The Future of Figure Skating

Anna Kellar
  • 5.0 (14)
  • Performing Arts
  • Updated Monthly

The Future of Figure Skating breaks down the issues facing the sport and interviews the change-makers and visionaries who are making the skating world a healthier and more inclusive place.

  1. ISU Candidates 2026 - Tatsuro Matsumura

    3d ago

    ISU Candidates 2026 - Tatsuro Matsumura

    Tatsuro Matsumura is a current member of the ISU Council, having served in that role since 2018. He was a competitive ice dancer and coach, before working with the Japanese Skating Federation and Japanese Olympic Committee.  The International Skating Union's Congress is being held from June 10th through 12th, and at this meeting, member federations of the ISU will vote on office holders, including the President, the Vice Presidents, the Council, and members of the various committees that help to govern the sport. The ISU president, Jae Youl Kim, is running for re-election unopposed. However, the Vice President for Figure Skating is a contested position, with four candidates running, including the incumbent Benoit Lavoie. Eleven candidates are running for the ISU council positions for figure skating. Five positions will be elected at Congress. The Future Figure Skating podcast is featuring interviews with as many candidates for the VP and Council positions as possible in the lead up to the ISU Congress. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/SB_ZPFqd4aQ Transcript:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yzFwfZCMT3e6VglLGzjSs6mdYIDZCxusqukeyI60YyA/edit?tab=t.0 My writing about the ISU's rule change proposals: https://anythinggoe.com/bigchangesfromisu/  Make sure you check out the other candidate interviews on YouTube. You can reach me at fsfuturepodcast at http://gmail.com or on Instagram @ futurefspodcast. You can support my work at http://ko-fi.com/futureoffigureskating. Thanks for liking and subscribing.

    33 min
  2. ISU Candidates 2026 - Jimmy Stryhn Meyer

    Jun 3

    ISU Candidates 2026 - Jimmy Stryhn Meyer

    Jimmy Stryhn Meyer is a candidate for the ISU Council. He is the president of the Luxembourg Figure Skating Federation, and is also president of the Staff Committee at the European Court of Justice. The International Skating Union's Congress is being held from June 10th through 12th, and at this meeting, member federations of the ISU will vote on office holders, including the President, the Vice Presidents, the Council, and members of the various committees that help to govern the sport. The ISU president, Jae Youl Kim, is running for re-election unopposed. However, the Vice President for Figure Skating is a contested position, with four candidates running, including the incumbent Benoit Lavoie. Eleven candidates are running for the ISU council positions for figure skating. Five positions will be elected at Congress. The Future Figure Skating podcast is featuring interviews with as many candidates for the VP and Council positions as possible in the lead up to the ISU Congress. Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RTEYFK_X0tOun-KPf7v4977OJF7MK_VkX89tRAiqlwc YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/9qvTVP1F9VI My writing about the ISU's rule change proposals: https://anythinggoe.com/bigchangesfromisu/  Make sure you check out the other candidate interviews on YouTube. You can reach me at fsfuturepodcast at http://gmail.com or on Instagram @ futurefspodcast. You can support my work at http://ko-fi.com/futureoffigureskating. Thanks for liking and subscribing.

    25 min
  3. ISU Candidates 2026 - Oleksandr Volkov

    Jun 1

    ISU Candidates 2026 - Oleksandr Volkov

    Oleksandr Volkov is a board member of the Ukrainian Figure Skating Federation, and a lawyer specializing in cross-border litigation, international arbitration and sports and esports law. He spoke to me from his office in Kiev, and had to relocate to the basement mid-interview when Russian bombing began.  The International Skating Union's Congress is being held from June 10th through 12th, and at this meeting, member federations of the ISU will vote on office holders, including the President, the Vice Presidents, the Council, and members of the various committees that help to govern the sport. The ISU president, Jae Youl Kim, is running for re-election unopposed. However, the Vice President for Figure Skating is a contested position, with four candidates running, including the incumbent Benoit Lavoie. Eleven candidates are running for the ISU council positions for figure skating. Five positions will be elected at Congress. The Future Figure Skating podcast is featuring interviews with as many candidates for the VP and Council positions as possible in the lead up to the ISU Congress. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/l5HrkLHP2cw Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-nVU-KMVLmqRdpE56PZAuxgqOh8SPS72-147XG6sGUs/edit?tab=t.0 My writing about the ISU's rule change proposals: https://anythinggoe.com/bigchangesfromisu/  Make sure you check out the other candidate interviews on YouTube. You can reach me at fsfuturepodcast at http://gmail.com or on Instagram @ futurefspodcast. You can support my work at http://ko-fi.com/futureoffigureskating. Thanks for liking and subscribing.

