1939
The Coliseum was constructed and ice was installed.
1940
The Free Skating Club formed, and then was renamed Winter Club of Indianapolis. Joined U.S. Figure Skating Association in January 1941.
1940
Olympic champion Sonja Henie starred in ice shows in the Coliseum and many other cities.
1953
Cynthia Hanson, 17, was the first Winter Club member to pass the gold figure and freestyle test. Soon after, John Allen was the first WC member to pass the gold dance test.
1955
Daniel Ryan, National dance champion and World bronze medalist, and his wife, RoseAnne, joined the professional staff at the Coliseum, making the rink a mecca for dancers from across the country.
1961
A plane crash in Belgium killed the entire U.S. World Figure Skating Team, including coach Danny Ryan and his students, U.S. dance champions Larry Pierce and Diane Sherbloom.
1962
Ron Ludington, Olympic pairs bronze medalist, started coaching at the Coliseum. His students included Sandy and Judy Schwomeyer and their dance partners, and Pieter Kollen and his partners, who won National medals in dance and pairs.
1963
Explosion during Holiday on Ice show in the Coliseum killed 74 and injured dozens more.
1964
Darlene Streich and Charles Fetter Jr. became U.S. ice dance champions and finished eighth at Worlds.
1968
Judy Schwomeyer and Jim Sladky, National dance champions, skated an exhibition at the Olympics in Grenoble, France, helping to make ice dancing an Olympic event.
1970
Judy Schwomeyer and Jim Sladky won the silver medal in ice dancing at the World Championships, missing the title by one-tenth of a point. The couple won Nationals five times, medaled at Worlds four times and were elected to USFS Hall of Fame in 1991.
1976
Sandy Schwomeyer Lamb coached U.S. ice dancers in the first Olympic ice dance competition in Innsbruck, Austria.
1977
Kelley Morris and Michael Seibert trained at Winter Club en route to winning U.S. junior dance championship.
1982
U.S. Figure Skating Championships were held in Indianapolis with help from local skating clubs and civic groups.
1983
Sandy Lamb was elected president of the Professional Skaters Association. She also helped create local, national, and international skating events for Special Olympians.
1985
The first Puck, a black Labrador, took up residence at the Coliseum Skate Shop.
1986
Winter Club and other Indianapolis groups helped to sponsor USFS’s Celebration on Ice, a star-studded ice show marking the 25th anniversary of the plane crash.
1989
Lesle Lane and Rob Ferendo competed in junior dance at Nationals.
1990
WC hosted the Indy Challenge Summer Dance Competition with Indiana/World Skating Academy. Over 20 years, the event evolved into one of the world’s largest pairs competition.
1991
Winter Club’s 50th anniversary ice show included guest skaters Judy and Jim Sladky, Kelley Morris and Donald Adair, and Michelle Millikan.
1995
Patty Hagen led a team of local coaches to produce a book, Figure Skating: Sharpen Your Skills.
2001
Laura Page and Joel Dear competed in novice dance at Nationals.
2007
Kelley Morris-Adair served as PSA president until 2010.
2010
International Special Olympics competitors Shannon Lamb and Katie Crawford were the first athletes to complete the USFS Special Olympics gold dance test.
2011
Sandy Lamb contributed mementos to the USFS documentary Rise, produced on the 50th anniversary of the 1961 plane crash that killed her first coach.
2011
Sarah King won the gold medal in the preliminary level at National Solo Dance Championships.
2012
The Coliseum was closed for $63 million renovation.
2013
Youth Arena was opened next to the Coliseum and Winter Club moved in. Patty Hagen and Kelley Morris-Adair helped produce the PSA history book, The Joy of Coaching. Rachel Stropky and Isabel Blahunka competed at National Showcase.
2014
The Coliseum reopened. Viola Grace Smitman and Isabel Blahunka (third straight year) competed at the National Solo Dance Championships. Erin Giesler, Emma Leonard and Rachel Stropky qualified for National Showcase. Sandy Lamb was inducted into the PSA Hall of Fame.
2015
Isabel Blahunka and Will Shawver won juvenile dance at Midwesterns and placed sixth at Nationals.
Not all skaters mentioned were Winter Club members. Sources: Winter Club scrapbooks and conversations with members. Submit corrections or additions to Patty Hagen.
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