Slavka Kohout Button (December 14, 1932 – March 17, 2024) was an American

figure skating Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, with its introduction occurring at the Figure skating at the 1908 Summer Olympi ...

coach and former competitor, best known for coaching five-time U.S. Champion

Janet Lynn Janet Lynn Nowicki (born April 6, 1953) is an American figure skater. She is the 1972 Olympic bronze medalist, a two-time world championships medalist, and a five-time senior Ladies U.S. national champion. Amateur career Lynn began to skate a ...

throughout her entire competitive career.

Early life

Kohout was born in Chicago to Czech parents. Her first coach was her father, a successful florist, who learned to skate from a book. Her mother was an artist.

Career

As a skater, Kohout was twice the Midwestern sectional senior ladies champion, and she won the bronze medal in the 1950 U.S. junior ladies championships. After turning professional, she was manager and head coach at the Wagon Wheel Ice Palace in

Rockton, Illinois Rockton is a village in Winnebago County, Illinois. It is located in the Rock River Valley and is part of the Rockford metropolitan area. The population was 7,685 at the time of the 2010 census, up from 5,296 at the time of the 2000 census. Geo ...

for 17 years. During that period, the Wagon Wheel rink—part of a larger resort complex—was one of the top figure skating training centers in the United States. Kohout coached not only Lynn but also 3-time U.S. champion

Gordon McKellen Gordon Riley "Gordie" McKellen Jr. (born August 26, 1953) is an American former competitive figure skater. He is the 1973–75 U.S. national champion and placed tenth at the 1972 Winter Olympics. Personal life McKellen was born on August 26, ...

, several other international competitors, and other skaters who have gone on to become prominent coaches or skating judges, such as Shepherd Clark, The 2017, 2018, 2019 World Figure & Fancy Skating Champion of World Figure Sport / "WFS", at which Kohout was an official, an honoree, and a 2015 World Figure Sport Hall of Fame inductee in Lake Placid, NY. Slavka Kohout was inducted into the

United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame The United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame serves as a repository for the sport of figure skating. The United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame is where the greatest names in the history of the sport are honored. To be inducted into it is consid ...

in 2002.

Personal life

Kohout left Wagon Wheel when she married

Dick Button Richard Totten Button (July 18, 1929 – January 30, 2025) was an American figure skater and skating analyst. He was a two-time Olympic champion (1948, 1952) and five-time consecutive world champion (1948–1952). He was also the only non-Euro ...

in 1973. They had children Emily and Edward together, but subsequently divorced in part because of Button's then-

closeted ''Closeted'' and ''in the closet'' are metaphors for LGBTQ people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and sexual behavior. This metaphor is associated and sometime ...

homosexuality. In later years, Kohout continued to coach in the

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

area.

References

* Biography in 2002 U.S. Figure Skating Championships program booklet. * Scott Hamilton, ''Landing It''. . *

, ''Peace + Love''. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Kohout, Slavka American figure skating coaches American female single skaters American female sports coaches People from Rockton, Illinois Sportspeople from Winnebago County, Illinois 1932 births 2024 deaths 21st-century American women 20th-century American sportswomen American people of Czech descent