The Future of Figure Skating

Episode Notes My guest today is ice dancer and choreographer Jean-Luc Baker. With his partner Kaitlin Hawayak, Jean-Luc is the 2018 Four Continents Champion, a 4-time US Bronze Medalist, and a 2022 Olympian. Since stepping away from competition a few seasons ago, Jean-Luc has embraced his role as a coach and choreographer. He continues to teach seminars through his organization Your True Step, which he runs with friends Nathan Chen and Sam Chouinard, and he has even tried out commentating during the practice streams at US Nationals and Worlds. Jean-Luc works with teams at the Ice Academy of Montreal and the Michigan Ice Dance Academy, and has also branched out into choreographing for pairs and singles skaters. As you’ll hear, Jean-Luc is a believer in the power of authenticity, and he isn’t scared to have an opinion - which I love! Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vwYtH4oPbBzQw-QYwuQHxW-EeXsdzXotEUcHLZak5ZY/edit?tab=t.0 YouTube: https://youtu.be/WjV4Hn7415c You can learn more about Your True Step on Instagram at @ yourtruestep and follow Jean-Luc at @jeanlucbaker Kaitlin Hawayak and Jean-Luc Baker, 2024 Rhythm Dance, filmed by On Ice Perspectives: https://youtu.be/Wru_Mz8UbCM?si=WdDHGtGCyBdmA_pV Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud 24/25 Short Program, choreo by Jean-Luc Baker and Olivia Smart: https://youtu.be/tmNH4uVoM90?si=DVeM6kfqYZGrHHq2 Caroline Green and Michael Parsons 24/25 Free Dance, choreo by Jean-Luc Baker: https://youtu.be/h-yquwGqLG0?si=Qcaon2qkGTuTvMGF You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at [email protected] or Instagram @futurefspodcast If you appreciate the podcast, you can also support my work with the Tip Jar at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co Remember to subscribe to The Future of Figure Skating on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts, and share it with your friends! Support The Future of Figure Skating by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/futureoffigureskating

Episode Notes Peter Grütter competed representing Switzerland throughout the 1950s and 60s, including at the 1964 Winter Olympic Games in Innsbruck. He's now been a coach for more than 60 years and is acknowledged as an expert when it comes to steps and turns and control of the blade. His most famous student is Stéphane Lambiel, who he coached to two world championship titles and the Olympic silver medal in 2006. After the end of compulsory figures, Peter took what he had learned from his coach, the legendary Jack Gershwiler, and created a series of warm-up steps and turns that could be used for his students to maintain their mastery of the blade. These steps and turns are now available as an e-learning course through the ISU's eRink program. Peter still teaches, including coming every Wednesday to the Skating School in Champery to work with young skaters. We were very lucky to be able to watch his master class during the 2024 summer camp in Champery and to get to sit down with this great coach to learn about his ideas for the future of the sport. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/EGiyQDfaDiY?feature=shared Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1avXr_BnHlap96sVQrMz0_Mh8Cxq5q4kqdR4QMgkSE3U/edit?tab=t.0 Steps & Turns eRink course: https://elearning.isu.org/course/view.php?id=440 More about Jack Gerschwiler https://www.skateguardblog.com/2020/07/getting-to-know-gersch-jacques.html “The Technique of Skating” 1977 book by Otto Hugin and Jack Gerschwiler 2003 Interview w/ Peter : https://web.archive.org/web/20070928143716/http://www.stephanelambiel.ch/int%26art/interviews/e-gr%C3%BCtter201203.html 2009 Interview: http://www.absoluteskating.com/index.php?cat=interviews&id=2009grutter 2013 Interview: http://www.absoluteskating.com/index.php?cat=interviews&id=2013gruetter You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to by email at [email protected] or on Instagram at futurefspodcast and Bluesky at futureoffs. If you appreciate the podcast, you can also support my work with a tip jar at futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co. Remember to subscribe to the Future of Figure Skating on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts and share it with your friends! Support The Future of Figure Skating by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/futureoffigureskating

