Ice Castles (1978)

Alexis "Lexie" Winston (Lynn-Holly Johnson) is a young girl from a small town in Iowa, who dreams of becoming a champion figure skater. Her boyfriend, Nick Peterson (Robby Benson), dreams of being a hockey player.


Coached by a family friend & former skater, Lexie enters a regional championship despite her father's protests. There, she is discovered by an elite coach (Jennifer Warren) who sees her potential despite a lack of training and qualifications at an advanced age for figure skaters. Despite initial protests from her father (Tom Skerritt) Lexie moves from her home in Waverly, Iowa to train at the legendary Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She is not well received by the other girls because of the attention lavished on her natural talent, but she proves herself and qualifies for the next level. Lexie's life is drastically changed; she becomes a star, alienates her boyfriend and begins dating an older man.


Feeling uncomfortable at a party, Lexie leaves and goes to the rink nearby to skate in her dress clothes. In plain view of party goers & coach, she jumps, attempting to perform a triple, and as she lands, trips on a set of tables & chairs on the edge of the ice, causing her to fall and hit her head. This accident creates a blood clot in her brain, causing her to lose her eyesight. The doctor is uncertain if her injury is permanent.


In the midst of feeling sorry for herself, she and Nick rediscover their love for each other. With help from Nick, her father Marcus and original coach Beulah, Lexie begins to realize that she can still fulfill her dreams with Nick's reverse psychology & tough love, learns how to skate blind and competes once again, skating a flawless program that merits an enthusiastic standing ovation from the crowd. Her ruse, however, is discovered when she trips over the roses thrown onto the ice by adoring fans after her performance, she promptly loses her footing, and falls to the ice. Nick rushes to her side, commenting "We forgot about the flowers", pointing out the obvious reaction by fans to an excellent performance.