The Future of Figure Skating

• Robin Cousins

  Episode Notes My guest today is the 1980 Olympic Champion Robin Cousins. In his amateur competitive career, Robin won three world medals, a European title, and four British national championships. He has also had a prolific professional career, appearing in and producing numerous ice shows and competitions, judging Dancing on Ice, commentating for the BBC, and even appearing on stage in West End productions. He remains deeply connected to the sport today as the President of British Ice Skating. I spoke to Robin at the 2025 European Championships, where he shared his ideas for reforms that could increase figure skating’s appeal to the general public.  Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jHgI5n_wdDw Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OGVvApYSnA4DyvhryWzTCVYIwK60AdoHdKIGNU8GIyg/edit?tab=t.0 You can follow Robin on Instagram @robincousinsofficial You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at [email protected] or on Instagram @futurefspodcast and Bluesky @futureoffs If you appreciate the podcast, you can also support my work with the Tip Jar at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co Remember to subscribe to The Future of Figure Skating on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts, and share it with your friends! Support The Future of Figure Skating by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/futureoffigureskating

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• Evan Bates

  Episode Notes Evan Bates is an American ice dancer, and with his partner Madison Chock, is the three-time and reigning World Champion in ice dance. He is also a four-time Olympian and a gold medalist in the team event from Beijing. In 2022, Evan was elected by his peers to be the first ice dance representative to the ISU Athletes Commission. I spoke to Evan last winter about his experience as a representative so far and his goals for the Athletes Commission in the future.  Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YTw_u9n8IciqUsfwfXRHlSCAv05w_loDN09YIhMqejE/edit?tab=t.0 YouTube: https://youtu.be/W_0pfpjkHh0 You can follow Evan at evan_bates on Instagram You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at [email protected] or on Instagram @ futurefspodcast and Bluesky @futureoffs If you appreciate the podcast, you can also support my work with the Tip Jar at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co Remember to subscribe to The Future of Figure Skating on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts, and share it with your friends! Support The Future of Figure Skating by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/futureoffigureskating

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• Zabato Bebe

  Episode Notes Zabato Bebe is the skating choreographer for the ice shows at Phantasialand in Germany, where he also contributes to casting and finding new talent for their shows. He previously skated with Cirque du Soleil and has developed a unique style that blends elements of hip hop, African dance, and breaking on the ice. I first encountered Zabato after he had a video go viral last year featuring pair tricks with Alejandro Soler Castro, forming one of the few male/male adagio pairs currently performing professionally. Zabato is also interested in technology and is researching the integration of AI into skating and the creative process at large, drawing on his degree from Johannes Kepler Universität Linz (JKU) in Austria. We had a wide-ranging conversation about creativity, entertainment, and pushing the boundaries of what figure skating can be. Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11C8rngXWhvze503F0-O2dK1y6y1WKUxEP-EfGXoT4zw/edit?tab=t.0 YouTube: https://youtu.be/1LPV6kYwnko You can follow Zabato on Instagram at @ zabatobebe You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at [email protected], Instagram at @futurefspodcast, or at futureoffs.bsky.com If you appreciate the podcast, you can also support my work with the Tip Jar at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co Support The Future of Figure Skating by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/futureoffigureskating

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• Pooja Kalyan

  Episode Notes Pooja Kalyan is a former Team USA skater and current Brown University student. Pooja competed in the Junior Grand Prix in 2018, and at Skate America in 2020, before injuries forced her to pause her elite career. At Brown, she co-captains the collegiate team and is passionate about expanding opportunities for skaters at all levels and building a supportive team culture. Pooja also served as an athlete representative on the US Figure Skating board of directors. She serves on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion taskforce for US Figure Figure Skating, and is an ambassador for Diversify Ice. I learned a lot from Pooja about the challenges of skating at a high level, including managing injuries and the pressure of training and competition. I hope you also enjoy this look into her career so far!  Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cdFj3jwm_4YQNGRdbxk5uGo-0CBp9I4owriqzJPQevk/edit?usp=drive_link YouTube: https://youtu.be/yf-h-fo9K3s You can follow Pooja on instagram @ poojakalyanskates  US Figure Skating DEI taskforce https://www.usfigureskating.org/about/who-we-are/diversity-equity-and-inclusion Pooja Kalyan 2018 nationals https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RadTGfgM2OM&pp=ygUMcG9vamEga2FseWFu Pooja Kalyan On Ice Perspectives “All Human Beings” program by Lori Nichols https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8miWMIO9qQ&pp=ygUMcG9vamEga2FseWFu Pooja as a juvenile skater in 2013 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77C37ZmLoCk&pp=ygUMcG9vamEga2FseWFu   You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at [email protected] or on Instagram and Bluesky @futurefspodcast  If you appreciate the podcast, you can also support my work with the Tip Jar at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co Remember to subscribe to The Future of Figure Skating on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts, and share it with your friends!

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• Gary Beacom

  Episode Notes Gary Beacom is a 1984 Canadian Olympian who has continued to perform and compete for more than half a century to develop mastery through theoretical and experimental research. Gary teaches seminars around the world, and with his YouTube channel, he shares exercises, challenges, and pieces of choreography, encouraging skaters at all levels to learn good technique and explore the blade. He is also interested in equipment and is part of the company SK8INSOLL, building high-tech insoles for figure skating. He spoke to me from Japan last fall, as he was preparing to compete in the ISU Adult championship in Calgary! We had some technical issues with video on the recording, but the conversation was so rich I wanted to share it anyway.  YouTube: https://youtu.be/1pUho2J5z80 Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fAUX-coSXRYAmkctTS9QgYwsEncsLippdrDKVcJ9m8I/edit?tab=t.0 You can learn more about Gary at garybeacom.com or at his YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/@GaryBeacom-FigureSkater “Difficult Entry” video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WC1KCKNMxjc Adult Competition https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=OqF5AxyQDyY&pp=ygUcZ2FyeSBiZWFjb20gaXN1IGNoYW1waW9uc2hpcA%3D%3D https://www.garybeacom.com/sk8insoll You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at [email protected], Instagram at @futurefspodcast, or at futureoffs.bsky.com If you appreciate the podcast, you can also support my work with the Tip Jar at https://futureoffigureskating.pinecast.co Remember to subscribe to The Future of Figure Skating on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts, and share it with your friends!

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