As a researcher, writer, and producer for ABC Sports, ESPN, NBC, and TNT, I first wrote two non-fiction books, Inside Figure Skating, and Sarah Hughes: Skating to the Stars (and this was before she won the Olympic Gold in 2002). With the Figure Skating Mystery series, I was finally able to tell all the juicy stories I couldn’t when I was working for television or writing non-fiction. It was very therapeutic. But I wasn’t just a writer of books about figure skating. I was a reader, too. I learned so much from the experts, especially those willing to admit how things really were, rather than how the sport would like to appear on the surface.
Brennan covered multiple different sports before turning her focus to figure skating. She came not as a fan, but as a reporter, which made Inside Edge a grittier and less insular take than usual. Yes, there are some technical and factual mistakes, as well as some wild leaps of logic. But this is the tough love book figure skating - and its fans - needed.
Stating that figure skating is as brutal and competitive as any athletic discipline, a reporter examines today's big stars, from Oksana Baiul to Elvis Stojko, and reveals the dark side of the sport. 50,000 first printing. Tour.
As a researcher, writer, and producer for ABC Sports, ESPN, NBC, and TNT, I first wrote two non-fiction books, Inside Figure Skating, and Sarah Hughes: Skating to the Stars (and this was before she won the Olympic Gold in 2002). With the Figure Skating Mystery series, I was finally able to tell all the juicy stories I couldn’t when I was working for television or writing non-fiction. It was very therapeutic. But I wasn’t just a writer of books about figure skating. I was a reader, too. I learned so much from the experts, especially those willing to admit how things really were, rather than how the sport would like to appear on the surface.
The novelization of the 1978 movie (remade in 2010) is howlingly hilarious. The author has no understanding of how skating works - either competitively or, you know, physics. That’s what makes it such compelling reading. Also, in the movie, the characters tend to mumble. It helps to have read the book first to have a vague clue of what they’re saying.
As a researcher, writer, and producer for ABC Sports, ESPN, NBC, and TNT, I first wrote two non-fiction books, Inside Figure Skating, and Sarah Hughes: Skating to the Stars (and this was before she won the Olympic Gold in 2002). With the Figure Skating Mystery series, I was finally able to tell all the juicy stories I couldn’t when I was working for television or writing non-fiction. It was very therapeutic. But I wasn’t just a writer of books about figure skating. I was a reader, too. I learned so much from the experts, especially those willing to admit how things really were, rather than how the sport would like to appear on the surface.
Everyone who watches figure skating has, at one time, 'shipped' a pair or ice dance couple, or one singles skater with another. It's almost impossible to watch attractive, passionate people fling their bodies at each other and act out dramatic, romantic scenarios and not imagine what it might be like if they were a couple off the ice, too. Life on the Edge is the first book in the ongoing Edge series which does exactly that - with details! And then keeps the story going!
Nineteen-year-old Emily is new to pairs skating, but she and her partner Chris have a big dream-to be the first American team to win Olympic gold. Their young coach Sergei, who left Russia after a mysterious end to his skating career, believes they can break through and make history.
Emily and Chris are on track to be top contenders at the Winter Games. But when forbidden feelings spark between Emily and Sergei, broken trust and an unexpected enemy threaten to derail Emily's dreams of gold.
My hometown didn’t have an ice rink until I was in high school, but that didn’t stop me from falling in love with figure skating. From making backyard rinks to coaching learn-to-skate, I did everything I could to spend more time on ice. I also voraciously devoured books with even a hint (like a frozen pond!) of figure skating. All too often, these attempts to spend more time in the skating world only resulted in frustration when authors messed up key details. This list includes my favorite books about skating that fellow figure skaters can enjoy without inaccuracies tripping up their extra ice time.
Though this book is technically not a young adult title, it’s one that young adult figure skating fans will enjoy. Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov are the classic real-life romance story when it comes to pair skating. When I first started drafting my own book, I had a romance like theirs in mind. In this book, Ekaterina details how she and Sergei met, and, through their years together, fell in love. Warning: their story will take your heart and rip it to pieces.
The Olympic gold medalist offers a poignant, loving account of her life with her long-time partner and beloved husband, Sergei Grinkov, from their first introduction and successive world pairs skating championships, to their storybook romance and marriage, to the fatal heart attack that took Sergei's life.
I’m an accidental sports writer. While I played a few sports as a child and went as Sporty Spice for one ill-advised Halloween, I didn’t grow up on a steady diet of sports stories. I just didn’t get it. Sure, I heard stories of triumphant soccer seasons and rag-tag baseball teams, but they didn’t capture my interest. But then I grew up… and books became more diverse. I started revisiting sports novels after writing my debut novel. Seeing authors use sports as a way to explore queerness has changed my understanding of sports stories and given me a new appreciation for the genre. I can’t get enough!
