Diane Towler

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}} {{Use British English|date=July 2012}} thumb|Towler and Ford in 1966 '''Diane Margaret Towler''' MBE married '''Green''', (born 16 December 1946) is an English former ice dancer and currently a figure skating coach. She is a four-time (1966–1969) World and European champion with skating partner Bernard Ford.

==Personal life== Diane Towler-Green was born 16 December 1946 in Kensington, London. She is the mother of ice dancers Candice Towler-Green and Phillipa Towler-Green,<ref name=IDC040220/> and the aunt of Mark Bosley.

==Career== Towler was partnered with Bernard Ford by the duo's coach, Gladys Hogg.<ref name=AS2007/> The two debuted at the World Championships in 1964, finishing 13th. In 1965, they finished just off the podium in 4th. Towler/Ford won gold at the 1966 European Championships and went on to win their first World title. They would win the World and European titles for four consecutive seasons.<ref name=CV1/>

At the 1968 Winter Olympics, Towler/Ford skated in a demonstration event for ice dancing,<ref name=CV2022/> winning the gold medal. Ice dancing became an official part of the Winter Olympics in 1976.

Towler, alongside Ford, was appointed of Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in the 1969 Birthday Honours for services to ice dancing,<ref>United Kingdom list: {{London Gazette |issue=44863 |date=6 June 1969 |pages=5978 |supp=y}}</ref> and both were inducted into the World Figure skating Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs in 1993.<ref name=CV3/> Their best-known program was skated to the theme from ''Zorba the Greek''. After retiring from amateur competition, they performed in ice shows until Ford moved to Canada.

Towler became a figure skating coach. Her ice dancing students include:<ref name=AS2007/> * Janet Sawbridge / Peter Dalby (1972 Europeans bronze medalists) * Candice Towler-Green / James Phillipson * Phillipa Towler-Green / Phillip Poole, both British Junior champions and world competitors * Debbie Burne / Mark Bosley, British junior champions and 5th at Junior Worlds <ref name=CV2/> * Elizabeth Coates / Alan Abretti who competed at the World and European Championships * Ashlie Slatter / Atl Ongay-Pérez, youngest British National Junior silver medalists 2022,<ref name=CV2023/> 2023/24 British Junior national Champions, Junior Grand Prix 2022 competitors,<ref name=CV4/><ref name=CV5/> and youngest Junior Worlds 2023 competitors to qualify and subsequently place 18th.<ref name=CV6/>

==Results== (with Ford) {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- ! Event ! {{tooltip|63–64|1963–64}} ! 64–65 ! 65–66 ! 66–67 ! 67–68 ! 68–69 |- | align=left | World Championships || 13th || 4th || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st |- | align=left | European Championships || || 4th || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st |- | align=left | British Nationals || || bgcolor=cc9966 | 3rd || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st || bgcolor=gold | 1st |}

==References== {{Reflist|refs=

<ref name=IDC040220>{{cite news |url= http://ice-dance.com/news/interviews/interview-02202004-towlergreen.htm |title= INTERVIEWS: Diane Towler-Green |work= ice-dance.com |date= 20 February 2004 |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20071011032208/http://ice-dance.com/news/interviews/interview-02202004-towlergreen.htm |archivedate= 11 October 2007}}</ref>

<ref name=AS2007>{{cite news |url= http://absoluteskating.com/index.php?cat=interviews&id=2007dianetowler |title= Diane Towler – Where It All Began |first1= Huriye |last1= Ömer |first2= Helga |last2= Dobor |work= Absolute Skating |year= 2007 }}</ref>

<ref name=CV2022>{{cite news |url= https://www.johnds.org/bfsc22/CAT008RS.htm |title=Ice Dancing Demonstration at the Winter Olympics |work= Topend Sports |year= 1968 }}</ref>

<ref name=CV2>{{cite news |url= https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2022/07/historical-records-from-british-figure.html|title=Historical Records From The British Figure and Ice Dancing Championships |work= Skate Guard Blog |date= 3 July 2022 }}</ref>

<ref name=CV3>{{cite news |title=Copley-Graves, Lynn (1992). Figure Skating History: The Evolution of Dance on Ice. Platoro Press. p. 108. ISBN 0-9631758-1-5. }}</ref>

<ref name=CV4>{{cite news |url= https://www.isuresults.com/results/season2223/jgplat2022/CAT004RS.htm |title=ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating |work= Riga |date= September 2022 }}</ref>

<ref name=CV5>{{cite news |url= https://www.isuresults.com/results/season2223/jgpita2022/CAT003RS.htm |title=ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating |work= Egna |date= October 2022 }}</ref>

<ref name=CV1>{{cite news |url= https://www.iceskating.org.uk/about-ice-skating |title= A Brief History of Ice and the National Ice Skating Association of Great Britain |first= Denis L. |last= Bird |work= British Ice Skating Association |year= 2010 |archive-date= 5 October 2021 |access-date= 1 February 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211005170117/https://www.iceskating.org.uk/about-ice-skating |url-status= dead }}</ref>

<ref name=CV2023>{{cite news |url= https://www.johnds.org/bfsc22/CAT008RS.htm |title=British Figure Skating Championships 2022 |work= Junior Ice Dance Result |year= 2022 }}</ref>

<ref name=CV6>{{cite news |url= https://www.isuresults.com/results/season2223/wjc2023/CAT004RS.htm |title=ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2023 |work= Ice Dance Result |year= 2023 }}</ref>

}}

==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070929102928/http://www.eskatefans.com/skatabase/worlddance1960.html Skatabase: 1960-1969 Worlds: Ice Dancing Results] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070929102909/http://www.eskatefans.com/skatabase/eurodance1960.html Skatabase: 1960-1969 Europeans: Ice Dancing Results]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Towler, Diane}} Category:1946 births Category:Living people Category:English female ice dancers Category:British female ice dancers Category:British figure skating coaches Category:World Figure Skating Championships medalists Category:European Figure Skating Championships medalists Category:British female sports coaches Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire Category:20th-century English sportswomen