The following story appeared in the December 2023 issue of SKATING magazine.
By Troy Schwindt
Following the patriotic-fueled 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, U.S. Figure Skating team leader Charlie Cyr penned a personal note on a congratulatory poster of ice dancer Naomi Lang that read, “I should be so lucky as to have a daughter like you, love Charlie.”
It’s that kind of thoughtful, caring message that made Cyr, a renowned domestic and international skating official for decades, so dear in the hearts of Lang, the rest of the 2002 team and the skating community in general.
His death in June after a short illness came as a surprise to everyone, and members of the 2002 U.S. Olympic Team felt compelled to donate a symbolic $2,002 to the Memorial Fund in honor of their friend and colleague.
“Charlie had such a big impact on my skating career,” Lang said. “I was so lucky that he was one of our team leaders for the 2002 Olympics, among other events. Charlie could light up any room he walked into; he was a true positive light in a very chaotic world. He was like a father figure to me. His humor and kindness could brighten anyone’s day. Anytime I would run into him at competitions, he always made Peter [Tchernyshev] and I feel like family. … ”I will never forget his big bear hugs after we competed.”
The 2002 Olympics took place just a few months after the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, when nearly 3,000 Americans died in terrorist attacks on the East Coast. Fellow team leader Christine Krall recalled the overwhelming sense of patriotism and the burning desire of the athletes to lift America up at these Games. She remembers six-time U.S. champion Todd Eldredge helping carry the torn and tattered U.S. flag from Ground Zero at the opening ceremony and the deafening cheers from the sold-out crowds.
“I think that was on everybody’s mind, that they had an opportunity, they had to be great for America,” Krall said. “I think because America was in such turmoil, they could be great. The crowd was nuts for the United States. It was the most electric thing I think you’ve ever been in. It was like you were just picked up, off the ground, and kind of floating in this layer of wholesome, goodness freedom. The kids were pumped and wired and they skated amazing. All of them.”
Cyr, she said, was so present every step of the way during those Games, always smiling, being positive and giving the team anything it needed to succeed on the big stage.
“I remember him calling me on my radio asking where I was at. I said, wherever you want me to be,” she joked.
Two-time Olympian and Hall of Famer Michael Weiss said Cyr was a special person to all of the athletes at the Games and throughout their careers.
“Charlie was an amazing guy, and incredibly supportive team leader,” Weiss said. “Always there for whatever I needed — from team pins to family tickets to high-fives at practice. He was reliably there to break the high stress of an Olympics with a quick joke, a smile, or a pat on the back.”
Pairs skater Tiffany Scott echoed those sentiments.
“Charlie could always brighten any situation and bring a smile to everyone's face,” Scott said. “He was always positive and good-natured. A friend and supporter of all the skaters. He will be truly missed.”
Hall of Fame official and lifelong colleague of Cyr, Gale Tanger, said besides her husband, Tom, Cyr was her closest friend. His stewardship to the sport, she said, was globally renown and will live on for years to come.
“I have watched him turn a skater’s tears into laughter, failures into lessons and despair into friendship,” Tanger said. “He used the power of his humor to forge ahead through all circumstances. Charlie had that special empowerment to help an athlete, coach, or official through times of uncertainty.”
