Claire Ferguson, head of U.S. Figure skating during Nancy Kerrigan-Tonya Harding scandal, dies
Claire Waters Ferguson, who became the first female president of U.S. Figure Skating and was at the helm during the Nancy Kerrigan-Tanya Harding scandal, died on Friday after complications from a fall. She was 88. Ferguson helped steer the USFSA through a very turbulent time, and helped grow the sport by getting more national television coverage.
A former Jamestown resident who also served on the Town Council, Ferguson became the first female president of U.S. Figure Skating in 1992, and in 1994, Ferguson was the first American woman elected to the International Skating Union Council and International Federation for Figure Skaters.
Ferguson was at the helm in 1994 when U.S. skater Nancy Kerrigan was attacked at the National Championships in Detroit. Harding's former husband, Jeff Gillooly, the mastermind behind the attack, was sentenced to prison for his role.
Following the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway, U.S. Figure Skating signed a multiyear contract with ABC that allowed the organization to sell its TV rights rather than bear the responsibility of producing its own events, according to a release from U.S. Figure skating.
During her term, the U.S. Figure Skating Championships were held at the then-Providence Civic Center in 1995, and it was also during her tenure that the International Olympic Committee loosened its eligibility rules regarding professionals and amateurs, prompting Ferguson to take the controversial position that skaters had the right to earn money. In response, U.S. Figure Skating developed international "pro/am" competitions, which sanctioned skaters and brought more televised events for figure skating. Dozens of skating shows competed with U.S. Figure Skating for these dollars, and at its height, 30 skating-related shows were televised in the United States between September 1994 and April 1995.
Prior to her presidency, Ferguson was an Olympic Team Leader and longtime judge. She received her 50-year judge’s pin in 2011, and is one of only 14 Honorary Members of the International Skating Union. She was a board member of the Rhode Island Sports Council and of Newport Hospital. Ferguson was also a former elected member of Jamestown Town Council.
Ferguson was the wife of the late Dr. George Howard Ferguson. Born in Ames, Iowa in 1935, she was the daughter of the late Dr. Nelson and Claire Waters. In 1957, Claire graduated from Michigan State University. She married George later that year. Claire is survived by her daughter, Christine Ferguson (Frederick Glomb); her sons, Scott Ferguson (Kimberly Brown) and Gregory Ferguson (Kimberly Palmer); her grandchildren, Kirsten Ferguson Lingerfelt (Christopher), Sydney Ferguson Clapp (Eugene “Jay”), Gregory Glomb, Nicholas Ferguson (Caroline), Connor Ferguson (Ashlin Gillis), Caroline Ferguson and Taylor Ferguson; and her great-grandchildren, Olivia and James Lingerfelt, Cecilia Ferguson and Margot Clapp.
A memorial service celebrating Claire Waters Ferguson’s life and career will be held in the spring in Jamestown. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the U.S. Figure Skating Memorial Fund, which supports skaters in pursuing their goals both on and off the ice
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Claire Ferguson, former head of U.S. Figure Skating, has died
