SCHOBER, Billy

BORN WILHELM SCHOBER ON NOVEMBER 14TH 1956 in Melbourne to Wilhelm (Bill) and Maria Schober, who moved to Australia from Austria that year. He was first introduced to the sport in Austria when his parents lived in Europe for two years. His father competed in international events and completed his career as bar manager at Victoria's Government House in Spring Street, Melbourne. He was editor of Cocktails from Down Under (1971). "Skating was just something for him (Billy) to do as a boy," recalled Maria. He strapped on the skates at the age of eight and stepped onto a lake near Graz, the heartland of ice and snow. [1]

Back in Australia, he attended school part-time by special arrangement, stretching one year's work into two. He lived at Alfred Square in St Kilda next to the St Moritz ice rink, and developed his skating at the St Moritz Figure Skating Club. He also skated with the Ringwood Figure Skating Club in Pat Burley's new rink with future world and Olympic representatives, Sharon Burley and Cameron Medhurst. [3]

Schober trained under the Italian coach Carlo Fassi, who also trained world and Olympic champions such as Robin Cousins, Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, John Curry and Jill Trenary. He was twice Australian Junior Men's Champion 1971-2, and six times Australian Men's Champion, 1973-6 and 1978-79. In 1976-7, he placed fifth in the Blue Swords competition in Germany, and eighth in the Prague Skate competition.

At the Worlds, Schober placed 25th in 1974; 21st in 1975; 16th in 1977; 21st in 1979; and 17th in 1980. He represented Australia at the age of 19 in the 1976 Olympics at Innsbruck, but an injured Achilles tendon forced his withdrawal after placing 20th in the compulsory figures.

Turning professional in 1980, he won Bronze at the World Professional Figure Skating Championships, the Golden Skate, and again in 1982 against contestants from 12 countries. [4] Schober's preparation for the 1983 title included several weeks working up a new routine with Reg Park in Canberra, after which he returned to Jaca and won Silver for the world professional major presentation. All up, Schober competed in five Golden Skates between 1980 and 1987, placing 2nd ('83), 3rd ('80, '82), 6th ('81) and 10th ('87). The competition was not held in 1985 and '86. [5]

Under contract to Proskate of New York, he exhibited in Europe and the US, and competed in some of the thirty championships in their Grand Prix circuit around the world, combining sports competition and entertainment with many of the world's best ice skaters. In 1988, he won the World Professional Artistic Presentation in Jaca for the third time.

Schober sometimes performed magic tricks while skating, and dressed as a mime in white face make-up like the famous Marcel Marceau. [1] He performed in international ice shows with Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean, and with rock band, Kids in the Kitchen. Schober was a drawcard for quite a few years at the Myer Music Bowl ice rink, where he coached and gave demonstrations in the late Eighties. [2] A quiet and humble person in private, his performances on ice were described as "exciting and dynamic".

The Billy Schober Artistic Trophy was named in his honour since 1977. A long time president of the Victorian Professional Skating Association, Billy Schober still coaches from the Olympic Ice Skating Centre in the Melbourne suburb of Oakleigh.