Arnold Gerschwiler
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox figure skater Arnold Gerschwiler OBE (28 May 1914 – 22 August 2003) was a Swiss (later, British) figure skating coach.
Personal life
Gerschwiler was born in Arbon, Switzerland. He was the half-brother of Jacques Gerschwiler and the uncle of Hans Gerschwiler.<ref name=ind030906/> At the encouragement of Jacques, he moved to London, England.<ref name=Adlam/> He married Violet Blundell in August 1941.<ref name=ind030906/> They had two daughters, Stella and Claire, two grandsons and two granddaughters.
Gerschwiler lived in Ailsa Road, St Margarets, Twickenham for 53 years.<ref name=Adlam/> He died, aged 89,<ref name=times030917/> on 22 August 2003 at St Anthony's Hospital, North Cheam.<ref name=Adlam/>
Career
Gerschwiler competed in the British Open Ice-Skating Championships in 1935 and 1936<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and joined the staff of the Richmond Ice Rink in 1937.<ref name=Adlam/> He was head coach there from 1938, and served as director in 1964<ref name=Adlam/> until the facility was demolished in 1992. He coached the Czech skater Alena Vrzanova (Aja Zanova),<ref name=Adlam/> world champion in 1949 and 1950, as well as his own nephew Hans Gerschwiler,<ref name=Adlam/> the 1948 Olympic silver medallist.
He also coached the British skaters John Curry, 1976 Olympic and world champion, and Valda Osborn,<ref name=Adlam/> British champion in 1952 and 1953 and European champion in 1953. Other European top skaters he coached included Michael Booker,<ref name=ind030906/> Ladislav Čáp, Sjoukje Dijkstra,<ref name=times030917/> Patricia Dodd,<ref name=ind030906/> Hanna Eigel, Joan Haanappel, Helmut Seibt and Daphne Walker.<ref name=Adlam/>
Gerschwiler was appointed to the Order of the British Empire in 1997.<ref name=Adlam/><ref name=times030917/> He and his brother Jacques were inducted into the Professional Skaters Association's Coaches Hall of Fame in 2004.<ref name=PSA/>