Melissa Mary Militano (later Warkmeister; April 26, 1955 – July 16, 2024) was an American competitive figure skater who competed as a single skater and pair skater. As a pair skater, she won the U.S. Figure Skating Championships three times, in 1973 with her brother Mark Militano and in 1974 and 1975 with Johnny Johns. Their coaches included Peter Dunfield and Ron Ludington.

Melissa Militano
Full nameMelissa Mary Militano
Born(1955-04-26)April 26, 1955
Rockville Centre, New York, U.S.
DiedJuly 16, 2024(2024-07-16) (aged 69)
Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Height5 ft 0 in (152 cm)
Figure skating career
CountryUnited States
Skating clubSC of New York
Retired1975
Medal record
Representing United States
Pairs' Figure skating
North American Championships
Silver medal – second place 1971 Peterborough Pairs

Biography

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Melissa and Mark Militano represented the United States at the 1972 Winter Olympics where they placed 7th.

Militano was also a talented singles skater. At the 1970 United States Figure Skating Championships, she became one of the first female skaters to successfully perform a triple toe loop jump in competition, in a performance that won her the bronze medal in the junior ladies division.[1] At the 1971 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, she won the junior ladies title, again landing a clean triple toe loop.[2] She later gave up competing in singles skating to focus on pairs.

Militano and Johns retired from competitive skating in 1975 and toured with Ice Capades. After her marriage in 1979, she had little involvement with skating for many years, but later worked as a part-time coach in Las Vegas, Nevada. She died there after a brief battle with lymphoma on July 16, 2024, at the age of 69.[3]

Competitive highlights

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Ladies' singles

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National
Event 1970 1971 1972
U.S. Championships 3rd J 1st J 8th
J = Junior level

Pairs with Johnny Johns

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International
Event 1974 1975
World Championships 8th 6th
National
U.S. Championships 1st 1st

Pairs with Mark Militano

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International
Event 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973
Winter Olympics 7th
World Championships 8th 8th 6th 9th 8th
North American Champ. 4th 2nd
National
U.S. Championships 3rd 2nd 2nd 2nd 1st

References

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  1. ^ "U.S. Championships", Skating magazine, Apr 1970
  2. ^ "Nationals", Skating magazine, Apr 1971
  3. ^ "Paris Champion Melissa Militano Passes Away". US Figure Skating. July 18, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
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