Early Years

Peggy Fleming as a Young Child

Peggy Gale Fleming was born on July 27, 1948, in San Jose, California. She grew up on a farm in Morgan Hill, CA with her three sisters, her mother and her father. Her family eventually moved to the Los Gatos hills. Peggy, a tomboy at heart, enjoyed tending farm animals, playing baseball with the neighborhood boys, and later, playing under the giant redwoods.

Peggy Fleming’s Skating Career Begins

Many people have either read about, or remember from experience, that Peggy’s mother, Doris, played a huge role in Peggy’s career as a figure skater. However, her father, Al Fleming was the one who introduced her to the sport. One Saturday in 1957, Peggy’s father packed up the girls and took them ice skating. Peggy and her parents knew this was her gift. During that first year – she skated every day, for one to two hours.

Peggy Fleming as a Young Teenager – Olympics at Age 15

As a young teen, Peggy competed in local and junior national championships. By this time, her family had moved to Pasadena, CA and Peggy was training and competing for what would eventually become her legacy. In 1961, after the tragic loss of the entire US Figure skating team in a plane crash, Peggy came into the national spotlight and in 1964 (age 15), Peggy Fleming competed in her first Olympics, where she took 6th place.