Growing Up
Nancy Kerrigan was born to Brenda and Daniel Kerrigan in Stoneham, Massachusetts on October 13th, 1969. From a young age her two older brothers called her a “tomboy”. She was thrilled when her parents bought her a hockey stick for Christmas, just like they did for her brothers.
Growing Up
Getting Started
But it wasn’t ice hockey that she found passion in. Although she loved being on the ice, it was figure skating that really made her tick when she was just six. Her parents decided to start investing in her talents after a local instructor commented on her excellent form. It wasn’t long before she won the Boston Open at age nine.
Getting Started
Making Sacrifices
Pursuing Nancy’s figure skating dreams was an expensive venture, so her father started to take on extra work. Nancy understood how invested her parents were and it just encouraged her to work harder, like by getting up at 4am to practice before school. All throughout her school career she continued training, even as she graduated and attended college.
Making Sacrifices
Winning Competitions
After studying for a year at college, she entered the National Collegiate Championships and won first place. In 1990 she competed at the U.S. Olympic Festival and took home a bronze medal. The following year she did the same and won a gold medal, adding her to the team that would represent America at the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, France.
Winning Competitions
Rise And Fall
During the 1992 Winter Games she put on an impressive show and managed to win a bronze medal. However, after the games ended, she attended the 1993 World Games in Prague and she saw a decline in her performance. By then she had fallen to 10th place which was a major change for her.
Rise And Fall
Overcoming Challenges
It was a difficult time for Nancy Kerrigan, and she showed her frustration to the world. During a TV interview she tried unsuccessfully to hold back her tears as she said, “I just want to die!” But all the frustration just motivated her to make her parents proud, so she started training even harder.
Overcoming Challenges
Disaster Strikes
Disaster struck during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit in 1994 for Nancy Kerrigan. Nancy had just finished one of her practice routines when she made her way through the corridor to the locker room. A TV crew was only a few meters behind her, when suddenly they heard her scream. No-one knew what was happening but they all rushed to see what was going on.
Disaster Strikes
The Attack
When everyone reached her, they saw her lying on the floor holding her leg and screaming in pain. She shouted “Why me?! Why now?!” The crowd that quickly circled her didn’t know what had happened, but they saw just how much pain Nancy was in.
The Attack
A Mystery Man
She frantically told everyone of a man who had surprised her in the tunnel. The man struck her knee over and over with a police baton, hoping to severely injure her. The people on the scene quickly searched the area for the man who committed such a vicious crime on the athlete.
A Mystery Man
Getting The Name
A police investigation followed and the police searched everywhere for Nancy’s attacker. It took some time, but the police received a crumpled note that would serve as damning evidence later on. The name of the arena where Nancy Kerrigan was training at was written on the note. Investigators realized that they should try trace the source of the handwriting.
Getting The Name
Enter Tonya Harding
Tonya Harding was another American figure skater who was competing for a place on the American squad for the 1994 Olympic Games in Norway. She and Nancy had both been stanch rivals and the American people had viewed them both very differently.
Enter Tonya Harding
Sharing The Podium
The first time that Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding competed together, was during the World Championships in 1992. USA took all dominated the competition and took all three medals, becoming the first country to pull off such a feat. Kristi Yamaguchi won gold, Harding won silver while Kerrigan won bronze.
Sharing The Podium
Young Tonya
Tonya was born on November 2nd, 1970 in Portland, Oregon. Her parents started her on skating from the age of three, and each of them brought a different flavor to her life. Her father on the one hand had taught her to hunt, how to drag race and even taught her automotive mechanical skills. But her mother was quite different.
Young Tonya
Tonya’s Mother
Tonya’s mother worked as a waitress, trying to provide for her poor family. She also sewed all of Tonya’s outfits for her skating competitions over the years. But her mother was also abusive towards Tonya, physically and mentally abusing her from the age of seven. Her mother forced her to drop out of school to focus more closely on her skating talent.
Tonya’s Mother
American Perceptions
When it came to Nancy Kerrigan, the American people loved her. She was the feminine, glamorous and graceful skater that represented the best side of USA on the world stage. She was the American sweetheart. Although she didn’t have a financially stable background and even recalls her parents counting quarters to buy groceries, but she had both parents by her side.
