As he finishes his second term on the ISU Athletes Commission, Eric Radford joined me to talk about how skaters can use their voices to impact decision-making.

Eric Radford is the 2018 Olympic Bronze medalist in Pairs and the gold medalist in the team event, as well as a two-time World Champion. In 2019, he was elected as the singles and pairs representative for the ISU Athlete Commission. In 2022 he was elected chair of the commission, and served on the ISU Council until May 2025.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/qY0jK1254pc

Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AJk0YWXs6OBlMd8RkBCmDV-nLNkZDN_e9YlOJAh0xtA/edit?tab=t.0

You can follow Eric on Instagram at @ ericradford85

You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at fsfuturepodcast@gmail.com or Instagram @futurefspodcast

You can also support the podcast by making a one-time or recurring contribution at Ko-Fi.com/futureoffigureskating.

Remember to subscribe to The Future of Figure Skating on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts, and share it with your friends!

ISU Athlete Commission

https://isu.org/athletes-commission/

Communication 2427: 2021 Election Procedures

Communication 2763: 2026 Election Procedures

Recommended listening:

Episode Rob Koehler, Global Athlete: https://youtu.be/j4pGmeyfMqk

Episode 38: Elizabeth Ramsey, Team USA Athlete Commission: https://youtu.be/7MZRvvdw7Gg

Episode 53: Evan Bates, ISU AC Rep for Ice Dance: https://youtu.be/W_0pfpjkHh0
Article on music rights: “Making Music in Skating Legal”

Erica Rand has just published a new book called ‘Skating Away from the Binary’, which looks at our skating and our struggle to be allowed to compete as a gender-nonconforming pair team, and examines issues around gender binaries, sports, and politics in a very accessible way.

As well as being my pairs partner and friend, Erica is a professor of Art and Visual Culture and of Gender and Sexuality Studies at Bates College. Many of her courses concern the intersections of gender, race, and sexuality—including a course called Queer and Trans Sports Studies. A longtime activist and cultural critic, Erica has written on topics ranging from Barbie to Ellis Island, and has used her experience as an adult figure skater and group-lessons coach to help her think and write about opening up sport and movement for all.

Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZJtaqOxw0iczfAoyGiiY94Z-fqo8yh3ZX0GvLPTzxm0/edit?tab=t.0

You can order “Skating Away from the Binary” through the University of Minnesota Press: https://www.upress.umn.edu/9781517920555/skating-away-from-the-binary/

Links:
More about Erica: https://www.bates.edu/faculty/profile...

Erica’s first book skating book, “Red Nails, Black Skates”
https://www.dukeupress.edu/red-nails-...

Riki Wilchins, When Texas Came for Our Kids
/ when-texas-came-for-our-kids

You can reach me with comments or suggestions for people I should talk to by email at fsfuturepodcast @ gmail.com or instagram at futurefspodcast.

You can also support the podcast by making a one-time or recurring contribution at Ko-Fi.com/futureoffigureskating.

Dr Ami Parekh made history as the first skater to represent India at the World Championships. She now works as a physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor. She is passionate about helping skaters be healthy at all stages of their career, and frequently works as the medical director at competitions. Ami is also the Executive Director of the Chicago Youth Foundation, an organization which brings figure skating and hockey to underserved communities.

https://youtu.be/MOouEgSLzfA

Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_4p7mYDm2plc2yYwI5Wfy3eZ34-LYqxgrmfcpRyqMe4/edit?usp=sharing

You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at fsfuturepodcast@gmail.com or Instagram @futurefspodcast If you appreciate the podcast, you can also support my work with a one-time or monthly contribution at ko-fi.com/futureoffigureskating

https://www.chicagoyouthfoundation.org/

Ami Parekh India Worlds 2007 Short program

Ami Parekh INDIA "Raga Jazz" 2014 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships Taipei, Tawain

Ami Parekh - 2013 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships,Osaka LP

Chicago Youth Foundation on local news

https://youtu.be/gxh4fainK48?si=Nh4SUqgRtq2S-ZrQ

Bharatnatyam on Ice:

https://www.facebook.com/thebetterindia/videos/2879877888944953/?rdid=TZ6lsbLjUvDlB3Fn

Meryl and Charlie Bollywood OD 2010

https://youtu.be/Pn37SMb_5NM?si=4VaNIB2TsuvT4baW

Tara Prasad

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2cQ4QjTNEAw

Kat Arbour, Ice Dynamics off-ice training

https://icedynamics.app/

Helmet Safety

https://youtube.com/shorts/DFwCupGDqtQ?si=SQUNu4LUFmu4cpUz

Early specialization and talent development in figure skating: Elite coaches’ perspectives https://ciss-journal.org/article/view/8744/13311

Health Consequences of Youth Sport Specialization https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6805065/

Jimmy Morgan is a coach and choreographer and the co-Vice President of American Ice Theatre. Previously, he competed at the national level in pairs with his partner Alex Shaughnessy. Jimmy is an advocate for LGBTQ + inclusion in sports, and through both his work on the ice and his social media presence, he encourages people to engage with figure skating and art in general as a way to learn more about yourself and engage with new ideas. Jimmy is also one of my pairs coaches! We a really fun conversation about queerness in skating, the growing field of showcase competitions and philosophical topics like how to judge art, the inherent unfairness of sport, and why skating appeals to the casual viewer.

Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C... Support on Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/futureoffigureskating

You can follow Jimmy on Instagram @ hashtagjimmy. You can reach me with comments or suggestions for people I should talk to by email at fsfuturepodcast @ gmail.com or instagram @ futurefspodcast.

Jimmy Morgan, Ryan Dunk “Modern Dreams” “ • "Modern Dream" - Figure Skating Choreograp...

Jimmy Morgan “I Hate Figure Skating” • "I HATE SKATING" - Figure Skating Choreogr... • Ballet sur glace Villard-de-lans élite 202... • "Mother Nature" Koko Hirano practices her ... • Trans People Don't Make Sports Unfair - Sp... • How I'd Make Figure Skating Popular Again ...

With transgender inclusion in sports being the target of intense political attacks, I was grateful to speak with an athlete who has been a leading voice for inclusive sport. Grace McKenzie (she/her) is a transgender woman and lifelong athlete who found an inclusive and welcoming support network within the U.S, women's rugby community, which she describes as the most transformative experience of her transition journey. She was recruited to her first team in 2019, and played for 7 years across the United States for highly competitive clubs including the Berkeley All Blues and the New York Rugby Club.

When World Rugby announced its plans to ban trans women internationally from the sport in 2020, Grace took action by organizing a global movement in opposition. She started a petition that accumulated over 25,000 signatures, and has engaged hundreds of clubs and dozens of professional athletes around the world through Rugby for All an organization that she helped co-found, and as an Advisory Council member of the Sport & Rights Alliance Since then, Grace has shared her story and advocacy at numerous forums around the world including the United Nations, prior to her retirement from the sport in early 2025.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/lgtcGR0bd6U

Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H_ky1ylon2lSY15Yn71MNgvCV-ln_gVErIEwmYsT1LM/edit?tab=t.0

You can follow Grace on Instagram @withgracetoo

Rugby for All https://www.instagram.com/rugbyforall.co/

Sports & Rights Alliance https://www.instagram.com/sportandrightsalliance/

You can learn more about resources for transgender figure skaters and their allies at skatingpartner.com

You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at fsfuturepodcast@gmail.com or Instagram @futurefspodcast

If you appreciate the podcast, you can also support my work with a one-time or ongoing donation on Ko-Fi, www.ko-fi.com/futureoffigureskating

Links:

Grace powerfully represented trans women in the debate at the Play the Game conference, which you can watch here: https://www.playthegame.org/conferences/play-the-game-2025/live-streaming/

New USFS “Category Policy” (October 2025)

https://usfigureskating.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a74f8ee4ba91875df45aa1592&id=cca7538f2a&e=412852edf6

Today I’m joined by figure skater and author Andrew J Sass. Andrew’s first middle-grade novel, “Ana on the Edge” features a 12-year-old non-binary figure skater coming to terms with her identity and what it means for her ambitions in the sport. It’s a sweet and compelling story that I think figure skating fans of any age will enjoy. Andrew is himself a non-binary adult skater and a judge, as well as the author of three novels for middle-school-age readers. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his husband and “two cats who act like dogs”.

Episode Transcript and Links

You can follow Andrew @matokah on Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. You can also find more information about his books at https://sassinsf.com

You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at fsfuturepodcast@gmail.com 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!

Find out more at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co

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On this episode, I'm joined by author and professional skater Karina Manta. With her ice dance partner Joe Johnson, Karina competed internationally for the US. Karina and Joe made history as the first team where both partners were out as LGBTQ, and Karina was also the first woman skater to come out while competing - it took until 2018 to break that barrier, which is just mindblowing!

Karina’s memoir is called "On Top of Glass, My Stories as a Queer Girl in Figure Skating." She’s a beautiful writer and I highly recommend the book! Since retiring from competition in 2019, Karina has also toured with Cirque de Soleil and won the British reality show Dancing on Ice.

You can see a transcript for this episode here

You can follow Karina @karinamanta on Instagram. Her website is karinamanta.com. You reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at fsfuturepodcast@gmail.com 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!

Resources and Links:

“Karina Manta is Team USA’s First Out Female Figure Skater” The Advocate, 2018

“On Top of Glass: My Stories as a Queer Girl in Figure Skating” 2021 (linked to Amazon for reference but please support your local bookstore)

Manta/Johnson FD 2019 US Nationals - their rendition of "Sweet Dreams" received a standing ovation in Detroit.

Regan Gascoigne and Karina Manta skating in Dancing on Ice (Final) (27/3/22)

Ice Dance International performance of “Revival” including Karina and Joe

The Skating Body is on Instagram @theskatingbody

I referenced “Little Girls in Pretty Boxes: The Making and Breaking of Elite Gymnasts and Figure Skaters” by Joan Ryan. Originally published in 1995, it also has an updated edition from 2018