This was the first published book I read with a nonbinary main character. That alone makes it one of the most personally important books I have ever read. The fact that I encountered it just after writing my own novel about a nonbinary figure skater made this beautiful book hit even harder.
It showed me that even though two books may have the same hook and some of the same basic ingredients, the execution can be diverse and take those ingredients in directions you never expected. It sparkles, both in its descriptions of figure skating and in its nuanced and honest exploration of identity. It also makes for an excellent read-aloud book.
Twelve-year-old Ana-Marie Jin, the reigning US Juvenile figure skating champion, is not a frilly dress kind of kid. So, when Ana learns that next season's program will be princess themed, doubt forms fast. Still, Ana tries to focus on training and putting together a stellar routine worthy of national success.
Once Ana meets Hayden, a transgender boy new to the rink, thoughts about the princess program and gender identity begin to take center stage. And when Hayden mistakes Ana for a boy, Ana doesn't correct him and finds comfort in this boyish identity when he's around. As their friendship develops,…
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.
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…
As a researcher, writer, and producer for ABC Sports, ESPN, NBC, and TNT, I first wrote two non-fiction books, Inside Figure Skating, and Sarah Hughes: Skating to the Stars (and this was before she won the Olympic Gold in 2002). With the Figure Skating Mystery series, I was finally able to tell all the juicy stories I couldn’t when I was working for television or writing non-fiction. It was very therapeutic. But I wasn’t just a writer of books about figure skating. I was a reader, too. I learned so much from the experts, especially those willing to admit how things really were, rather than how the sport would like to appear on the surface.
There are plenty of skating autobiographies out there. There is only one by an author who performed with skates on his hands, does a headstand on the ice (no hands!), who protested his low score on a figure by quitting in the middle of the championship and retiring from competitive skating then and there. And who served two years in prison while maintaining his innocence. Everyone claims to be an original these days. Beacom did it first. And he explains why.
This unbelievable story of government corruption and usurpation will make you laugh and cry. Skating sensation and celebrity, Gary Breacom, tells the shocking story of is brush with government corruption and injustice. Gary's humorous account of his personal brush with the law is more than a story of psycholoical survival, it is a keeenly insightful first-hand assessment of a system gone terribly astray.
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…
I have been asked for decades to share my story. Who would want to hear my story? When we established the fund in memory of beloved sisters Margie and Jane, the doctor connected to the fund told me to write about my sisters so others would know them. After thirty years of suppressing my grief, writing became a venue to let the walls down and let my feelings out and be compassionate to myself and others in their grief no matter the time. Grief is a difficult subject and I hope in telling my story another individual will not be alone in their grief.
2021 was a pivotal year for me. I turned sixty-five, my ice skating fundraiser Celebration of Sisters to honor my beloved sisters marked its tenth year, and my memoir was published. Skating is a sport my sisters and I shared and brought me full circle back to my sisters. Joanne and I met at an Adult Skating Camp in 2011. The Skating Forward series, tells stories of skaters of all levels from novice to Olympic Champions, all disciplines, all ages solidifying the meaning of figure skating in their lives. I am honored to be a participant in this milestone book due to the impact skating had on my life. On the ice I feel joy, peace, and each of my sisters on my shoulder as the breeze flows through my hair.
Ten Years of Skating Forward. Come Celebrate with us as we reach a milestone. Visit with some old friends, and meet many new friends. All will be inspired by their very special stories as they keep skating forward.
“Just as we are the purveyors of the history of skating through movement, Joanne keeps that history through words. Over the last 10 years, she has compiled a treasure trove of literature detailing unique and incredible stories of skaters from an array of eras. This book is a love letter to the specialty of our sport and to the many years that…
My hometown didn’t have an ice rink until I was in high school, but that didn’t stop me from falling in love with figure skating. From making backyard rinks to coaching learn-to-skate, I did everything I could to spend more time on ice. I also voraciously devoured books with even a hint (like a frozen pond!) of figure skating. All too often, these attempts to spend more time in the skating world only resulted in frustration when authors messed up key details. This list includes my favorite books about skating that fellow figure skaters can enjoy without inaccuracies tripping up their extra ice time.
So much of pair skating relies on selling a romance – so what do you do when your feelings cross partnerships? Courtney’s skating with Mark, and their biggest rivals are Stephanie and Josh, so falling for Josh can’t be part of the plan – except it’s happening anyway. Author Jennifer Comeaux calls herself a figure skating fanatic, and her passion for the sport shines in her writing. Grade of execution bonus: this book is the first in a trilogy.
Pair skaters Courtney and Mark have one shot left at their Olympic dream. They vow not to let anything get in their way, especially not Josh and Stephanie, the wealthy and talented brother and sister team.
The heart doesn’t always listen to reason, though…
The more time Courtney spends with sweet, shy Josh, the harder she falls for him. But they are on opposite sides of the competition, and their futures are headed in opposite directions. Will their friendship blossom into more or are their paths too different to cross?
