1979 US Figure Skating Pin: Big Wheels Keep On Turning.

Last Updated on April 18, 2025 by Netropolitan Museum

An unusual riverboat design serves as both a nod to Cincinnati’s history and its unique charm

Nestled along the Ohio River, straddling the border between Ohio and Kentucky, the city of Cincinnati is known for its rich cultural fabric and iconic landmarks. From its beloved major league baseball and football teams to the legendary Skyline Chili and the fictitious WKRP, there’s no shortage of local pride. But more than 45 years ago, the city also earned a place in figure skating history. In 1979, Cincinnati hosted the US Figure Skating Championships at Riverfront Coliseum, with the event marked by a lapel pin that features another quintessential Cincinnati icon—the riverboat.

Taking center stage on the pin, the riverboat serves as both a nod to the city’s history and its unique charm. And in a marvelous feat of engineering, the riverboat—perched atop a sleek, stylized skate blade—somehow glides effortlessly down the (frozen?) Ohio River. According to the event program, the logo was designed with layered symbolism to reflect the structure of figure skating competition at the time. Anchored on the skate blade, the first level features nine segments (or “windows” on the riverboat), representing the regional sections of the U.S. Figure Skating Association. Above that, the three segments stand for the sectional competitions. The top level, shaped like a pilot house, signifies the U.S. Championships, while the smokestacks represent the pinnacle of competition: the World Figure Skating Championships (held that year in Vienna, Austria) and the Olympic Games. That’s all a bit of a stretch, in The Curator’s opinion.

Pin Gallery: 1979 US Figure Skating Championships

Although somewhat clunky by modern standards, the pin has a simple yet endearing charm that today’s event pins lack. A blue band, symbolizing smoke billowing from the boat’s two smokestacks, surrounds the event location. Below the boat, a blue field—meant to represent the Ohio River—contains the event year and name. The oblique-style font is tightly condensed, unmistakably dating the pin to the late 1970s. And true to the tradition of earlier U.S. Championships pins, the colloquial “Nationals” is used instead of the formal “U.S. Figure Skating Championships.” This pin isn’t just a collectible; it’s a glimpse into a bygone era of figure skating, when the sport was more intimate and less commercialized.

In a bit of trivia from the 1979 Championships, the starlings residing in the rafters of Riverfront Coliseum occasionally swooped down in search of food or water. In an unfortunate turn of events, one of the birds left an unwelcome deposit on the head of an ice dance competitor.

That’s this week’s figure skating pins blog: 1979 US Figure Skating Pin: Big Wheels Keep On Turning.

This blog was originally published at The Netropolitan Museum of Figure Skating Pins on January 23, 2021, and has been updated with new and expanded information.

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