View source for Carol Heiss

{{short description|American figure skater and actress (born 1940)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox figure skater
|name= Carol Heiss Jenkins
|image= Carol Heiss 1960.jpg
|caption=Carol Heiss in 1960
|country= {{USA}}
|birth_date= {{birth date and age|1940|1|20}}
|birth_place=[[New York City]], U.S.
|spouse= {{marriage|[[Hayes Alan Jenkins]]|1961}}
|formercoach= [[Pierre Brunet (figure skater)|Pierre Brunet]]
|formerchoreographer=
|skating club=  Skating Club of New York<ref name=SR/>
|retired= 1960<ref name=USOTbio/>
|medaltemplates = <!-- see [[Template:MedalRelatedTemplates]] -->
{{MedalCountry | the {{USA}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Winter Olympic Games|Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1960 Winter Olympics|1960 Squaw Valley]]|[[Figure skating at the 1960 Winter Olympics – Women's singles|Singles]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1956 Winter Olympics|1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo]]|[[Figure skating at the 1956 Winter Olympics – Ladies' singles|Singles]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[World Figure Skating Championships|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1960 World Figure Skating Championships|1960 Vancouver]]|Singles}}
{{MedalGold|[[1959 World Figure Skating Championships|1959 Colorado Springs]]|Singles}}
{{MedalGold|[[1958 World Figure Skating Championships|1958 Paris]]|Singles}}
{{MedalGold|[[1957 World Figure Skating Championships|1957 Colorado Springs]]|Singles}}
{{MedalGold|[[1956 World Figure Skating Championships|1956 Garmisch-Partenkirchen]]|Singles}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1955 World Figure Skating Championships|1955 Vienna]]|Singles}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[North American Figure Skating Championships|North American Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1959 North American Figure Skating Championships|1959 Toronto]]|Singles}}
{{MedalGold|[[1957 North American Figure Skating Championships|1957 Rochester]]|Singles}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1955 North American Figure Skating Championships|1955 Regina]]|Singles}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1953 North American Figure Skating Championships|1953 Cleveland]]|Singles}}
}}

'''Carol Elizabeth Heiss Jenkins''' (born January 20, 1940) is an American former [[figure skater]] and actress. Competing in ladies' singles, she became the [[Figure skating at the 1960 Winter Olympics – Women's singles|1960 Olympic]] champion, the [[Figure skating at the 1956 Winter Olympics|1956 Olympic]] silver medalist, and a five-time [[World Figure Skating Championships|World]] champion (1956–1960).

==Career==
===Competitive===
Heiss, a daughter of German immigrants, started skating as a six-year-old in New York.<ref name=USOTbio/><ref name=NYT580216/> She was coached by [[Pierre Brunet (figure skater)|Pierre Brunet]]. She first came to national prominence in 1951, when she won the U.S. novice ladies' title, at age 11. She won the U.S. junior ladies' title in 1952 and then moved up to the senior level in 1953. From 1953 to 1956, she finished second to [[Tenley Albright]] at the [[U.S. Figure Skating Championships|national championships]]. She competed with a slashed Achilles' tendon at the 1954 U.S. Championships.<ref name=LAT020107/>

Heiss was named in the U.S. team to the [[1956 Winter Olympics]] in [[Cortina d'Ampezzo]], Italy. She won the silver medal, while Albright took the gold. However, at the following [[1956 World Figure Skating Championships|World Championships]], in [[Garmisch-Partenkirchen]], [[West Germany]], Heiss defeated Albright for the title; it was the first of her five consecutive world titles.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hines |first1=James R. |url= |title=Figure Skating: A History |date=2006 |publisher=University of Illinois Press |isbn=0-252-07286-3 |location=Urbana, Illinois |page=xxv}}</ref>

