The Future of Figure Skating

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 on the role of athletic identity. Her multifaceted career also includes roles as a safeguarding officer, performance (sport) psychology practitioner, and athlete performance lifestyle advisor (focus on athlete retirement), bridging the gap between research and practice.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/0rEgBHaCjIM
Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kW-xBoKPqhTdUUvgwTWacmQ6m7MPqH0-nkO7yCs2fxY/edit?tab=t.0

You can follow Jatta on Instagram at @ jatta_safesport

You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at [email protected] 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!

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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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.

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