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Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Object ID |
2013.55.60 B |
Object Name |
Video Recording |
Title |
Barb Underhill Interview |
Scope & Content |
Barb Underhill interview, 8 September 2006. Digitized MP4 from Sony 40 Advanced ME DVCAM. Two videos with a total viewing time of 00:59:17. 02:22Childhood: mother took her & her siblings to the rink, she felt every Canadian kid should know how to skate, it was a life skill, remembers the freedom, like having wings, loved it from that point; her mother never had the intent to develop a top skater 03:46When did you decide you wanted to be a figure skater: very quickly from when she started, first pairs partner at age 7, Nationals at age 9 04:21Practice routine: as a young skater had to do school figures, did not like them, + free skate sessions, skated about every night of the week 05:18Why pairs? Coach put her with a partner at age 7, found it more fun, more to do, felt something missing when skating alone 05:57Competition: did some as a single skater under 10-11 years old, recognized early would go further in pairs, at the Nationals at age 7 "that's when the competitive juices really started to flow because I realized this is what I want to do, I want to win, I want to be the best, I want to be the fastest." 07:02Psychology of having a partner: liked having someone out there with her, found it nerve wracking to be alone on the ice, like having someone to talk to and depend upon, have to put all your trust in that person and realized they are going to make mistakes just as you are, don't blame the other person, part of being a team 08:02Skating with Paul: they both had skated with other partners and were both without a partner when she went to a summer school, they were competitors before, coaches put them together and they knew it was meant to be, natural skating with each other, exciting, could do things she hadn't done before 09:40On the partner relationship: it was a business relationship, he was 3 years older, didn't hang out together, skated and went their separate ways, best way for it to be; professional career was when they really started to get to know each other and become good friends 10:54On the age gap: 3 years; he was bigger and stronger, height difference, did take some criticism for it, found ways of minimizing the difference 11:47Was there a time when you thought it was not going to work? Some early struggles, coaching issues, injury issues, personality clashes, sometimes thought not going to make it then decided to take control of the relationship, after that decision things went well 12:57On setting goals: at that early stage did not realized how good they could be, took it step by step, within 6 months success: won the Canadian and then the World Junior Championships, happened quickly, know there was potential, when they moved to the Senior ranks it was much harder, their coaches Louis Strong and Sandra Bezic took control of the team and set a plan, knew what had to go into it to get results, they progressed, set goals, didn't always achieve those goals but went forward and learned from every experience, little by little climbed the ladder; in 1983 Bronze medal at the World Championships, seriously said "We can win"; goal to win the 1984 Olympics 15:19World Juniors: had no idea what to expect, first international competition, exciting to experience, talks about the programmes, huge win, very big moment, came so quickly, so fast they thought the success would continue 16:461984 Olympics: went in as the Bronze medalists, many people had thought they should have won the Gold, so lots of support; the goal was to win the Olympics, knew they had a good chance but things unravelled for them - because of injury could not compete at Nationals, pressure to win from the whole country, talks about the short programme and the mistake where she let her focus go, came in 7th, dream was shattered & they were devastated, felt like empty shells when came home, people did not know what to say to them 1984 Worlds: 3 weeks after the Olympics, things not going well, felt responsible for losing her focus, "how do you pick up the pieces when you are shattered?", knew it was going to be their last amateur performance; Louis was going to withdraw them, met Brian Orser who suggested she change back to her old boots, stepped on the ice and everything came back, "like magic"; the next week was flawless, remembers the free skate, every moment, every thought, was in the zone; remembers the standing ovation before they had even finished, feeling of complete relief, dug so deep and found what they needed to be to be the best; talks of the people who helped them - team work 28:18On decision to retire in 1984: it was logical time to retire, at the pinnacle, at our best, part of the plan 29:01On turning pro: had the feeling that now comes the fun, talks about performing with Ice Capades and it not being a great experience, second billing to the Smurfs to the audience, it was a letdown after expecting so much, not rewarding, making money but that was it was not about, wanted to go back to the rink where life was meaningful and you felt like you were accomplishing something and you were striving for something every single day, then approached by Scott Hamilton to join Stars on Ice, beginning of pro skating, became the happiest time, to be in at the start of something new, work hard, try your hardest and real skating to audiences who want to see them and creativity so much fun, took them to new levels 32:34On competing as a pro - forced them to keep their skills sharp, did practice routines, became a focus & goal, something to strive for, kept them interested in the sport and progress 34:03On balancing the physical and artistic: the amateur years were used to develop skills, stay in shape, work hard, their choreographer Sandra Bezic was responsible for the artistic part 36:31Life lesson: "Never give up. It's so easy to give up when you are going through hard times, it is so easy to hang it up and go onto something that is more easy and more comfortable, but it's those times of adversity in your life that teach you the most. So, win or lose, if you give up you are losing the greatest lesson. You are losing what sport is all about. Sport is about just learning those lessons. And the most important thing is learning those lessons and build on them. The other one is that there is always a positive, no matter what you are going through. You can always turn it around and you can always find the positive no matter what you have to deal with in sport or life." Talks about how she lost her daughter in an accident and how sport helped her survive the tragedy 39:20Positive help you survive; they decided to go forward, create a legacy for their child, "for me, sport was the preparation for live", went back to the ice, became a safe place to pour out her emotion 2 of 2, 00:20What knowledge & skills did you acquire from sport that helps you in your career? "Sport develops so many skills, perseverance, dedication, setting goals ... In order to get somewhere you have to w where you want to go ... need a long term plan with an ultimate goal and then break it down, week by week, dy by day, need to evaluate. Sport teaches us how to achieve them and that is a big skill to have later in life." 02:20Was the plan simple or elaborate? It was elaborate, took in what they needed to learn, set goals, look for weaknesses and have to get better, talks about Louis Strong being willing to bring in others that could help them reach their goal, they were a team of 4: Paul, herself, Louis and Sandra, "Paul & I were the performers, the team made the win." 04:30Do you learn more from winning or losing: Winning you tend to celebrate and you don't tend to analyze as much. When you lose, you have struggles, you have difficulty, you have to find out why ... You take something from each loss and that is an important piece of the puzzle. ... So it is important not to give up ... to learn ... because that is how you are going to get there. 07:12Sport is important at all different levels, whether you make it all the way to the top or just participating recreationally. Sport is a huge part of our culture - the physical aspect, the exercise, the lessons it teaches all of us, working together. 0819Who do you respect the most? Those who take something from their success and do something with it. It's not what happens in life but we do with it, her greatest hero is Terry Fox, why he did it is very inspirational; responsibility to take success and teach others and share experiences and touch other's lives. 11:38On competitiveness in sport: Most important thing that an athlete needs is a passion, very deep passion for what they are doing. ... Got to love what you do more than anything. Going to hit those barriers, those bumps in the road and keep going. Have to love it or will stop, just quit. The desire to win kicks in later. 12:30Talks about the skates, "these are the magic skates" |
Date |
2006/09/08 |
People |
Underhill, Barb Martini, Paul Strong, Louis Bezic, Sandra |
Search Terms |
Interview Barb Underhill Figure skating skating women in sport 1980 Olympic Winter Games Lake Placid 1984 Olympic Winter Games Sarajevo 1984 World Figure Skating Championships |