Sports Illustrated (March 7, 1988): 50. Following her retirement from competitive skating, Blair remained extremely active, both in her sport and outside of it. That's where Bonnie, born in Illinois, moved to train. American speed skater Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. Now a world-class speed skater, Blair went on to set a world speed skating record in 1987, racing 500 meters in 39.43 seconds. Instead, she skated vicariously through her husband, who competed in international events. Imperial Oil Web Site. When Bonnie Blair was born on 9 August 1914, in Letcher, Kentucky, United States, her father, William Blair, was 31 and her mother, Delia Pratt, was 35. She dominated the 500-meter and 1,000-meter women's events at three consecutive Olympic Games during her career. Their names are Jeff and Bonnie.. How many siblings does. Her life has been a furious blur of flashing blades,. She was considered the best American hope for a medal, and did not disappoint. Blair was born on March 18, 1964, in Cornwall, New York, the youngest of six children. Address: c/o 306 White Pine Rd., Delafield, WI 53018-1124. Chambers Biographical Dictionary. [21][22] Blair was considered a stronger competitor in the shorter distances, where she was seen as the United States' best chance at a gold medal in speed skating. These dramatic accomplishments earned her the 1992 Sullivan Award as the nation's leading amateur athlete and the 1992 U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) Sportswoman of the Year Award. The following summer Blair moved to Butte, Montana, where she enrolled at the Montana College of Mineral Science and Technology. Though she did well at the meet, she did not make the team. Omissions? Blair entered the 1988 Olympics in Calgary, Canada, as a veteran of hundreds of races, a world record holder, and the favorite to win the 500-meter event. [10] Later that year, Blair appeared at her first Olympic games at age 19 in Sarajevo. Bonnie Blair Cruikshank. [2][25] Blair's third and final event of the 1988 Winter Olympics was the 1,500 meters, in which she placed fourth. She skated twice around the Pettit National Ice Center for a cheering crowd of ten thousand fans before lighting the Olympic caldron set up at the Center. Born in Cornwall, New York on March 18, 1964 as the youngest of six children, her family moved to Champaign, Illinois and Bonnie first donned skates at the age of two and was competing as a speed skater by the age of four. Blair competed for the United States in four Olympics, and in her Olympic career won five gold medals and one bronze medal. It was the first time a woman had won two Olympic gold medals for the 500-meter event in two successive Winter Olympics. Shortly after Blair's birth, her family moved to Champaign, Illinois. Blair competed for the United States in four Olympics, winning five gold medals and one bronze medal. Blair knew how to win and took advantage of it. Russian speed skater When the 1994 Winter Olympics at Lillehammer, Norway, came around, Blair was again favored to win. [26] Blair again won gold in the 500 meters, becoming the first woman to win the event in back to back Olympics, with a time of 40.33 seconds. Bonnie Parker was born on October 1, 1910. American speed skater Bonnie Blairwas born on the 18 March 1953in Cornwall, New Yorkto Eleanor and Charlie Blair. She was only 5'5" and 125-130 lbs. [34][35] At the 1993 World Sprint Championships, Blair did not win any of her four races finishing behind rival Ye Qiabo. She also won two gold medals at the '92 . "Blair, Bonnie Bonnie Blairwas raised in Champaign, Illinois. At the Olympics, Blair was cheered on by her large extended family, including her parents, her brother Chuck, her sister Mary, along with Mary's husband and children, her sister Susie, her brother Rob and his wife and child, her sister Angela, and her uncle Lennie, along with the friends of all of her family members. She agreed to go, but she lacked the backing to finance the trip. "Child of innocence." "Bonnie Blair is a 5-4 Colossus on Skates." Encyclopedia.com. Bonnie Pointer, a Grammy-winning singer and songwriter who was a founding member of vocal group the Pointer Sisters, has died at the age of 69. Witteman, Paul A. For her success, Blair was named the Babe Zaharis Female Amateur Athlete of the Year and sportswoman of the Year by Sports Illustrated for 1994. Blair came from a family of avid skaters and began entering races when she was four years