    36 min
  4. ISU Candidates 2026 - Susanna Rahkamo

    May 29

    ISU Candidates 2026 - Susanna Rahkamo

    Dr Susanna Rahkamo has been a member of the ISU Council since 2022. With her partner Petri Kokko she was the 1995 European Champion in Ice Dance, and was the originator of the Finnstep pattern dance. She has served as the President of Skate Finland, and in leadership roles with the Finnish and European Olympic Committees, and was previously the leader of the ISU Development Commission. Dr Rahkamo is running for a second term on the Council.  International Skating Union's Congress is being held from June 10th through 12th, and at this meeting, member federations of the ISU will vote on office holders, including the President, the Vice Presidents, the Council, and members of the various committees that help to govern the sport. The ISU president, Jae Youl Kim, is running for re-election unopposed. However, the Vice President for Figure Skating is a contested position, with four candidates running, including the incumbent Benoit Lavoie. Eleven candidates are running for the ISU council positions for figure skating. Five positions will be elected at Congress. The Future Figure Skating podcast is featuring interviews with as many candidates for the VP and Council positions as possible in the lead up to the ISU Congress. And we hope that these interviews will help to clarify the issues facing the ISU as well as the visions of the individuals who form part of that leadership. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/L-_rsrqZvCg Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OdqScJ_Yuw2GdBT9z_gw87beVm8k4gPdCUVhEQZwf3I/edit?tab=t.0 ISU Council Interviews - Susanna Rahkamo My writing about the ISU’s rule change proposals, in the episode description. Make sure you check out the other candidate interviews on YouTube!  You can reach me at fsfuturepodcast@gmail.com or on Instagram at Future FS Podcast.  You can support my work at ko-fi.com/futureoffigureskating Thanks for liking and subscribing!

    41 min
  5. ISU Candidates 2026 - Robin Cousins

    May 21

    ISU Candidates 2026 - Robin Cousins

    Robin Cousins is one of the candidates running for the ISU Council. The 1980 Olympic champion, he has served in many roles within figure skating as a choreographer, a professional skater, a also most recently has been the president of British ice skating. I also spoke with Robin for a full podcast episode at 2025 Europeans, which you can find in our playlists as Episode 54. https://youtu.be/jHgI5n_wdDw?si=KYIuGxV7q7b-dh9D The International Skating Union's Congress is being held from June 10th through 12th. At this meeting, member federations of the ISU will vote on office holders, including the President, the Vice Presidents, the Council, and members of the various committees that help to govern the sport. The ISU president, Jae Youl Kim, is running for re-election unopposed. The Future of Figure Skating podcast is featuring interviews with candidates for the VP and Council positions in the lead up to the ISU Congress. I hope that these interviews will help to clarify the issues that are facing the ISU and the visions of the individuals who form part of the leadership! YouTube: https://youtu.be/YausJpUZOxw Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BoNTOeu0larHbfVv7N06Gx_pPkOqh6vCQtRMbLbfcRM/edit?tab=t.0

