The Future of Figure Skating

• Pooja Kalyan

  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 served as an athlete representative on the US Figure Skating board of directors. She serves on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion taskforce for US Figure Figure Skating, and is an ambassador for Diversify Ice. I learned a lot from Pooja about the challenges of skating at a high level, including managing injuries and the pressure of training and competition. I hope you also enjoy this look into her career so far!  Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cdFj3jwm_4YQNGRdbxk5uGo-0CBp9I4owriqzJPQevk/edit?usp=drive_link YouTube: https://youtu.be/yf-h-fo9K3s You can follow Pooja on instagram @ poojakalyanskates  US Figure Skating DEI taskforce https://www.usfigureskating.org/about/who-we-are/diversity-equity-and-inclusion Pooja Kalyan 2018 nationals https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RadTGfgM2OM&pp=ygUMcG9vamEga2FseWFu Pooja Kalyan On Ice Perspectives “All Human Beings” program by Lori Nichols https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8miWMIO9qQ&pp=ygUMcG9vamEga2FseWFu Pooja as a juvenile skater in 2013 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77C37ZmLoCk&pp=ygUMcG9vamEga2FseWFu   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 Bluesky @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!

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• Gary Beacom

  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. He is also interested in equipment and is part of the company SK8INSOLL, building high-tech insoles for figure skating. He spoke to me from Japan last fall, as he was preparing to compete in the ISU Adult championship in Calgary! We had some technical issues with video on the recording, but the conversation was so rich I wanted to share it anyway.  YouTube: https://youtu.be/1pUho2J5z80 Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fAUX-coSXRYAmkctTS9QgYwsEncsLippdrDKVcJ9m8I/edit?tab=t.0 You can learn more about Gary at garybeacom.com or at his YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/@GaryBeacom-FigureSkater “Difficult Entry” video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WC1KCKNMxjc Adult Competition https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=OqF5AxyQDyY&pp=ygUcZ2FyeSBiZWFjb20gaXN1IGNoYW1waW9uc2hpcA%3D%3D https://www.garybeacom.com/sk8insoll You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at [email protected], Instagram at @futurefspodcast, or at futureoffs.bsky.com 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!

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• Natálie Taschlerová and Filip Taschler

  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 physical health of athletes, and the need for more acceptance of diverse body types. At the 2025 World Championships, they helped qualify two Olympic spots for Czechia. Since we talked, Natalie and Filip have shared that they have switched coaches, and will be working with Maurizio Margaglio in Finland. YouTube: https://youtu.be/pW-BS2_gj7I Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10Ssnuu87HzFwqprt0e0JHpIrde-3QUVC4Xano5vr7tU/edit?usp=sharing You can follow the team on Instagram at the_taschlers , and individually at nat_taschlerova and filip_taschler01 You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at [email protected], Instagram at @futurefspodcast, or at futureoffs.bsky.com If you appreciate the podcast, you can also support my work with the Tip Jar at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co

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• Solène Mazingue & Olivia Oliver

  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 her country at the 2024 Worlds. Last fall, both women chose to go public about the sexual assault they each experienced within the sport, and the difficulties they have faced in pursuing justice. Solène has since founded the Instagram account #metooskating and is helping others to share their stories and find mutual support. I am humbled by the bravery and compassion that Solène and Olivia are showing as they work to make figure skating a safer place for others. This is a difficult topic to discuss, and please take care of your own well-being, but I really encourage my audience to listen to what Solène and Olivia have to say. Youtube: https://youtu.be/grACfoFD0Sk Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G6xLzbjvLKPiQ_9xlacyi8Ffapo6uxNCowfLmsuGFQg/edit?tab=t.0 You can follow Solène on Instagram @ solenemazingue_ and Olivia @ livoliverr_ You can also follow the account @ metooskating ! If you’d like to learn more about the support that is available for survivors, I encourage you to check out the organizations Athletes Empowered and Army of Survivors. I spoke with Athletes Empowered, under their former name Gymnasts for Change Canada, on Episode 30. You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at [email protected], Instagram at @futurefspodcast, or at futureoffs.bsky.com If you appreciate the podcast, you can also support my work with the Tip Jar at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co

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• Tarah Kayne

  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 health and having a support network outside of skating. Tarah is now bringing these lessons to her role as a coach! Youtube: https://youtu.be/0hFapwdGAPU Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/12MCq8AJiNxgUbMpAC6bX2ZZ3bq-yX1Yv1xMHzV8Bg9g/edit?usp=sharing You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at [email protected], Instagram at @futurefspodcast, or at futureoffs.bsky.com If you appreciate the podcast, you can also support my work with the Tip Jar at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co

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