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Peggy Fleming
Keynote Fee : $20,000 plus expenses Travels From: NY |
Topics
- Celebrities & Causes
- Cancer
- Women's Health
Formats
- Keynote
Programs
The Long ProgramSpeaker Information
In 1961, the entire United States Figure Skating team was killed in a plane crash on its way to the Prague World Championships. Peggy Fleming was eleven years old and her coach was one of those killed. With all of her role models gone, it would be up to her to create an image of style and grace that would carry her to five U.S. Titles, three World Titles, and in 1968 to an Olympic Gold Medal.
ABC televised the 1968 Winter Games live and in color for the first time ever, and the enduring image from that coverage will always be of Fleming's free-skating program. It was a program that won her the Gold Medal by 88.2 points over her closest competitor, and it would be the only Gold Medal the United States brought home from Grenoble. It was also the beginning of her long relationship with television.
Six months after those Olympics, Fleming starred in the first of five television specials. Her "Sun Valley Special" won two Emmy Awards, and in 1973, her fourth special became the first joint production by Soviets and Americans filmed entirely in the USSR. Fleming has been invited to the White House by four different administrations, and in 1980, was the first skater ever invited to perform there. The 1986 unveiling of the Statue of Liberty was a national celebration and again she was asked to perform. In 1999, Fleming was honored at the Sports Illustrated 20th Century Awards. She was in an elite group of seven to be named "Athletes Who Changed the Game," a distinguished group including Arnold Palmer, Billie Jean King, and Jackie Robinson. And with 20 years experience as an on-air analyst for "ABC Sports," Fleming continues to provide warm and knowledgeable commentary to an ever-growing audience.
In January of 1998, Fleming faced another challenge with grace and courage. On the 30th anniversary of her gold medal in Grenoble, France, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Faced with what she called "another Olympics, a life Olympics," Fleming decided to share her experience with the public so that other women would be strengthened. Promoting breast cancer awareness has become extremely important to her, and her appearances have given hope to millions of cancer patients.
Fleming has always regarded her place in sports history as an honor, and from this perspective she has made her career choices. Today her interests are focused on health issues as well as fitness; balance, she feels, is the key to living a vital and satisfying life. Towards that end she has served on several community project boards, such as San Jose's Sports Authority and as honorary chairman for Easter Seals and the PTA. She was also the National Spokesperson for the National Osteoporosis Foundation.