Bill Steinmetz

Bill Steinmetz was a native Midwesterner who was greatly influenced by his trip to France for the first Winter Olympics. Steinmetz had won the 1922 US Long-Track National All-arounds for his biggest victory, although he also won the 1922 International Diamond Trophy and the 1923 Chicago Silver Skates competitions. While in Europe, the US team dined at luxurious homes in both Paris and London, and Steinmetz, who until then had been working as an electrician, later related in an article in Sports Illustrated, “Boy, were those people sophisticated! I watched them. I listened to them, and I saw right then that I didn’t know anything but skating. I swore I was going to broaden my horizons.” On his return he took public-speaking courses, and eventually became a salesman, making a fortune selling electric toasters, fans, and radios. He settled in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin in his later life.

Personal Bests: 500 – 47.8 (1924); 1500 – 2:36.0 (1924); 5000 – 9:35.0 (1924).