[5][6][7] His emphasis on freer musical expression and less rigid body lines set him apart from most other men's singles competitors of his era.

[8] He has also been credited with innovating fashion for male competitors by wearing a more athletic costume of a jumpsuit and turtleneck sweater rather than the more formal suit-and-tie outfit that was otherwise universal in the 1960s.

[9][10] He earned a spot on the 1968 Olympic team at age 18 by edging out Scott Allan for third place at that year's U.S.

Fourth after the compulsory figures, he earned a standing ovation for a dramatic performance that included a jump he invented called the Bourkey, after his coach, described by Sports Illustrated as “jump in which he kicks sideways, whirls, arches and generally hangs around up in the air long enough to wash out a pair of sweat socks.”[4] Petkevich was the recipient of an unusual trophy.

[2] In 1970, while at Harvard, he founded An Evening with Champions, a long-running annual ice show that raises money to benefit the Jimmy Fund and Dana–Farber Cancer Institute.

[11] Following his skating career, Petkevich originally intended to go to medical school,[3] but after attending University of Oxford as a Rhodes scholar, and studying virology,[2] he earned a Ph.D. in cell biology in 1978.

[12] Petkevich is on the board of trustees of the United States Figure Skating Foundation, serves as its treasurer and is chairman of the investment committee.