figure skating interviews : The Manleywoman SkateCast

February 2026 Figure Skating podcast. An interview with 1956 Olympic Champion Tenley Albright. She’s the first American woman to win Olympic gold in figure skating (but don’t forget she also won silver in 1952!). Hers is a remarkable story of overcoming polio to stand on top of the podium, and then continuing on to become...

December 2025 Figure Skating podcast. An interview with American Pairs skaters Alexa and Chris Knierim. Together, they were 3-time National Champions and 2018 Olympic Bronze medalists in the Team Event. After Chris’ retirement, Alexa paired up with Brandon Frazier to win two more National titles, Gold in the 2022 Olympic Team Event, and Gold at...

Figure Skating podcast. An interview with American Pairs skater Timothy LeDuc. Timothy is a two-time National Champion in Pairs with Ashley Cain, a 2022 Olympian, and the first out non-binary athlete assigned to the Winter Olympics. 1 hour, 8 minutes. A full transcription is below. (TL: Timothy LeDuc, AM: Allison Manley) AM: Welcome back to the...

Figure Skating podcast. Ice skating analyst Jackie Wong’s website at rockerskating.com is the top source for the latest news about the sport. But most critically he has a deep understanding of the judging system, which makes him an invaluable resource for those trying to understand the outcome of scores and placements. 1 hour, 1 minute,...

Figure Skating podcast. With partner Guy Revell, Debbi Wilkes was a two-time Canadian National Champion, 1963 North American Champion, and the 1964 Olympic Silver medalist. After retiring from competition, Wilkes became a television ice skating analyst, an author, coach, and Skate Canada’s Director of Marketing and Sponsorship. Ms Wilkes was inducted into the Canadian Figure...

Figure Skating podcast. Courtney Jones is a World, European, and British ice dancing champion, and the only skater to win World Championships in Ice Dance with different partners. He’s been an ice skating judge, an Olympic Team Leader, and creator of two  compulsory dances. And he designed the iconic Bolero costumes worn by Torvill and...

Figure skating podcast. Elizabeth Manley is a 3-time Canadian Champion, 2-time Olympian, the 1988 World Silver medalist, and the 1988 Olympic Silver medalist in women's figure skating. This Canadian Hall of Famer is also a commentator and...

November 2014 An interview with Parker Pennington. He won four US national titles (Juvenile, Intermediate, Novice, and Junior titles), is now a coach and choreographer, and the creator of SkateDanceDream. He discusses having Carol Heiss Jenkins as a coach, how he loves to help people any way he can, and how he was once a stunt...

October 2014An interview with Tamara Moskvina, one of the most legendary coaches of all time in figure skating. She was a 5-time Soviet Champion in Singles, and 2-time Soviet Champion in Pairs with different partners: Alexander Gavrilov and Alexei Mishin. With Mishin she was the World Silver medalist and competed in the 1968 Olympics. Since becoming a...

September 2014An interview with Renee Roca. Roca was a three-time US National Champion in Ice Dance with different partners: she won the 1986 title with Donald Adair, and the 1993 and 1995 titles with Gorsha Sur. Her longevity in the sport is hard to top, spending 14 years in the Senior ranks. Roca is probably best...

August 2014An interview with Brian Orser. This Canadian phenomenon was the Men’s Canadian Champion from 1981 to 1988, was the 1987 World Champion, and the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Silver Medalist. He performed brilliantly in two Olympics in a row, which is especially impressive. He was also the first person to land three triple axels in...

July 2014 An interview with Tom Zakrajsek. Tom competed in Men’s Singles and Pairs, then became a judge. But he’s made the biggest impact as a coach. Known for his technical coaching, he has groomed many elite skaters over the years including Ryan Bradley, Rachel Flatt, Jeremy Abbott, Max Aaron, Brandon Mroz, and Mirai Nagasu. He...

