Nancy Kerrigan - Early Life and Skating Career

Early Life and Skating Career

Kerrigan was born in Woburn, Massachusetts, to Daniel Kerrigan and Brenda M. (Schultz) Kerrigan. Her ancestry includes Irish, English, and German (she has stated "There's very little Irish in me, just my name"). She began ice skating at age six at the local rink in her hometown of Stoneham, Massachusetts. Her two older brothers, Michael and Mark, played hockey, but hockey was not considered an appropriate activity for girls at that time so she took up figure skating instead. She did not start private lessons until age eight, and won her first figure skating medal at age nine.

The Kerrigan family was of modest means. Kerrigan's father, a welder, sometimes worked three jobs to fund her skating career, and also drove the ice resurfacer at the local rink in exchange for lessons.

Kerrigan was coached by Theresa Martin until she was 16, then after a brief period with Denise Morrissey began working with Evy and Mary Scotvold. They remained her coaches through the rest of her competitive career.

Kerrigan began to reach prominence at the national level when she placed 4th at the junior level at the 1987 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. She made an early impression as a strong jumper but was comparatively weak in compulsory figures. Kerrigan made her senior debut the following season, moving up the national rankings each year: 12th in 1988, 5th in 1989, and 4th in 1990. However, she continued to be held back by compulsory figures until they were eliminated from competitions after the 1990 season.