The Adam Rippon Good News Thread

Skittl1321 said:
Do you think this guy has seen Adam's short program yet?
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Maybe we'll find out after he skates his SP later this week?

Eric Radford both tweeted and posted this Instagram photo of him and Adam wearing their medals after the team event medal ceremony (Feb. 12) which has garnered a lot of attention and likes on his social media: https://www.instagram.com/p/BfGGo7KhiiM/?taken-by=ericradford85

Celebrities Show Support for Olympic Skater Adam Rippon: http://variety.com/2018/tv/news/dam-rippon-olympics-snub-twitter-1202695652/
 
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skatesindreams said:
Another article about the positive effect of Adam's success:
https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2018/02/adam-rippon-gay-olympic-athletes
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I hope Adam sees this. There are many good things about Adam going to the Olympics and skating so well. But, the fact that he embodies the idea that "it gets better" really is priceless.

I'm also really glad that he and Mirai are talking about how much they persisted to get to this point. They truly are inspiring a lot of people. This is my little niece's first winter Olympics. She's loving the skating. I've made a point of telling her what Adam and Mirai went through for many years to get this point. She has a fear of failure, and I want to inspire her to embrace and learn from failures and mistakes.

ETA: Another good interview/press conference with Adam: https://twitter.com/Deadspin/status/963469025295642624
 
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skatesindreams said:
Another article about the positive effect of Adam's success:
https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2018/02/adam-rippon-gay-olympic-athletes
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Allskate said:
I hope Adam sees this [VF essay]. There are many good things about Adam going to the Olympics and skating so well. But, the fact that he embodies the idea that "it gets better" really is priceless.
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@Allskate, Adam tweeted his response and thanks to the author of the Vanity Fair piece (which went viral on Twitter): https://twitter.com/Adaripp/status/963735171093508096
"Through all the dark, the ice was always my light and I am so lucky to now share that with the world. Thank you, @rilaws [Richard Lawson], for this article."
VF film critic Lawson spoke on NPR's All Things Considered earlier today about the genesis of his essay (watching figure skating for the first time on TV -- 1992 Olympics at the age of 8 -- and sharing the experience with a friend, also a boy): https://www.npr.org/2018/02/15/586172018/the-bittersweet-beauty-of-u-s-figure-skater-adam-rippon

ETA my reply to @Skittl1321:
Skittl1321 said:
Do you think this guy has seen Adam's short program yet?
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Lawson tweeted in response to someone who posted a link to Adam's SP: "Oh, I am welllll aware of that program."

ETA: Another good interview/press conference with Adam: https://twitter.com/Deadspin/status/963469025295642624
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This is the longest compilation of clips (10+ mins.) I've found from his Tuesday Feb. 13 presser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hrAS4SnSp0

4 articles published before his SP:
Includes quotes from Paul Wylie: http://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/22449843/behind-adam-rippon-charm-man-skating-mission
Includes quotes from Derrick Delmore: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...dam-rippon-is-ready-for-his-voice-to-be-heard
'Baby, right now I am living my very best life': https://sports.yahoo.com/adam-rippon-haters-bring-065239624.html
He is determined not to have his Olympics defined by those who will never take the time to listen to his words and attempt to understand his message.
It’s why he said, when asked, that he didn’t want his experience defined by the presence of Vice President Mike Pence. And why he declined to respond to Donald Trump Jr., who tweeted Wednesday that Rippon shouldn’t mention Pence’s name at all.
No response?
“No,” Rippon said Thursday after his practice session. “No.”
About the only thing Rippon loves more than skating is speaking, so a no comment speaks volumes. Trump Jr. and anyone like him isn’t his concern. They are likely unreachable. The next generation isn’t, especially the kids of the world who might be struggling with being different, being uncertain or being ostracized. They can hear him.
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Philadelphia Daily News: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports...mpics-mens-figure-skating-dream-20180215.html
 
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Writer and former pairs skater Chris Schleicher wrote a pretty interesting piece for Slate: https://slate.com/culture/2018/02/a...-queer-excellence-to-the-winter-olympics.html

Excerpt:
I never imagined that a short program like Rippon’s could be performed on an Olympic level. Even Rudy Galindo saved his campy stuff for the more fancy-free space of exhibitions. Part of what shocks the general population about anti-gay bias in skating is the assumption that almost every man in the sport must be gay. The old guard of skating has stubbornly pushed back against this perception and for years tried to encourage men to skate as manly as possible. I vividly remember having a limp hand position slapped by a coach because it looked too gay. I became an expert on looking butch while wearing lavender.

