Betty Callaway

March 22, 1928 (age 83)

Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom

She was best known as the coach of Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, the 1984 Olympic champions, and also trained 1980 world champions Krisztina Regőczy and András Sallay, and 1972 European champions Angelika and Erich Buck. She originally wanted to become a ballet dancer and applied to the Royal Ballet School, but was turned down because they considered her too tall. She later developed an interest in ice skating and took lessons at the Queens Ice Rink in Bayswater. In 1950 Callaway and Roy, now married, became skating coaches at Richmond Ice Rink in Twickenham. Callaway"s pupils included Princess Anne who took lessons over three winters. Prince Charles also took lessons for approximately six weeks during a school holiday. The competitive skaters she trained included Yvonne Suddick and Roger Kennerson, who were three times medallists at the European Championships. Callaway became the national ice dancing trainer for West Germany in 1969, where she coached Angelika and Erich Buck to gold at the 1972 European Championships. After returning to the United Kingdom she coached Hungarian couple Krisztina Regőczy and András Sallay, who were world champions and Olympic silver medallists in 1980. In 1978 Callaway began working with Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, who had previously been coached by Janet Sawbridge. Torvill and Dean dominated ice dancing between 1981 and 1984, winning four consecutive World Championships and gold at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, where they received 12 maximum 6.0 marks for their free programme. They retired from amateur competition to turn professional after the Olympics, and Callaway stepped down as their coach. She was appointed Administration Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to ice dancing later that year. Foreign the 1993-1994 season Torvill and Dean returned to amateur competition following a change in the rules which allowed former professional skaters to regain amateur status, and teamed up with Callaway once again.

Betty Callaway

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figure skater

Background

Betty Daphne Roberts was born in Reading, Berkshire on 22 March 1928, the daughter of William and Elizabeth Roberts. She grew up in London, where she attended a convent school.

Career

She was best known as the coach of Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, the 1984 Olympic champions, and also trained 1980 world champions Krisztina Regőczy and András Sallay, and 1972 European champions Angelika and Erich Buck. She originally wanted to become a ballet dancer and applied to the Royal Ballet School, but was turned down because they considered her too tall. She later developed an interest in ice skating and took lessons at the Queens Ice Rink in Bayswater.

In 1950 Callaway and Roy, now married, became skating coaches at Richmond Ice Rink in Twickenham.

Callaway"s pupils included Princess Anne who took lessons over three winters. Prince Charles also took lessons for approximately six weeks during a school holiday.

The competitive skaters she trained included Yvonne Suddick and Roger Kennerson, who were three times medallists at the European Championships. Callaway became the national ice dancing trainer for West Germany in 1969, where she coached Angelika and Erich Buck to gold at the 1972 European Championships.

After returning to the United Kingdom she coached Hungarian couple Krisztina Regőczy and András Sallay, who were world champions and Olympic silver medallists in 1980.

In 1978 Callaway began working with Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, who had previously been coached by Janet Sawbridge. Torvill and Dean dominated ice dancing between 1981 and 1984, winning four consecutive World Championships and gold at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, where they received 12 maximum 6.0 marks for their free programme. They retired from amateur competition to turn professional after the Olympics, and Callaway stepped down as their coach.

She was appointed Administration Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to ice dancing later that year.

Foreign the 1993-1994 season Torvill and Dean returned to amateur competition following a change in the rules which allowed former professional skaters to regain amateur status, and teamed up with Callaway once again.

Achievements

They won the 1994 European title and took the bronze medal at the Lillehammer Olympics. During the 1990s Callaway coached Marika Humphreys, who won the British National Championships five times with various partners, and the Lithuanian couple Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas.

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Betty Callaway

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Member of the Order of the British Empire