Gary Beacom
Encyclopedia
Gary Beacom is a Canadian figure skater, choreographer and author. He is the 1983 and 1984 Canadian silver medalist
and finished 11th at the 1984 Winter Olympics
.
In his professional career he developed into an interesting skater specializing in unusual moves, such as those in his famous performance to Leonard Cohen's
I'm Your Man. He is also the 1988 World Professional Champion
.
As a Canadian citizen, he protested against United States income tax, which he did not pay, and was eventually sentenced in 1998 to 21 months in Federal prison. He wrote a book about this in 2003 titled Apology.
in 1983 and 1984, behind Brian Orser
. He finished 11th at the 1984 Winter Olympics
in Sarajevo and 10th at the 1984 World Championships.
In the latter part of his amateur competitive career, he coached himself while studying full-time for a university degree. Beacom graduated from the University of Toronto
in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science in physics and philosophy.
In his professional career he developed into an interesting skater specializing in unusual moves, such as those in his famous performance to Leonard Cohen's
I'm Your Man.
Canadian Figure Skating Championships
The Canadian Figure Skating Championships is a figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of Canada. It is organized by Skate Canada, the nation's figure skating governing body. The levels of the competition are senior and junior; in some years, the novice level has...
and finished 11th at the 1984 Winter Olympics
1984 Winter Olympics
The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from 8–19 February 1984 in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. Other candidate cities were Sapporo, Japan; and Gothenburg, Sweden...
.
In his professional career he developed into an interesting skater specializing in unusual moves, such as those in his famous performance to Leonard Cohen's
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
I'm Your Man. He is also the 1988 World Professional Champion
World Professional Figure Skating Championships
The World Professional Figure Skating Championships, often referred to as Landover, was an elite made-for-TV figure skating competition. It was created by Dick Button, a 2-time Olympic gold medalist, through his production company Candid Productions. It usually took place in December...
.
As a Canadian citizen, he protested against United States income tax, which he did not pay, and was eventually sentenced in 1998 to 21 months in Federal prison. He wrote a book about this in 2003 titled Apology.
Biography
Born in Calgary, Alberta, Beacom began skating at the age of six. He won his first competition three years later and would go on to win the silver medal at the Canadian Figure Skating ChampionshipsCanadian Figure Skating Championships
The Canadian Figure Skating Championships is a figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of Canada. It is organized by Skate Canada, the nation's figure skating governing body. The levels of the competition are senior and junior; in some years, the novice level has...
in 1983 and 1984, behind Brian Orser
Brian Orser
Brian Ernest Orser, OC is a Canadian retired competitive and professional figure skater. He is the 1984 and 1988 Olympic silver medalist, 1987 World champion and the 1981-1988 Canadian national champion....
. He finished 11th at the 1984 Winter Olympics
1984 Winter Olympics
The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated from 8–19 February 1984 in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. Other candidate cities were Sapporo, Japan; and Gothenburg, Sweden...
in Sarajevo and 10th at the 1984 World Championships.
In the latter part of his amateur competitive career, he coached himself while studying full-time for a university degree. Beacom graduated from the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science in physics and philosophy.
In his professional career he developed into an interesting skater specializing in unusual moves, such as those in his famous performance to Leonard Cohen's
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
I'm Your Man.
Competitive highlights
| Event | 1978-79 | 1979-80 | 1980-81 | 1981-82 | 1982-83 | 1983-84 | 1984-85 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Winter Games | 11th | ||||||
| World Championships World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion... |
13th | 10th | |||||
| Canadian Championships Canadian Figure Skating Championships The Canadian Figure Skating Championships is a figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of Canada. It is organized by Skate Canada, the nation's figure skating governing body. The levels of the competition are senior and junior; in some years, the novice level has... |
3rd | 2nd | 2nd | ||||
| Skate America Skate America Skate America is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. It is organized by the United States Figure Skating Association. The location changes yearly... |
6th | ||||||
| Skate Canada International Skate Canada International The Skate Canada International is an international, senior-level invitation-only figure skating competition organized by Skate Canada. It is the second competition of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. The location changes yearly. Medals are awarded in four disciplines: Ladies' singles, Men's... |
9th | 7th | |||||
| Nebelhorn Trophy Nebelhorn Trophy The Nebelhorn Trophy is an international senior-level figure skating competition organized by the Deutsche Eislauf-Union and held annually in Oberstdorf, Germany. The competition is named after the Nebelhorn, a nearby mountain.... |
3rd | ||||||
| Prize of Moscow News Prize of Moscow News The Prize of Moscow News , also known as the Moscow Skate, Nouvelles de Moscou, and the Moscow News Trophy, was an international, senior-level figure skating competition held in the former Soviet Union from 1966 to 1990... |
5th | 2nd |