We reported back in early October of 2015 that "figure-skater-adam-rippon-comes-out-as-gay." Many comments flew around like, "Shocker – a gay figure skater" and "no surprise there" and "must be a slow news day." But when it's a football, soccer, or rugby player, many say bravo and what a role model! Coming out is coming out and it should be honored and respected. We need to support anyone deciding to take that faithful step out of the closet.
Sometimes we hear of one of those individuals freeing themselves from the closet and that is it and they are just a story we did last year. Adam wasn't one of those. What has Adam done since coming out? Oh, nothing much, besides becoming a National Champion.
When Adam Rippon stepped onto the ice for his free skate Sunday at the 2016 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships, he knew what Nathan Chen and Max Aaron had done just before him.
Chen, Rippon’s 16-year-old training partner, had become the first American skater to land four quadruple jumps in a routine at the U.S. championships, while Aaron, the leader after the short program, landed two quads and made only minor mistakes.
“I knew exactly what was going on,” Rippon said. “It didn’t change what I wanted to do and what I needed to do when I went out there.”
What Rippon wanted to do was start his performance with a quad of his own, a Lutz, but that left him sliding on his side. What Rippon needed to do was keep performing, and that’s what he did — building up the momentum over his four-and-a-half-minute skate until he ended as national champion.
“I talked with my coach before I came here, Rafael Arutunian, and he told me that I had one goal: It was to skate clean and to perform,” said Rippon, who scored 270.75 points skating to a Beatles medley. “I knew after I made the opening mistake that I needed to skate clean and perform, and I was really glad that I was able to do that today and come out on top and finally be national champion.” – www.teamusa.org
Here is his final routine of the competition which pulled him ahead for good.
Congrats Adam for pulling through and hanging in there. I say this for not only did he have a great routine after a small stumble, but also he's been fighting for that top spot for some time.
His first medal, a silver on the novice level, came when he was just 16 years old in 2005, so to nab the gold eleven years later is nothing short of a coup in the skating world. – lgbtqnation.com
What did he have to say after his win? See his post success interview below.
"… like a witch and you can't kill me." Nope, we don't want to kill you, but we would love to give you our praises and best wishes. Keep up the great work!
GOOD for him – YES.
GOOD for him – YES.
