{"product_id":"9780252097041","title":"Figure Skating in the Formative Years: Singles, Pairs, and the Expanding Role of Women","description":"Once a winter pastime for socializing and courtship, skating evolved into the wildly popular competitive sport of figure skating, one of the few athletic arenas where female athletes hold a public profile--and earning power--equal to that of men.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Renowned sports historian James R. Hines chronicles figure skating's rise from its earliest days through its head-turning debut at the 1908 Olympics and its breakthrough as entertainment in the 1930s. Hines credits figure skating's explosive expansion to an ever-increasing number of women who had become proficient skaters and wanted to compete, not just in singles but with partners as well.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Matters reached a turning point when British skater Madge Syers entered the otherwise-male 1902 World Championship held in London and finished second. Called skating's first feminist, Syers led a wave of women who made significant contributions to figure skating and helped turn it into today's star-making showcase at every Winter Olympics.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Packed with stories and hard-to-find details, \u003ci\u003eFigure Skating in the Formative Years\u003c\/i\u003e tells the early history of a sport loved and followed by fans around the world.","brand":"University of Illinois Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47073971568880,"sku":"9780252097041","price":14.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780252097041_p0.jpg?v=1763680577","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780252097041","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}