Gustave François Lussi (1898 – June 23, 1993) was a figure skating coach. His students include many champions, such as Dick Button, Donald Jackson, Ronald Robertson, Ronald Ludington, Barbara Ann Scott, David Jenkins, Hayes Jenkins, Dorothy Hamill (during her novice years), John Misha Petkevich, and John Curry.
Lussi was born in Stans, Switzerland. Lussi himself was not a competitive skater but a ski jumper. He lost his nerve for that sport after a fall, and became interested in skating instead. His previous experience with the sport was only recreational skating on Lake Lucerne as a boy. Since he had very little money, he was unable to compete as an amateur, but he made arrangements to learn skating from a top professional in Switzerland in exchange for later becoming his coach's assistant. He vowed that if he could not become a World Champion himself, he would make one through his teaching.[1]
He emigrated to the United States at the age of 20, just after World War I, and settled in Philadelphia. His first champion student was Egbert S. Carey Jr., who won the U.S. junior men's title in 1924.[1]
Beginning in 1932, Lussi was based at the Olympic rink in Lake Placid, New York, one of the few rinks in the world that provided summer ice in those days. He died on June 23, 1993, at the age of 95.
Lussi's skaters are known for their superb spinning technique. Lussi was also responsible for developing modern figure skating jump technique, including the now-standard cross-legged or back spin position in the air. His pupil Dick Button was the first to perform a triple jump, and his students were also the pioneers of flying spins such as the flying camel and flying sit spin which are now a standard part of every elite skater's repertoire.
In April 1990, a documentary film Gustave Lussi: The Man Who Changed Skating was shown on the PBS television network. The documentary was conceived and co-produced by his former student Cecily Morrow and produced by station WCFE-TV.[2] Around this time Morrow also worked with Lussi to produce a series of instructional videos capturing his coaching techniques.
Some of Lussi's other students, such as Mary Scotvold, Robin Wagner, Evelyn Kramer and Priscilla Hill, have also become successful coaches who have passed on Lussi's techniques to subsequent generations of skaters. Wagner coached Sarah Hughes to the 2002 Olympic title and Sasha Cohen to her first World Championship medal. Priscilla Hill has coached Johnny Weir to three national titles. Evelyn Kramer is now known as a "spin doctor" and has helped many skater improve their spins. They include Michelle Kwan, Robin Cousins and Caryn Kadavy.