Dianne De Leeuw - 1975 World Championships Long Program

[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!

[who1cares]

LOL another double loop very difficult! lol figure skaters aare hitting doubles before there ten yrs old now..thts nothing for them.....i get a feeling when my kids r born quads will b the new triples...ekkk smh

[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.

[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.

[Parses6]

wow she has the hottest legs ever...nice pantyhose!

[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.

[Kounting6]

everyone has their opinion miloantock

[Kounting6]

I loved this performance! What a champion! True elegance on ice! What a moment at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs! I remember how the crowd showered the ice with flowers after her performance.The press didn't like the fact that she represented Holland instead of the US. Thank goodness the judging nowadays has finally turned around so no one could get robbed a medal like Dianne did at the 76 Olympics. Funny it took the whole Russian/Canadian pair scandel to wake people up to what was happening.

[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.

[grandmagrumpy]

Dorothy was lucky the judges didn't mark her figures accurately. It was all Dorothy could do to see what she was doing even with her glasses. she did not have good figures.

[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.

[grafgirl27]

@metsdudenj she is the poorest skater i have ever seen win Worlds.  Atleast Schuba and somewhat Poetzsch were amazing at figures, which DeLeeuw obviously wasnt since she rarely even won figures.

[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!

[metsdudenj]

I cant believe she went into Innsbruck as the favorite. She is no where close to Dorothy in technique and musicality.

[metsdudenj]

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

[Rouben19]

Diane delay ooooh as the announcer said.. is it fair to say this girl is boooooring, how did this ever beat Hamill, i was around back then and even seeing it today can't figure

[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.

[slapshotz20]

Loved that layover camel. She & Wendy Burge had, I think, the best ones. I'm glad that Stephan Lambiel has revived this lovely spin.

[r3sfernjbb]

One of my coaches was a coach for Wendy Burge and he used to do that layover camel. I hope I get good enough to learn 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

[k9henrydog]

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