Hello and welcome to the Future of Figure Skating podcast! This is an ongoing conversation circling around one big question: How can figure skating be an inclusive, healthy, and joyful experience for all participants?

It’s an ambitious goal because skating in its current state is undeniably broken. It's culture and rules are rooted in misogyny, homophobia, racism, and classism. Mental, physical, and sexual abuse are all too common. Viewership has been declining in much of the world, and publicized accusations and incidents of doping, political manipulation, and inconsistent judging have all taken a toll on the sport's reputation. It's all too clear that the beauty of skating comes with a dark side, and that most of the harm is being born by the athletes themselves.

And yet, there is a lot in figure skating that is worth saving.

Figure skating is a unique mix of art and sport. It combines athletic feats with storytelling and self-expression. As a fan and a skater myself, I have experienced the joy that skating can bring, the freedom of movement on the ice, and the pleasure of watching a performance that brings together the skater and the audience and creates a moment that you want to go back and live over and over again. In a world getting darker and more terrifying, these experiences of joy matter.

Many of the problems in skating have been developing for decades, but in recent years both the general public and people within the sport have started paying more attention to the need for change. With the allegations of state-sponsored doping during the 2022 Olympics, more people are questioning the short careers of teenage figure skaters and the abusive coaching practices they suffer. With the #metoo movement, light is being shed on the frequency of sexual abuse and the culture of cover-ups within skating. Athletes have bravely spoken out about their experiences with eating disorders and mental health problems, and new initiatives have been founded to combat the racism and homophobia that is rampant in the sport.

The mission of this podcast is to give a new platform for those change makers who are speaking out and forge connections between the people who are pushing figure skating to get its act together. I talk with coaches who are promoting healthy training philosophies; athletes who are speaking out about their experiences; organizations working to make skating more accessible and inclusive, and fans and journalists who are questioning the assumptions of whose stories are important to tell. There is such good work happening around the world. By lifting up these efforts, I hope to add fuel to the movement and show that change is possible.

About Anna: I am a white, queer, nonbinary person who lives in the United States. I am a professional political organizer and civic engagement advocate, mainly working on voting rights issues at the state level. I skated as a kid and teenager after getting a little obsessed with Michelle Kwan, progressing to single jumps but never competing. At age 27, after a ten-year gap without skating or watching skating, I returned to both and quickly got obsessed. I’ve competed at the US Adult Nationals in singles and am currently training with my pairs partner to take the Bronze Pairs test. We are working to challenge the gendered rules of US Figure Skating in the process. I also report on figure skating for Anything GOEs, Golden Skate and Absolute Skating.

I bring my perspectives as a fan, an adult athlete, a trans person, and someone who has done social justice advocacy and institutional reform work professionally for more than 10 years. However, I’m not an expert on athlete development, mental health, or the business of sports, and I’m going to need a lot of help to understand all the aspects of a healthy, inclusive figure skating culture.

I am also fundamentally an optimist. I refuse to accept that the problems in figure skating are a necessary evil to produce great champions. The culture and the rules of the sport were created by people, and we can change them if we want to. It doesn’t mean it’s easy - but it’s possible.

I’m looking forward to your questions and suggestions for topics and people I should talk to! You can reach me at [email protected] or on Instagram and Twitter @futurefspodcast