A figure skating fiction phenomemon! Originally published between 1998 and 2000, On the Edge, now in its second run, is the most popular figure skating serial in modern history. This coming of age melodrama sparked the imagination of a thousand figure skating fans.

Get figure skating fiction in small doses. Read these special selections from Private Ice's archive of figure skating short stories, humor, and poetry.

Graceful and stubborn. Powerful and arrogant. Destined for each other and for figure skating greatness. Will fate allow? Listen for the Whispers on the Ice.

Figure skating fiction's original soap opera, The Strong and The Sequined. Running continuously since 1997, The Strong and The Sequined is the first modern skatefic. Always outrageous, The Strong and the Sequined is so close to reality that even top US Figure Skating Association officials love it. Private Ice is proud to host the TSTS Archives.

Go behind the scenes with insider Sonia Bianchetti as she spins true tales of figure skating's powerful and autocratic leaders. Figure skating is neither pure nor glittering nor glamourousÑit's politics and intrigue, money and back room deals. In the wake of the 2002 Olympic figure skating judging scandal, Bianchetti puts the new, secretive, and complex judging system in historical context and outlines--with the clarity of vision that has made her a legend--what must be done to save figure skating.

Figure Skating History—Legends: Tenley Albright

The first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in figure skating was Tenley Albright, who edged out teammate Carol Heiss at the 1956 Winter Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. An accident during practice nearly forced Albright out of the competition. She severely gashed her ankle with her skate after hitting a bump in the ice of the outdoor arena. Her father, a surgeon, immediately flew to Italy to patch her up.

After an attack of nonparalytic polio, 11-year-old Albright turned to figure skating to gain strength. Her back and shoulders had been particularly affected, so she especially focused on their development. As a result, Albright developed one of the sport's most erect carriages, helping her to have a very graceful appearance.

Albright won her first of five national figure skating titles in 1952, the same year she took home a silver medal from the Olympics in figure skting. She became the first American woman to win the World Figure Skating Championships when she received a gold in 1953. Her second world figure skating title came in 1955. Albright was coached by the legendary Maribel Vinson Owen.

After her amateur career, Albright skated professionally just long enough to pay her father back the money he had spent on her figure skating expenses. In 1961, Albright received her medical degree from Harvard and set up practice in Boston. She was one of six women in a graduating class of 130. Like her father, Albright became a surgeon. She also excelled as a blood plasma researcher and an expert on sports medicine. Through work with the World Health Assembly, Albright has tried to rid the world of polio.

Albright is a member of the U.S., World, and Olympic Halls of Fame. She also has served on the President's Council on Physical Fitness, the executive committee of the U.S. Olympic Committee, and the board of directors of the American Cancer Society.

—Beth Braccio Hering

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Figure Skating fiction, serials, stories, novels, humor, and poetry at Private Ice!

Figure Skating History—Legends: Tenley Albright