Which skater should write an autobiography?

[Triple loop]

I would like to see Elaine Zayak write one. She is an icon who changed women's skating forever but became a center of controversy in the 1980's due to her athleticism. Her life began with her left foot issue and her competitive career concluded with her very successful comeback at the 1994 Nationals. And now she's a great coach. I'd love to see her insight on the past and present.

 

[starrynight]

I'd love the idea of skaters writing biographies - and proper ones too (not just a bunch of pictures).

I'd like to see some of the current modern skaters write ones. Simply because there is a gap in the market for these. Volosozhar/Trankov are releasing one that I wish I could read (alas I do not speak Russian). I am hoping some of our clever bilingual fans here may help out and translate some good bits.

I suppose to maximise interest, you'd want a skater from a big training group - like the Cricket Club, Canton (when it was big), DSC (when it was big) or Montreal to write one so you'd get an understanding of what training and competing was like for a lot of skaters. You'd also want a skater who was not afraid of being outspoken to write one, so it would be more than just fluff.

When reading athletes' biographies, I usually find it works like this. The first biography they write when they start winning is called 'Golden Dreams' or something and is just a bunch of life is amazing fluff. Then later on down the track, they write a second biography that actually tells you the real story. I like those kind the best.

So I nominate:

Aljona Savchenko - this would be amazing just for the amount of perspective she has being in the skating world for so long and overcoming all the challenges she did.

Ashley Wagner - lots of experience with both the highs and lows of US ladies skating. Gracie Gold would be a good one too, but I think she has a 'next chapter' coming, so perhaps in the future?

Patrick Chan - very outspoken, so this would be a page turner. Again, Patrick has a very interesting story to tell about going from being on top of the world to then being lost in the rush.

Meryl Davis and Charlie White - in particular Meryl is now starting to talk frankly about her experiences outside of skating, so is probably in a good headspace to write an honest biography. This would be interesting to read about the Detroit ice dance scene.

Russian ladies compilation book - I would aim to release this in say 2022 and have chapters where Sotnikova, Lipnitskaya, Medvedeva, Zagitova, Trusova etc etc tell their stories (and an English edition released so I could understand). I'd definitely read this.

 

[Garden Kitty]

Sasha Cohen has written some good columns about the pressures (and good aspects) about her skating career. She's grown into a good writer and she has worked with a variety of interesting coaches with very different coaching styles. Plus she seems to have done a good job of transitioning to a post skating career.

 

[Ananas Astra]

Elena Ilinykh and/or Nikita Katsalapov about their partnership with all the dirrrrrty details about Whorozov and all the other rumors surrounding their partnership.

 

[quartz]

Emanuel Sandhu
Alena Leonova
Joannie Rochette
Elladj Balde
Laetitia Hubert
Akiko Suzuki
Maria Butyrskaya
Tatiana Malinina
Dmitri Dmitrenko
Misha Ge

 

[starrynight]

I'd also love to read a very honest self-authored Yuzuru Hanyu biography.

I imagine he's released books in Japan? Has he released a self-authored biography yet?

 

[Bigbird]

Elena Ilinykh and/or Nikita Katsalapov about their partnership with all the dirrrrrty details about Whorozov and all the other rumors surrounding their partnership.

Ilinykh should write one, maybe thirty years from now. But I'd prefer it if she dedicated only one sentence to Katsalapov, Zhiganshin and Shibnev, collectively. She should write also only one fragment about Morozov. It would be a really cool read. Leave Kat's and Whorozov to write all the dirrttt.

 

[tlk]

Aljona!

 

[nuge]

Oksana grishuk

 

[lurkz2]

Brian Orser - it would definitely require multiple volumes ala Gloria Vanderbilt

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

Brian Orser - it would definitely require multiple volumes ala Gloria Vanderbilt

About thirty years ago, Brian co - wrote one with Steve Milton following his Calgary experience.

I agree that his insights as a coach to some of the world's top skaters, would make great reading.

 

[paskatefan]

^ Is Brian Orser's book still available?

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

^ Is Brian Orser's book still available?

I bought my copy in 1991. I have no idea if the book is still available.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

I believe Isabelle & Paul Duchesnay collaborated with Martha Lowder Kimball on a book, but for reasons unknown, publication fell through at the last minute.

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

I would like to see Elaine Zayak write one. She is an icon who changed women's skating forever but became a center of controversy in the 1980's due to her athleticism. Her life began with her left foot issue and her competitive career concluded with her very successful comeback at the 1994 Nationals. And now she's a great coach. I'd love to see her insight on the past and present.

Elaine was the reason I got hooked on the sport. I too, would love to see Zayak pen her life story.

 

[Jot the Dot Dot]

^ Is Brian Orser's book still available?

I bought my copy in 1991. I have no idea if the book is still available.

Yes, through both Amazon.com and Amazon.ca, check either.

 

[libecha]

Aljona and Bruno jointly, their stories both separately and together are enough for a Disney movie. Like The Rookie. She has the arc of the lifelong struggle that finally comes good after too many years and multiple failures and partners, he brings in a supervillain in DG plus trying to match her level while living hand to mouth and drilling dative vs. genitive. Plus then sitting in 4th going into the FS in Pyeongchang, then setting a world record—if all this hadn’t actually happened, the script might be rejected for being too fanciful.

 

[Triple loop]

Elaine was the reason I got hooked on the sport. I too, would love to see Zayak pen her life story.

Thank you. I'm old school and she's the reason why women's skating is athletic.

 

[Triple loop]

Elaine was the reason I got hooked on the sport. I too, would love to see Zayak pen her life story.

 

[Triple loop]

I want the fans of today to know who is behind the Zayak rule and how great a champion she was.

 

[Triple loop]

Elaine was the reason I got hooked on the sport. I too, would love to see Zayak pen her life story.

 

[Triple loop]

Error

 

[DreamSkates]

I would be interested in reading a book that is a collection of brief biographies of skaters.

 

[snoopysnake]

Paul Wylie - supposedly he was working on one, don't know what the current status is
Brian Boitano - his Boitano's Edge book and his cookbook have a lot of info, but now that he's out (and it's been a few years that he's mostly been doing things off the ice) he could fill in a lot of details
Michelle Kwan - including her non-skating career

 

[chantilly]

Megan Duhamel

 

[aliceanne]

I believe Isabelle & Paul Duchesnay collaborated with Martha Lowder Kimball on a book, but for reasons unknown, publication fell through at the last minute.

I thought it was because she didn't want any more drama with Christopher Dean in the press, and they could hardly avoid writing about him.

 

[barbarafan]

Brian Orser - it would definitely require multiple volumes ala Gloria Vanderbilt

He has done a book...I have it

 

[Foolhardy Ham Lint]

I thought it was because she didn't want any more drama with Christopher Dean in the press, and they could hardly avoid writing about him.

It would have been messy, that's for sure.

 

[AxelAnnie]

Sui/Han. They have quite the story to tell.
Anybody read The Second Mark? Really fascinating. Each of the 3 pair teams had such different stories. Loved it.

 

[Limonite]

(Not sure if she has already so) Elena Berezhnaya. I think she has A LOT to talk about. From her start in figure skating in a city in Russia's deep south, then going to train in Moscow; working with the abusive Oleg Shliakov and the accident he caused when he struck her in the head. After that getting to work with Sikharulidze all the way to the 2002 Olympics Pairs fiasco. I read about her in The Second Mark, but an autobiography could be great for her fans.