allen, and Visconti all went on to win the senior men's title in successive years.
| Rank | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Monty Hoyt |
| 2 | Scott Allen |
| 3 | David Edwards |
| 4 | James Short |
Ladies
The ladies' event was won by 1960 Olympic bronze medalist Barbara Roles Pursley, who had been asked to come out of retirement; she had married and had a baby during the intervening year. She easily won the title with straight first-place ordinals after a poised and confident free skating performance that received an enthusiastic ovation from the crowd.
| Rank | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Barbara Roles Pursley |
| 2 | Lorraine Hanlon |
| 3 | Victoria Fisher |
| 4 | Frances Gold |
| 5 | Carol Noir |
| 6 | Lynn Thomas |
Pairs
The new champions were Dorothyann Nelson / Pieter Kollen, who pulled double duty and also won the silver in the dance event.
| Rank | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Dorothyann Nelson / Pieter Kollen |
| 2 | Judianne Fotheringill / Jerry Fotheringill |
| 3 | Vivian Joseph / Ronald Joseph |
| 4 | Janet Browning / Jim Browning |
Ice dancing (Gold dance)
The dance event was won by the newly formed team of Yvonne Littlefield / Peter Betts.
| Rank | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Yvonne Littlefield / Peter Betts |
| 2 | Dorothyann Nelson / Pieter Kollen |
| 3 | Lorna Dyer / King Cole |
| 4 | Rosemary McEvoy / Ralph Owen |
| 5 | Jan Jacobsen / Marshall Campbell |
| 6 | Aileen Kahre / Howard Taylor |
| 7 | Julie Graham / Howard Harrold |
Junior results
Men
| Rank | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Litz |
| 2 | Gary Visconti |
| 3 | Buddy Zack |
| 4 | Robert Madden |
| 5 | Richard Callaghan |
| 6 | Walter Hypes |
| 7 | Robert Mecay |
| 8 | Peter Meyer |
Ladies
| Rank | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Christine Haigler |
| 2 | Myrna Bodek |
| 3 | Albertina Noyes |
| 4 | Yvonne Drummond |
| 5 | Michelle Monnier |
| 6 | Ronna Mae Goldblatt |
| 7 | Kristin Mittun |
| 8 | Sondra Lee Holmes |
| 9 | Joya Utermohlen |
| 10 | Pam Zekman |
Pairs
| Rank | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Elizabeth George / Paul George |
| 2 | Cynthia Kauffman / Ronald Kauffman |
| 3 | Joanne Heckert / Gary Clark |
| 4 | Irma Staro / Richard Callaghan |
| 5 | Kathleen Fellers / Gene Floyd |
| 6 | Karen Hoffman / Leo Fritzio |
Ice dancing (Silver dance)
| Rank | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Susan Bright / Robert Munz |
| 2 | Carole MacSween / Raymond Chenson |
| 3 | Peggy Eastman / Richard Hirsch |
| 4 | Sally Schantz / Edward H. Smith, Jr. |
| 5* | Joan Udelf / Monroe Meier |
| 6* | Barbara Babcock / Stephen H. Smith |
| 7* | Darlene Streich / Charles Fetter |
| 8* | Constance Caracciola / Donald Parent |
| 9* | Suzanne Vieux / Steven Kraemer |
| 10* | Janet Burhans / Nic Burhans |
| 11* | Cynthia Kauffman / Ronald Kauffman |
* Eliminated before final round
Novice results
Men
| Rank | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Tim Wood |
| 2 | Paul McGrath |
| 3 | William Chapel |
| 4 | Henry Kirk |
| 5 | Duane Maki |
| 6 | W. Patrick Lalor |
| 7 | John Moore |
| 8 | Lee Lamprecht |
| 9 | Roger Berry |
Ladies
| Rank | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Pamela Schneider |
| 2 | Peggy Fleming |
| 3 | Mary Margot LeCour |
| 4 | Jennie Walsh |
| 5 | Dorothy Thompson |
| 6 | Margo Pergament |
| 7 | Diane Schatz |
| 8 | Theresa Von Engein |
| 9 | Janice Serafine |
| 10 | Linda Kneip |
Sources
- "U.S. Championship Results", Skating magazine, March 1962
- "The United States Championships", Skating magazine, April 1962