Karen Magnussen has nothing but nice things to say about Emily Bausback, the 17-year-old Grade 12 student from Burnaby who won the Canadian women鈥檚 figure skating title in January, becoming the first skater from B.C. to do so since Magnussen.
鈥淪he鈥檚 a beautiful skater,鈥� Magnussen praised.
She鈥檚 been watching Bausback on television, and likes what she sees.
鈥淭he way she lands her jumps,鈥� Magnussen enthused. 鈥淪he nails them. She has a real strength in her neck and back.鈥�
Magnussen doesn鈥檛 say it, but Bausback still has a way to go to match her.
In 1973, Magnussen won her fourth Canadian crown in a row, the fifth in six years.
That was the same year Magnussen went on to win the world championships.
It wasn鈥檛 until 2018 that a Canadian skater, Kaetlyn Osmond would win another world championship.
READ MORE: Canada鈥檚 Kaetlyn Osmond wins figure skating world title
Magnussen is still the
She and her husband Tony own a condominium in 91原创鈥檚 Willoughby neighbourhood, where they relocated after an ammonia leak at the North Shore Winter Club in 2011 ended her career as a coach and forced them to downsize.
鈥淲e ended up selling our house because I couldn鈥檛 teach any more,鈥� she related.
Magnussen said the leak caused breathing and vision problems, impaired her ability to speak, and left her chronically fatigued.
鈥淚 just went through hell鈥� she told the 91原创 Advance Times.
On the wall of her home is a painting her husband commissioned for her, based on a famous photos of Magnussen in mid-spin at a competition.
She also has artwork by skating champion and painter Toller Cranston, but her medals are not there.
They are stored at a bank, because they were actually made of gold, a practice that ended shortly after her victories.
She still loves the sport, and has mixed feelings about how it has evolved.
Her foundation, funded with the money she made from commercials and ice capades appearances, has awarded hundreds of scholarships, more than $500,000 over the years, she estimates
She is glad that up-and-coming young skaters like Bausback can get government support to travel to international competitions, something that was virtually nonexistent when she was competing.
鈥淭hey have a program, now,鈥� she explained.
鈥淚t鈥檚 way better because it gives these kids a chance to get their feet wet. They get a lot of chances to compete.鈥�
After winning bronze at the 1971 World Championships in Lyon, France, Magnussen received a federal government grant of $2,000 a year for four years, which was, at the time, the largest amount given to a Canadian athlete.
Magnussen doesn鈥檛 miss the challenges of skating in a time when photographers used distracting flashbulbs and people in the audience smoked, creating a tobacco haze that would settle over the back rows of an arena.
The use of songs with a singer鈥檚 voice on the soundtrack, as some skaters are doing nowadays, is something she doesn鈥檛 agree with.
鈥淚 believe that skating should be done to music that has no singing,鈥� Magnussen said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 way too distracting. It just doesn鈥檛 fit.鈥�
She isn鈥檛 a fan of the current approach to judging, concerned that fans find it too complicated.
鈥淗onest to God, people cannot follow [the marking],鈥� Magnussen insists, concerned it may be having an impact on attendance.
鈥淵ou couldn鈥檛 get into a building, even to see a BC event [when I was competing]. Now, you see all the empty seats.鈥�
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She would really like to see figure skating competitions at the 91原创 Events Centre.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know why they don鈥檛 use it more,鈥� she observed. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a perfect size.鈥�
Meaning the LEC is big enough to hold a substantial crowd, but the audience is close enough for a skater to have that all-important connection with the audience.
Magnussen always preferred venues where she could make eye contact.
鈥淚 like to see people,鈥� she related.
鈥淚 love that part of it. The electricity that you get, you feed off that.鈥�
dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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