June 2014An interview with Cecily Morrow. She’s a coach and former student of some of the best coaches out there (Carlo Fassi, Gustave Lussi, and Natalia Dubova). But her main and lasting contribution to the sport of figure skating has been her in-depth recordings of the teachings of Gustave Lussi and Natalia Dubova, through the video...

May 2014 An interview with Ryan Bradley, the 2011 US Figure Skating Champion, 3 time Collegiate Champion, coach and one of the favorites on the show circuit for his charisma on ice. Ryan talks about how he’s been able to develop that charisma and work with it, how he always wanted to be a “conversational skater,”...

April 2014 An interview with Sjoukje Dijkstra, the 1964 Olympic champion in ladies’ singles, the 1960 Olympic silver medalist, a three-time World champion (1962–1964), five-time European champion (1960–1964), and the six-time Dutch national champion (1959–1964). We talked about how she’s glad she became a figure skater rather than a speed skater, traveling and training in London as a youngster, and how much hairspray it...

March 2014 An interview with Silvia Fontana, 5-time Italian Champion, 2-time Winter Olympian (for the 2002 Salt Lake City games and the 2006 Torino Games), show skater, coach, reality TV star, and founder of Karisma Sportswear with her husband American pair skater John Zimmerman. She talked about working with Carlo Fassi, why her cats didn’t...

February 2014 An interview with the legendary Dick Button. What hasn’t he done? He’s practically the father of our sport (if Jackson Haines were Grandfather). The two-time Olympic Gold medalist invented many of the jumps and spins we see today, and he invented figure skating commentary. He’s a skater, producer, commentator, actor, truth-seeker, hall-of-famer, stirrer-upper,...

January 2014 A compilation of short, live, off-the-cuff interviews with whomever I encountered at the 2014 United States Figure Skating Championships in Boston, MA. Interviews include choreographer and coach Doug Mattis, Peter Biver, Dick Button, Hayes Jenkins, David Jenkins and Carol Heiss, Jirina Ribbins, the mother/son team of Stan and Fran, some local fans and...

December 2013 An interview with Doug Wilson, the ABC Producer and Director that I interviewed in 2008 on SkateCast #16. He contacted me again to talk about his new book, “The World Was Our Stage: Spanning the Globe with ABC Sports.” It’s full of wonderful stories of not only his coverage of figure skating, but so...

December 2013 An interview with John Misha Petkevich, the 1971 US National Figure Skating Champion, two-time Olympian, USFS Hall of Fame member, author of two skating books (“Figure Skating: Champion Techniques” and “The Skater’s Handbook”), and the creator of the fantastic Harvard-run show “An Evening With Champions.” He was also a commentator for NBC, CBS...

November 2013 An interview with Donald Jackson, four-time Canadian Champion, 1960 Olympic Bronze Medalist, show skater, coach, author of several books, creator of Jackson skates, and member of more than a few halls of fame. He’s most notable in the history books for being the first person to land a triple lutz in competition (see...

September 2013 An interview with Tania Bass, dress and costume designer to world class skaters including Miki Ando, Sarah Hughes, Emily Hughes, Pang and Tong, Ina and Zimmerman, Michael Weiss, Jeremy Abbott and more. Her website is www.taniabass.com. Her dress for Sarah Hughes was featured on the cover of Time Magazine in 2002. She talks...

September 2013 An interview with Rohene Ward. What couldn’t he do well? Jumping in both directions! Amazing and unusual spins! Flexibility beyond belief! Choreographing his own programs! Signature moves! And all that talent from a kid with a disadvantaged background who had to take several bus transfers by himself to make it happen. And while...

June 2013 An interview with Ricky Harris, the first dedicated figure skating choreographer, and author of three books on figure skating and choreography. Ricky Harris skated with the Sonia Henie show, and created a series of successful workshops that are being continued by American Ice Theater with Jodi Porter. She did choreography for Evan Lysacek,...

May 2013 An interview with Caryn Kadavy, four-time US medalist at the US Figure Skating Championships, 1987 World Bronze Medalist, 1988 Olympian, professional skater, coach and choreographer. We talk about how she developed her fantastic triple loop jump, what it was like to work with Carlo Fassi and Toller Cranston, performing her brilliant short program,...

