Reviews for The Larry Holliday Story

The average rating for The Larry Holliday Story based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2011-01-14 00:00:00 Kathy Sill The first couple of chapters of this book had my colleagues and I in stiches over the stilted way that Vinson wrote (to a modern ear) and the 1930s ideas about proper ice skating fashion and equipment. Having gotten past that, I enjoyed reading through her descriptions of the beginning and intermediate level figures. Her abbreviations are often the opposite of modern ones (eg. LOB for left outside back instead of today's LBO for left back outside). Not many people could learn the figures from scratch from her descriptions, but the book was certainly helpful in refreshing my memory on some important points after years away from doing or teaching these. Although figures are no longer used in qualifying competitions in most (any?) countries today, they still represent the very best way to learn excellent edge control and the basis for todays moves in the field (MIF) steps. Over the past year I have spent many hours taking students back to the compulsory figures to learn the control over a single step before putting them back to work on a difficult MIF pattern. This book has helped along the way.

Review # 2 was written on 2010-02-02 00:00:00 Austin Choy The version I have is an antique hardcover originally published in 1938 before the legendary Maribel was married. Teaching someone how to skate by reading a book just doesn't work for me. But the charm of the book is in its historical context -- imagine knitting a skating dress! $20 custom boots! Also charming is the voice of Maribel, her wit, wisdom and passion crossing generations to unify those who read this historical text as we share or love of this sport.