Dr Ami Parekh made history as the first skater to represent India at the World Championships. She now works as a physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor. She is passionate about helping skaters be healthy at all stages of their career, and frequently works as the medical director at competitions. Ami is also the Executive Director of the Chicago Youth Foundation, an organization which brings figure skating and hockey to underserved communities.

https://youtu.be/MOouEgSLzfA

Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_4p7mYDm2plc2yYwI5Wfy3eZ34-LYqxgrmfcpRyqMe4/edit?usp=sharing

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 If you appreciate the podcast, you can also support my work with a one-time or monthly contribution at ko-fi.com/futureoffigureskating

https://www.chicagoyouthfoundation.org/

Ami Parekh India Worlds 2007 Short program

Ami Parekh INDIA "Raga Jazz" 2014 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships Taipei, Tawain

Ami Parekh - 2013 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships,Osaka LP

Chicago Youth Foundation on local news

https://youtu.be/gxh4fainK48?si=Nh4SUqgRtq2S-ZrQ

Bharatnatyam on Ice:

https://www.facebook.com/thebetterindia/videos/2879877888944953/?rdid=TZ6lsbLjUvDlB3Fn

Meryl and Charlie Bollywood OD 2010

https://youtu.be/Pn37SMb_5NM?si=4VaNIB2TsuvT4baW

Tara Prasad

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2cQ4QjTNEAw

Kat Arbour, Ice Dynamics off-ice training

https://icedynamics.app/

Helmet Safety

https://youtube.com/shorts/DFwCupGDqtQ?si=SQUNu4LUFmu4cpUz

Early specialization and talent development in figure skating: Elite coaches’ perspectives https://ciss-journal.org/article/view/8744/13311

Health Consequences of Youth Sport Specialization https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6805065/

Jimmy Morgan is a coach and choreographer and the co-Vice President of American Ice Theatre. Previously, he competed at the national level in pairs with his partner Alex Shaughnessy. Jimmy is an advocate for LGBTQ + inclusion in sports, and through both his work on the ice and his social media presence, he encourages people to engage with figure skating and art in general as a way to learn more about yourself and engage with new ideas. Jimmy is also one of my pairs coaches! We a really fun conversation about queerness in skating, the growing field of showcase competitions and philosophical topics like how to judge art, the inherent unfairness of sport, and why skating appeals to the casual viewer.

Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C... Support on Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/futureoffigureskating

You can follow Jimmy on Instagram @ hashtagjimmy. You can reach me with comments or suggestions for people I should talk to by email at fsfuturepodcast @ gmail.com or instagram @ futurefspodcast.

Jimmy Morgan, Ryan Dunk “Modern Dreams” “ • "Modern Dream" - Figure Skating Choreograp...

Jimmy Morgan “I Hate Figure Skating” • "I HATE SKATING" - Figure Skating Choreogr... • Ballet sur glace Villard-de-lans élite 202... • "Mother Nature" Koko Hirano practices her ... • Trans People Don't Make Sports Unfair - Sp... • How I'd Make Figure Skating Popular Again ...

With transgender inclusion in sports being the target of intense political attacks, I was grateful to speak with an athlete who has been a leading voice for inclusive sport. Grace McKenzie (she/her) is a transgender woman and lifelong athlete who found an inclusive and welcoming support network within the U.S, women's rugby community, which she describes as the most transformative experience of her transition journey. She was recruited to her first team in 2019, and played for 7 years across the United States for highly competitive clubs including the Berkeley All Blues and the New York Rugby Club.

When World Rugby announced its plans to ban trans women internationally from the sport in 2020, Grace took action by organizing a global movement in opposition. She started a petition that accumulated over 25,000 signatures, and has engaged hundreds of clubs and dozens of professional athletes around the world through Rugby for All an organization that she helped co-found, and as an Advisory Council member of the Sport & Rights Alliance Since then, Grace has shared her story and advocacy at numerous forums around the world including the United Nations, prior to her retirement from the sport in early 2025.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/lgtcGR0bd6U

Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H_ky1ylon2lSY15Yn71MNgvCV-ln_gVErIEwmYsT1LM/edit?tab=t.0

You can follow Grace on Instagram @withgracetoo

Rugby for All https://www.instagram.com/rugbyforall.co/

Sports & Rights Alliance https://www.instagram.com/sportandrightsalliance/

You can learn more about resources for transgender figure skaters and their allies at skatingpartner.com

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

If you appreciate the podcast, you can also support my work with a one-time or ongoing donation on Ko-Fi, www.ko-fi.com/futureoffigureskating

Links:

Grace powerfully represented trans women in the debate at the Play the Game conference, which you can watch here: https://www.playthegame.org/conferences/play-the-game-2025/live-streaming/

New USFS “Category Policy” (October 2025)

https://usfigureskating.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a74f8ee4ba91875df45aa1592&id=cca7538f2a&e=412852edf6