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Robin Cousins

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Robin Cousins
MBE
Born (1957-08-17) 17 August 1957 (age 67)
Bristol, England
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Figure skating career
Skating club
  • Queen's Ice Club London[2]
  • Bristol Ice Dance and Figure Skating Club
Retired1980 (amateur), 1997 (professional)
Medal record
Representing  Great Britain
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1980 Lake Placid Singles
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 1980 Dortmund Singles
Silver medal – second place 1979 Vienna Singles
Bronze medal – third place 1978 Ottawa Singles
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1980 Gothenburg Singles
Bronze medal – third place 1979 Zagreb Singles
Bronze medal – third place 1978 Strasbourg Singles
Bronze medal – third place 1977 Helsinki Singles

Robin John Cousins MBE[3] (born 17 August 1957) is a British former competitive figure skater who was BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1980. He was the 1980 Olympic champion, the 1980 European champion, a three-time World medalist (1978–1980) and four-time British national champion (1977–1980), winning all of these titles during his amateur career. He followed this with a successful career as a professional figure skater and later starred in ice shows as well as producing several of his own. He is able to spin in either direction, both clockwise and anti-clockwise,[4] which is an unusual skill for a figure skater.

Off the ice, Cousins has commentated on figure skating events for the BBC, and he assumed the position of head judge on ITV's Dancing on Ice show from 2006 to 2014. He has also appeared in theatre productions, including the West End.

Early life

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Robin Cousins was born in Bristol to Jo, a secretary, and Fred, a civil servant,[5] who was formerly a goalkeeper for Millwall F.C.[1] Cousins has two older brothers, Martin and Nick. He attended Henbury School but left at the age of 15.[6]

Cousins first stepped onto the ice at age six at Westover Road Ice Rink while on holiday in Bournemouth.[5][7] Having enjoyed the experience, he requested lessons for Christmas eighteen months later.[5]

As a young skater, Cousins trained in ice dancing at the same time as singles. His first coach was Pamela Davies.[4] He was later coached by Gladys Hogg at Queens Ice Rink and then by Carlo Fassi.[8]

Cousins left school at the age of sixteen to focus on figure skating.[5] In 1974, he moved alone from Bristol to London, where he would live in a small apartment that "amounted to a converted closet."[9] He found a job stacking shelves at Whiteley's department store.[5]

Competitive career

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Cousins won his first national title in 1969, aged 12, at novice level.[4] By the age of 14, he was Britain's junior champion, and he made his international debut that same year.

Cousins represented the United Kingdom as an amateur figure skater for eight years. He won the British National Senior Championships for four consecutive years (1977–1980); the free skating portion of the World Championships three times (1978–1980); and the silver medal at the World Championships in 1979 and 1980.

He reached the pinnacle of his amateur career by winning gold medals both in the European Championships and in the Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York, in 1980.[10] At the Olympics, he was in second place behind Jan Hoffman after the compulsory figures and the short programme. Cousins skated a spectacular long programme, receiving 5.9/6.0 from eight of the nine judges for artistic impression.[11] The silver medalist Hoffmann skated a technically superior performance, but six out of nine judges gave first place to Cousins, giving him the overall win and the gold medal.[10] He was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 1980.[12]

He turned professional in 1980 and went on to win the World Professional Men's Figure Skating Championships twice (1985 and 1987) and was a World Professional singles medalist four times (1986, 1990, 1991, 1992).

Later career

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After turning professional in 1980, Cousins starred in various professional skating shows such as Holiday on Ice and Ice Capades,[4] whilst continuing to be a regular competitor in the World Professional Championships.

He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to ice skating in the 1980 Birthday Honours.[13] He hit both the longest Axel jump and the longest back flip on figure skates in the Guinness Book of World Records, reaching 5.81 metres (19 ft 1 in) and 5.48 metres (18 ft) on 16 November 1983.[14]

In 1983, Cousins formed his own ice skating performance company, which toured the world with professional ice shows Electric Ice and Ice Majesty. He has starred in, produced, directed, and/or choreographed many international TV ice shows, including The Nutcracker: A Fantasy on Ice, Sleeping Beauty on Ice, The Wizard of Oz on Ice, Toy Story on Ice, Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express on Ice, numerous productions for Holiday on Ice, and the movie The Cutting Edge.

Over several years, Cousins has been a regular guest presenter and commentator for BBC Sport, for the European and World Figure Skating Championships and the Winter Olympics.[15] He appeared as the head judge on the show Dancing on Ice in each series from 2006 to 2014, but did not return to the show when it was revived in 2018.

Cousins has also performed on stage. He played the Prince in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, Munkustrap in Cats, Frank N Furter in The Rocky Horror Show, Teen Angel in Grease, and Billy Flynn in Chicago in the West End. He has performed pantomime, playing Jack Frost in Santa Clause the return of Jack Frost at the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton. Prior to this he played the Prince in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Grand Opera House, Belfast.