American Perceptions
The Other
However, when the American population looked at Tonya Harding, they looked at her in a different way. She wasn’t a ‘lady’ like Nancy was. She was a hunter and a car mechanic. She didn’t finish school and she didn’t have the ideal family image. Tonya put it in her own words, “Nancy’s a princess, you know. That’s how everybody’s seeing her. She’s a princess and I’m a pile of crap.”
The Other
A New Record
Tonya Harding was an incredible skater. Her athleticism really showed itself when she attempted and successfully pulled of a triple axle. She became the first woman to successfully land a triple axle at an international competition. But there was something about her that America didn’t quite connect with, despite her undeniable talent.
A New Record
Public Figure Skater
On the one side Nancy Kerrigan was raking up endorsements from massive corporations. She became the face of Campbell’s Soup and Revlon which Tonya Harding didn’t get even a single endorsement.
Public Figure Skater
A Tip Off
The first useful information that came to light in the Kerrigan attack came from an unexpected source. An Oregon minister by the name of Eugene Saunders recorded a conversation about the Kerrigan attack that he overheard. He first approached a private investigator before taking the evidence to the FBI.
A Tip Off
The First Suspects
The recording proved without a doubt, that at least two men had hired a hit-man to attack Nancy. The motive was still not clear, but it was coming to the surface. One of the men who set up the ‘hit’, was Jeff Gillooly, Tonya Harding’s ex-husband. Even though he and Tonya had divorced in 1993, the two had reconciled not long after. Something was really suspicious.
The First Suspects
Another Tip Off
An additional tip off brought the investigators closer to finding the suspect. The father of one of Tonya Harding’s bodyguards overheard his son talking about the attack and his part in it. The information was then transferred anonymously to a journalist who presented it to the FBI.
Another Tip Off
The Plan
Tonya’s ex-husband wanted Shawn Eckardt, Tonya’s bodyguard to find a hit-man to physically impair Nancy Kerrigan in the weeks leading up to the Olympic Games. The hit-man would catch Nancy alone and severely hurt her legs so that Tonya would qualify for the Olympic team, seeing as Kerrigan was her greatest threat.
The Plan
The Attacker
Hit-man, Shane Stant received instructions to break one of Nancy’s legs to prevent her from competing in upcoming events. At first they offered him $6,500 to cause the injury or worse, but he decided to hurt her enough that she wouldn’t compete in the upcoming Olympic Games.
The Attacker
A Breakthrough
Meanwhile the FBI made a massive breakthrough in the case – they managed to track who the handwriting on the note belonged to. The evidence was shocking, but not necessarily unexpected. Part of the handwriting belonged to Tonya Harding. This handwriting told them that Nancy’s rival had a hand in the attack.
A Breakthrough
Questioned
The first time the press managed to get an interview with Tonya Harding regarding the attack, she said that she had been sleeping when it took place. She also denied any claims that she was involved or that she knew anything about it.
Questioned
Where Was Tonya Harding?
“I was sleeping when I found out what had happened,” Harding explained. “My coach woke me up and told me. I had a practice later on. I was scared to death, being out on that ice because nobody was caught.” But what did she do after she heard about the attack?
Where Was Tonya Harding?
Her Story
Immediately following the attack, reporter Ann Schatz got Tonya to agree to an interview. Tonya’s first reaction after hearing that fingers were pointed at her, was, “”I can’t believe it. Why does someone want to discredit me? I just don’t understand.” After going home she allegedly confronted her ex-husband about the attack and then she claims he hit her.
Her Story
First Place
With Nancy being injured and unable to continue at the 1994 United States Figure Skating Championships, Tonya Harding took first place.
First Place
Making A Recovery
Nancy was making a quicker recovery than anyone had expected at this point. Despite the injuries she sustained during the attack, it seemed that she was going to be ready for the Olympic Games. The papers wanted to know how she was progressing and they stalked her at every turn. She needed to hide in the backseat of the car as she was driven to practice sessions.
Making A Recovery
Suing The Olympics
While the investigation of the Kerrigan attack was going on, the Olympic Committee decided to ban Tonya Harding from competing at Lillehammer in 1994. Harding was not going to take it lying down. Along with her attorney, they decided to sue the Olympic Committee and wanted compensation of $20 million for “damages”.
Suing The Olympics
An Agreement
Both sides decided that they needed to make concessions, so they did. The Olympic Committee agreed to allow Tonya Harding to participate in the competition. Following this resolution, Harding dropped the lawsuit.