The reasoning behind suppressing femininity in men’s skating was that if the sport looked like it was for sissies, no boys would sign up to do it. In retrospect, what a ludicrous proposition that was! Even the most masculine of skaters weren’t going to get fist bumps from the football team for doing “tough” skating to the Rocky soundtrack. Did they ever consider that a sport that leaned in to embracing femininity might actually attract the boys who don’t identify with traditionally masculine sports? Corner the market on those gentle boys! I’m certain that after seeing Rippon gyrate to club beats at the Olympics, a certain subset of boys are going to demand skates for Christmas, and they won’t know exactly why until years later. What a nice change of pace for queer kids to see a specific and joyful gay sensibility being celebrated rather than degraded!
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He also retweeted Dick Button cheering for Adam :cheer2:
To all those who wrote to Adam Rippon "I hope you fail", I ignore your wishes and I don't give a rusty hoot what you think. To Adam Rippon I say in the time honored theatrical jargon for the BEST of luck, "Break a leg" ...
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kittysk8ts said:
... proud of, all the US men tonight.
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There's no way Adam should have dropped three places though. Even despite the slight under-rotation on last of the combo jumps because he lost speed on the first jump landing, Adam skated very well. Three lovely programs total at the Olympics! The judges had a nerve continuing to place Adam behind messy freakin' Kolyada. I like Kolyada but he's been coddled here. I don't care about Kolyada's potential. He did not skate well and he didn't deserve his PCS marks. They actually tied Kolyada and Adam on performance execution in the fp!!! :huh: :rolleyes:

And as usual, they did not give Adam scores in the 9s for choreo and interpretation which he more than deserved!!! It's all about the f'ing almighty quad for ISU. They will live and die by it. But it's actually the skaters who pay the price.

I'm so proud of Adam, and so happy for him. I love the cheek he gave Andrea Joyce the other day! You go Adam! :kickass:
 
I agree, Mikhail Kolyada has nothing on Adam. Kolyada was a mess; without the jumps there wasn't much else worth watching, and his music wasn't good either. Adam did what he was physically capable of and had wonderful, fast spins.
 
Adam sold his programs, and he brought the music home to our hearts while landing that tech shizz at the same time. He brung it big time. And judges decided to hold up Kolyada -- freakin' politics abounds.

Meanwhile, Patrick has better skating skills than Adam, but let's face it, PChiddy wasn't all there. He left the building during the GP when he realized he couldn't catch up with the quad-race. PC was in Pyeongchang for the team gold, and his teammates had his back.
 
I hope Adam doesn’t become over exposed or lose himself in this sudden fame. Part of what I loved about him was his authenticity and honesty but also his work ethic and allegiance to his fans who’d been with him all along the way. There was a fun arrogance but also a humility. Now he’s starting to come across as a bit snobby and always searching for the one line soundbite.
 
aftershocks said:
Adam sold his programs, and he brought the music home to our hearts while landing that tech shizz at the same time. He brung it big time. And judges decided to hold up Kolyada -- freakin' politics abounds.

Meanwhile, Patrick has better skating skills than Adam, but let's face it, PChiddy wasn't all there. He left the building during the GP when he realized he couldn't catch up with the quad-race. PC was in Pyeongchang for the team gold, and his teammates had his back.
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I agree with you here. I'm a big Kolyada fan and was hoping he could contend for a medal. Unfortunately he did not deliver, so he should not have placed so high. Chan was also overscored in the long program at this competition.

Otherwise, Vincent was underscored (in the SP though not in overall placements) and I would give Javi the silver.
 
nimi said:
And I will never get tired of watching that beautiful layback position he hits! :swoon:
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When I saw Adam’s layback live at Nats this year (3 times!!!), it became my new religion. :swoon:

At the gala when he actually held it for an extended period of time, the spectators around me actually gasped at how gorgeous it was.
Amantide said:
"Sally Field tries to set her son up with Adam Rippon on Twitter"

:biggrinbo

Her son is a cuttie too. :swoon:
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I saw that last night and I died laughing. Oh man the mothers trying to match Adam up with their gay sons - cutest thing ever.
 
This was my favorite tweet about/to Adam after his individual free skate: https://twitter.com/BillieJeanKing/status/964715910811521024
"Athleticism, artistry, and a Heart of Gold. @Adaripp, your positivity and your light shine through in all you do. And this is just the beginning. #WinterOlympics"

snoopy said:
NBC just announced on the Sunday today show they hired Adam to commentate (or do something) for the rest of the games.
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The USA Today article (link is posted in GSD) states that Adam "will work for the network on a variety of platforms, including television, digital and social media."

