The U.S. Figure Skating Memorial Fund articles of incorporation are dated March 16, 1961.
A month and a day was all it took for F. Ritter Shumway, Carl W. Gram Jr., John F. Groden, Theodore G. Patterson and Francis B. Turner to turn tragedy into hope. These trustees took the devastation of Sabena Flight 548, which crashed in Brussels, Belgium, carrying the 1961 U.S. World Team to the World Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia, and established a fund to memorialize the team and create a future for the sport.
Their vision of the future continues to be realized, as the U.S. Figure Skating Memorial Fund distributed more money than ever before in 2018. A half million dollars were given to worthy skaters in the form of scholarships through the Memorial Fund's Competitive Skaters Assistance Program and Academic Scholarship Program, as well as the RISE Youth Essay Contest. A total of 229 athletes received substantial funding for the upcoming season, to be used toward expenses such as coaching fees, ice time, equipment, tuition and books for college.
"I have been skating for the last 17 years of my life, and with the Memorial Fund scholarship, I am able to continue competitively skating at a collegiate level. … Synchronized skating brings me endless joy," said Sara Kostecka, a junior who is pursuing a medical degree at Michigan State University. Kostecka is a recipient of the ASP, which is open to synchronized skaters as well as singles, pairs and ice dancers. Requirements for the ASP include: achieving a GPA of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale), volunteering in the sport, and having competed at the sectional synchronized skating championships at the senior or collegiate level.
The CSAP is open to novice-, juniorand senior-level athletes who have finished sixth or higher at sectional championships (or received a competition bye to the U.S. Championships) or juvenile- and intermediate-level skaters who have placed sixth or higher at the U.S. Championships in the most recent season. Many senior-level athletes have received scholarships from the Memorial Fund throughout their careers.
"Not only do we have to work out and practice in the ice rink, we also have dance classes so that we can look good while defying gravity," two-time Olympian Mirai Nagasu said. "My passion for skating, however, isn't always enough to pay the bills, and for that I'm extremely fortunate to be granted support from the Memorial Fund."
Another Olympian, Nathan Bartholomay, echoes these thoughts: "Sometimes we are overseas for two weeks at a time and it's impossible to keep a steady paycheck while competing. The Memorial Fund allows me to focus on my competition and it gives me relief from coaching fees and monthly bills."
The Memorial Fund has supported Olympians from Peggy Fleming to Scott Hamilton to Meryl Davis and Charlie White.
"As many people know, being a competitive and successful figure skater takes years of hard work and dedication," White said. "However, making it to the top also requires a large amount of funding. I greatly appreciate the commitment and support of the Memorial Fund donors."
The most recent World Championships featured several medalists from Team USA, all of whom received funding from the Memorial Fund in 2018. Nathan Chen, Vincent Zhou, Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue have all been buoyed by the support of Memorial Fund scholarships.
"The invaluable contributions (to the Memorial Fund) have helped my training remain on track every day so that when the time comes, I may perform to the extent of my ability," Zhou said.