An Agreement
Not Doing Enough
Investigators accused Tonya Harding of not doing enough to prevent the attack seeing as she confessed to having overheard talks of it. She herself admitted, “I had no part in the planned assault on Nancy Kerrigan. I am responsible, however, for failing to report things I learned about the assault when I returned home from nationals.”
Not Doing Enough
Threats
Everyone wanted to know why she didn’t say anything to the authorities after her ex-husband spoke of the plan to hurt Kerrigan. Tonya claims that when she told him that she wanted to approach the FBI, he became violent. Her ex-husband, Gilooly, apparently physically assaulted her and threatened her while wielding a gun.
Threats
Making A Plea
Tonya Harding eventually pleaded guilty to charges of her involvement. She admitted that she didn’t do anything to prevent the attack from happening but made it clear that she didn’t want to be involved in it. The press stalked her too, and even went to extreme measures of setting off her car alarm just so she would have to go outside of her house.
Making A Plea
Back To Back
When both Nancy and Tonya attended the 1994 Winter Olympics, spectators recalled the feeling of being able to cut through the tension with a knife. Nancy decided to wear the same dress she was attacked in as a sign of defiance. The games went on and by the end of the competition, Nancy managed to take silver.
Back To Back
Controversial Comments
Nancy’s silver medal was followed by Ukraine’s Oksana Baiul’s gold and ahead of Chen Lu’s bronze. When Olympic officials were trying to find the Ukrainian anthem, someone misinformed Nancy that the Ukrainian had cried her make-up off and was getting it redone and that is what caused the wait. She remarked with annoyance, “Oh, come on. So she’s going to get out here and cry again. What’s the difference?” Her comments were recorded and aired.
Controversial Comments
Bad Laces
When it came time for Tonya to show the world her skating performance, she suffered a wardrobe malfunction behind the scenes and she wasn’t able to come out. According to the Olympic’s policy, if an athlete doesn’t show within a short period of time, they get disqualified. The seconds were counting down as her crew frantically changed and tied her skates’ laces.
Bad Laces
Is It Karma?
When Tonya eventually made it onto the ice, her heart was racing and she was clearly not prepared to start her routine. She kept saying, “I can’t do this. I’m going to break my ankle.” It took only a few seconds on the ice before she stopped her performance and approached the judges’ table complaining about her skates. She would come in 8th place by the end of the tournament.
Is It Karma?
The Outcome
Following the Olympic Games, the United States Figure Skating Association banned her from participating as a skater or as a coach for life. She was also stripped of her title from the 1994 U.S. Championships. The court topped off her punishment with 3 years’ probation, a $160,000 fine, and 500 hours of community service. Her counterparts were all charged with prison time; she was the only one without a jail sentence.
The Outcome
Fighting The Ban
Understandably, Tonya was heart-broken when she realized that she would have to turn her back on the life she had built for herself. At first it was anger, and she threatened to sue the committee for $10 million, but then she was just filled with despair.
Fighting The Ban
The Explicit Tape
When Tonya realized that her skating career was in the dumpster, she needed a new way to finance her life. She and her ex-husband came up with an idea that would get them cash and a lot of exposure. They made a tape for Penthouse of them fooling around and they picked up $400,000 for it.
The Explicit Tape
Pursuing Other Careers
Tonya also had her fair share of TV appearance in small shows like TruTV’s The Smoking Gun Presents: World’s Dumbest… as a commentator. She also appeared in a low-cut film in 1996 called Breakaway. She tried her hand at music with her band called Golden Blades, but they were quickly booed off stage in their first and only performance in 1995.
Pursuing Other Careers
Boxing
There was an outlet for Tonya to get her frustration and anger out, and that was the boxing ring. She only took part in 6 fights – three of which she won, and the other three which she lost.
Boxing
Fire on Ice
In 1994, authors Abby Haight, and J. E. Vader released the book, “Fire on Ice” which took an inside look into Tonya Harding’s life. Since then, many people feel like she got the wrong end of the judgement stick.
Fire On Ice
Relationships
Tonya Harding has by no stretch had an easy time with men in her life. She has been married three times, and she hopes that the third time truly is where the charm is. She is willing to give it a third try. But there is one relationship she says she is not ready to rekindle.
Relationships
No Contact
Since 2002, Tonya Harding hasn’t had contact with her mother. She doesn’t plan on making contact, despite her mother trying to make amends and reconnect with her daughter. After so many years of abuse, Tonya finds it impossible to bury the hatchet.
