Melville Rogers

Melville Rogers first reached the senior podium at the Canadian figure skating championships in 1920, when he was third in the singles, a feat that he repeated in 1921. He moved up to second in 1922 and was also runner-up in the pairs and the fours, in the former with the non-Olympian Jeanette Rathbun. He changed partners to Cecil Smith in 1923 and came in third, but won his first of five singles titles that year, with the rest coming from 1925 through 1928. He was also second at the North American Championships individually. He was selected to represent Canada at the 1924 Chamonix Olympics, where he was seventh both individually and with Smith in the pairs.

Rogers then changed partners again, to Gladys Rogers, and won his only national championship in the pairs in 1925, also coming first individually and second in the pairs at the North American championships. He then spent two years partnered with Isobel Blyth, whom he would marry in 1927. Together, they were third at the national championships in 1926, while Melville won his final North American singles title in 1927. He went back to Rogers in 1928, and was second and third with her at the national championships in 1929 and 1930 respectively. He was also the 1929 Canadian runner-up in the fours with, among others, Frances Claudet. He and Claudet would also be among the third-place finishers in that event in 1931, but they took gold at that year’s North American championships.

Melville then partnered with his wife for the 1930 and 1932 World Championships, where they were fifth and ninth respectively. They were also entered into the tournament at the 1932 Lake Placid Olympics, but did not start the competition. In the fours, he won Canadian titles from 1933 through 1937, with silver in 1932, and was North American champion in 1933, 1935, and 1937. Following his retirement from active competition, he worked as an administrator, including two terms as the president of the national figure skating federation, and a judge. In the latter capacity, he worked as an official at the 1948 St. Moritz Olympics. He was inducted into the Canadian Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1991.