After the 1956 Winter Olympics, Heiss had offers to turn professional and skate in ice shows. But her mother, Marie Heiss, was quite ill with [[cancer]] at the time, and before her death in October 1956, she asked Carol to win a gold medal for her. Between 1957 and 1960, Heiss dominated women's figure skating like nobody since [[Sonja Henie]]. She was the World and U.S. Champion each year, and at the [[1960 Winter Olympics]] in [[Squaw Valley, Placer County, California|Squaw Valley]], [[California]], Heiss captured the gold medal, being ranked first by all nine judges. She also took the [[Olympic Oath]] as representative of the organizing country to open the 1960 games.<ref>[[:File:Carol Heiss 1960 oath.jpg]]</ref> By winning the 1960 World Championships held after the Olympics, Heiss became one of three women to have won five consecutive World Championships. She then retired from competitive skating.<ref name=SR/><ref name=USOTbio/>

In 1953, Heiss became the first female skater to land a double [[Axel jump]]. One of her trademarks was performing a series of alternating clockwise and counterclockwise single Axels.<ref name=Skating196003/> She normally rotated her jumps clockwise and spins counterclockwise; it is much more common for skaters to do both in the same direction (usually counterclockwise).

Heiss was inducted into the [[World Figure Skating Hall of Fame]] and the [[United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame]].<ref name=USOTbio/>

===Post-competitive===
[[File:Snow White and the Three Stooges-Promo3.JPG|thumb|''Snow White'' Carol Heiss and ''Prince Charming'' [[Edson Stroll]] in ''[[Snow White and the Three Stooges]]'', 1961]]

Heiss played the female lead in the 1961 film ''[[Snow White and the Three Stooges]]''. In the late 1970s, she began coaching several skaters in [[Lakewood, Ohio]]. Her former students include [[Timothy Goebel]], [[Tonia Kwiatkowski]] and [[Miki Ando]].<ref name=USOTbio/>

==Personal life==
Carol Heiss was born on January 20, 1940, in [[New York City]], and grew up in [[Ozone Park, Queens]].<ref name=SR/><ref name=USOTbio/><ref name=NYT580216/> Her younger sister and brother, [[Nancy Heiss]] and [[Bruce Heiss]], were also elite figure skating competitors. During the 1950s, the three skating Heiss siblings were featured in publications such as [[Life (magazine)|''Life'' magazine]].<ref name=Life/>

During her run of world titles, Heiss attended [[New York University]], graduating after the 1960 Winter Olympics.<ref name=IN120508/> In 1961, she married American figure skater [[Hayes Alan Jenkins]], who had won the 1956 Olympic gold medal.<ref name=SR/> They have three children together.<ref name=TMC980108/>

==Results==
{|  class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! style="background-color: #ffdead; " colspan=9 align=center | International
|-
! Event
! 1953
! 1954
! 1955
! 1956
! 1957
! 1958
! 1959
! 1960
|-
| align=left | [[Figure skating at the Olympic Games|Winter Olympics]] || || || || bgcolor=silver | 2nd || || || || bgcolor=gold | 1st
|-
| align=left | [[World Figure Skating Championships|World Championships]] || 4th || || bgcolor=silver | 2nd || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st
|-
| align=left | [[North American Figure Skating Championships|North American Champ.]] || bgcolor=silver | 2nd || || bgcolor=silver | 2nd || || bgcolor=gold | 1st || || bgcolor=gold | 1st
|
|-
! style="background-color: #ffdead; " colspan=9 align=center | National
|-
| align=left | [[U.S. Figure Skating Championships|U.S. Championships]] || bgcolor=silver | 2nd || bgcolor=silver | 2nd || bgcolor=silver | 2nd || bgcolor=silver | 2nd || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st
|}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em|refs=

<ref name=LAT020107>{{cite news |url= http://articles.latimes.com/2002/jan/07/sports/sp-20903/2 |title= In Long Run, Little Things Remain |first= Helene |last= Elliott |newspaper= [[Los Angeles Times]] |date= January 7, 2002 |access-date= November 11, 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171118080732/http://articles.latimes.com/2002/jan/07/sports/sp-20903/2 |archive-date= November 18, 2017 |url-status= dead }}</ref>

<ref name=NYT580216>{{cite news |url= https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0B1EF63A5D13728DDDAF0994DA405B8889F1D3 |title= Carol Heiss Gains 3d World Crown in Figure Skating; Ozone Park Girl Adds to Her Compulsory Phase Lead in Free-Style Exhibition |work= [[The New York Times]] |date= February 16, 1958 |access-date= November 11, 2007 |quote= Carol Heiss of Ozone Park, Queens, Miss Personality of the ice, skated off with her third world figure skating championship tonight with a perfectly-executed freestyle exhibition. }}</ref>

