Francis Michael Carroll[1] (July 11, 1938 – June 9, 2024) was an American figure-skating coach and competitive skater. He had coached three skaters to win the World Figure Skating Championships: Linda Fratianne, Michelle Kwan and Evan Lysacek.[2] Lysacek won the men's Olympic gold medal in 2010 at Vancouver.[citation needed]
| Frank Carroll | |
|---|---|
 Carroll with student Evan Lysacek at the 2007–2008 Grand Prix Final | |
| Born | July 11, 1938 Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | June 9, 2024 (aged 85) Palm Springs, California, U.S. |
| Figure skating career | |
| Country | United States |
Carroll had been inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame, the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame and the Professional Skaters Association Coaches Hall of Fame, and was named the 1997 Olympic Coach of the Year.[citation needed]
Competitive and professional career
editBorn in 1938,[3][4] Carroll was raised in Worcester, Massachusetts. When he was in his early teenage years, a skating rink opened in his neighborhood and he began skating,[5] interested by the combination of artistry and athleticism.[6] After graduating from the College of the Holy Cross in 1960 with a B.S. in sociology,[7][8] Carroll moved to Winchester, Massachusetts and lived with his coach Maribel Vinson Owen and her daughters on weekends.[5]
Carroll won the bronze medal on the junior level at the 1959 U.S. Championships.[9] He won the bronze medal on the junior level at the 1960 U.S. Championships behind Douglas Ramsay.[10] Carroll turned professional and was skating with the Ice Follies at the time of the Sabena Flight 548 crash that killed the entire U.S. team.[11]
Carroll skated with the Ice Follies until 1964. He was accepted to law school at the University of San Francisco but chose to pursue acting.[5] He appeared in the background of several beach films, including The Loved One.[5]
Carroll began coaching part-time and eventually coached full-time. His notable students include Linda Fratianne, Christopher Bowman, Michelle Kwan, Timothy Goebel, Gracie Gold, Denis Ten and Evan Lysacek. He was the head coach for the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, California. In 2011, he began coaching at a newly built rink in Cathedral City, California in order to be closer to his home in Palm Springs, California, one of his homes since the 1980s.[12][13] Carroll resumed coaching at the Toyota Sports Center on June 1, 2013.[14][15] He died in Palm Springs, California on June 9, 2024, at the age of 85, from cancer.[16][17]
Results
edit| Event | 1959 | 1960 |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Championships | 3rd J. | 3rd J. |
| J. = Junior level | ||
Coaching career
editCarroll's students include:
- Robert Bradshaw: Coached to a silver medal at U.S. Nationals in 1973.
- Christopher Bowman.[18] Coached to the U.S. national title, a world silver medal in 1989 and a world bronze medal in 1990.
- Nicole Bobek
- Tiffany Chin: Coached to two world bronze medals.
- Ellie Kawamura
- Mark Cockerell
- Silvia Fontana[19]
- Linda Fratianne:[6] Coached to two world championships and an Olympic silver medal in 1980.[18]
- Timothy Goebel: Coached to the 2002 and 2003 world silver medals and the 2002 Olympic bronze medal. Carroll ended his coaching relationship with Goebel in November 2004 following the 2004 NHK Trophy.[20]
- Gracie Gold: Coached from September 2013 to January 2017, including two national titles.[21]
- Kristiene Gong[22]
- Danielle Kahle[23]
- Jennifer Kirk[24]
- Carolina Kostner[25]
- Karen Kwan
- Michelle Kwan: Coached her to four world championships and an Olympic silver medal in 1998. In the fall of 2001, Kwan and Carroll ended their coaching relationship. In interviews, Kwan said that she needed to "take responsibility" for her skating.[26]
- Beatrisa Liang[27]
- Evan Lysacek: Coached to a world championship in 2009 and an Olympic gold medal in 2010.[28][29]
- Ye Bin Mok[30]
- Daisuke Murakami[31]
- Michael Kuluva
- Mirai Nagasu: Coached from May 2009[32] to April 2012.[12]
- Angela Nikodinov[33]
- Denis Ten: Coached to the 2013 world silver medal and 2014 Olympic bronze medal.[34]
Carroll coached skaters to win the World Figure Skating Championships during the era of compulsory figures (Fratianne), after compulsory figures (Kwan) and under the ISU Judging System (Lysacek). He also coached Lysacek to an Olympic gold medal.
Carroll was inducted into the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1996.[35] He was the first figure-skating coach to be named the Olympic Coach of the Year, which occurred in 1997.
On March 6, 2007, it was announced that Carroll had been elected to the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame.[35] He was inducted on March 22, 2007 during the 2007 World Figure Skating Championships, between the original dance and the men's free skate.
On July 29, 2018, it was announced that Carroll would be retiring from coaching on August 3. Carroll planned to continue working with U.S. Figure Skating and the junior-development program.[36]
References
edit- ^ Sandomir, Richard (June 13, 2024). "Frank Carroll, 85, Dies; Coached Michelle Kwan and Other Skating Stars". The New York Times. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
- ^ Wilner, Barry (27 March 2009). "Frank Carroll has 3rd world champion". USA Today. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
- ^ Cohen, Rachel (February 18, 2010). "Frank Carroll finally coaches an Olympic gold medalist after 4 decades of producing champions". Star Tribune. Associated Press.
