Linda Fratianne was the first female skater to land two triple jumps in competition.
Birthdate and Place of Birth:
Linda Fratianne was born August 2, 1960 in Los Angeles, California.
Family:
Linda came from a large family that included five children. She has one older brother, one older sister, one younger brother, and one younger sister. Her father was Robert Fratianne and her mother was Virginia Fratianne. Her parents are no longer living.
In 1969, at age nine, Linda began group lessons at Valley Ice Skating Center in Tarzana, California. She loved ice skating and her mother recognized her figure skating talent. At age ten, an audition was arranged with coach Frank Caroll at the Van Nuys Iceland.
Frank Caroll - Linda's Only Coach and Mentor:
Once Linda was accepted by Frank Carroll as a student, Linda's mother left all direction and decisions for Linda's skating in Frank Caroll's hands.
The only club Linda represented was the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club. She holds the honor of being a lifetime member of that club.
Linda's first ice skating competition was the Nordic Figure Skating Club Competition at Valley Ice Skating Center in Tarzana. She then competed in the Ontario Open in 1970. She wore a green dress and her hair was cut short.
Her first test was the Preliminary Figure Test. She was nine years old. She was scared and remembers shaking throughout the entire test.
Linda mastered the double axel, triple toe loop, and triple salchow at Van Nuys Iceland. It was a small rink, but she loved that rink. Linda recalls mastering the triple toe loop in one day at Van Nuys Iceland. She did hundreds of triple toe loops on "patch #9," a piece of ice in the Van Nuys rink that had a ditch in it.
- 1975 U.S Championships - 7th
- 1976 U.S Championships - 2nd
1976 Olympics - 8th - 1977 U.S. Championships - 1st
1977 World Championships - 1st - 1978 U.S. Championships - 1st
1978 World Championships - 2nd - 1979 U.S. Championships - 1st
1979 World Championships - 1st - 1980 U.S. Championships - 1st
1980 Olympics - 2nd
1980 World Championships - 3rd
During the years that Linda trained, she took ballet three times a week and went to school. Her life included going to school and doing homework, ballet, and skating. That kept her very busy, and she had little time for any other activities.
Linda's family was very supportive. Her older siblings would help the younger children get ready for school every morning. Linda's mother took her to early morning practice sessions. Some of the time, after school, her father would pick her up from Van Nuys Iceland, but most of the time her mother took her to the ice rink. Every Sunday, her father would take her to skate at Santa Monica's ice rink. That was their "special time" to be together. Linda was very close to her mom.
Linda Fratianne was also known for beautiful costumes. Linda says: "I love to dress up!" It is said that she was responsible for setting the fashion trend for female skaters and that she is reason figure skaters have competition skating dresses that include beads, sequins, and chiffon.
At the 1980 Winter Olympics, Linda Fratianne came in third in the compulsory figures. She won the short program and was second in the long program. She won the silver medal. Many say that Linda deserved the gold medal, but that there was a conspiracy among the Eastern bloc judges.
Disney on Ice Star:
After the Olympics and the World Championships in 1980, Linda Fratianne toured with Disney on Ice for ten years. She skated in ice shows all over the world. She had a wonderful professional skating career.
Linda loved dressing up; she loved the glamour of the ice show, and she made lifetime friends through that experience. She worked hard: she was in the opening number, she did two solos, and was in the finale. She traveled from city to city in a motorhome.
Linda Fratianne - Mother:
Linda has one daughter: Ali. Linda and her daughter are very close. Ali is presently an exchange student and is living with an English speaking family in Argentina.
Linda Fratianne - Figure Skating Coach:
Linda explains that her "hobby" is teaching skating. She always wanted more children and coaching gives her a chance to share her great knowledge and passion of figure skating with young ice skaters. She loves helping a skater master a double axel. She keeps her coaching hours and days to a minimum so that teaching skating is always fun and never a job.
Balance:
Linda Fratianne has led a happy life. She believes that keeping a balance is the key to living a full life.
Linda Fratianne's Thoughts on Becoming Famous:
Linda's daughter, Ali, asked her once how to become famous. Linda explained that what is important is to love what you are doing and to find your passion. Linda Fratianne loved and still loves skating.
