Reviews of Adam Rippon's 'Beautiful on the Outside' memoir

Having called everyone in to train on Sunday (not usual schedule) he shows up an hour late drunk and with vomit on his shirt, then proceeds to grab Kelly Rippon’s boob - not clear whether intentional or accidental.
That’s just one incident. Let’s just say he does not come off favorably.
 
How about one that I witnessed in person and was not in the book, so I feel I can speak openly about it. At the Moran Open in Hackensack in 2008, Adam took the ice for his short program. As he started to skate, he seemed to be lost and Kelly Rippon standing next to me said, " That's not his music". Subsequently, I found out that Morozov had substituted the wrong cut of the music deliberately so that Adam would be confused and Nobunari Oda would win.
 
CaliSteve said:
The reason why Rafael was willing to wait for payments was the part that I really liked and made me respect Raf more.
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Ah, I always got that Raf is a gentle giant. A taskmaster with a gruff exterior which not so completely masks how deeply he cares for his students, for figure skating, and for helping his students to achieve their goals. He cares about them as people, not just as skaters. That's always been apparent to me.
 
sk9tingfan said:
How about one that I witnessed in person and was not in the book, so I feel I can speak openly about it. At the Moran Open in Hackensack in 2008, Adam took the ice for his short program. As he started to skate, he seemed to be lost and Kelly Rippon standing next to me said, " That's not his music". Subsequently, I found out that Morozov had substituted the wrong cut of the music deliberately so that Adam would be confused and Nobunari Oda would win.
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What a horrifying form of abuse.

It reminds me of the movie, Whiplash, where J.K. Simmons' character tricks his former student, Miles Teller, into believing he'll be performing one piece of music for a concert, and substitutes it for another without telling him.

I hope Kelly and Adam left Morozov after that.
 
sk9tingfan said:
How about one that I witnessed in person and was not in the book, so I feel I can speak openly about it. At the Moran Open in Hackensack in 2008, Adam took the ice for his short program. As he started to skate, he seemed to be lost and Kelly Rippon standing next to me said, " That's not his music". Subsequently, I found out that Morozov had substituted the wrong cut of the music deliberately so that Adam would be confused and Nobunari Oda would win.
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Morozov is a POS!
 
What a horrible thing for a coach to do! That explains why Adam wasn't shy about spilling some dirt on Morosov; the relationship already deteriorated long ago. Perhaps he doesn't want to say much about Orser because he still respects Orser.

As an aside, my friend and I were at an adult skating camp run by Morosov 12 years ago. My friend is a slim, pretty Japanese American who looks years younger, and she was in the ice dance group class. She told me that Morosov was eyeing her and staring at her a little too long with a lecherous smile. Later in the lobby, we saw him massaging Miki's shoulders, and she looked uncomfortable. I thought it was weird that he'd be doing that in plain view of everyone.
 
I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and having Adam as the narrator converted the book into an intimate chit chat where he's just spilling the tea.

A few takeaways / comments:

Adam is hilarious and does not take himself seriously. Lots of self-deprecating humor, and in fact the title is from a sarcastic quip he made at some point.

Throughout the book Adam explains details about the inner workings of the sport, and in particular, U.S. Figure Skating. I think that would be of interest to both fans as well as those on the inside, for whom many of the comments will resonate (you'll also know exactly who he's talking about when he mentions people by first name only).

Lots of comments interspersed throughout about body image and disordered eating, so add one more voice to the chorus that is raising awareness about this issue.

There was an interesting comment Adam made about what he was told by a team leader at his first int'l event after he came back from injury about why his PCS were so low - something like, "You weren't at Worlds last year so the judges don't know where to place you." - which just reinforced what many claim about PCS just being used like the old artistic mark to rank skaters. And miraculously, after he placed well at that competition, in a month his PCS shot right up.

Kelly Rippon is some kind of super mom. The things she managed to accomplish with six kids defy belief. For example, despite having a full-time job, she took it upon herself to organize and run a learn to skate program at the local rink so that Adam could get free ice time.

If you are a fan of figure skating I think you would truly enjoy this book, and if you are a fan of Adam, I think you would really enjoy the audio version.
 
sk9tingfan said:
How about one that I witnessed in person and was not in the book, so I feel I can speak openly about it. At the Moran Open in Hackensack in 2008, Adam took the ice for his short program. As he started to skate, he seemed to be lost and Kelly Rippon standing next to me said, " That's not his music". Subsequently, I found out that Morozov had substituted the wrong cut of the music deliberately so that Adam would be confused and Nobunari Oda would win.
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Maybe this didn't make the book because they mightn't be able to definitively prove that's why the wrong music was submitted. I expect that Morozov said it was a mistake. And maybe it was decided that if they can't prove that's why it happened, then it was too risky (defamation etc) to publish.

I wouldn't be surprised if Morozov will be remaining in Russia for good. I think his days of being able to act like that in the USA are over.
 
sk9tingfan said:
Subsequently, I found out that Morozov had substituted the wrong cut of the music deliberately so that Adam would be confused and Nobunari Oda would win.
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Just outta curiosity, how did you found out it was deliberately and not by mistake?
You talked with Morozov and he admitted?
 
sk9tingfan said:
Based on a quote that was told to me by a first hand witness
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And that person got that words out of Morozov's mouth that it was deliberately?

Sorry, don't get me wrong, I know tons of people can't stand Morozov for enough reasons, I still don't get why putting a claim out there, when you were not the person talking to Morozov or witnessing his deliberate actions and just got the infos by hearsay.

But we can leave it here. No need to go on back and forth.
 
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I was wondering the same thing. But I also think the person who knows this cannot explain how such a conclusion is made without divulging a lot more about Mr M than they have.
 
CaliSteve said:
Curious to know whats going on with them.
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Wouldn't be surprised if Ashley was envious of Adam's success. It's not as if Ashley had never gone to the Olympics and won a team medal. She just didn't create the interesting narrative that Adam had.
 
Finnice said:
A bit sideways of the theme, but I hope Adam has a super 30th birthday today!:nopryde::glamor::cheer:
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IGTV video posted yesterday:

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A birthday joy skate ??‍♂️ River by @bensplatt
Today [11/11] is my 30th birthday. I couldn’t be more grateful for everything and everyone in my life. Thank you for always sending love and positive energy my way. I hope I’m always able to do the same for you.
I wanted to do something fun for myself so I asked one of my old skating choreographers, Cindy Stuart, to put this together with me. She is amazing. And Ben Platt is also amazing (duh) and when I heard him do a cover of this song I knew I had to skate to it. Huge thank you to @oniceperspectives who put this all together too ❤️
HBD 2 ME. I LOVE YOU ?
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I got a quick question about the book, is it text-only or are there any photos in it? (I'm trying to decide whether to buy the ebook or the hardcover and if there's pictures in it, I'd prefer the hardcover).
 
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