by Jill Jaracz
The podcast has been all about figure skating the last couple of weeks, so I have been all about figure skating as well. First, we had on (Not Olympic Champion) Sarah Hughes for a preview of the upcoming Olympic figure skating competition.
Then during U.S. Nationals week, we featured Team USA Media Summit interviews with Amber Glenn and Jason Brown, as well as a conversation with U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program member and pairs skater PV2 Spencer Howe.
If you’re one of our Patreon patrons at the bonus audio content level, you also got an extra dose of Sarah Hughes on what we discussed after we finished recording.
Throwing back to figure skating in the 1990s
Recently, Alison and I also did an interview with another podcaster about the Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan scandal (we’ll let you know when it’s live), so the figure skating part of my brain has been living in the 1990s, not unlike this year’s ice dance rhythm dance theme.
That said, I wish that an ice dance team would have done the ultimate void-y thing and throw back to an actual program from the 1990s, maybe one that was a little bizarre—or a lot bizarre—when you read the music selections in print, and that is Tonya Harding’s 1991 free skate.
The performance itself is phenomenal and historic because it’s the first time an American woman landed a triple Axel in competition (and considering that Amber Glenn was the only woman doing a triple Axel in the short program at 2026 U.S. Nationals, that shows you just how difficult a move this was to pull off 35 years ago).
But the music is a headscratcher. The medley is:
- Theme from the movie Batman
- Send in the Clowns
- Wild Thing (the Tone Loc version)
Keep in mind, at the time, skaters weren’t allowed to use music with lyrics, so those last two selections were instrumental, making this even more surreal. Yet, she brought the crowd to their feet and brought home the American title.
If Jason Brown can do a throwback to one of his legendary programs, why can’t someone throwback to someone else’s program? It could be all kinds of fun!
One thing to skip though: Throwback commentary. Dick Button’s, “Good girl!” exclamation during Harding’s program is a little cringe.
1990s figure skaters in the news
Some other skaters of the 1990s have been in the news lately. Oksana Baiul, who I saw speak in Akron this past fall at a National Recovery Month event, has had her fair share of ups and downs since winning the gold medal in 1994 at age 16. She’s had issues with alcoholism, and this past year, she got a divorce and moved from Shreveport, Louisiana back to Las Vegas for job opportunities. She’s been in the news lately because her ex-husband was awarded primary custody of their daughter.
Speaking of Las Vegas, another 90s figure skater apparently lives there too. Surya Bonaly announced on Instagram that her house was broken into, and her European and World Championships medals were stolen.
She hasn’t given a follow-up on that story, but you can see her as one of two coaches on the new season of a French reality TV show called Les Apprentis Champions au Ski, where 16 contestants (perhaps reality stars) learn winter sports and compete against each other. Would I watch this? Totally!
Netflix ice dancing docuseries coming soon
Speaking of reality series, Netflix is releasing an ice dancing docuseries called Glitter & Gold ahead of Milano Cortina 2026. The three-part series will follow U.S. pair Madison Chock and Evan Bates, Canadian pair Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, and French pair Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry.
Don’t have Netflix? Then check out the two-part documentary Deanna’s Dream, about Canadian pairs skater Deanna Stellato-Dudek and her quest to reach the Olympics. Find it on the ISU site.
And, ICYMI, be sure to watch Amber Glenn’s stunning Like a Prayer short program and Jason Brown’s revamped Riverdance short program from U.S. Nationals, which we discussed with both of them on the podcast.
So much to watch!