Christopher Bowman (March 30 1967–January 10 2008) was an American Figure skater. He was a two-time U.S. national champion and two-time World medalist. He won the 1983 World Junior Figure Skating Championships and competed in two Olympic Winter Games, placing 7th in 1988 and 4th in 1992.
Biography[]
Bowman was born in Hollywood, California, USA. In his childhood, he appeared in commercials, and two episodes of the TV series Little House on the Prairie (TV series).
He was coached as a skater by Frank Carroll for eighteen years, a relationship that ended following the 1990 World Championships. After that, Bowman was coached by Toller Cranston and then John Nicks. In Inside Edge by Christine Brennan, Bowman admitted to having had a $950 a day Cocaine habit during his eligible career, and that he had checked into the Betty Ford Center before the 1988 Olympic Games. Cranston also later described Bowman's drug problems in his book Zero Tollerance.
He was known as "Bowman the Showman" for his crowd-pleasing performances. "If I had to pick the three most talented skaters of all time, I would pick Christopher as one," Brian Boitano, the 1988 Olympic champion, told the Chicago Tribune. "He had natural charisma, natural athleticism, he could turn on a crowd in a matter of seconds and he always seemed so relaxed about it."
Bowman retired from competitive skating after the 1992 World Championships, and toured with Ice Capades the following year. He left the tour when Ice Capades was purchased by Dorothy Hamill in 1993. For some years thereafter, Bowman worked as a skating coach, first in Massachusetts and then in the Detroit, Michigan area, where he had lived from 1995 until 2007. He also worked as a skating commentator.
Bowman had recently returned to Southern California to make a comeback in acting, with a role as an assistant coach in Down and Distance.
Bowman was pronounced dead on January 10 2008 at 12:06 p.m. after being found in a motel in the North Hills area of Los Angeles.
He was divorced from skating coach Annette Bowman, and is survived by his mother, father, and a daughter, Bianca, The Detroit Free Press said.
Competitive highlights[]
| Event | 1982-1983 | 1983-1984 | 1984-1985 | 1985-1986 | 1986-1987 | 1987-1988 | 1988-1989 | 1989-1990 | 1990-1991 | 1991-1992 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympic Games | 7th | 4th | ||||||||
| World medalist | 7th | 5th | 2nd | 3rd | 5th | 4th | ||||
| World Junior Figure Skating Championships | 1st | |||||||||
| U.S. national champion | 1st J | 9th | 4th | WD | 2nd | 3rd | 1st | WD | 2nd | 1st |
| Skate America | 4th | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 1st | |||||
| Skate Canada International | 2nd | |||||||||
| Trophée Lalique | 1st | |||||||||
| NHK Trophy | 1st |
- J = Junior level; WD = Withdrew
References[]
- Inside Edge by Christine Brennan, ISBN 0-684-80167-1
- Zero Tollerance by Toller Cranston, ISBN 0-7710-2334-0
- Skating in America by Benjamin T. Wright