Gretchen MERRILL

Gretchen Merrill was a six-time US singles champion, winning the title every year from 1943-48. In 1947 she placed third in the World Championships, and was second that year in the European Championships, as in that era, the Europeans were an open competition. Merrill is the last American woman to win a medal at the European Championships, as they were closed only to Europeans beginning in 1948. Merrill also placed second at the US Championships in 1941, 1942, and 1949. Representing the Skating Club of Boston, Merrill was coached by US Olympian Maribel Vinson-Owen. Merrill was considered among the best dressed American female athletes by the media, and her glamour gained her attention in the European press as well. She was inducted into the US Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2000.