O'Connor and Millns Were One of the Most Successful Ice Dance Teams in History:
Colleen O'Connor and Jim Millns won a silver medal at the 1975 World Figure Skating Championships. Before 2006, they were the only ice dance team in U.S. history to have won a medal at the Olympic Games in figure skating.
Competition Highlights :
- 1974 U.S. Championships - 1st
1974 World Championships - 7th - 1975 U.S. Championships - 1st
1975 World Championships - 2nd - 1976 U.S. Championships - 1st
1976 Olympics - 3rd
1976 World Championships - 3rd1976 Olympics - The First Olympics That Included Ice Dancing:
Ice Dancing was included at the Winter Olympics for the first time in 1976.
U.S. National Champions for Three Consecutive Years:
Colleen and Jim won the U.S. National title in ice dancing for three years in a row, from 1974 until 1976.
Colleen's Birth and Hometown:
Colleen O'Connor was born on December 17, 1951 in Chicago, Illinois.
Jim's Birth and Hometown:
James Millns was born on January 13, 1949 in Toledo, Ohio.
How They Met and Became a Team:
O'Connor and Millns met at an ice dance weekend in the early 1970s. They soon formed a partnership and also became friends.
Former Roller Skater:
Colleen was a former roller skating dance champion that switched to ice skating.
Training:
At the peak of their amateur figure skating career, Colleen and Jim took lessons from Doreen Denny. Doreen was the 1959 and 1960 World Ice Dancing Champion. The pair trained at the world famous Broadmoor World Arena and represented the Broadmoor Skating Club. During their competitive figure skating days, they practiced for four hours a day.
Olympic Memories:
Both skaters remember the thrill of having Olympic medals put around their necks and standing on the podium. There was much emotion as they saw the American flag raised.
Members of the Colorado Springs Hall of Fame :
On October 25, 2006, Colleen O'Connor and James Millns were inducted into the Colorado Springs Hall of Fame.
Members of the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame:
In 1993, Colleen O'Connor and Jim Millns were inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame.
Life After the 1976 Olympics:
After the 1976 Olympics, the team joined "The Ice Show" on Broadway. The Broadway show ran for eight months. Then they toured the northern part of the United States and Canada for two years and performed. It was difficult in those days to keep on skating and performing, so eventually, they moved on in their lives. Jim became a figure skating judge and worked for Verizon.
Millns and O'Connor Today:
Jim Millns now lives in Florida. Colleen O'Connor lives in New Jersey. They both coach skating. Jim has five children and three grandchildren. Both are married. Jim is a U.S. Figure Skating National Technical Specialist in ice dancing.
