by Marvin Kusmierz (July 2003)
On the morning of November 4, 1964, things were looking pretty bleak for the U.S. Olympic team competing at Innsbruck. They were still without a Gold Medal winner and was time running out. The air of certainty was growing that the team would return home without one for the first time in it's history.
Hopes fell on the shoulders of a 23 year old barber from Essexville, Michigan. As Terry McDermott prepared for his specialty, the 500 meter speed skating event, the reality and expectation was that two time Gold Medalist, Evgeni Girshin of Russia would easily win his third Gold. The more realistic hope was that Terry's performance might be good enough to earn him a Silver or Bronze Medal.
Terry had competed in the 1960 Olympics without a medal winning performance. Today, the warm weather would affect the ice conditions with the advantage of harder and faster ice going to the first heat. In spite of this, Terry was placed in the second heat by Leo Freisenger, the U.S. Olympic coach. He believed Terry performed better against strong competitors than against the clock. However, that still meant he had to beat Girshin, a fact that seemed insurmountable given their histories.
The shy -- but eager Terry, took his position at the starting line and readied himself. The gunblast of the starter sent him and the field of the racers scurring for position as they headed into the first turn. Terry was among the leaders heading for the finish line. He was the first to cross the line being clocked at 40.1 seconds -- a new Olympic record! The U.S. team had their Gold Medal victory! And, Terry wrote himself into sports history! After the race, Girshin acknowledged that the better man won today. Terry's record breaking time for the 500 meters held until the 1972 Olympics.
Considering Terry's feat in relationship to the national statistics of the 1964 Olympics helps to appreciate the meaning of his performance. The U.S. team ranked eighth with a total of six medals that year, three Bronze, two Silver and one Gold by Terry. The U.S.S.R. team was the top medal winner with twenty-five, eleven of which were gold.
The story of Terry McDermott is one seldom seen outside of fiction. While his story never made it into a hollywood movie, it certainly could have, and most like would in today's environment of made for TV movies. It's a story that Terry may have been too shy at the time to take advantage of -- for all he wanted was returned home to his new wife of four months and to his job at Bunny's Barber Shop. Bunny's was located at 1005 Columbus, north side of the street, 1/2 block west of the Farragut intersection in Bay City. A job, that soon had many locals flocking to Bunny's to get a memorable haircut by Terry. A thrill that delighted the many who did so to claim a piece of history for themselves.
Terry's Olympic story is one that was seeded in his youth by circumstances that prepared him for the day of his history making performance. His older sister, Marilyn, married Richard "Dick" Somalski and this certainly played an important role in the direction that Terry took with skating. Somalski founded the Bay County Speed Skating Club in 1946. It was Dick, who provided the encouragement and knowledge that nourished the skills of his young brother-in-law. A role he continued as Terry's coach until he made the 1960 U.S. Olympic team. Both are now in the U.S. Speed Skating Hall of Fame, Terry as a "Skater" and Dick as a "Contributor".
Terry went on to compete in the 1968 Olympics where he earned a Silver Medal with a time of 40.5. Erhard Keller won the Gold with a time of 40.3, both times below Terry's record performance of 40.1. In the 1972 Olympics, Keller took the Gold and set a new record time of 39.44.
Other noteable achievements by Terry include:
- 1960, medal at the 1960 National Indoor Competition.
- 1961, medal at the North American Indoor Competition.
- 1999, Chairman of U.S. Speedskating Gold Council. Their mission is to play a leadership role for young inspiring U.S. speedskaters, helping them achieve performance excellence and to draw recognition and support to their efforts.
The story of Terry McDermott is a fine example of what is possible when a person's life is touched in a positive way by family, friends and neighbors. He is truly a local “hero!” He is a product of our community and we can take great pride in sharing him with a worldwide audience. But, even more so, his story is a formula that we can point to for success. That it is possible for dreams to come true when they are supported by persistence and honed by hard practice in order to achieve excellence.
None at this time.