COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—Former long-time Miami University head synchronized skating coach Vicki Korn was one of three distinguished individuals elected to the prestigious U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame Class of 2022, U.S. Figure Skating announced Wednesday. Joining Korn in the class are two-time World bronze medalist Tiffany Chin and two-time Olympic judge Lucy Joyce Brennan. Their inductions will take place Jan. 9 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville during the 2022 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
 
"I am pleased to announce the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame Class of 2022, which includes three extraordinary women," said Larry Mondschein, chair of the nominating committee. "Tiffany Chin's contributions to the sport are many. As the first Asian American ladies U.S. champion, she inspired a new generation of skaters who continue in her footsteps. The late Vicki Korn, head coach of Miami University, helped solidify synchronized skating as a discipline. Lucy Brennan, renowned and decorated internationally, still remains an active and proud member of The Skating Club of New York."
 
Korn's daughter, Ashley (Miami '10 '13), who skated for Miami from 2007-2010, will accept the honor on behalf of her late mother. "I'm extremely proud to be able to honor my mom and the legacy that she built for not only Miami Skating but all forms of collegiate skating and her impact on the synchronized skating community. While bittersweet, it so well deserved, and I'm greatly looking forward to the opportunity to recognize her and her legacy and the other inductees in January."
 
There are few individuals in figure skating whose names are synonymous with their discipline, but Vicki Korn's indelible impact on synchronized skating earned her this status. Korn, a three-time national coach of the year and originator of the nation's first collegiate senior-level synchronized skating program, spent 25 years at Miami University until her retirement in 2008-09 and shaped the current landscape of collegiate synchronized skating.
 
Korn joined Miami University in 1984, serving as Miami's skating director and coaching the synchronized skating program at the club level. As a club program, Korn guided Miami to a national title at the junior level in 1993 and two bronze medals at the senior level (1994, 1995).
 
Korn was integral in shaping what is now a strong division of collegiate skating. In 1995-96, she began the first of many ground-breaking achievements as the program was upgraded to a varsity sport at Miami, becoming the nation's first collegiate senior-level synchronized skating program. Korn also created the first collegiate synchronized skating team at Miami at the start of the 1996-1997 season. Within the next two decades, the open collegiate and collegiate division had grown to 27 teams.
 
Miami went on to capture three national titles at the senior level (1999, 2006, 2009) and 11 national titles at the collegiate level (1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009) under Korn. With its commanding win at the collegiate level at the 2009 U.S. National Championships, Miami made collegiate synchronized skating history by winning an unprecedented fifth-straight national crown, a streak that extended to a U.S. Figure Skating record 12 by 2016.
 
Under the direction of Korn, the 2006-07 senior team made U.S. Synchronized Skating history at the International Skating Union World Championships. With a second-place finish at the world championships, Miami became the first United States team to ever medal at the event and continues to boast the best World finish ever by a U.S. synchronized skating team. The RedHawks earned a berth to compete at the world championships eight of her final nine season.
 
Her landmark accomplishments are not reserved for team honors alone. Korn garnered several esteemed individual accolades.
 
After guiding the RedHawks to the first national title in any team sport in 1997, Korn was honored as the PSA Synchronized Skating Coach of the Year. She is one of just 26 elite individuals with Miami University ties to earn national coach of the year accolades at either the collegiate or professional levels and was the first female to achieve the feat.
 
Korn again captured PSA Synchronized Skating Coach of the Year recognition in 1999. With Miami's landmark finish at the 2007 ISU World Championships, Korn not only was named PSA Synchronized Skating Coach of the Year but also was honored as the PSA/U.S. Figure Skating Coach of the Year, which encompasses all coaches of all divisions and levels of figure skating and is considered the penultimate honor for coaches.
 
In all, Korn was a part of 15 national titles at Miami, 14 coming since the time the program achieved varsity sport status, and oversaw 72 first-place finishes at the senior, collegiate and junior levels of the RedHawk synchronized skating program over her final 14 years.
 
Her effect on the sport can be felt well beyond the tremendous impact she has made at Miami University. Numerous Miami alumnae who skated under Korn went on to careers either coaching or serving as U.S. Figure Skating officials. Korn served on the board of directors of both the United States Figure Skating Association and the Ice Skating Institute. During a stint as the USFSA Collegiate Chairperson, Korn was instrumental in forming the Midwest Collegiate Figure Skating Conference.
 
Due to the COVID-19 restrictions placed on the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Las Vegas, the Class of 2021 was unable to be celebrated in person at the event, which was held in a bubble. The three inductees – Johnny Weir, Sandy Lamb and Gale Tanger – will be inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame on Jan. 9 alongside the Class of 2022 in Nashville.