Tag Archives: Jeremy Abbott

Seven more fabulous out LGBTQ+ athletes of figure skating

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Two time US pairs figure skating champion and 2022 Olympian Timothy Leduc (tall person in the middle who has recently come out as nonbinary) with their pairs partner Ashley Cain- Gribble, my parents and me.

This blog is loaded with links to explore! Please do explore them.

Since 2022 is a Winter Olympics year, it is now time for my third installment of this series. My first installment published in 2016 was titled “Seven Fabulous Out Gay Men of Figure Skating” and my second in 2018 was “Seven More Fabulous Out Gay Men (since retitled people) of Figure Skating and One Bisexual Woman.”

This year I am so pleased to now include more women in my series and also mention an out nonbinary Olympian! Actually there are 8 people cited in this blog since I include the first out LGBTQ ice dance team as one.  In my first installment of this series I profiled 7 men, but now this one includes 4 men, 3 women and one nonbinary person! Three cheers for increased diversity!

Important Note 1: This blog only features athletes who voluntarily, personally and publicly disclosed themselves as LGBTQ.

Important Note 2: Why does this matter? Given the historic stigma and non-acceptance of LGBTQ people in many parts of society, it is important to profile out LGBTQ role models to demonstrate the success and excellence of LGBTQ athletes.

In alphabetic order:

Here I am flanked by US champions Gracie Gold and Jeremy Abbott

Jeremy Abbott – This soft spoken 4-time US men’s champion is remembered for his guts and determination in completing his program at the 2014 Olympics after a horrendous fall and slamming into the boards with high impact. His getting up and completing his program was gritty, phenomenal and inspirational. Link to article about this performance.

Kevin Aymoz – This 5-time French national mens champion known for his innovative moves and emotional performances was one of 6 Olympic French athletes who all “came out” together during 2021 LGBTQ Pride Month (link to article) leading up to the 20221 summer and 2022 winter Olympics.

My parents and me with Jason Brown at 2019 Skate America

Jason Brown – This US nationals men’s champion and now two-time Olympian is one of the most beloved figure skaters around the world for his always positive attitude and friendly interaction with fans everywhere. Most skating pundits agree that Jason is the world’s most artistic skater and he almost always receives the highest program component (artistic) score when he competes.

Amber Glenn – This elegant and athletic American skater came out as pansexual (being romantically, emotionally and/or sexual attracted to people regardless of their gender) in late 2020 and then in 2021 finished with her best ever US nationals competition by winning the silver medal.  (Link to Amber’s story)

Timothy Leduc – This two-time national pairs champion and now 2022 Olympian with their partner Ashley Cain-Gribble gets a second inclusion in my series. Why? Timothy recently and boldly came out as nonbinary (see my recent blog about nonbinary), becoming the USA’s first out nonbinary Olympic athlete (see article about this.)

It was so cool to meet Karina Manta and Joseph Johnson after their fabulous “Sweet Dreams” ice dance at 2019 US Nationals

Karina Manta and Joseph Johnson – Karina Manta and Joseph Johnson’s rendition of “Sweet Dreams” (link to video) received a standing ovation at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Their performance was one of the highlights of the 2018-19 season, and they were the only athletes invited to the Skating Spectacular who did not medal at U.S. Nationals. Karina in her hot leather mini-skirt played the seductress to the clean cut sweet and innocent Joseph.  They now perform with Cirque du Soleil

Kaitlyn Weaver – It is wonderful to see more women in figure skating coming out as queer. Kaitlyn and her ice dance partner Andrew Poje competed 13 year for Canada, winning three medals at worlds and competing in two Olympics. Sadly, Kaitlyn stated when coming out that she did not so during her competitive career for fear of it negatively affecting her scores.  Link to an article that includes Kaitlyn and Jason Brown.

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Blog author Stan Kimer, in addition to training as an adult competitive figure skater himself, is a career development and diversity consultant with a deep expertise in corporate LGBTQ diversity strategy and training. Please explore the rest of my website (which includes my own figure skating page) and never hesitate to contact me to discuss diversity training or consulting for your organization, or pass my name onto your HR department.

“Get Up” with a wonderful series of books about all kinds of figure skaters – an interview with Joanne Vassallo Jamrosz

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Joanne and her husband Greg with Olympic Champion Scott Hamilton, on ice, at his Skate to Eliminate Cancer event at the 2017 US Figure Skating Championships in Kansas City.

I continue my monthly blog series based on US Figure Skating’s popular “Get Up” campaign which shares the message that life, like the ice, is hard, and we can certainly fall on it. But the more times we get up and persevere, the stronger we become.

For October, I interview Joanne Vassallo Jamrosz, an adult figure skater and fan who has published a wonderful series of books featuring dozens of skater and coaches, famous and not-so-famous, who have each gotten up from trials and hardships to grow their love for figure skating. And I am thrilled that my story as an adult skater starting at the age of 59 is included in her newest book just out, “Skating Forward – Olympic Memories, Olympic Spirit.”

Stan: Joanne, first can you share about how you got interested in figure skating as a fan and participant?

