Dianne De Leeuw - 1975 World Championships Long Program

Diane de Leeuw, representing the Netherlands, takes advantage of poor performances from Christine Errath and Dorothy Hamill to convincingly win the 1975 World Championships

[@stationofdreams8242]

Well people laughing and saying oh its boring and it wouldn't have passed now, this kind of programme. People seeming to forget this is 1975, a totally different era to 2015. This is how they did it in those days when doubles were classed as difficult. It's 1975, deal with it.

[@peppe201]

Dianne did quite well here. She won the figures portion over Karen Iten of Switzerland, who was regarded as the figures expert at the time and won the short. She even attempted the triple toe which she did not attempt at the 1975 Europeans where she won the silver medal. Het goede werk

[@kossejonker1238]

In the 1970’s, when I studied theology, I often sat with four enthousiastic students in a dorm room behind our tv to see our Dianne de Leeuw perform.

[@pacmanindy]

I saw Dianne de Leeuw at Holiday on Ice circa 1976.

[@npe1]

@metsdudenj But she was not European. Her father was Dutch so was able to skate for Holland. But Dianne was born, raised and trained all her life in California. She was really American.

[@Timzart7]

The squashed format of this video imparts a comical appearance to the whole program. I was laughing at the mincing little crossovers, as well as the jumps. It all looks silly. Seriously, look at any other video of Dianne, like her performances that won her an Olympic silver medal the following year, 1976, in Innsbruck. She does not look anything like this in a normal video that is not distorted. Dianne had a pretty layback spin.

[@npe1]

@mlc2005 There were not that many ladies doing them pre 1976. Christine Errath, Dianne deleeuw (sometimes), Linda Fratianne and a few others. It was not really until post '76 Olympics that the women started doing triples regularly. Fratianne and Poetsch both did them and sometimes you got one from Lurz, Watanabe, Lisa Marie Allen, but the women that really pushed skating along technically in the late '70s were Denise Bielmann and Elena Voderezova.

[@metsdudenj]

good point, k9. She reminded me of Trixi Shuba, booring~

[@k9henrydog]

Interesting that Dorothy used this same slow section music the next year, to such effect!!!

[@peppe201]

Hamill was fifth in the school figures and fell on her flying sitspin in the short, leaving her in fifth place going into the long.

[@geoboe84]

I have to say that Glazunov's "Seasons" is a very under-utilized choice of music for skaters. The balletic quality suits the sport well.

[@user-hq8rz3kd7j]

Помню эту фигуристку.Красивая.

[@jgilc2691]

"Double Loop - Double Loop" = equals a Quad back in the day. Skated professionally back then and we had no idea that a Triple existed much less a quad. But back then there were FIGURE SKATERS. We didn't have to twirl three times in the air to prove that.

[@charlesbergen5398]

As a direct result of De Leeuw's program and the repeated number of double loop jumps in that program, the ISU instituted the long overdue changes whereby a skater could not repeat the same jump twice unless done as a combination. This really made a big difference the following year to the content of the skater's programs. I actually lost count of the number of double loop jumps contained in this particular program but Ms. De Leeuw was often referred to as the Queen of the Double Loop. And by chance, is there any difference between this ' 75 World Championship LP and her '76 Olympic LP? Watch it and see....

[@mlc2005]

Why didn't dorothy ever do any triples? It seemed that several of the other top women of the time did? Just curious. It's funny how back then "style" and "flair" would be enough to win gold medals.

[@rebeccadobbins7519]

I just wish they had not made the single axel invalid.

[@mlc2005]

Yeah, she didn't have the speed or smoothness of Dorothy Hamill. What I found strange is how this period (pre-1977) the women seemed trapped technically. No one advanced the sport to make it more difficult. Then, after Hamill retired in 1976, immediately triples were being done and were required to get on the podium. Weird. I think I would be more excited about Hamill if she done a few herself!

[@metsdudenj]

First of all, she skated like a European skater of the time period : medicore technique, good music, and average height and extension. Her jump landings were always slow and labored. She was like the other Dutch and Austiran skaters before her : boring and average. She won this competition because the favorites fell...lets not forget that. She won the silver in Innsbruck; she had no chance against a clean Dorothy Hamill, and her short program there showed that.

[@miloandtock1]

Dianne did not get robed of a medal at the 76 Games - she won the silver. She most certainly didnt derserve the gold! Her short program in Innsbruck was sub par and was judged accordingly. And her long - as here - was ok but not great. She just didnt have the extension and flair that Hamill had, and her edges were not as good. Had Dorothy not fallen in the short program, I think it would have been tough for Dianne to win here.

[@Rouben19]

YOu think the Russian/ Canadian Scandal solved the wows of Figure Skating - I was ashamed the Canadians / did what they did at the time and what was going on in our country the Russians were superiour in all aspects they turned out of one jump Canadians were flat edged and over hyped- but skating forges on Today this program would not get pass a local contest!