APRIL 2013 An interview with Phil Hersh, an award-winning journalist who since 1987 has been the Olympic sports writer for the Chicago Tribune and the Tribune Company. He’s covered the sport of figure skating through 10 Olympics (Sochi 2014 is #10), 28 US Championships, and 16 World Championships. We spoke about his opinions on some...

MARCH 2013 Part Two of an interview with Audrey Weisiger, Olympic-level coach (most notably of Michael Weiss and Tim Goebel), and creator of both Grassroots to Champions (G2C) and the Young Artists Showcase (YAS). In Part Two we discuss her collaboration with the late choreographer Brian Wright, the creation of G2C and YAS, her thoughts...

MARCH 2013 Part One of an interview with Audrey Weisiger, Olympic-level coach (most notably of Michael Weiss and Tim Goebel), and creator of both Grassroots to Champions and the Young Artists Showcase. In Part One we discuss her background in skating, how she became a top level coach, what it was like working with Michael...

FEBRUARY 2013 Part Two of an interview with Carol Heiss Jenkins, the 1960 Olympic Gold Medalist for ladies figure skating, as well as the Silver medalist in the 1956 Olympics, a 5 time World Champion, and of course US National Champion. In Part 2, she takes us through her movie and television career, notably when...

DECEMBER 2012 An interview with Carol Heiss Jenkins, the 1960 Olympic Gold Medalist for ladies figure skating, as well as the Silver medalist in the 1956 Olympics, a 5 time World Champion, and of course US National Champion. In Part 1, she takes us through her early days of skating all the way through the...

NOVEMBER 2012 Norbert Schramm is a German Figure Skating Champion, two-time European Champion, twice the World Silver Medalist, and one of the more interesting skaters from an already interesting era in Men’s figure skating. His inventive choreography and spins are still fresh today. He has continued his figure skating career in television and show production,...

OCTOBER 2012 The Pro Skating Historical Foundation is an organization that is working hard to preserve the history of professional figure skating by archiving historical artifacts and working with the skating community to contribute to the pro skating world. In this episode I interview four members of the Foundation: Jaya Kanal, Tony Kudrna, Dorian Valles...

SEPTEMBER 2012 The Ice Theatre of New York is a premiere ice dance company, that joins figure skating with traditional choreography and dance to create new forms and movements on ice. They also have quite an extensive outreach and education program for students and audiences. I spoke with Founder Moira North and Artistic Director Douglas...

SEPTEMBER 2012 Kelli Lawrence is a writer and producer who has written for both PSA (Professional Skaters Association) Magazine and SKATING Magazine. She is also the author of  the book “Skating On Air: The Broadcast History of an Olympic Marquee Sport” (read my review here), and she also writes a blog called State of the...

SEPTEMBER 2012 A prolific collector of figure skating memorabilia for over 70 years, Roy Blakey is the owner of one of the worlds largest collection of figure skating memorabilia. Highlights of his collection, and an overview of show skating, can be viewed at his website Ice Stage Archive. His collection is going to be featured...

MAY 2012 With his partner Kyoka Ina, John Zimmerman  was three time US National Champion, 2002 World Bronze Medalist, and 5th at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. He’s been a Stars On Ice performer, a model, a coach, and is also (with wife Silvia Fontana) the founder of Karisma Sportswear. He talks about starting...

MARCH 2012 With her partner Norris Bowden, Frances Dafoe was a four-time Canadian Champion in Pairs, one-time Champion in Ice Dance, twice World Champion, and the 1956 Olympic Silver Medalist. She discusses their controversial silver medal, how they changed the rules of pair skating, why Strawberry Ice was her favorite project for costume design, and...

An interview with Leah Adams. Leah is an in-demand skating photographer who has photographed for several top shows, including Champions On Ice and Skate For Hope. She also conceived of, runs, and manages Figure Skaters Online, which creates and hosts over 50 websites for both upcoming and established skaters. In other words, she’s one of...

