Our first skating issue of the moment-Skaters Gone “Bad.” With the recent news of 1995 US Champions Nicole Bobek being sentenced for her part in a drug ring, it reminds us of some of the more notorious events and behavior of skaters past and present. From simple misbehavior to criminal behavior, skating actually has a history of notoriousness. A few examples are below.

Nicole Bobek

Bobek is the most recent example of skaters who have gone “awry.” In her case, she ended up arrested, spent some time in jail and ultimately sentenced (5 years probation) for her part in a meth distribution ring. She was also previously charged with first degree home invasion when she was 17. Ultimately she was sentenced to probation under a law for first time youthful offenders.

For those familiar with Bobek’s history, there was little surprise upon reading about this incident. For years, we had heard that Nicole was the “wild child” of skating. She seemingly had no limits placed on her. She never had good training habits. She didn’t really go to school, and it appears she was expected to become a skating star in order to get rich and support the family. That kind of expectation is not realistic (particularly in sport) and perhaps that expectation caused some of Nicole’s behavior.

Oksana Baiul

In January 1997, Baiul was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol after crashing her car into a tree in Connecticut. The charges were dropped after she completed the terms of a court agreement. While Oksana does not have the criminal record of Bobek, she has been known to occasionally act erratically. Her pro skating career was not as good as it could have been

Christopher Bowman
Christopher Bowman was quite a notorious figure in skating. Bowman was widely thought to be one of the most talented skaters figure skating has ever seen. When Kurt Browning first saw Bowman, it is said, he thought he could never beat him. Browning went on to be one of the most successful skaters in history, while Bowman did not have as many top completive accomplishments. Why? Bowman had a long history of wild behavior, sexcapades, and drug use. Certainly all three things had their part in Bowman’s spiral out of control. His life ended at the young age of 40(technically, he died of an accidental drug overdose).

Tonya Harding

Harding did not have the drug or alcohol problems other skaters had, but she is probably the most notorious figure in skating scandal. Like Bobek and Bowman, Harding had sporadic training habits. She was the girl “from the wrong side of the tracks” who shot up in the skating world in spite of the fact that she did not have the social and monetary background other skaters had. Harding is part of the infamous 1994 scandal in which she and a small group of men conspired to injure fellow skater Nancy Kerrigan. Harding apparently considered Kerrigan her biggest rival and felt the skating world as a whole liked Nancy better because she was the “right” kind of skater to promote as a champion. Harding to this day denies her active involvement, citing that she only knew about the plans after the incident occurred (Kerrigan was whacked in the knee but recovered later to win the Olympic silver medal). We will never really know if Harding was actively involved or not, although many in and out of skating believe she had a part. Since 1994, Harding has been in the news off and on for various reasons (sex tape, wrestling career, etc), usually of a sensational nature.

Skating Officials and Skaters in Trouble

Many fans feel that perhaps the skating establishment should be more involved when a skater shows signs of trouble. Seeing Bowman’s behavior, for example, should skating officials have tried to get Bowman some help? Many feel in Bowman’s case he was allowed to act out because he was straight (known to date many women) and in the skating world appearances (along with competitive results) are thought to be more important. Should skating federations be more involved in this? Do they, like Harding supposedly thought, promote skaters who are of a certain type over the more outrageous, effeminate, etc?