Joanne: I began ice skating during the summer of 1988. I was 29 years old. I was home, sick in bed with the flu, during the 1988 Olympics. So I watched a lot of skating! I remembered loving skating as a child and thought, why not take lessons? Adult skating was just coming to our skating programs across the country so I joined our local club The Clinton Figure Skating Club that fall. I started learning the basics then graduated to testing some of the ice dances. As a fan, my husband Greg and I attended our first marquee event in the fall of 2009 when we went to Skate America in Lake Placid. We also attended our first Friends of Figure Skating Breakfast at that event as well. From there we went to our first Nationals in Spokane (it was also the year Skating Forward book one debuted). What can I say? We were now true skating fans and every year we put Skate America and the U.S. Championships on our travel schedule.


Stan: What then inspired you to write your first book, “Skating Forward?”

Joanne enjoys meeting her favorite skaters, like 2015 Men’s champion Jason Brown, who she met at the 2013 Detroit Skate America Friends of Figure Skating breakfast.

Joanne: I am journalism major. I loved to write, even as a little girl, I would spend hours writing stories. But the inspiration really began in 1991. I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 32, just when I was getting my skating legs under me. It was a long year of surgery, chemo, radiation and recovery-but what got me through was my skating. My coach at the time Jason Dilworth would come in before the morning skaters, at around 6 AM, just so I could stroke around and move on my good days. It’s why I think I did so well and recovered so well. It was being on the ice. Not long after I did a little trial judging and I wrote about the experience and sent it to Skating Magazine. It was published! That did it. I began focusing on the two things I loved most, Skating and writing. I still contribute to the magazine today.

The Skating Forward books began in 2009. I was recovering from an accident (broken hip). I wrote some features for the US Figure Skating web page, and they all coincidentally were about some amazing young skaters who faced some pretty tough circumstances in their lives but kept on skating. I thought what a GREAT idea for a book. So I reached out to coaching friends for names of some inspiring skaters to profile (and received more stories then I could possibly have room to publish). Still do to this day. I think I could write skating Forward books for the next 20 years. We have so many incredible skaters out there and their personal stories are AMAZING, and very few people know about them. So it’s my honor and joy to feature them.


Stan: Do you feature a “get up” theme through the stories you share in the books?

Joanne: All of the stories do indeed have a Get Up theme. Not everyone survived a tough illness (although I have profiled cancer survivors, Tourette’s Syndrome, Lyme Disease, Juvenile Diabetes, hearing disorders, epilepsy) and on and on. But I’ve also profiled a coach who devotes her life to autism awareness because she has a young son with autism spectrum disorder. Another adult skater began a fundraiser in honor of her two sisters who passed away at very young age, and she raises money for the hospital that helped them both. I’ve also profiled current competitive skaters who overcame injuries and came back the following year to compete, and one young skater who went through a lot of finding herself on the ice before returning this year as one of our top senior ladies.


Stan: Do you have a “get up” story of your own you would like to share.

Joanne: It’s funny but I often tell people my hip break was in a funny way my “lucky break.” Had I not been home sitting, bored to tears I probably would not have written the Skating Forward books. I believe my cancer journey planted the seed, and then in 2009 it came to be.


Joanne’s latest book just came out this Fall leading up to this next Olympic season.

Stan: What is special about your most recent book that just came out, “Skating Forward, Olympic Memories, Olympic Spirit?”

Joanne: The readers will meet three incredible Olympians. Jim Millns and Colleen O’Connor were our first U.S. Ice Dancing medalists, receiving the bronze at Innsbruck in 1976. They share their wonderful Olympic journey and what it was like to be on the 1976 team with Dorothy Hamill and Linda Fratianne, Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner and others. Our other Olympian is Jeremy Abbott and he shares that special Olympics in Sochi when he truly had a Get Up Moment. After a horrific fall in the short program he got up and finished his program creating probably one of the best Get Up moments on ice ever. Of course we have wonderful Olympic Spirit stories too. National Coach Darin Hosier is a stage 4 colon cancer survivor. Cara Zanella is a gold test adult skater living with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Staci Montagna-Vail is a silver test judge and a stage 4 breast cancer survivor, and two of our current competitors, Ernie Utah Sevens and Jordan Moeller talk about getting up after serious injuries that kept them from competing for an entire year!


Stan: How can someone order this and your other books?

Joanne: Books will be available at the US Figure Skating merchandise booth in Lake Placid at the 2017 Skate America. We will also be at Adult Nationals in 2018.

Also available at (Direct links right to ordering the book)
> Amazon.com (Paperback and Kindle – direct link right to the book)
> Barnes and Noble. (direct link to the book)
> Books123


Stan: Is there anything else you would like to tell us in closing?

Joanne: I feel so blessed to be able to do what I do. To work with these incredible skaters, parents, coaches and fellow fans. My husband Greg and I have made so many skating friends over the years. We call them our Skating Family, and they are a HUGE reason why we enjoy going to the marquee events each year. It’s our Family Reunion. That I can get up each morning and write about this incredible sport is a blessing beyond belief. I am so truly grateful.

Stan: Thanks you, Joanne! I won’t be able to make it to Skate America in Lake Placid this year, but I look forward to seeing you at US Nationals in San Jose!

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My previous monthly “Get Up” blogs can be found on my skating video and blogs page.