John Nicks
Figure skater
John Allen Wisden Nicks (born April 22, 1929) is a British figure skating coach and former pair skater. His pairs partner was his sister Jennifer Nicks, and together they were the 1953 World champions. As a coach, his skating pupils have included Peggy Fleming, pairs team Tai Babilonia / Randy Gardner, Kristi Yamaguchi, and Sasha Cohen. Nicks, the son of a sporting goods store owner, grew up in Brighton, England. He competed with his sister, Jennifer Nicks, and won the World title in 1953. Nicks then moved to South Africa, where he skated in shows and began coaching, but moved back to England in 1960 and eventually on to Canada, coaching in Trail, British Columbia. After the crash of Sabena Flight 548, he began coaching at a rink in Paramount, California owned by Frank Zamboni. Nicks coaches in Aliso Viejo, California. He was inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2000. He appeared as a judge on the 2006 FOX television program Skating with Celebrities. Nicks married American former ice dancer Yvonne Littlefield.