    33 min
  6. Jatta Muhonen

    Apr 20

    Jatta Muhonen

    Jatta Muhonen is a doctoral researcher in psychology at the University of Helsinki, and a former top synchronized skater from Finland. Having personally navigated emotional abuse within the sport, she now dedicates her career to athlete welfare.  Her PhD examines the factors shaping athletes’ experiences of emotional abuse and their readiness to recognize and disclose it, with a particular focus on the role of athletic identity. Her multifaceted career also includes roles as a safeguarding officer, performance (sport) psychology practitioner, and athlete performance lifestyle advisor (focus on athlete retirement), bridging the gap between research and practice. YouTube: https://youtu.be/0rEgBHaCjIM Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kW-xBoKPqhTdUUvgwTWacmQ6m7MPqH0-nkO7yCs2fxY/edit?tab=t.0 You can follow Jatta on Instagram at @ jatta_safesport You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at fsfuturepodcast@gmail.com or Instagram @futurefspodcast   You can also support the podcast by making a one-time or recurring contribution at Ko-Fi.com/futureoffigureskating. Remember to subscribe to The Future of Figure Skating on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts, and share it with your friends!

    1h 10m
  7. Eric Radford

    Mar 23

    Eric Radford

    As he finishes his second term on the ISU Athletes Commission, Eric Radford joined me to talk about how skaters can use their voices to impact decision-making. Eric Radford is the 2018 Olympic Bronze medalist in Pairs and the gold medalist in the team event, as well as a two-time World Champion. In 2019, he was elected as the singles and pairs representative for the ISU Athlete Commission. In 2022 he was elected chair of the commission, and served on the ISU Council until May 2025. YouTube: https://youtu.be/qY0jK1254pc Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AJk0YWXs6OBlMd8RkBCmDV-nLNkZDN_e9YlOJAh0xtA/edit?tab=t.0 You can follow Eric on Instagram at @ ericradford85 You can reach me with comments or suggestions for topics and people I should talk to, by email at fsfuturepodcast@gmail.com or Instagram @futurefspodcast   You can also support the podcast by making a one-time or recurring contribution at Ko-Fi.com/futureoffigureskating. Remember to subscribe to The Future of Figure Skating on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts, and share it with your friends! ISU Athlete Commission  https://isu.org/athletes-commission/ Communication 2427: 2021 Election Procedures Communication 2763: 2026 Election Procedures  Recommended listening: Episode Rob Koehler, Global Athlete: https://youtu.be/j4pGmeyfMqk Episode 38: Elizabeth Ramsey, Team USA Athlete Commission: https://youtu.be/7MZRvvdw7Gg Episode 53: Evan Bates, ISU AC Rep for Ice Dance: https://youtu.be/W_0pfpjkHh0 Article on music rights: “Making Music in Skating Legal”

    53 min
  8. Erica Rand

    Feb 1

    Erica Rand

    Erica Rand has just published a new book called ‘Skating Away from the Binary’, which looks at our skating and our struggle to be allowed to compete as a gender-nonconforming pair team, and examines issues around gender binaries, sports, and politics in a very accessible way. As well as being my pairs partner and friend, Erica is a professor of Art and Visual Culture and of Gender and Sexuality Studies at Bates College. Many of her courses concern the intersections of gender, race, and sexuality—including a course called Queer and Trans Sports Studies. A longtime activist and cultural critic, Erica has written on topics ranging from Barbie to Ellis Island, and has used her experience as an adult figure skater and group-lessons coach to help her think and write about opening up sport and movement for all. Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZJtaqOxw0iczfAoyGiiY94Z-fqo8yh3ZX0GvLPTzxm0/edit?tab=t.0  You can order “Skating Away from the Binary” through the University of Minnesota Press: https://www.upress.umn.edu/9781517920555/skating-away-from-the-binary/ Links: More about Erica: https://www.bates.edu/faculty/profile... Erica’s first book skating book, “Red Nails, Black Skates”  https://www.dukeupress.edu/red-nails-... Riki Wilchins, When Texas Came for Our Kids   / when-texas-came-for-our-kids   You can reach me with comments or suggestions for people I should talk to by email at fsfuturepodcast @ gmail.com or instagram at futurefspodcast. You can also support the podcast by making a one-time or recurring contribution at Ko-Fi.com/futureoffigureskating.

    1h 5m
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The Future of Figure Skating breaks down the issues facing the sport and interviews the change-makers and visionaries who are making the skating world a healthier and more inclusive place.

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