Tim Wood

Although Tim Wood won an Olympic silver medal, he really hit his peak between Olympic years, which probably cost him a certain gold. Wood’s first big title was the U.S. Junior Men’s which he won in 1964. Moving up to the seniors in 1965, he took third in the Nationals, fifth at the North Americans, and 13th in Worlds. He improved steadily over the next two years, but was unable to win any of the big senior championships, his best finish internationally being his silver at Grenoble. In 1969, however, Tim Wood reached the heights by winning both the U.S. and World Championships, both of which he would defend in the next year. With two years to go, he was now the top skater in the world, but he had had a long career and Sapporo seemed so far away. Wood decided to forego any more amateur competition and turned pro with the Ice Capades.