Throughout her figure-skating career, Fratianne was coached by
Frank Carroll. Fratianne became the first female skater to land two different types of triple jumps (
toe loop and
Salchow) in her free-skating programs in 1976 at the
U.S. National Championships, finishing in second place. The next year, Fratianne won the gold medal. but in fact only two of the nine judges on the panel were from Eastern-bloc countries, and only the judges from Japan and the U.S. placed Fratianne first. All others placed Pötzsch first, mainly because of her substantial lead in the compulsory figures. After the 1980 Winter Games, Fratianne competed at the 1980 World Figure Skating Championships in
Dortmund,
West Germany, where she won the bronze medal behind her rivals Pötzsch and Lurz from West Germany. Fratianne was known for "cementing the importance of triple jumps in [women's] skating." She also popularized simple but elaborate ornamentation and the use of sequins on skating costumes. == Personal life ==