Cecil Smith (figure skater)

Cecil Elaine Eustace Smith, later Gooderham, then Hedstrom (September 14, 1908 – November 9, 1997), was a Canadian figure skater. In 1924 she became the first female figure skater to represent Canada at Winter Olympics;[3] she placed sixth individually and seventh in pairs, together with Melville Rogers. At the 1928 Winter Olympics she finished fifth individually. In 1930, she won the silver medal at the World Figure Skating Championships in singles.

Cecil Smith
Smith in 1938
Personal information
Full nameCecil Elaine Eustace Smith
Country represented Canada
Born(1908-09-14)September 14, 1908
Toronto, Canada[1]
DiedNovember 9, 1997(1997-11-09) (aged 89)[2]
Former partnerMelville Rogers
Stewart Reburn
Skating clubToronto Skating Club

Biography

In 1922, Smith won the national junior title, and next year was a runner-up as a senior. Aged 15, she participated in the 1924 Winter Olympic Games, held in Chamonix, France.[4] In the women's singles, she finished sixth, two places ahead of Sonja Henie. In the pairs competition, she placed seventh.[1]

Smith won the Canadian championship in 1925 and 1926. In 1928, she competed in her second Olympics and place fifth in the women's singles (Sonja Henie claimed the gold). In 1930, she became the first Canadian to win a World championship figure skating medal, earning a silver medal in New York City.[4] In 1991 she was inducted into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame.[5]

Smith with son in 1935

Smith changed her last name twice, first to Gooderham, then to Hedstrom. Around 1935 she gave birth to a son named Edward Douglas Gooderham.[2] She had an elder sister Maude, who also competed at the 1928 Olympics, but in pairs. Their mother, Maude Delano-Osborne, won the 1892 Canadian tennis championship.[4]

Competitive highlights

Ladies' singles
Event 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933
Winter Olympics6th5th
World Championships2nd
North American Championships2nd3rd2nd
Canadian Championships2nd1st1st2nd2nd2nd2nd

Pairs

(with Rogers)

Event 1923 1924
Winter Olympics7th
Canadian Championships3rd

(with Reburn)

Event 1931
Canadian Championships3rd
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References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Cecil Smith". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020.
  2. Cecil Smith's obituary in Old Times, Summer 2000. Upper Canada College (1997)
  3. "First female competitors at the Olympics by country". Olympedia. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  4. M. Ann Hall (2008) Immodest and Sensational: 150 Years of Canadian Women in Sport. James Lorimer & Company Ltd., Toronto. pp. 33–34. ISBN 978-1-55277-021-4
  5. 1991 Canadian Figure Skating Hall of Fame Induction. Skate Canada Hall of Fame
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