No Contact
Corny Publicity
When the noise surrounding her comment died down, Nancy had a chance to redeem herself in Norway. She was to join the Disney World parade with her silver medal around her neck. But another comment of hers made people angry and upset. She turned to Mickey Mouse and said, “This is dumb. I hate it. This is the corniest thing I have ever done.” Later she explained that she meant the bit about wearing the medal and showing it off in public.
Corny Publicity
Break A Leg
Following her professional career on the ice, Nancy Kerrigan went on to take part in different TV competitions and even served as a special correspondent during the 2010 Winter Olympics. One of her televised appearances was when she took part in “Dancing With The Stars”. A friend prepared a rather ironic but well-meant sign to wish her luck.
Break A Leg
Eating Disorders
Nancy headed a documentary about eating disorders called, “Why Don’t You Lose 5 Pounds?” Following the attack, she lost a lot of weight. It wasn’t just the press-induced stress, it was also the desire to better her performance. Her documentary delves into the depths of secret eating disorders of athletes. “Nobody cares that I’m not eating, or that I’m throwing up everything I’m eating. They’re caring about the fact that you’re smaller.”
Eating Disorders
Nancy Kerrigan’s Mother
Nancy’s mother is legally blind so when she attended the Albertville Olympics in 1992 to watch her daughter perform, something unique was done. She and her husband sat underneath the stands with a TV showing Nancy perform. “It made it possible for me to see 100 percent more than I would in the stands,” she told the New York Times.
Nancy Kerrigan’s Mother
Raising Awareness
It was her mother’s blindness that led Nancy Kerrigan to establish the Nancy Kerrigan Foundation. The foundation aims to raise awareness and support for the vision-impaired through charity balls, auctions and unique sporting events. Some of the items that they have auctioned were Nancy Kerrigan’s autographed ice skates, and a pair of Muhammad Ali’s boxing gloves.
Raising Awareness
Birth Problems
Nancy Kerrigan didn’t have an easy time when it came to giving birth. After she and her husband had their first son, she suffered six miscarriages in eight years. “It’s devastating and it’s so hard on your marriage. And you think ‘what’s wrong with me?'”
Birth Problems
Losing Hope
Nancy recalls how difficult it was to break the news of her miscarriage to her son, Matthew. “The pregnancy was far along enough that we told Matthew… It was crazy hard to tell him after. He was so excited he was going to have a brother or sister.”
Losing Hope
Little Miracles
After Nancy sought help, she eventually gave birth to their son, Ryan. She remembers how it was so difficult to get attached to Ryan after everything that had gone through. They didn’t name him right away because she felt that she “shouldn’t get attached”. She had a daughter after that.
Little Miracles
Family Is Everything
Nancy believes that family is the most important thing she has. She and her husband have three kids, all of whom she wants to follow his or her passions – even if it doesn’t involve waking up at 4am to spend a few hours on the ice before school.
Family Is Everything
Not Waiting For An Apology
Nancy says that she is no longer waiting for an apology from Tonya.She asked, “Does it even matter anymore.” She recalls a moment when, “we were at an event four years after I was attacked. But we didn’t really speak to each other. So it was very awkward and strange.”
Not Waiting For An Apology
Oprah Gets Involved
When Oprah Winfrey asked Tonya Harding in 2016 what her greatest regret was during the scandal, the first thing she mentioned was being married to “an idiot”. Then, when everyone thought she was going to mention Nancy Kerrigan, she spoke about how she wishes she could have changed her childhood and upbringing. She did say that she would give Nancy a big hug if she had the chance to.
Oprah Gets Involved
I, Tonya
Many people believe that Tonya’s story was never told correctly. In December 2017, Australian actress Margot Robbie played the part of Tonya Harding in the eye-opening film, “I, Tonya”. The movie shows a greater background into the woman who America so quickly chose to hate because of a woman they loved so much.
I, Tonya
A Fair Chance
Hollywood actress, Allison Janey, who plays Tonya Harding’s mother in the film has a message to the world. Janey expressed that Tonya has “paid her price.” She went on to say that there’s no doubt and Harding’s talent, she was just never embraced by the American public as Nancy Kerrigan was.
A Fair Chance
The Truth
We might never know exactly what happened despite having confessions and evidence from that fateful day in 1994. What people might need to consider, is that not everything is always as it seems. We all come to conclusions based on the facts we choose to take in. But sometimes the facts we choose to believe might not be the truth.
The Truth
