I'm a Canadian author and figure skating historian. I have written about the sport's fascinating past for over a decade. My innate curiosity about skating history dates back to the days of BETA tapes and card catalogs. Long before YouTube and social media, the only insights we often had about skater's stories were small nuggets of information passed on in television broadcasts and magazines. Figure skating biographies are a rare treat, allowing us to really get to know the people behind the skating performances we love. I'm absolutely delighted to share with you a skating biography of my own - the true story of The Father of Figure Skating - Jackson Haines.
It was one of Toller Cranston's performances that first inspired me to take up figure skating. There was something so bold, expressive, and larger than life about his performances. Those qualities are all front and center in his biography Zero Tollerance. Toller was never afraid to speak his mind, shake the tree or let the truth get in the way of a good story... and this biography is resplendent with great stories, heart, and humour.
Toller Cranston is: six-time Canadian figure-skating champion, celebrity, costume designer, artist extraordinaire, broadcaster, choreographer of skating routines, raconteur, bon vivant, coach, world traveller, art collector, legend, and enigma. In 1976 he won Olympic bronze (so why did it feel like defeat?). This book tells the story of his life after those fateful games at Innsbruck.
The rise and fall of Toller’s first professional ice show is described in soul-searing detail. His subsequent triumphant tour of Europe as the Skater of the Century is recounted, in contrast, with wicked humour. There are vignettes here of his encounters with the rich and…
How can you not be fascinated by someone like Sonja Henie?
She went from finishing dead last on her first trip to the Olympics in 1924 to winning gold at the next three Games, along with ten World titles - an unprecedented record in women's figure skating even today. Sonja turned professional and became a household name, starring in nearly a dozen big-budget films during Hollywood's golden age.
This biography, which has been criticized by many, reveals a darker side to the first 'ice queen'. They say the truth always lies somewhere in the middle, but the stories in this book paint a fascinating picture of the cold grit behind Henie's glittering public persona.
Bold, funny, and shockingly honest, Ambidextrous is like no other memoir of 1950s urban childhood.
Picano appears to his parents and siblings to be a happy, cheerful eleven-year-old possessed of the remarkable talent of being able to draw beautifully and write fluently with either hand. But then he runs into…
I don't think there's a skating lover out there who wasn't absolutely transfixed by Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean's legendary performance to Ravel's "Bolero" at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo.
Torvill and Dean were two remarkably innovative skaters who pushed the boundaries - and rules - of ice dancing to the limit. This wonderful biography peels back the layers of their story, revealing the fascinating tales of their working-class roots, the trials and tribulations of making it to the top echelon of their sport and the people who helped them in surprising ways along their path to success.
This biography of Torvill and Dean tells the story of their relationship on and off the ice. Their Olympic triumph of 1984 is recounted along with the disappointment of their comeback attempt in 1994 when they won the bronze medal at Lillehammer.
In contrast to Toller Cranston's avant-garde style, John Curry was the sport's answer to Vaslav Nijinsky.
Turning professional after winning the gold medal at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, John put together his own touring company of skaters. Working with renowned choreographers from the dance world, he brought ballet to life on the ice. However, John's life off the ice was far from idyllic.
He had a troubled relationship with his father, struggled financially at times, and faced a series of devastating personal challenges. This book presents the facts about John's life and lets the people in his orbit tell their stories candidly. The author succeeded in one of the most challenging aspects of writing any biography - showcasing the fact that all people are nuanced.
Winner of the Outstanding Sports Writing Award, Cross British Sports Book Awards 2015
Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award.
One winter's night in 1976, over 20 million people in Britain watched John Curry skate to Olympic glory on an ice rink in Austria. Many millions more watched around the world. Overnight he became one of the most famous men on the planet. He was awarded the OBE. He was chosen as BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
Curry had changed ice skating from marginal sport to high art. And yet the man was - and…
Marianne Bohr and her husband, about to turn sixty, are restless for adventure. They decide on an extended, desolate trek across the French island of Corsica — the GR20, Europe’s toughest long-distance footpath — to challenge what it means to grow old. Part travelogue, part buddy story, part memoir, The…
I don't see how anyone couldn't love Adam Rippon. Not only is he a gorgeous skater... he has an absolutely killer sense of humour!
What is particularly refreshing about this particularly autobiography is that Adam doesn't take himself too seriously. He's not afraid to be matter-of-fact and have a laugh about some of the setbacks he faced during his skating career. If you're looking for a refreshing and fun skating memoir, this one is completely out of the box.
Former Olympic figure skater and self-professed America's Sweetheart Adam Rippon shares his underdog journey from beautiful mess to outrageous success in this hilarious, big-hearted memoir that the Washington Post calls "comedic gold."
Your mom probably told you it's what on the inside that counts. Well, then she was never a competitive figure skater. Olympic medalist Adam Rippon has been making it pretty for the judges even when, just below the surface, everything was an absolute mess. From traveling to practices on the Greyhound bus next to ex convicts to being so poor he could only afford to eat the free…
In the first meticulously researched biography of Jackson Haines ever written, figure skating historian Ryan Stevens takes a deep dive into the fascinating story of The Father of Figure Skating.
The legend of The Skating King has been one of the most enduring stories in figure skating history. Jackson Haines left America during the height of the Civil War and toured extensively through Europe. He translated ballet to the ice. He performed for Czars and Emperors. He inspired the formation of many of the world's oldest skating clubs. He changed the world's most exciting winter sport forever and our fascination with him has never waned. If you are a lover of figure skating, this book is an absolute must-have.
This is a personal story of Carole and her rise from the ashes of tragedy as a fourteen year old, to success in many areas of her life. Carole graphically depicts the story of how success is the result of a passion and determination that comes from deep inside
Zach, a young veteran, contemplates suicide after a horrific tour in Afghanistan when Ernest Hemingway appears and stops him. He enrolls in college, where he falls in love with Jessica, a young woman from a wealthy family. Her love stabilizes him, and Hemingway’s appearances become less frequent until she doesn’t…