Cousins has worked with the British synchronized swimming team.[16]

In 2005, he was inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame.

In March 2016, Cousins joined the Art of the Olympians (AOTO) program.[17]

In May 2021, Cousins was elected as Vice Chair of the British Ice Skating board for a 4-year term and appointed as its President.[18][19]

Personal life

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Cousins has undergone a total of eight operations, including a knee replacement in his fifties.[5] His problems began at the 1974 World Championships, where he withdrew before the event started and returned to Bristol to have his first of two meniscus operations. The second came immediately after the 1977 World Championships when his left knee cartilage ripped and locked in place.[5][4] By 1980, he had undergone major surgery on both his left and right knees.[4]

In March 1980, Cousins was the subject of This Is Your Life, after being surprised by Eamonn Andrews in his home city of Bristol.[citation needed]

On 10 March 2012, he appeared on the gameshow All Star Family Fortunes with his nephews Tristan, Robin, James and Oliver. He also appeared on the gameshow Tipping Point Lucky Stars in August 2013.

Charity work

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Cousins is a significant patron of the Meningitis UK organization and the Starr Trust children's charity in Brighton.[20]

Programmes

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Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
1979–1980
  • Where Do I Go? from Hair
1978–1979
  • Classical exhibition
1977–1978
  • The Railway Children
  • Disco exhibition number
1976–1977
  • The Railway Children
1975–1976
1974–1975
  • Enter the Greeks
1973–1974

Results

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Amateur career

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International
Event 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80
Olympics 10th 1st
Worlds 12th 9th WD 3rd 2nd 2nd
Europeans 15th 11th 11th 6th 3rd 3rd 3rd 1st
Skate Canada 2nd 1st
NHK Trophy 1st
St. Gervais 1st
National
British Champ. 3rd 2nd 2nd 2nd 1st 1st 1st 1st
WD = Withdrew

Professional career

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Event/Season 1980 1981 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1997
World Professional Champ. 1st* 2nd* 1st 2nd 1st 4th 2nd 3rd 2nd
Challenge of Champions 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 2nd 3rd
World Cup of Skating 1st
World Team Champ. 3rd*
North American Open 3rd
Canadian Pro Champ. 4th
Legends Champ. 2nd
Asterisk indicates results from team competitions

References

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  1. ^ a b "Robin Cousins". Sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
  2. ^ British Figure Skating Championships – Colour. YouTube. 21 July 2015 [19 December 1976]. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  3. ^ 'Interview with Robin Cousins' Sussex Life, 4 February 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2022
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Cousins Continues to Entertain". GoldenSkate. 6 December 2003. Archived from the original on 19 April 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Walker, Ruth (4 January 2014). "A lesson from Dancing on Ice's Robin Cousins". Scotsman.
  6. ^ Graham, Natalie (24 October 2004). "Fame & Fortune: Figure skater is no good with numbers". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  7. ^ Lowder Kimball, Martha (1998). Robin Cousins. Baltimore: Gateway Press. ISBN 0-9662502-0-6.
  8. ^ Tarasova, T. A. (1985). "Выдающиеся тренеры". Chetyrye Vremeni Goda (in Russian). Moscow: Sov. Rossia. p. 176.
  9. ^ Le Batard, Dan (20 June 1989). "A Place to Skate : Cousins Helps Develop Foundation to Ease Financial Burden of Competing". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 12 February 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Robin Cousins - Figure Skating". Olympic.org. 2 February 1980. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  11. ^ Leavy, Jane (22 February 1980). "Fratianne Flawless, Closes Gap". The Washington Post. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  12. ^ 'Sports Personality of the Year: Previous winners'. BBC Sport, 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2022
  13. ^ UK: "No. 48212". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 June 1980. p. 13.
  14. ^ Mochan, Amanda (5 February 2014). "2014 Sochi Winter Olympics: A record tour around the figure skating world". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on 24 June 2012.
  15. ^ "Robin Cousins". BBC Sport. 15 January 2002.
  16. ^ Magnay, Jacquelin (8 February 2012). "London 2012 Olympics: former skating gold medallist Robin Cousins gives synchronised swimmers a lift". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  17. ^ "Art of the Olympians | Be the best you can be". artoftheolympians.org. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  18. ^ "Robin Cousins elected new Vice Chair of BIS Board". British Ice Skating. Latest News. 25 May 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  19. ^ Dan Palmer (28 May 2021). "Olympic gold medallist Cousins becomes President and vice-chair of British Ice Skating". The insidethegames.biz Magazine. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  20. ^ "The Starr Trust – Our patrons". starrtrust.com. 2013.
  21. ^ Cousin's Official Site Archived 20 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine
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