| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Lloyd Valdemar Baxter |
| Born | (1919-12-06)December 6, 1919 Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Died | December 18, 2012(2012-12-18) (aged 93) |
| Figure skating career | |
| Country |  United States |
| Discipline | Men's singles, Pairs |
| Partner | Hedy Stenuf |
Lloyd Valdemar "Skippy" Baxter (December 6, 1919 – December 18, 2012)12 was an American figure skater. Born in Saskatchewan, Canada, his family moved to Oakland, California when he was 1 year of age.3 Skippy started his skating career there as a speed skater, winning some awards.4 Then later, he won two medals at the 1940 United States Figure Skating Championships: a bronze in men's singles and a silver in pair skating with Hedy Stenuf.1 Baxter went on to skate professionally with the Ice Capades, working with Sonja Henie in her shows.5 Baxter was famous for the backflip that he regularly performed during shows.5
Skippy and his brother Meryl Baxter owned an ice rink in Santa Rosa, California on Summerfield Road, where the famous cartoonist Charles Schulz would take his family for skating lessons.6 It was there that Charles and Skippy Baxter formed a close friendship that lasted until the death of Charles Schulz. The Santa Rosa Ice Skating Rink closed in 1968 due to structural problems with the roof.1 Baxter choreographed a segment for the 1969 animated film A Boy Named Charlie Brown, in which Snoopy skates.
He later coached figure skating in Northern California at the Redwood Empire Ice Arena in Santa Rosa, California. Charles Schulz built the rink, while Skippy and his brother Meryl Baxter helped run and operate the rink.6 Skippy was inducted into the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2003.7
Results
(men's singles)
| Event | 1940 |
|---|---|
| U.S. Championships | 3rd |
(pairs with Stenuf)
| Event | 1940 |
|---|---|
| U.S. Championships | 2nd |
Early life
Lloyd Baxter, having endured an accident as a youth with a tractor, which almost resulted in a leg amputation, began skating at the urging of his mother to strengthen his leg to avoid amputation.1 In turn, he soon began his career as a champion youth speed skater.
Baxter was on the United States Olympic Figure Skating team in 1940, but because of World War II, the Winter Olympics were cancelled.8 Baxter enlisted in the United States army in 1943 and served in Northern Italy during the war with the 10th Mountain Division, along with his brother Meryl Baxter.1
References
References
- "World class skater, gracious instructor Skippy Baxter dies at 93". pressdemocrat.com. 2012-12-18. Archived from the original on 2012-12-30. Retrieved 2012-12-18.
- "Skates to Rebuild Leg, Baxter Now Ice Star". The Milwaukee Journal. September 21, 1942. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
- "U.S. HALL OF FAME PRESENTS CLASS OF 2003". usfigureskating.org. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
- Edel, Leon (26 October 1940). "5 Canadians In Ice Show". The Windsor Daily Star. p. 23. Retrieved 1 August 2026.
- du Bief, Jacqueline (1956). Thin Ice. London: Cassell and Company Ltd, p. 182.
- Smith, Chris (November 23, 2009). "Skippy Baxter still skating 80 years on". The Press Democrat. Retrieved 1 August 2026.
- "U.S. Hall of Fame Presents Class of 2003". U.S. Figure Skating. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
- "U.S. Ski Hall of Fame Inducts Six". Skiing Heritage. September 2002. p. 45. Retrieved 1 August 2026.