The Tommy McGinnis Legacy
A vocal proponent of the Club’s expansion, and as one of the longest-tenured and most-accomplished staff coaches in the Club’s history, Tommy’s life and actions had a profound impact on The Skating Club of Boston. Tommy’s larger-than-life dedication to the sport permeated throughout almost all of the Club’s programs, and for the many Club members who were coached by him, Tommy had a very personal impact on both their skating and their lives.
Tommy started his career at The Skating Club of Boston in 1961, after being selected by the legendary Maribel Vinson-Owen to choreograph the competitive programs for her daughter, Laurence Owen. After that, there was very little that Tommy did not touch in this sport, in one way or another. As producer, director, choreographer, publisher, judge (professional skating), rink operator, and of course, a coach at the local, national, world and Olympic level, Tommy enthusiastically embraced every corner of this sport. And as a coach, Tommy taught in all the U.S. Figure Skating disciplines, including synchronized skating and group lessons. He was also the first-ever coach to pass the U.S. Figure Skating gold figures, gold pairs and gold freestyle tests. He was master rated in a total of eight disciplines by the PSA – the only coach to ever achieve this distinction, a member of the PSA Coaches Hall of Fame, and a winner of the PSA’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Tom McGinnis was an icon and role model to all of U.S. Figure Skating, and a legend in the sport and at The Skating Club of Boston. He left an incredible legacy, one that will be unmatched for a long time to come, for its sheer breadth of scope and the many lives that he touched. Now, on the eve of this unprecedented change for The Skating Club of Boston, some of those whose lives he touched are striving to see that his legacy finds a long-lasting and very visible home within the walls of the Club’s new facility.
For this, the Club has set aside the naming opportunity for the all-purpose meeting room in the new building’s main lobby. Front and center to the entire facility, the McGinnis Room will be a central meeting spot for all members, much like the Club’s Rotch Room is today. Join us in memorializing Tommy’s legacy by making a gift in his memory. Support of the Tommy McGinnis Legacy initiative will ensure that his unmatched legacy, and spirit and commitment to the sport, are kept alive for the next generation of Club skaters and champions.