Review of "The Fun of Figure Skating" - A Book by Maribel Vinson Owen

Pros

• This book gives informaton about all parts of figure skating.
• The illustrations and photos in the book are quite helpful.
• The entire book is available, for free online at http://worldfigureskating.net/.

Cons

• This book is out of print, so it may be hard to locate a hard copy.
• Some of the descriptions on how to do certain moves and steps are hard to understand.

Description

• Information on basic skating, crossovers, turns, edges, figures, freeskating, footwork, and ice dances are included.
• Information on equipment and clothing for figure skating is included.
• Information is given on how to choreograph a figure skating routine.
• The book's author is Maribel Vinson Owen, who was a U.S. Figure Skating Champion and World and Olympic Competitor.
• Eighteen Chapters
• First Published in 1960
• Published by HarperCollins
• Illustrated by Robert Riger
• 167 Pages
• Photos and illustrations are included throughout the book.

Guide Review - Review of "The Fun of Figure Skating" - A Book by Maribel Vinson Owen

• "The Fun of Figure Skating" - Free Online Version

Not long after this book was written, the author, Maribel Vinson Owen, and her daughters died in a plane crash on the way to the 1961 World Figure Skating Championships.

Some photos and illustrations are included. There are also diagrams explaining jumps and spins. Many of the drawings, photos, and illustrations are of Maribel Vinson Owen's daughter, Laurence Owen, who won the Ladies title at the 1961 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. There are also many photos of the author skating and demonstrating figure skating moves throughout the book.

At first glance, it may seem that much of the material in this book is out of date, but that really is not the case. Maribel Vinson Owen covers everything a new skater needs to know in one volume and the information will be useful to the figure skaters of today.

Information is given on basic and beginning ice skating skills, forward and back crossovers, turns, edges, figures, and freestyle. There are excellent sections that teach the reader footwork sequences. The reader is also taught four ice dances and is given instruction on how to choreograph a freestyle program. The author helps the reader with equipment and clothing. Helpful step-by-step illustrations and photos are also included.

The author of this book, Maribel Vinson Owen, is no longer living, but her love of figure skating and her knowledge lives on through this book. Anyone interested in figure skating will benefit from the information in The Fun of Figure Skating.

• 1937 Time Magazine - About Maribel Vinson