The Future of Figure Skating

Jae Youl Kim was reelected as president of the International Skating Union at the federation's Congress which wrapped up Friday in Tenerife, Spain. In this exclusive interview, he talks about athlete compensation and the comments by IOC President Kirsty Coventry, as well as how the ISU leadership will try to communicate better and avoid misunderstandings with athletes and coaches when changes are...

Tatsuro Matsumura is a current member of the ISU Council, having served in that role since 2018. He was a competitive ice dancer and coach, before working with the Japanese Skating Federation and Japanese Olympic Committee.  The International Skating Union's Congress is being held from June 10th through 12th, and at this meeting, member federations of the ISU will vote on office holders, including...

Jimmy Stryhn Meyer is a candidate for the ISU Council. He is the president of the Luxembourg Figure Skating Federation, and is also president of the Staff Committee at the European Court of Justice. The International Skating Union's Congress is being held from June 10th through 12th, and at this meeting, member federations of the ISU will vote on office holders, including the President, the Vice P...

Oleksandr Volkov is a board member of the Ukrainian Figure Skating Federation, and a lawyer specializing in cross-border litigation, international arbitration and sports and esports law. He spoke to me from his office in Kiev, and had to relocate to the basement mid-interview when Russian bombing began.  The International Skating Union's Congress is being held from June 10th through 12th, and at t...

Dr Susanna Rahkamo has been a member of the ISU Council since 2022. With her partner Petri Kokko she was the 1995 European Champion in Ice Dance, and was the originator of the Finnstep pattern dance. She has served as the President of Skate Finland, and in leadership roles with the Finnish and European Olympic Committees, and was previously the leader of the ISU Development Commission. Dr Rahkamo...

Robin Cousins is one of the candidates running for the ISU Council. The 1980 Olympic champion, he has served in many roles within figure skating as a choreographer, a professional skater, a also most recently has been the president of British ice skating. I also spoke with Robin for a full podcast episode at 2025 Europeans, which you can find in our playlists as Episode 54. https://youtu.be/jHgI5n...

Jatta Muhonen is a doctoral researcher in psychology at the University of Helsinki, and a former top synchronized skater from Finland. Having personally navigated emotional abuse within the sport, she now dedicates her career to athlete welfare.  Her PhD examines the factors shaping athletes’ experiences of emotional abuse and their readiness to recognize and disclose it, with a particular focus o...

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...

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 St...

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 f...

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 ab...

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 he...

Episode Notes Stéphane Lambiel is a two-time World Champion and the 2006 Olympic silver medalist. He continues to perform in shows around the world, as well as working as a choreographer and the head coach of the Skating School of Switzerland. Chris Trevisan is the Director of the Skating School and was previously a guest on the Future of Figure Skating (episode 14). In this conversation, recorded...

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, whi...

Episode Notes In this episode, Louise Walden-Edwards shares her journey of writing her first children's book, 'Ice Dream Sundays,' which aims to inspire young skaters and promote inclusivity in sports. Louise Walden was the 2011 British national champion in ice dance, and now works as a coach, choreographer, and TV commentator for Eurosport. We talk about Louise’s journey to becoming an author, he...

Episode Notes My guest today is the 1980 Olympic Champion Robin Cousins. In his amateur competitive career, Robin won three world medals, a European title, and four British national championships. He has also had a prolific professional career, appearing in and producing numerous ice shows and competitions, judging Dancing on Ice, commentating for the BBC, and even appearing on stage in West End p...

Episode Notes Evan Bates is an American ice dancer, and with his partner Madison Chock, is the three-time and reigning World Champion in ice dance. He is also a four-time Olympian and a gold medalist in the team event from Beijing. In 2022, Evan was elected by his peers to be the first ice dance representative to the ISU Athletes Commission. I spoke to Evan last winter about his experience as a re...

Episode Notes Zabato Bebe is the skating choreographer for the ice shows at Phantasialand in Germany, where he also contributes to casting and finding new talent for their shows. He previously skated with Cirque du Soleil and has developed a unique style that blends elements of hip hop, African dance, and breaking on the ice. I first encountered Zabato after he had a video go viral last year featu...

Episode Notes Pooja Kalyan is a former Team USA skater and current Brown University student. Pooja competed in the Junior Grand Prix in 2018 , and at Skate America in 2020, before injuries forced her to pause her elite career. At Brown, she co-captains the collegiate team and is passionate about expanding opportunities for skaters at all levels and building a supportive team culture. Pooja also se...

Episode Notes Gary Beacom is a 1984 Canadian Olympian who has continued to perform and compete for more than half a century to develop mastery through theoretical and experimental research. Gary teaches seminars around the world, and with his YouTube channel, he shares exercises, challenges, and pieces of choreography, encouraging skaters at all levels to learn good technique and explore the blade...

Episode Notes Czech sibling ice dance team Natalie Taschlerova and Filip Taschler have been skating together since 2017, and have placed as high as 8th in the World. They have made many fans because of their unique style, and the strength and speed they bring to the ice. In the last year, Natalie and Filip have spoken out about the pressures that social media and judging put on the mental and phys...

Episode Notes In this episode, I spoke with two ice dancers who have become strong advocates for survivors of sexual assault. Soléne Mazingue is a two-time Estonian national champion and three-time competitor at the World Championships. She made headlines for returning to competition after recovering from life-threatening brain injuries. Olivia Oliver is a Polish national champion and represented...

Episode Notes Tarah Kayne is a retired competitive pair skater and a coach and choreographer. With her former partner Danny O’Shea, Tarah is the 2018 Four Continents champion, and 2016 US national champion. In our conversation, Tarah reflected on the challenges she had to overcome in her career, including financial barriers and several severe injuries. She also shared the importance of mental heal...

Episode Notes Madison Hubbell and Gabriella Papadakis debuted their new professional partnership at Art on Ice 2025. I spoke to them backstage in Zurich about providing an example of what open-gender ice dance can look like, and their advocacy for change in the sport. Gabriella Papadakis is the 2022 Olympic Gold Medalist in Ice Dance and a five-time world champion. She was also a guest on the Futu...

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 silve...