Tenley Albright

When Albright was 11 years old, she developed nonparlytic polio (also known as poliomyelitis or infantile paralysis), which put her in the hospital for three weeks. She could not use her leg, back, or neck. Many people suffering from the viral disease became paralyzed because it attacked motor nerve tissues. Albright's doctors urged her to begin skating soon after her illness was over because it would help work her back muscles, which had been weakened by the illness. Albright soon began taking skating very seriously.

Tenley Albright

Within a few months of recovering from her illness, Albright won the under 12 category at the Eastern Regional Championship. Albright won a number of titles over the next few years. She was the National Ladies Novice Singles Championship title winner in 1949, and then the National Junior Champion in 1950. In 1951, she won the U.S. Ladies Senior Eastern Championship and finished second at the U.S. Championship behind Sonya Klopfer.

While Albright was serious about skating—to the point that she would spend summers practicing at locations with indoor rinks—academics remained important to her as well. She wanted to be a surgeon like her father, and would study between practice sessions and skates, even at competitions. Her hard work would pay off when she succeeded in both areas of her life.