JANUARY 2012 Live from the 2012 US Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, California. In addition to capturing some sounds and flavors of the event. There are clips from both the Friday night and the Saturday on-ice event, with remarks from Brian Boitano, Pat St. Peter, and Dr. Lawrence Mondschein. There are interviews with: Rockne Brubaker,...

DECEMBER 2011 An interview with Lucinda Ruh. Ms. Ruh is a 2-time Swiss National Champion, star of both Stars On Ice and Champions On Ice, and was twice named one of the “25 most influential people in figure skating” by International Figure Skating Magazine. She astounded crowds worldwide with her gifts in spinning as an...

NOVEMBER 2011 An interview with PJ Kwong. Ms. Kwong is a Canadian figure skating coach, television commentator, public address announcer, blogger at www.pjkwong.com, and author of “Taking the Ice: Success Stories From the World of Canadian Figure Skating.” We talk about how she got into commentating for television, why Canadian choreographers are so talented, and she reveals...

OCTOBER 2011 An interview with David Kirby, who knows everything there is to know about figure skating. His father show skated with Sonia Henie. His parents were Canadian champions. He’s been a Novice champion. He skated in Ice Capades. He owns ice rinks. He coaches. He was PSA President. He’s one of the first members...

JUNE 2011 An interview with Timothy Goebel, 2001 US National Champion, and 2002 Olympic Bronze Medalist. Also known as the “Quad King,” he was the first person to land three quadruple jumps in one program (and one of the few to accomplish that to this day). We discuss his quads, the change from 6.0 to...

MAY 2011 An interview with Randy Gardner, 1979 World Champion in Pairs with Tai Babilonia, two time Olympian (1976 and 1980), choreographer, star of Ice Follies and head of Randy G Productions. We talk about his experiences with Mabel Fairbanks, his injury during the Lake Placid Olympics that caused them to withdraw, and who he’d...

MARCH 2011 An interview with David Jenkins, 1956 Olympic Bronze medalist, 1960 Olympic Gold Medalist, 3-time World Champion and 4-time US National Champion. We discuss how he and his brother Hayes worked together, his loathing of figures, how a boxing promoter came to own the rights to his performance from CBS, and how he was...

FEBRUARY 2011 An interview with Yuka Sato, two-time Japanese Champion, World Junior Champion, two-time Olympian, and 1994 World Champion. Also known as a choreographer and coach to Alyssa Czisny and Jeremy Abbott. We talk about her having Olympians as parents and coaches, her training philosophy, and how she got lost on a bus in Canada...

JANUARY 2011 Live from the 2011 US Nationals in Greensboro, North Carolina. In addition to capturing some sounds and flavors of the event, there are interviews with: Charlene Wong, Todd Eldredge, Silvia Fontana and John Zimmerman, Alison Carey, Rusty (the In-Arena Host) Dan Diamond, Kori Ade, John Lee, Michael Parsons, Doug Razzano, Jerod Swallow and...

DECEMBER 2010 An interview with Jojo Starbuck. With partner Ken Shelley, she won three US titles, two World Bronze medals and was in both the 1968 and 1972 Olympics. We discuss her career on and off the ice, her love for performing, and her incredible story of why the Japanese Federation made her miss a...

NOVEMBER 2010 An interview with Canadian legend Barbara Ann Scott, 1948 Olympic Champion, 4-time Canadian Champion, World/European/North American Champion, and the classiest woman in the sport of figure skating. We discuss her career on and off the ice, her numerous experiences with Sonia Henie, and why her little dog Pierre was her most embarrassing moment...

OCTOBER 2010 An interview with George Spiteri, President of SP-Teri Boots. SP-Teri has been making boots since 1963. We talk about the history and evolution of the skating boot, the worst pair of boots he’s ever seen, and dealing with stinky feet. 39 minutes, 36 seconds. Win a free pair of SP-Teri Boots! There is...