ETA:

His website is updated with many article links, etc.: http://adamrippon.figureskatersonline.com/news/
 
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aml78 said:
I hope Adam doesn’t become over exposed or lose himself in this sudden fame. Part of what I loved about him was his authenticity and honesty but also his work ethic and allegiance to his fans who’d been with him all along the way. There was a fun arrogance but also a humility. Now he’s starting to come across as a bit snobby and always searching for the one line soundbite.
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I think that Kelly will reign him in if he becomes insufferable.
 
aml78 said:
I hope Adam doesn’t become over exposed or lose himself in this sudden fame. Part of what I loved about him was his authenticity and honesty but also his work ethic and allegiance to his fans who’d been with him all along the way. There was a fun arrogance but also a humility. Now he’s starting to come across as a bit snobby and always searching for the one line soundbite.
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I don't think he's going to lose his work ethic. People with strong work ethics don't suddenly lose them. (He's probably going to be working really hard this next week, just not at skating.)

It will be hard for Adam to be overexposed. NBC and its sister stations have dozens of hours of programming a day and Adam probably will be on for just a few minutes were day. It's really only the skating-obsessed (and Adam obsessed) who see a ton of Adam coverage.

I do get what you're saying about Adam trying hard to come up with one-liners. (I really don't know why he decided to describe himself as trashy in last night's NBC interview. Leave that to the haters and focus on the messages of perserverence, joy, and pride.) And he's probably going to be so tired that he's going to get a bit punchy and say some silly or stupid things. But, he's got a small window of time to take advantage of these kinds of opportunities, so good for him for doing that.

I don't think he sounds snobby at all. (Snobs generally don't call themselves trashy.) I do think he has said some things that others might see as cocky. A lot of athletes (though not a lot of figure skaters) do. I'm guessing that Adam was doing that to try to get himself to feel confident as he went into competition and that he also was trying to convey pride, especially to gay youth who may be watching. It is obvious that he is very cognizant of how he can affect young gay people who may watch him.

I totally get why Billie Jean King loves Adam. I've known young gay men who came from homophobic religious families or intolerant towns and had to escape. The rates of suicide, homelessness, and substance abuse amongst gay youth are still far too high. I honestly think that Adam is making a life-altering impact on some of these boys and men. So, even if he does end up "overexposed," I don't care.

And it seems like he's having a blast. He's going to come away from this Olympics knowing that he laid down three wonderful programs, has an Olympic bronze medal, and had the time of his life. I'm so happy for him.
 
I guess it’s just feeling like the skating was secondary. I know he had no shot for a model but it almost felt like he wasn’t even here to skate.
 
aml78 said:
I guess it’s just feeling like the skating was secondary. I know he had no shot for a model but it almost felt like he wasn’t even here to skate.
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I could not disagree more. He has talked about how he has been training in Korea, not just getting acclimated like he does at most competitions. He took his role in the team competition very seriously. Not only was his own reputation on the line, but so was the team medal. And it was obvious that the individual competition was very important to him, too. I don't see how anyone can see his reactions after each of his skates and not realize how much the quality of his skating performances meant to him. He recognized that he had no shot at an individual medal because he has no quad, but that doesn't mean he didn't take his skating seriously. Out of all the skaters without quads, he was the one who placed the highest. (IMO, he should have placed even higher at both the team event and the individual event.)

Yes, he is having a great time. Yes, he wants to be a source of inspiration to other skaters and to gay youth. But it's not either/or. He can do that and still care about his skating. In fact, doing great skates is what is helping to make the other things possible.
 
Allskate said:
I don't think he's going to lose his work ethic. People with strong work ethics don't suddenly lose them. (He's probably going to be working really hard this next week, just not at skating.)

....

I do get what you're saying about Adam trying hard to come up with one-liners. (I really don't know why he decided to describe himself as trashy in last night's NBC interview. Leave that to the haters and focus on the messages of perserverence, joy, and pride.) And he's probably going to be so tired that he's going to get a bit punchy and say some silly or stupid things. But, he's got a small window of time to take advantage of these kinds of opportunities, so good for him for doing that.
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He called himself trashy on Twitter a few weeks ago. And then there was a funny addendum to the comment, thanks to Ma Rippon. :rofl:

I also don't think he'll lose his work ethic. Belinda on the NBC live feed was saying how his practices at Korea "have been a study of organization."
 
Also, a college friend of mine (who has a really sensitive spot about racism), said that Adam's tweet referencing Iron Fist "has pretty much redeemed the existence" of Iron Fist for her. (The line in Iron Fist said by the very clueless white boy actor was "While you were busy partying I studied the blade" said to college kids or something..)

That is a HUGE endorsement for Adam's wit and humor, believe me. She hates trite whitewashing crap like Iron Fist with the fire of a thousand suns. :rofl:
 
Pretty much every commentator says he works harder than anyone whenever they talk about him. You can be fun and outgoing and loud and still be an extremely hard worker dedicated to your goals. I’m proud of Adam for being his authentic self even if he sometimes puts his foot in his mouth lol. That’s part of the charm ;)
 
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