old. [44] Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/blair-bonnie, "Blair, Bonnie ." Bonnie Blair President: V B S, INC: Ste 105-148, Gilbert, AZ 85297 3733 E Janelle Ct, Gilbert, AZ 85297: Bonnie Blair President, Chief Executive Officer: Happy Helpers Inc Help Supply Services: 137 N Main St, Fairport, NY 14450 54 West Ave, Ste 2, Fairport, NY 14450 (585) 425-2680: Bonnie B. Blair Principal: Bonnie Blair Massage Misc Personal . They have two children. Born in Philadelphia, she was the youngest of six children. Sports Illustrated (February 27, 1995): 52. Bonnie Blair generally travels from Milwaukee, WI, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances . Williams, Lena. Sports Illustrated (December 6, 1987): section 2, p. 10. Blair has also been involved in the American Brain Tumor Association's efforts to combat this little-understood disease; in 1987, Blair's brother Rob was diagnosed with brain cancer that was deemed terminal. The Life Summary of Bonnie. Petruso, A. login . Parker, Bonnie (1910-1934). Watch a short video featuring Bonnie Blair. . Also at the 1988 Olympics, Blair won the bronze medal for the 1,000-meter event. As the 1992 Winter Olympic Games in Albertville, France, approached, Blair regained her focus on speed skating. She remained connected to speed skating by serving as a coach and conducting clinics. Encyclopedia of World Biography. ." Her father, a bricklayer, died in 1914, and Emma Parker moved the family to "Cement City" in West Dallas to live closer to . Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. "A Bonnie blare." [39][8] There, Blair won the 500 meters with a time of 39.54 seconds. Place of Burial: Paintsville, Johnson, Kentucky, United States. Also in 1984, Blair competed at the Winter Olympics held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. Sherrow, Victoria. [2] Two of Blair's competitors, who skated after her, subsequently beat her time; thus Blair won the bronze in the 1,000 meters. Blair lost focus for a while after the death of her father on December 25, 1989. Blair competed for the United States in four Olympics, winning five gold medals and one bronze medal. [17], During this time, Blair trained in both short-track and long-track. [31], In her second event, the 1,500 meters, Blair finished 21st. Blair's only disappointment was finishing 21st in the 1500 meter race. It's just you.". . (February 23, 2023). [42] As of 2002, Blair served on U.S. Speedskating's board of directors. Sports Illustrated (December 19, 1994): 72. ." 23 Feb. 2023 . Bonnie E Blair of Texas was born c. 1944. In 1989, she won the World Sprint Championships, though she did not train as hard as she had for the Olympics. Bonnie Blair Dream, Distance, Accomplishment 11 Copy quote I never could have achieved the success that I have without setting physical activity and health goals. Realizing that success required both dedication and sacrifice, she gave up her spot on the Centennial High School cheerleading team to focus on skating and competitions. The Blair Bunch was back even stronger at the 1992 Games in Albertville, France, with about 45 members swaying in unison in their purple team jackets and singing "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean." Sports Illustrated (January 20, 1997): 4. She achieved personal bests in all four of her events and recorded the fastest time of any junior in three of them. She dominated the sprint events at three Olympic Games (1988, 1992, and 1994), winning five gold medals and one bronze. Because an indoor training oval, Pettit National Ice Center, opened in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Blair moved there from Champaign. [15] In May 1985, at a time when U.S. speed skating lacked unity, U.S. International Speedskating Association replaced national team coach Dianne Holum with Mike Crowe. Cruikshank had skated in four Olympics by 1998, and he narrowly missed qualifying for the U.S. team for the 2002 Olympics. She began training with Cathy Priestner, who had won a silver medal in speed skating for Canada in the 1976 games, at the University of Illinois rink. Death: May 16, 1976 (47) Prestonsburg, floyd, Kentucky, United States. Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures, Skoblikova, Lydia Blair's European trip had the desired effect, sharpening her skills for more competition. [46] In 2004, she was elected to the United States Olympic Hall of Fame. In fact, Charlie Blair had his children at a competition while his youngest child was being born. Blair finished fourth in a national sprint competition for cyclists. . Bonnie Parker first met Clyde Barrow through a mutual friend in January 1930, when Bonnie was 19 years old. For example, Blair finished fifth in the 1991 World Sprint Championships, though she was also suffering from bronchitis at the time. Blair continued to have success on the international level, though she also challenged herself to find ways to win. Wife of William Edgar Blair. [50] Blair and Cruikshank have two children: a son, Grant, and daughter, Blair. She dominated the sprint events at three Olympic Games (1988, 1992, and 1994), winning five gold medals and one bronze. In fact, Charlie Blair had his children at a competition while his youngest child was being born. and its Licensors [5]:44, The 1990-1991 season had setbacks for Blair. In addition, Blair was active in charity work and continued to do some commercial endorsements for companies like General Mills products at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. Sports Illustrated (February 17, 1992): 38. Biography Bonne Blair began competing as a speed skater when she was four years old. Bonnie Kathleen Blair (born March 18, 1964) is a retired American speed skater. An excellent student, she was allowed to graduate halfway through her senior year to focus on her training. For Blair, a skater in the prime of her career, the new schedule was an opportunity to try again for Olympic gold. At the time, Blair trained in both short-track and long-track speed skating. Sports Illustrated (March 6, 1989): 32. She became the first American woman to win five gold Olympic medals and the first American Winter Olympian to win six career medals. In 1982, when Blair was 18 years old, her trainers wanted to take her to Europe to compete outside of the United States for the first time. Blair was the only American to win two medals at these games, and was given the honor of carrying the American flag at the closing ceremonies. All these elder siblings became a canopy of extra moms and dads under which Bonnie grew up. The second-place finisher, Ye Qiaobo of China, claimed to have been slowed down by an improper crossover from another skater. "Time after time." Blair continued to serve on the board for U.S. With family members and dozens of friends, teammates, and fans cheering her on, Blair made her best start ever and zipped through the course in 39.1 seconds, setting a new world record and winning the gold medal. Her total of six Olympic medals (five gold and a bronze) also made her the most successful American Winter Olympian in history. Notable Sports Figures. When training in Milwaukee, she enrolled at Parkland College but did not graduate. [24] Blair responded to the challenge with her best start ever in the 500 meters, winning the gold medal in world record time of 39.10 seconds. At the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, Blair again won both the 500- and 1,000-meter races. [12][13] She failed to medal and finished eighth in the 500 meters. Sports Illustrated for Women, February 2002. "I just thought it was the right time," she said of her retirement to Bonnie Blair is a retired American speed skater. Serendipitously, Milwaukee opened a new indoor skating rink in 1992, allowing her to train there all year. (The International Olympic Committee wanted Summer and Winter Olympic Games to alternate every two years.) Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. But while skating eventually. In addition to her ongoing endorsement commitments, Blair serves as a sports commentator on the ABC television network and sits on the board of directors of the U.S. speed skating team. She went on to ISU to get her degree in criminal justice. Bonnie Blair, 92, of Dawson Springs, KY, died Friday, January 9, 2004, at 7:13 A.M., at her residence. To win the 500-meter event, Blair beat Chinese skater Ye Qiaobo by 18 hundredths of a second. 1958- She was born to Wayne and Delma (Guenzler) Blair on June 9 th 1951. She counts herself lucky in being able to maintain such an active retirement, noting that not all Olympic gold medalists have been as fortunate. In early 1995, she set another world's record in the 500 meters skating on the Olympic oval in Calgary where she won her first medal. She is one of the top skaters of her era, and one of the most decorated athletes in Olympic history. She holds five gold medals, for the 500-meter and 1,000-meter events, as well as a bronze medal for the 1,000-meter event.