<ref name=Skating196003>{{citation |title= The United States Championships |publisher= Skating magazine |date= March 1960 }}</ref>

<ref name=Life>{{cite web |url= http://www.life.com/search/?type=images&q0=nancy+heiss |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210312030238/https://www.life.com/search/?type=images&q0=nancy+heiss |url-status= dead |archive-date= March 12, 2021 |title= Heiss sibling photos |website= life.com }}</ref>

<ref name=USOTbio>{{cite web |url= http://www.usolympicteam.com/26_13372.htm |title= Carol Heiss Jenkins |website= usolympicteam.com |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060528173850/http://www.usolympicteam.com/26_13372.htm |archive-date= May 28, 2006 |url-status= unfit }}</ref>

<ref name=IN120508>{{cite news |url= http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120507&content_id=30636526&vkey=ice_news |title= Hughes blog: Gracious Heiss goes into NYU hall |first= Sarah |last= Hughes |work= [[IceNetwork.com]] |date= May 8, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120508205350/http://web.icenetwork.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120507&content_id=30636526&vkey=ice_news |archive-date= May 8, 2012}}</ref>

<ref name=TMC980108>{{cite news |url=https://www.mcall.com/1998/01/08/heiss-jenkins-is-going-for-more-gold-in-2002-1960-olympic-titlist-hopes-a-student-finishes-first-in-salt-lake-city/ |title=Heiss Jenkins Is Going For More Gold In 2002 * 1960 Olympic Titlist Hopes A Student Finishes First In Salt Lake City |newspaper=The Morning Call  |first=Katherine |last=Reinhard |date= January 8, 1998 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170808080148/http://articles.mcall.com/1998-01-08/sports/3191735_1_male-skater-tara-lipinski-american-gold |archive-date= August 8, 2017 |url-status= live }}</ref>

<ref name=SR>{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/he/carol-heiss-1.html |title=Carol Heiss |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20170808080230/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/he/carol-heiss-1.html |archivedate=August 8, 2017 |url-status= dead }}</ref>

}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Carol Heiss}}
* {{Team USA Hall of Fame|new_id=carol-heiss|old_id=Carol-Heiss|archive=20230720074716}}
* {{Olympics.com profile|id=carol-heiss|org_archive=20190420155838}}
* {{Olympedia}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{webarchive |url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120209010047/http://www.xcelenergycenter.com/uploads/assets/saintpaul2008/news/Past%20U.S.%20Champions.pdf |date=mdy |title=Past U.S. Champions – Senior (xcelenergycenter.com)}}
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020207235026/http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/index_uk.asp?OLGT=2&OLGY=1960 |date=mdy |title=IOC 1960 Winter Olympics (olympic.org)}}
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030311065328/http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/heroes/bio_uk.asp?PAR_I_ID=70358 |date=mdy |title=Athlete Profile – Carol Heiss (olympic.org)}}
* [https://cplorg.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4014coll27/id/1805/rec/24  Interview of Carol Heiss Jenkins] conducted by [[Dan Coughlin (sportscaster)|Dan Coughlin]] at [[Cleveland Public Library]] on January 29, 2015. (audio only)

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{{NavigationWorldChampionsFigureSkatingLadies}}
{{NavigationNorthAmericanChampionsFigureSkatingLadies}}
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{{Ohio Women's Hall of Fame}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heiss, Carol}}
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Queens, New York]]
[[Category:American female single skaters]]
[[Category:American figure skating coaches]]
[[Category:Figure skaters at the 1956 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Figure skaters at the 1960 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in figure skating]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for the United States in figure skating]]
[[Category:Actresses from Akron, Ohio]]
[[Category:World Figure Skating Championships medalists]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1956 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1960 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Female sports coaches]]
[[Category:New York University alumni]]
[[Category:Oath takers at the Olympic Games]]
[[Category:People from Ozone Park, Queens]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportswomen]]