Peggy Fleming's Long Program
Read Her Autobiography: The Long Program, Skating Toward Life’s Victories
Peggy Fleming's memoirs relay messages of hope, inner peace and perseverance through self-discipline in one of Pocket Book's sports autobiographies.
Wife and mother, television commentator, and vineyard owner Peggy Fleming has won so much more since her 1968 Olympic Gold Medal in ladies figure skating. She is a cancer survivor and speaks of leading a fulfilled life by concentrating on enjoying simple – but priceless – treasures.
As if a successful long-term marriage or being a mom doesn’t bring enough trials, Peggy’s battle in 1998 with breast cancer tested her resolve more than competition ever did. She relates how she uses her fame to fight the disease. She promotes breast cancer awareness and prevention issues in the hopes that her personal triumphs might ease the burdens of those affected by the disease. She believes lives can be preserved by increased awareness of early detection strategies and more donations in support of causes fighting the disease.
Most poignantly, she says everyone has their own version of a long program to make it through. These are times of struggle, change, and survival. Peggy’s autobiography delves into these issues and develops far beyond merely an athlete’s journal. Certainly, she reveals tantalizing tidbits from the life of a professional skater, giving us a locker-room glimpse of what it’s really like. But there’s so much to take away from this fast-paced book than simply sports history. Peggy Fleming will show you through her book how to be your best.
Pictures from her private collection are displayed in the book. They introduce readers to her timeline that runs from Peggy’s family introductions, through her self-proclaimed “geek years,” beyond competition scenes, to her becoming the emblem of figure skating beauty, grace, and sportsmanship. She is the ultimate role-model; as a grandmother she continues in grace to embody forthright ideals and modesty.
Peggy Fleming recites her personal history in first-person narrative. More interesting, however, is the book’s front-matter wherein she has included sketches from some of her more famous skating routines. Just like ice dance patterns in rulebooks, her routines are laid out for figure skating aficionados to study. Specifically notice the elements penciled in for her program to Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, “Pathetique.” Her entire routine is described, down to each jump, spin, spiral and Choctaw.
The Long Program successfully sets the tone for the rest of the book. Peggy begins: “Last year I turned fifty, became a grandmother, fought breast cancer, and remodeled my kitchen. I’ve been busy.” Her list of awards and achievements is noteworthy. There is an index that leads readers straight to people and events of interest that have been mentioned in the book.
Peggy concludes with this powerful motivator: “We all fall down, but as I learned so well as a little girl in a big spotlight: Get up and keep on going. Don’t look back. Keep your eyes on the ice."