Episode Notes Today's guest is Jamal Othman, the managing director for the Ice Academy of Montreal and Markey International Arts. Jamal was the 2009 Swiss national champion. In his post-competitive career, he has combined his interest in international business with his love of skating. In this episode, we talk about marketing and branding, the Olympic cycle, and how ice dance can fit between sports, art, and entertainment. This is also the first video episode for the Future of Figure Skating, so make sure to check out and subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch this conversation and future episodes. Thank you again to Jamal for sharing his thoughts and experiences with us. As always, the episode transcript is available: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bTCEZLBswkXeYA9fyBiWu_7Cgil6m8UYQSLgCV36-wY/edit You can follow Jamal’s work at @iceacademyofmontreal and @markeyintlarts on Instagram. You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at [email protected] or on Instagram and Twitter @futurefspodcast . We are also now on YouTube, so make sure to subscribe there too for video episodes! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHbYK7VLpHJSCbfQwEcqGhg Special thanks to Ivan Danilyuk for editing and technical assistance. If you appreciate the podcast, you can also support my work with the Tip Jar at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co Remember to subscribe and review The Future of Figure Skating podcast on whatever platform you use, and share it with your friends! Support The Future of Figure Skating by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/futureoffigureskating Find out more at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes What would it take to increase the power of figure skaters so they can influence the decisions that govern their sport? Where else in the Olympic movement is progress being made? What can we learn from sports where players’ unions and collective bargaining are common? To answer some of these questions, I turned to Rob Koehler, the Director General of Global Athlete, an organization that helps athletes to organize and speak out on the issues they care about. Rob was previously the Deputy Director General of the World Anti-Doping Agency, the most senior of many positions he held at WADA between 2002 and 2018. He was also vice-chair of the WADA Independent Observer team at the Sochi Olympics. Rob is based in Montreal, Canada. I hope this episode gives you a taste of what is possible when athletes organize and use their voices to push for fairer sport! Transcript is available here. You can follow Rob on Twitter at @RobKoehler2 and Global Athlete @GlobalAthlete. You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at [email protected] or on Instagram and Twitter @futurefspodcast If you appreciate the podcast, you can also support my work with the Tip Jar at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co Remember to subscribe and review The Future of Figure Skating podcast on whatever platform you use, and share it with your friends! Resources Olympic Commercialization and Player Compensation: A Review of Olympic Financial Reports. Report by The Ted Rogers School of Management in partnership with Global Athlete - April 2020 https://www.globalathlete.org/research-and-surveys/olympic-commericalization R2O: Effective Athlete Representation in Global Sport 2023. Survey by the World Players Association June 2023. https://uniglobalunion.org/report/r2o-effective-athlete-representation-in-global-sport-2023/ Athletes Germany https://athleten-deutschland.org/en/english/ Rule 40: Do athletes control their image during the Olympics https://athelogroup.com/blog/rule-40-and-the-olympics/ Rule 50: Athlete expression and protest https://olympics.com/athlete365/athlete-expression-rule-50/ Open Letter to the IOC: https://www.globalathlete.org/our-word/open-letter-ioc-russia-belarus-june-2023 Open Letter Call for Skate Canada and the Government of Canada to Address Abuse in Figure Skating https://www.globalathlete.org/our-word/open-letter-call-for-skate-canada-and-the-government-of-canada-to-address-abuse-in-figure-skating Canadian Parliament Standing Committee on the Status of Women report, Time to Listen to Survivors: Taking Action Towards Creating a Safe Sport Environment for All Athletes in Canada, Recommends the “Government of Canada establish an independent national public inquiry into maltreatment in sports in Canada”. Athletics Association https://athleticsassociation.org/ THE ATHLETICS ASSOCIATION WELCOMES RETURN TO 32 EVENTS IN NEW DIAMOND LEAGUE FORMAT https://athleticsassociation.org/updates/the-athletics-association-welcomes-greater-inclusivity-in-new-diamond-league-format International Swimmers Alliance https://www.internationalswimmersalliance.org/ Aspen Institute, Project Play “Children’s Rights in Sport” https://projectplay.org/childrens-rights-and-sports Sharon Stoll, “What Kind of Character do Athletes Possess” https://thesportjournal.org/article/what-type-of-character-do-athletes-possess/ Evan Bates speaks out https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2023/06/23/olympic-skaters-still-missing-medals-500-days-later/70349368007/ ISU Athletes Commission https://www.isu.org/inside-isu/about/athletes-commission ISU Statement on support for Ukrainian skaters and Russian/Belarussian Participation, June 2023 https://www.isu.org/isu-news/news/145-news/14614-isu-statement-ioc-recommendations-of-march-28-2023?templateParam=15 Support The Future of Figure Skating by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/futureoffigureskating Find out more at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Today’s guest is Ryan Stevens. Ryan is the author of three reference books about figure skating history and the fantastic resource that is the Skate Guard blog. A former figure skater and judge from Halifax, Nova Scotia, he also writes for “Skating” magazine and US Figure Skating. I’ve appreciated Ryan’s interest in all corners of skating history, especially the figures who have been forgotten by mainstream history. This conversation gave us a chance to talk about why things are the way they are, the processes of change, and our hopes for the future of the sport! A full transcript is available here You can follow Ryan on Twitter and Instagram @SkateGuardBlog and at https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/ where you can also pre-order his upcoming biography of Jackson Haines. You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at [email protected] or on Instagram and Twitter @futurefspodcast If you appreciate the podcast, you can also support my work with the Tip Jar at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co Remember to subscribe to The Future of Figure Skating podcast on whatever platform you use, and share it with your friends! Resources: https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/ Ryan’s books are Technical Merit: A History of Figure Skating Jumps, The Almanac of Canadian Figure Skating, and Figure Skating: A Bibliography You can buy them on Amazon! Madge Syers: The Mother of Figure Skating https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2013/06/spotlight-on-madge-syers-mother-of.html Fancy Dan’s and Figure Eights https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2016/06/fancy-dans-and-figure-eights-skatings.html Example of a “well-balanced program” from the 1970s including intentional single, double and triple jumps - Toller Cranston 1972 World Championship FS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQnf6kOtbFQ Atoy Wilson (Ice Theatre of NY profile) https://www.icetheatre.org/atoy-wilson-blm.html Axels at the Apollo: The Joseph Vanterpool Story https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2021/03/axels-at-apollo-theater-joseph.html The Almanac of Professional Figure Skating Competitions https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2021/05/the-almanac-of-professional-figure.html One Night Only: Professional And Pro-Am Competitions That Didn't Stick Around https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2020/06/one-night-only-professional-and-pro-am.html Isabela Butler: Figure Skating’s Best-Kept Secret https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2016/03/isabella-butler-figure-skatings-best.html Jackson Haines: The Skating King (Ryan’s new book) https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2015/08/jackson-haines-definitive-biography.html A History of Doping in Figure Skating https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/2022/02/a-history-of-doping-in-figure-skating.html Support The Future of Figure Skating by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/futureoffigureskating Find out more at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Three-time Olympian Kirsten Moore-Towers is one of the most highly-decorated Canadian skaters of her generation. Kirsten has also been an outspoken advocate for athlete mental health and eating disorder awareness, including participating in the TSN documentary Disorder where she spoke openly about her own struggles with body image and bulimia. Kirsten and Mike retired from competitive skating at the end of the last season, and have since toured with Stars on Ice and begun coaching. My pairs partner Erica and I were lucky enough to work with them this past August! Kirsten's new consulting venture is KMT Performance and she's on Instagram and Twitter @Kirsten_MT. We discussed the Skate Canada Body Positive guidelines, and comments by Gabi Papadakis about gender presentation in the documentary Le Couple de Feu. Transcripts are available for each episode here, You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at [email protected] or on Instagram and Twitter @futurefspodcast Remember to subscribe to The Future of Figure Skating podcast on whatever platform you use, and share it with your friends!