Death of a skating legend
THE ice-skating coach who led champions Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean to success in the Sarajevo Olympics has died.
Betty Callaway MBE began coaching Nottingham's most famous sporting duo in 1978 and helped mastermind their routine to Bolero.
They won Olympic gold in 1984 with a record twelve 6.0s and six 5.9s.
Mrs Callaway was born in London, and had a theatrical background.
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When she was 11, a friend of hers suggested they visit Queen's Ice Rink in Bayswater, and her passion for ice-skating continued throughout her career.
She began to teach ice-skating in Richmond in 1950, with pupils that included Prince Charles and Princess Anne. After leaving Richmond, she taught German couple Erich and Angelika Buck, who won the European Championship and were second in the world in 1972 and Krisztina Regoczy and Andreas Sallay, a Hungarian couple who were world champions in 1980.
After 1980, Mrs Callaway looked around for a new challenge and it was then she heard about Nottingham pair Torvill and Dean who were seeking a trainer following the departure of their first coach Janet Sawbridge.
She travelled from her home in Hertfordshire to Nottingham twice a week for two years to coach the pair.
Following the 1984 Olympics, the couple turned professional and no longer required Mrs Callaway's coaching, although they remained good friends.
Previously speaking of their success, Mrs Callaway said: "I couldn't believe the line of sixes. They deserved it though and I thought it was right they were given what they deserved."
Jayne Torvill said: "Betty Callaway will be sadly missed.
"She was a great coach and a great lady.
"She was our coach for five years and when we turned professional she always kept in touch – she coached us again around 1993/1994 when we came back to compete in the Olympics."
Mrs Callaway died after a long illness on Tuesday at the age of 83.
Comments
by torvilldean
Saturday, July 02 2011, 1:08PM
“RIP Betty Callaway your a legend that will never be forgotten and thankyou for making Torvill and Dean ice skating legends! xxx”