Evening star., 1940-03-24
English Lass, IA,
Real Threat 10
Sonjja's S Rule
Speed Queen Lowers
Indoor Mile Record
By Nine Seconds

bNSSSuS
By Nine Seconds
BY BILL DISMER, Jr.
A beautiful little English blond,
all of II years of age, who wouldn't
be in the skating profession today
II Ill health hadn't necessitated a
vacation from school four years ago,
stole the show from a cast OF far
more experienced colleagues yester-
day and last night as the Washing
ton Ice Carnival opened a 3-day
stand at Riverside Stadium.
They said that Hazel Franklin
was better than, Sonia Henie and
until La Henie comes to Washing
ton to prove otherwise, some 1000
spectators who witnessed yester-
days first two performances are
going TO take their word for it.
Hazel was, indeed, a sensation.
But before celebrating on the
quantity of qualities personified by
the 4-foot-8, 85-pound lass from the
British Isles, let us hasten to state
that only her outstanding perform
ance prevented a dead heat for top
honors by half dozen featured
performers of the cast.
Cracks Own Mile Record.
Gaining momentum as the pro-
gram progressed and in spite of a
rather dispirited orchestra which
frequently ended its accompaniment
several seconds before an act was
completed, the carnival produced
show-stopping ice artists in such
figures as MCGOWAN & Mack and
Eric (Witherspoon Wait of the
original Ice Follies, a beautifully
teamed quartet from Philadelphia,
Washington's own Norval Baptie, De
Lories Ziegeld, Robin Scott and
Dorothy Smell and a United States
speed skating champion in Maddy
Horn who lowered her own world
record time for the indoor mile.
After coming within two seconds
of her mark in the afternoon race
Miss Horn last night negotiated the
is laps in 3 minutes 8 seconds, or a
full II seconds faster than she had
several hours prior Using long,
powerful glides, and unclasping her
hands from behind her back to swing
out with both arms on the final two
laps, Miss Horn easily smashed her
OLD mark.
Ice Palace Pair Acclaimed.
Although MCGOWAN and Mack's
Apache number evoked the same en-
thusiastic applause it did during
the Follies here last month and al
though the Philadelphia foursome
of w. w. Lukens, Penn-Gaskill Hall,
Annah Hall and Mary Stuart Day.
ton proved as colorful as they were
synchroniZed in their movements,
second-place honors to Miss Frank
lin must 60 to the Ice Palace pair
of Baptie and Ziegfeld.
More graceful than any other pair
or group, the 61-year- old Baptie and
the youthful and attractive Miss
Ziegfeld provided striking con-
trast as they whirled, pirouetted and
danced in three fascinating numbers.
But in the end It was the petite
figure from across the Atlantic that
sent the fans home talking, for
never have such intricate, daring
and perfectly timed numbers been
exhibited by woman skater in the
short history of local ice activities.
On her first number Miss Frank
lin accomplished the difficult double
salchow, movement involving two
complete revolutions in the air, and
feat which her mother said even
the more illustrious Miss Henie
doesn't do. A little later the comely
little miss performed the nearly
equally difficult axel, consisting of
one and one-half revolutions.
Trained by Henie's Teacher.
The singular connection between
her and Miss Henie is that both were
trained by the same teacher, Howard
Nicholson, who prepared Sonia for
the last Olympics. He never met
Miss Franklin until she was forced
to drop out of school, but when she
started skating it was in his charge
she was placed.
for Miss Franklin was number by
one even younger than she, little
9-year-old Lois Waring of Balti-
more's Ice Club. AS poised as girl
twice her years, Lois was typical OF
Little Miss Springtime. whom she
depicted. and her skating in the
shows opening number was out
standing.
After tomorrow nights last per-
Torrance here, Hazel will go to
Philadelphia for another carnival,
after which she will enter high
school at Lake Placid, N Y. She
and her mother have no intention
of returning to England until after
the war.
Naturally not as polished as those
who for years have gained their
livelihoods on the ice. the all-Wash-
ington choruses acquitted themselves
nobly In their several numbers, es-
pecially the Valse Bleu near the
end of the program. It was note
worthy that the tempo of the entire
production seemed to step up in di-
rect proportion to the progress of
the extravaganza Dast nights per-
Torrance lasted hours and IS min
utes, nearly a half-hour longer than
the opening show.
Two More Shows Slated.
Two more performances. with the
proceeds again going to the Wash
ington Society for the Blind, will be
given tonight and tomorrow night,
starting at $3.50 o'clock.
Four races, held for Washington
boys and girls after the opening per-
formance, resulted as follows:
Boys Junior half -mile-Won by
Carl Saline; second, Joe Lynch; third,
Thomas Bircher. Time, 1:542.
Boys intermediate half -mile-Won
by Bill Shores. (Only f1nisher).
Time, 1853.
Senior girls one mile-Won by Ann
Vlasak; second, Rhea Ehlers; third,
Peg Buskin.
Senior boys one mile-Won by
Merlin Anderson. second Conrad