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Carlo Fassi (December 20, 1929 – March 20, 1997) was a well-known Italian figure skater and international coach.
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Career
Fassi was born in Milan.
As a competitor, he won the European Championships in 1953 and 1954, and also won the bronze medal at the World Championships in 1953. Fassi took up coaching after the end of his competitive career. One of his first students was a young German skater, Christa von Kuczkowski, who became his wife and mother to his three children: Riccardo, Monika, and Lorenzo.
Following the 1961 plane crash that killed the entire U.S. Figure Skating team and many of the top American coaches, Fassi moved with his family to the United States, where he soon became established as a top international coach. He was based first in Denver, Colorado, then at the famous Broadmoor Arena in Colorado Springs, and finally, following a brief return to Italy, at the Ice Castle rink in Lake Arrowhead, California.
His students included World and Olympic Champions Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, John Curry, Robin Cousins, and Jill Trenary. He also coached Scott Hamilton and Paul Wylie in the early stages of their careers. Skaters from all over the world came to train with Fassi, giving his training camp a strongly cosmopolitan and international atmosphere.
Besides being an excellent technical coach, Fassi had the reputation of being a master of political dealings in the figure skating world, with the ability to bring his students to the attention of the judges. He was such an icon in the sport that when the comic character Snoopy adopted an alter ego as a figure skating coach (appearing, for example, in the 1980 TV special She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown), it was clearly modelled upon Fassi.
Fassi died of a heart attack at the 1997 World Figure Skating Championships in Lausanne, which he was attending as the coach of US skater Nicole Bobek.
1980 Olympics Controversy
After Fassi's death, U.S. skater Linda Fratianne and her coach Frank Carroll alleged that Fassi had conspired to "rob" Fratianne of the gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics by masterminding a deal with Eastern-bloc judges to swap votes for his own pupil Robin Cousins in the men's event with those for the East German champion Anett Poetzsch in the ladies' event.[1][2][3] The allegations been become so well-known that the story has subsequently been repeated as if it were actual fact.[4][5] On the other hand, Sonia Bianchetti, referee of the men's competition at those Olympics, has denied that the judging of either event was incorrect, and pointed out that only two of the nine judges on the ladies' panel were from Eastern-block countries[6] -- while five other judges also gave their first-place votes to Poetzsch.[7] Benjamin Wright, the American referee of the ladies' event, instead blamed the method of tabulating scores that was in effect at that time for Fratianne's defeat.[8] While the story of Fassi's machinations will probably never be proven, the widespread acceptance of the allegations is indicative of the power and influence in the sport which he is supposed to have had during his lifetime.
It is also notable that Fassi had at least five students of his own competing in the ladies event in Lake Placid: Emi Watanabe of Japan, Susanna Driano of Italy, Claudia Kristofics-Binder of Austria, Kristiina Wegelius of Finland, and Karena Richardson of Great Britain.[9][10]
References
- ^ Christine Brennan, Edge of Glory, ISBN 0-684-84128-2
- ^ Kwan's Coach Hoping to Gild a Career Filled With Heartbreak
- ^ Fratianne hopes to see more changes
- ^ http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/brennan/2009-11-13-lake-placid-figure-skating_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip
- ^ Jon Jackson, On Edge, ISBN 1-56025-953-1
- ^ Fratianne-Poetzsch: Clearing the Record
- ^ "100 Years of Ladies Skating, Part II", Blades on Ice, December 2006
- ^ Benjamin T. Wright, Skating in America, published by the United States Figure Skating Association
- ^ CTV broadcast of the ladies free skate
- ^ Skate America Preview 2.htm The First Skate America, Part 2
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