Hellmuth MAY

From a young age Hellmut May was a moderately successful competitor in figure skating for Austria, coming third in the Austrian National Singles Championships twice (1936 and 1937) and second four times (always behind Edi Rada). Internationally he placed 9th in the 1939 European Championships, 8th in the 1948 World Championships, and 14th and 8th at the 1936 and 1948 Winter Olympics respectively. He soon turned professional and spent six years as the first soloist in the Vienna Ice Show prior to immigrating to Canada in 1954 and taking up coaching in Vancouver, British Columbia at the Kerrisdale Figure Skating Club. He remained there for over 55 years, mentoring countless athletes including 1972 Olympic silver medalist Karen Magnussen, 1976 Olympic bronze medalist Toller Cranston, and 1988 bronze medalist Tracy Wilson. He also served his sport as an educator of coaches themselves, co-founding the Coaching Association of British Columbia and developing a curriculum for the National Coaching Association in addition to his contributions in founding the Professional Skaters Association of Canada. He was inducted into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame in 2010 as a professional.