Frank Carroll is 71 and has been coaching for four decades, his skaters winning seven world titles and four Olympic medals.
[permanent dead link] - ^ Hersh, Philip (February 19, 2010). "Lysacek, in the celebrity whirlwind, says he plans to continue competing". Los Angeles Times.
Carroll, 71, previously had two Olympic silver medalists, Linda Fratianne (1980) and Michelle Kwan (1998), both of whom were favored for gold.
- ^ a b c d Smith, Beverley (1997). Talking Figure Skating: Behind the Scenes in the World's Most Glamorous Sport. McClelland & Stewart. ISBN 0-7710-8107-3.
- ^ a b Kleinschmidt, Janice (July 2005). "Icebreaker". Palm Springs Life. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
- ^ Francis M. Carroll profile[permanent dead link] - College of the Holy Cross, Class of 1960 yearbook at "College of the Holy Cross, Class of 1960, 50th Reunion, June 10 - 13, 2010, Men of 1960"[permanent dead link]. "Francis M. Carroll. B.S. Sociology. Dean's List 2, 3, 4; Intramurals 1; French Club 1; Worcester Club 1, 2, 3, 4; Young Democrats Club 3, 4; Holy Cross Skating Representative in National Championships 1, 2, 3, 4; Olympic Skating Tryouts 4."
- ^ Longman, Jere (February 18, 1998). "The XVIII Winter Games: Figure Skating; Coach is Trying to Steer Kwan in Right Direction". The New York Times.
Later, as a student at Holy Cross, ... A junior-level medalist at the nationals, Carroll turned professional upon graduation in 1960 and joined the Ice Follies.
- ^ "Carol Heiss Skating Champ". Lodi News-Sentinel. February 1, 1959. Retrieved February 28, 2010.
- ^ Nichols, Nikki. Frozen in Time: The Enduring Legacy of the 1961 U.S. Figure Skating Team. Emmis Books, 2006. ISBN 1-57860-260-2.
- ^ Milton, Steve (1998). Skate Talk: Figure Skating in the Words of the Stars. Firefly Books. ISBN 1-55209-209-7.
- ^ a b Hersh, Philip (2012-04-06). "Nagasu hoping home fires will reignite hers". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2013-11-11.
- ^ Golinsky, Reut (October 21, 2011). "Frank Carroll: "You can't worry about numbers, you have to skate"". Absolute Skating. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
- ^ "Carroll resumes coaching at Toyota Sports Center". IceNetwork. May 22, 2013.
- ^ Rosewater, Amy (May 22, 2013). "Lysacek, Ten will move with Carroll to L.A. facility". IceNetwork. Archived from the original on 2014-02-27. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
- ^ Toland, Jennifer (June 10, 2024). "Worcester's Frank Carroll, legendary figure skating coach to numerous Olympians, dies at 85". Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ Frank Carroll, Legendary Figure Skating Coach of Michelle Kwan and Others, Dead at 85
- ^ a b Longman, Jere (January 21, 2010). "Skating Coach Waits for His Golden Moment". The New York Times. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
- ^ Silvia Fontana at the International Skating Union
- ^ DeWall, Lindsay (2004-11-08). "FIGURE SKATING: Timothy Goebel and Coach Frank Carroll Part Ways; Goebel to start training with Audrey Weisiger". United States Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-07-19.
- ^ "Gold to Train with Frank Carroll". U.S. Figure Skating. September 25, 2013.
- ^ Kristiene Gong at the International Skating Union
- ^ Danielle Kahle at the International Skating Union
- ^ Jennifer Kirk at the International Skating Union
- ^ Carolina Kostner at the International Skating Union
- ^ "Kwan says she's going to direct her own career". ESPN. 2001-10-23. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
- ^ Beatrisa Liang at the International Skating Union
- ^ Schmenner, Drew (March 13, 2011). "Legendary coach Frank Carroll had interesting journey to gold". The Desert Sun. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
- ^ Brown, Mickey (August 10, 2012). "Carroll: 'He felt like something was missing'". Icenetwork.
- ^ Ye Bin Mok at the International Skating Union
- ^ Daisuke Murakami at the International Skating Union
- ^ "Nagasu leaves Wong, moves to Carroll". 2009-05-20. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
- ^ Angela Nikodinov at the International Skating Union
- ^ Denis Ten at the International Skating Union
- ^ a b "Mirai Nagasu to Train With Frank Carroll". IFS Magazine. May 20, 2009. Archived from the original on April 2, 2012.
- ^ Russell, Susan D. "Frank Carroll Retires". IFS Magazine. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
External links
edit
- Toyota Sports Center Instructor bio Archived 2010-01-03 at the Wayback Machine
- Carroll, Frank (April 20, 2008). "SkateCast_No14_FrankCarroll" (Interview). Interviewed by Allison Manley. Archived from the original (QuickTime) on April 25, 2008.