She took the rink by storm and will continue to be a household name! Read about the legendary Nancy Kerrigan.
At just 6 years old, Massachusetts native Nancy Kerrigan stepped onto the ice and soared. She was always at the rink with her older brothers, watching as they zipped across the ice during their hockey practices and games. She found her love for skating early on with the hopes to match that feeling. Almost immediately, an instructor commented on young Kerrigan’s skills and grace, which skyrocketed her figure skating career. At age 9, she competed in her first competition, the Boston Open. There she won first place. Kerrigan continued to compete in many local and regional competitions, earning a variety of wins.
Figure skating is not a cheap sport to get into. In order to support his daughter’s dream, Dan Kerrigan worked a copious amount of jobs to make ends meet. He took out a few loans as well. Nancy Kerrigan was filled with appreciation and determination to make sure her parents’ hard work never went to waste. She woke up extra early before school at Stoneham High to attend practices. After high school, she went to Emmanuel College for Business.
The itch to compete in the Olympics was always present. Kerrigan was only one year into her college degree when she won the National Collegiate Championships. At the United States Olympic Festival, Kerrigan won the bronze medal. The following year, she achieved the gold, marking her spot to compete for the country in the 1992 Winter Olympics in France. She won the bronze medal in France and, in the same year, won her first National Title. But the year after, she did not do her best in Prague at the 1993 World Games, sending her to tenth place. She did not let this hold her down, and by the end of the year she had two huge wins at a pair of international competitions.
Most people recognize the year of 1994 as a tough moment for Nancy Kerrigan’s career. In Detroit, Michigan, Kerrigan was competing in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships when she was purposefully hit with a baton, causing bruising of her kneecap as well as bruising of her quadriceps tendons. This brutal attack kept her from competing in the Championships and threw her into the limelight of the nation and scandal. However, this did not define her.
One month later, Kerrigan won silver in the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics. Her score was only 0.1 less than the first place winner, Oksona Baiul.
Nancy Kerrigan married her agent Jerry Soloman in September 1995 and retired from competitive skating. They raised three children, Matthew, Brian and Nicole, embracing the life of love and family.
Kerrigan performed in a few more shows like Skating with Celebrities and was a star on Dancing with the Stars. Additionally, she wrote a book titled Stronger Than She Thinks in hopes of encouraging young readers and young skaters.
Now, Nancy Kerrigan continues to skate in performances including Holiday Spectacular on Ice and other special productions. She coaches at different adult and young skater camps like the Experience Skate Camp on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, as a guest instructor or mentor. Her youth clinic is called Ice Dreams, which is multiple youth workshops to teach local skaters how to spin, jump and practice edge drills.
Throughout her life, Nancy Kerrigan has shown us the mindset that comes with persevering. She took it upon herself to come out stronger after every setback and every struggle. Each challenge that was presented to her, she was able to overcome it with her head held high. Nancy Kerrigan is and forever will be a star-studded icon in the eyes of the nation!
