John Nicks, coach of Olympic figures skaters, dies at 97

Figure skating coach John Nicks died on Monday at the age of 97. U.S. Figure Skating confirmed the news in a statement released on Tuesday. The organization worked with Nicks throughout his long career in the sport.

Nicks was born in Brighton, England, on April 22, 1929. He began skating at age 9, a move influenced by his father's retail business in skating equipment. He later paired with his sister, Jennifer Nicks, to win six British titles. The siblings appeared in two Winter Olympics and collected four world championship medals. Jennifer Nicks died of a heart attack in 1980.

Nicks moved to the United States after the 1961 Sabena Flight 548 crash killed the American team near Brussels, Belgium. He accepted a coaching position at the Iceland Arena in Paramount, California. The arena was owned by Frank Zamboni, the inventor of the ice resurfacer.

Over his career, Nicks coached more than 1,200 skaters. His roster included Olympic champions Peggy Fleming and Kristi Yamaguchi. He also worked with world pairs champions Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner. Other notable athletes under his guidance included Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen and bronze medalist Ashley Wagner.

Wagner wrote on Wednesday that Nicks helped transform her into a performer. She recalled his instruction to skate for the person in the last row of the arena. "You made me understand that I had to skate for the person sitting in the last row, at the top of the arena," Wagner said. She noted that he taught her to care about the total package of a performance.

Nicks was inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1993. He entered the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2000. He also served as the national director of Ice Capades chalets. A lower-level International Skating Union event is now named the John Nicks Pairs Challenge. The event is co-hosted by the Skating Club of New York and the Skating Club of Boston.

Matt Farrell, chief executive of U.S. Figure Skating, described Nicks as a tremendous ambassador. Farrell said Nicks' influence extended beyond the specific champions he coached. Nicks is survived by his wife, Yvonne Littlefield, his son Christopher, and his daughter Carolyn.