Ursula "Uschi" Keszler (born August 13, 1948) is a
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 choreographer and a former competitor for
West Germany
West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
.
Career
Uschi Keszler qualified to represent the
United Team of Germany
The United Team of Germany () was a combined team of athletes from West Germany and East Germany that competed in the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Winter Olympic Games, Winter and Summer Olympic Games. In 1956, the team also included athletes from a third ...
at the
1964 Winter Olympics
The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Innsbruck 1964 (), were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from January 29 to February 9, 1964. The city was a ...
in
Innsbruck
Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...
and finished 24th. The following season, she became the West German national champion and placed 11th at the 1965 European Championships.
In the 1965–66 season, Keszler won gold at the
Richmond Trophy
The Richmond Trophy was an international figure skating competition for Single skating, ladies' singles held annually from 1949 to 1980 at the Richmond Ice Rink in Twickenham, London. It was the only invitational international competition (as opp ...
and the national silver medal. In January 1966, Keszler placed eighth at the
European Championships
A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs.
In the plural, the European Championships also refers t ...
pairs
Concentration is a round game in which all of the cards are laid face down on a surface and two cards are flipped face up over each turn. The object of the game is to turn over pairs of matching cards.
Concentration can be played with any number ...
skaters
Marika Kilius
Marika Kilius (; born 24 March 1943) is a German former pair skater. With Hans-Jürgen Bäumler, she is a two-time Olympic silver medalist, a two-time World champion, and a six-time European champion. Earlier in her career, she competed with ...
and
Hans-Jürgen Bäumler
Hans-Jürgen Bäumler (born 28 January 1942) is a German former pair skater, actor, and Schlager singer.
Career
Bäumler became famous in pair skating with his skating partner Marika Kilius. They won their first national title after skatin ...
in 1964, the German Ice Skating Union was under pressure to produce more champion pairs. In April 1966, it was reported that Keszler and a fellow single skater,
Ralph Borghard
Ralph Borghard (born 17 April 1944) is a German former figure skater who represented East Germany for most of his career. He is the 1963 Blue Swords champion and a three-time East German national champion (1963, 1964, and 1966). His best result ...
, had trained together to compete in pairs. Borghard had recently escaped from
East Germany
East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
during the
world championships
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...
in
Davos
Davos (, ; or ; ; Old ) is an Alpine resort town and municipality in the Prättigau/Davos Region in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has a permanent population of (). Davos is located on the river Landwasser, in the Rhaetian ...
. Six weeks after Borghard's escape, during which the two had practiced lifts, Keszler's parents and fiancé objected to the pairing. Ultimately, she never returned to competition.
Keszler spent eight months in hospital after contracting
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
and was advised by her doctors not to return to competition. She began working as a coach and choreographer in the United States. Keszler is known primarily for her work with Canadian skaters
Brian Orser
Brian Ernest Orser (born 18 December 1961) is a Canadian former competitive and professional figure skater and coach to Olympic champions. He is the 1984 and 1988 Olympic silver medallist, 1987 World champion and eight-time (1981–88) Cana ...
,
Elvis Stojko
Elvis Stojko, (born March 22, 1972) is a Canadian figure skater. He was a three-time World champion (1994, 1995, 1997), two-time Olympic silver medallist (1994, 1998), and seven-time Canadian champion (1994, 1996–2000, and 2002).
Persona ...
, and
Shae-Lynn Bourne
Shae-Lynn Bourne (born January 24, 1976) is a Canadian ice dancer and choreographer. In 2003, she and partner Victor Kraatz became the first North American ice dancers to win a World Championship. They competed at three Winter Olympic Games, pl ...
/
Victor Kraatz
Victor Kraatz, (born April 7, 1971) is a Canadian former ice dancer. In 2003, he and his partner, Shae-Lynn Bourne, became the first North American ice dancers to win a World Championship.
Personal life
Born on April 7, 1971, in West Berlin ...
. Keszler invented the term "
hydroblading
A hydroblade is a figure skating edge move or connecting step in which a skater glides on a deep edge with the body stretched in a very low position, almost touching the ice. Several variations in position are possible, but one commonly performe ...
" to refer to skating on deep edges low to the ice, and using it as a training technique. In 1997, she became a co-owner of the Ice Works rink in
Aston, Pennsylvania
Aston Township is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 16,791 at the 2020 census.
History
Aston was first settled in 1682 as a municipality and was incorporated as a township in 1688 (one of the first ...
.
Personal life
Keszler was born in
Mannheim
Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...
and settled in the United States. She married Aram Boornazian, with whom she has a son, Marc. A survivor of
breast
The breasts are two prominences located on the upper ventral region of the torso among humans and other primates. Both sexes develop breasts from the same embryology, embryological tissues. The relative size and development of the breasts is ...
and
uterine cancer
Uterine cancer, also known as womb cancer, includes two types of cancer that develop from the tissues of the uterus. Endometrial cancer forms from the lining of the uterus, and uterine sarcoma forms from the muscles or support tissue of the ute ...