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Bradley Lord

1961 U.S. men's champion

Bradley Richard Lord, 21, formed two ambitions early in life: to make the Olympic Team and to star in the touring professional show Ice Follies. Born in Swampscott, Mass., he was the son of Roy ("Lefty") and Alfreda Lord, and had an older brother, Bruce. At age 5, Bradley began skating on a makeshift outdoor rink across the street from his home and soon fell in love with skating. He first trained with Lillian Tribby at the North Shore Sports Center in Lynn, and then switched to coach Montgomery ("Bud") Wilson at the Skating Club of Boston. In the summers, he trained with his coach in Saint Paul, Minn., and at Michigan State University in East Lansing. Lord made his first trip to the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in 1953. In 1956, he placed third in junior men, and the following year became the 1957 U.S. junior men's champion. That same year he entered the School of Fine and Applied Arts at Boston University to study commercial art. Lord competed in senior men's at the U.S. Championships for four years. Placing fourth at that competition in 1960, he was heartbroken to not make the U.S. Olympic Team. He was, however, able to compete at the 1959 World Figure Skating Championships in Colorado Springs and at the 1960 World Championships in Vancouver. In 1961, Lord became the U.S. men's champion and two weeks later won the silver medal at the 1961 North American Figure Skating Championships. His coach, Bud Wilson, did not fly with the 1961 U.S. World Team, electing to join Lord later in the week.

Bio written by Patricia Shelley Bushman, author of Indelible Tracings.