Egg in Your Beer

Three people were aimlessly ice skating around Watson Rink at 10:30 on Tuesday morning. Watching them was Mrs. Maribel V. Owen, whom the HAA described last week as a "noted instructor." But she could do little more than shout a few words of encouragement to the one Harvard and two Radcliffe students who appeared for the ten o'clock session of the second day of figure skating lessons.

The start of these classes was announced last week by the Athletic Department in response to a petition by more than 200 undergraduates requesting such instruction. So far, however, only about ten have signed up for the free lessons. This compares with the fifty Radcliffe girls who have already decided to take them, even though they must pay.

Mrs. Owen's career deserves a better description than "noted instructor." Dean Watson's wife, for instance, could give considerably more information about her.

She must remember the several times she competed against the "noted instructor" in the national figure skating championships. As Maribel Vinson, Mrs. Owen did win the title for nine years in succession, starting when she was still a student at Boston Girls Latin and continuing through her years at Radcliffe and as the first woman sports reporter for the New York Times.

World titlist Tenley Albright would describe Mrs. Owen in different terms. She would mention that it was Mrs. Owen who first inspired her to take skating seriously, back in 1945. The "noted instructor" coached her for three years, outlining a program in 1946 for her eventual appearance in the 1952 Olympics. Mrs. Owen is once again Tenley's coach after spending several years on the West Coast.

Eliot House senior Chuck Foster could add more to Mrs. Owen's story. He and Maribel, her 15-year old daughter, won the National Junior Pairs Championship last April. At present they are hoping to receive an invitation to compete in next year's Olympics. The "noted instructor" has coached them ever since they started skating a year ago.

Last Tuesday Mrs. Owen's largest class was at 9 a.m. She had two boys and eight girls then. After they left, she had plenty of time to practice her figure eights--"something I haven't done in a long time." She would much rather teach skating.

Undergraduates may still register for Mrs. Owen's free lessons, given at 9, 10, 11, and 12 on Monday and Tuesday mornings, at the HAA office, Physical Training Department. Mrs. Owen says she is more interested in beginners than advanced students and does not object to hockey, rather than figure, skates.