Nancy Kerrigan

Nancy Ann Kerrigan (born October 13, 1969) is an American former figure skater. She is the 1992 Olympic bronze medalist, 1993 US National Champion, 1994 Olympic silver medalist, and a two-time world medalist. She is also noted for her conflict on and off the ice with skating rival Tonya Harding.

Early life and skating career

Kerrigan was born in Woburn, Massachusetts, to Daniel Kerrigan (1939–2010) and Brenda M. (Schultz) Kerrigan (born 1939). Her ancestry includes English, Irish and German. She has stated: "There's very little Irish in me, just my name" . She began ice skating at age six at the local rink in her hometown of Stoneham, Massachusetts. Her two older brothers, Michael and Mark, played Hockey, however hockey was not considered an appropriate activity for girls, so she took up figure skating instead. She did not start private lessons until age eight and won her first figure skating medal at age nine.

The Kerrigan family was of modest means. Kerrigan's father, a welder, sometimes worked three jobs to fund her skating career; he also drove the ice resurfacer at the local rink in exchange for Nancy's lessons. Kerrigan was coached by Theresa Martin until she was 16, then began working with Evy and Mary Scotvold. after a brief period with Denise Morrissey. The Scotvolds remained her coaches through the rest of her competitive career.