Sonja Henie, World's Champion Skater for Four Successive Years, Learned Art at Seven-Prefers Athletics to Studies

The following Interview with Sonja Henle was procured for the Crimson by E. T. Floathe '32. It is particularly interesting to note that a great deal of the conversation was carried on in Norwegian.

In an interview last night at the Lenox Hotel, Sonja Henie, 17-year-old girl skater from Oslo, Norway, who has won the world's singles title for women four successive times, and who is to appear at the Arena tonight, said she began to practice skating when only seven years old, first on roller skates, and then on the ice. She captured her first championship for fancy skating in 1924 at the age of eleven. Her father, who won the world's bicycle championship in Antwerp in 1893, then took her to Chamonix in France, where she had her first opportunity to see the international women skaters compete in the Olympic games.

In London during the winter of 1927 Miss Henie won her first world's championship; and in 1928, her second. The United States was represented by Mirable Vinson, who is also appearing tonight. The Olympic contest, which was conducted in St. Moritz, was won by Miss Henie in competition with 22 women from many different countries.

The world's championship of 1929 was competed for in Budapest, where Miss Henie showed such form that the judges all decided in her favor without dissension. In New York last week she won the 1930 championship title. She has won six championships in singles and three in couples in her own country.

In an audience with the Royal Family of England after her performance last year in London, the Queen complimented her and said she wished she had taken up skating in her youth. She has also met the Prince of Wales.

Miss Henie is modest and her manager offered most of the facts. She speaks English fairly well, but most of the conversation was conducted in Norwegian. She likes dancing and tennis, and is a good swimmer, athletics interesting her more than studies. She is enjoying her visit to America very much and is anxious to meet her American friends, many of whom she became acquainted with during her visits to the European capitals, and she admires their sportsmanship more than anything else.

When the subject of prohibition was brought up, her manager remarked words to the effect that he didn't think so much of its success in America.