Peggy Fleming was born on July 27, 1948, in San Jose, California. She showed promise as an athlete from an early age, but it wasn't until a family trip to a skating rink in 1957 that Fleming found her passion: ice skating.
With her family's help, Fleming began training and competing at age 11. Her mother was especially involved and helped Fleming choose her coach and costumes. Tragedy struck when she was 12: Her coach and several ice skating champions died in a plane crash. Although the loss was devastating, in many ways, it opened the door for her as a competitor, and in 1964 she won at the U.S. Nationals. Fleming was only 15 at the time. Determined to remain at the top, she hired a new coach who helped her develop her legendary skating style. She also found love with college student and fellow skater Greg Jenkins.
In the late '60s, Fleming won numerous ice skating titles — her career was soaring. Amid the glory, however, she suffered a terrible loss when her father passed away at the
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