American figure skater, who started skating at eight and was the figure skating Junior World Champion within four years. In the Winter Olympics of 1984, she finished fourth and won the Bronze at the 1986 Olympics. When she was 16 years old, she had a spin named after her, which was called “the Chin spin”. She turned pro in November 1987, starting an 18-month tour for $1 million as a special guest with the ice capades.
When she was nine years old, her mother Marjorie bought Chin her first pair of skates for $1 at a San Diego garage sale. At 12, she advanced to her first junior nationals while still wearing braces. Carlo Fassi, one of the world’s most respected coaches, wanted Chin to be his student, promising her everything. He had previously coached Peggy Fleming, Robin Cousins, and John Curry. He trained them in Colorado Springs, Colorado and they had all become Olympic champions. Chin decided she did not want his help, and has never regretted the decision. At age 13 she won the World Junior Championship, and at 15, was performing the most demanding jump, a triple axle. No other woman could do it at the time. Even Fleming applauded for her in a practice, which is compared to being knighted by a queen.
Chin is tiny at 5’2″ and 107 lbs., pretty and charming. Her mother said she was a happy girl from childhood. At the age of 16, she finished second to Rosalyn Sumners in the National Championships, and earned a fourth place, making her future apparent in the 1984 winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. Chin won the National Championship in 1985, but she lacked Nationals, and third in the world for the second straight year. Despite her skill, the judges were no longer enamored of her.
By now, with competitive years behind her Chin was depressed at times and unhappy, whether she was skating well or poorly. She had a muscle imbalance, which her mother noticed the year after the 1984 Olympics. Hardly anyone had noticed it, not even Chin herself. She was held out of training for three months in 1985 when she could not even cross her legs, let alone skate like a champion. It affected the muscles in her hips, knees, and ankles. That diminished her skating skills, and she spent a lot of time in therapy.
Her family says that the sport devours the young, and her mother fought back to save her daughter, almost losing her. Tiffany says that she is desensitized, and does not believe it was worth the effort, although skating has a beautiful side.
When she was 12, rumors were spread that her mother mistreated her, however there was no evidence. Anonymous telephone calls said Marjorie beat Chin, and threatened her with a knife. This made Marjorie upset, but they pressed on. She drove Chin four days a week between San Diego and Burbank for 6:00 AM practice, and then back for elementary school. Before Chin’s 14th birthday, they moved to Redondo Beach in order to be closer to the rink, 1981. The gossip followed, but less than two years later, her mother decided to get another coach, John Nicks, in Costa Mesa. Her mother admits having demanding discipline on Chin in the areas of education and work habits on the ice. After Chin won the National Championships in 1985, she decided to get away from her mom at age 17 and become independent. When she thought she might not make the U.S. team for the Olympics in Calgary, at age 20, she announced her retirement from competitive skating, and signed a seven-figure contract with an ice show.
Link to Wikipedia biography