Arnold Gerschwiler
Swiss figure skating coach (1914–2003)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Arnold Gerschwiler OBE (28 May 1914 – 22 August 2003) was a Swiss figure skating coach.
.jpg)
Sjoukje Dijkstra and Arnold Gerschwiler (1963) | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 May 1914 |
| Died | 22 August 2003 (aged 89) |
Personal life
Gerschwiler was born in Arbon, Switzerland. He was the half-brother of Jacques Gerschwiler and the uncle of Hans Gerschwiler.[1] At the encouragement of Jacques, he moved to London, England.[2] He married Violet Blundell in August 1941.[1] They had two daughters, Stella and Claire, two grandsons and two granddaughters.
Gerschwiler lived in Ailsa Road, St Margarets, Twickenham for 53 years.[2] He died, aged 89,[3] on 22 August 2003 at St Anthony's Hospital, North Cheam.[2]
Career
Gerschwiler competed in the British Open Ice-Skating Championships in 1935 and 1936[4] and joined the staff of the Richmond Ice Rink in 1937.[2] He was head coach there from 1938, and served as director in 1964[2] until the facility was demolished in 1992. He coached the Czech skater Alena Vrzanova (Aja Zanova),[2] world champion in 1949 and 1950, as well as his own nephew Hans Gerschwiler,[2] the 1948 Olympic silver medallist.
He also coached the British skaters John Curry, 1976 Olympic and world champion, and Valda Osborn,[2] British champion in 1952 and 1953 and European champion in 1953. Other European top skaters he coached included Michael Booker,[1] Ladislav Čáp, Sjoukje Dijkstra,[3] Patricia Dodd,[1] Hanna Eigel, Joan Haanappel, Helmut Seibt and Daphne Walker.[2]
Gerschwiler was appointed to the Order of the British Empire in 1997.[2][3] He and his brother Jacques were inducted into the Professional Skaters Association's Coaches Hall of Fame in 2004.[5]