“If you do not think high enough about yourself, the world will not offer you a penny more.” This aphorism was coined by the famous figure skater and Hollywood star, Sonja Henie. 

Sonja Henie was more than an outstanding figure skater, she was also a legislator of fashion in figure skating which well deserves the title of a pioneer of sporting extravaganzas. While gymnastics, tennis and even synchronized swimming let in the spirit of show only recently, figure skating has been a show for more than 70 years now. Sonja Henie established the tradition back in the early 1930s introducing simple jumps, eye-catching turns and, of course, she was a standout with her legendary white velvet dress, while all other figure skaters donned black outfits. By that time it was increasingly becoming customary to hold show performances which consisted of a number of  moves where the skaters were free to ignore the  stringent rules of the compulsory and  free programs and  just enjoy themselves on ice. 

Sonja Henie, 57, quietly passed away on October 12, 1969, just as her plane was approaching Oslo, on its way from Paris. Sonja Henie belonged more in Hollywood than in her native Norway, was more of a movie star than a 20th century sports hero. It was her father, Wilhelm Henie, who introduced Sonja, then a four-year-old baby, to ice skating. A onetime world cycling champion and now a fur wholesaler, Wilhelm was out to make his daughter a sports celebrity.  At 11, Sonja took part in her first Olympics at Chamonix raising eyebrows with her imaginative skating which was a fascinating blend of technical elements and choreography. Unlike other dancers who were struggling with their long dresses, Sonja danced in a mini skirt which allowed her to make her signature jumps. Despite the many elans she won from the audience, Sonja still placed last, much to the dismay of her father who hired the best experts around, including the famous Russian ballerina Tamara Karsavina, to make his daughter a champion.  Three years later Sonja started a triumphal career that lasted for 12 years winning the gold medal at the 1927 world figure-skating championships. This was followed by equally big Olympic wins at St. Moritz, Lake Placid and Garmisch-Partenkirchen. In Germany the International Olympic Committee big shots accused Sonja, who was already starring in films, of going professional and were close to disqualifying her. The Norwegian delegation then waded in threatening to pull out of the Games altogether if Sonja were to be disqualified.  The Americans followed suit, the IOC backed off and the wonder skater made her third straight Olympic win. Her behavior outside the rink was not always commendable though. In 1936 she antagonized her fellow Norwegians shaking hands with Adolf Hitler and agreeing to have breakfast with the Nazi leader at his residence at Berchtesgaden. That was an extravagance the Norwegian people would never be able to forgive her… Even after her death they kept saying her political behavior was very bad indeed…

In that same year of 1936, immediately after winning her third gold medal in the 1936 Olympics, Sonja moved Stateside to take part in ice shows and to star in Hollywood movies. The blue-eyed and diminutive Norwegian immediately became the darling of all Americans and her shows were considered the greatest box office attraction in the world, a lifetime achievement two marriages and as many divorces were unable to mar. Sonja Henie was doing her very best to win the title of The Queen of the Vikings. During her 16 year stint at Hollywood she appeared in 13 movies but only one of them, “Sun Valley Serenade”, that hit the screens in 1941, managed to become a major hit. In 1957 Sonja returned to Norway hoping to finally make peace with her compatriots who never managed to forgive her friendship with Hitler and departure for America….

Oslo is a city of many monuments, one of which features a bronze Sonja Henie executing a figure skating element which is as complicated as it is beautiful.  They say that Sonja owed her name to the late 19th century fashion of naming little girls after university Professor Sofya Kovalevskaya who was then working in Scandinavia. Looks like the diminutive name Sonja sounded better and was easier to pronounce than the full name of the famous Russian scientist…

Since Sonja’s death, every day at 1 p.m. skiers relaxing at the Sun Valley resort in Idaho, in the United States, have a chance to watch the Sun Valley Serenade musical  starring the blue-eyed Norwegian woman Americans call their own…
 
 
 
 
 
 

10/10/2005