Adam Rippon

Adam Rippon
Rippon on the 2009 Trophée Eric Bompard podium.
Personal information
Full name	Adam Rippon
Country represented	United States
Born	(1989-11-11) November 11, 1989 (age 22) Scranton, Pennsylvania
Home town	Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Coach	Jason Dungjen Yuka Sato
Former coach	Brian Orser Nikolai Morozov Yelena Sergeeva
Choreographer	Shae-Lynn Bourne Pasquale Camerlengo
Former choreographer	David Wilson Sébastien Britten Nikolai Morozov Olga Orlova Yelena Sergeeva
Skating club	Skating Club of New York
Current training locations	Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Former training locations	Toronto, Hackensack, New Jersey
Began skating	November 1999
World standing	11 (As of 16 June 2011 (2011 -06-16)[update])[1]
Season's bests	18 (2011–2012)[2] 7 (2010–2011)[3] 11 (2009–2010)[4] 11 (2008–2009)[5]
ISU personal best scores
Combined total	233.04 2010 Skate Canada
Short program	80.11 2010 Worlds
Free skate	156.22 2010 Four Continents
Medal record Competitor for United States Men's Figure Skating Four Continents Championships Gold 2010 Jeonju Men's Singles World Junior Championships Gold 2009 Sofia Men's singles Gold 2008 Sofia Men's singles Junior Grand Prix Final Gold 2007–2008 Gdańsk Men's singles

Adam Rippon (born November 11, 1989) is an American figure skater. He is the 2010 Four Continents champion, the 2012 U.S. silver medalist, the 2008 and 2009 World Junior champion, the 2008 U.S. junior national champion, and the 2007–2008 Junior Grand Prix Final champion.

Personal life

Adam Rippon was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He is the oldest of six children.^[6] Rippon was born deaf but underwent surgery at Yale University when he was young which allows him to hear almost perfectly. He started to skate at age ten because his mother skated and brought him along to the rink.^[7][8]

Career

Early career

Rippon started to skate at age 10 because his mother skated and brought him along to the rink. He was coached by Yelena Sergeeva from 2000–2007.^[9]

In the 2004–2005 season, Adam Rippon won the silver medal on the novice level at the 2005 U.S. Championships.

In the 2005–2006 season, Rippon debuted on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit. He competed at the 2005-2006 ISU Junior Grand Prix event in Croatia and placed 6th. He was not assigned to a second Junior Grand Prix event. At the 2006 U.S. Championships, he finished 11th at the junior level. In the 2006–2007 season, Rippon did not compete on the Junior Grand Prix circuit. He placed 6th on the junior level at the 2007 U.S. Championships. Following the event, he left Sergeeyeva and began working with Nikolai Morozov in February 2007 at the Ice House in Hackensack, New Jersey.^[7][10]

2007–2008 season

In the 2007–2008 season, Rippon competed on the 2007-2008 Junior Grand Prix circuit. At his first event, the Harghita Cup in Miercurea Ciuc, Romania, he won the gold medal. He then won the silver medal at the Sofia Cup in Sofia, Bulgaria. These two medals qualified him for the 2007–2008 Junior Grand Prix Final. At that event, Rippon won the gold medal, and became the first man to break 200 points at a Junior level competition.

He went on to the 2008 U.S. Championships, where he won the Junior title.^[11] The Professional Skaters Association recognized Rippon as having the best men's free skate.^[12] He earned a trip to the 2008 Junior Worlds, where he won the gold medal.^[10] He was the second American man in a row to win the title, after Stephen Carriere, and the first man in years to win that title without attempting a triple axel jump.^{[citation needed]}

2008–2009 Season

Rippon moved up to the senior level in the 2008–2009 season. In the Grand Prix season he was assigned to compete at the 2008 Skate America where he placed eighth, and the 2008 Cup of Russia where he placed third in the short program and fifth overall. In late November 2008, Rippon left Morozov. In December 2008, he moved to Toronto, Canada to begin training with Brian Orser at the Toronto Cricket, Skating & Curling Club.^[13] Rippon officially announced his coaching change on January 2, 2009.^[14]

At the 2009 U.S. Championships, his senior level national debut, he placed seventh. He was named to the team for the 2009 Junior World Championships. At Junior Worlds, in his two programs, he landed a total of three triple axel jumps, one in combination with a double toe loop. He won the competition overall, scoring 222.00 points, becoming the first single skater to win two World Junior titles.^[15]

2009–2010 season

Rippon sprained his ankle during the summer and missed some training time.^[16] For the 2009–2010 season, Rippon was assigned to two Grand Prix events. At the 2009 Trophée Eric Bompard, he landed a triple flip-triple toe loop combination, a triple axel and a triple lutz in the short program and placed third in that segment of the competition.^[17] In the free skate, he landed a triple flip-triple toe loop combination, a triple axel-double toe loop combination, a triple loop, a triple axel, a triple lutz, a triple lutz-double toe loop-double loop combination, a double axel and a triple salchow to place third in that segment of the competition.^[18] Rippon won the bronze medal with a total score of 219.96 points.

At the 2009 NHK Trophy, Rippon placed eighth in the short program with a score of 67.15, after falling on the triple axel. He placed fifth in the free skate with a score of 130.46, completing seven triples including the triple axel in combination.^[19] Rippon placed sixth overall with a total score of 197.61 points.

At the 2010 U.S. Championships, he placed fourth in the short program with a score of 72.91 points after doubling with his triple lutz and falling in his footwork sequence. In the free skate, he completed eight triples and placed fourth in that segment of the competition with a score of 152.16 points.^[20] He finished fifth overall earning 225.07 points. Rippon was assigned to the 2010 Four Continents Championships.^[21]

At the 2010 Four Continents Championships, he placed seventh in the short program with a score of 69.56 points. In the free skate, he completed a triple flip-triple toe loop combination, a triple axel-double toe loop combination, a triple loop, a triple axel, a triple lutz, a triple lutz-double toe loop-double loop combination, a double axel and a downgraded triple salchow to place first in that segment of that competition.^[22] He won the gold medal with a total score of 225.78 points.

Rippon competed at the 2010 World Championships. He placed seventh in the short program with 80.11 points after landing a triple flip-triple toe loop combination, a triple axel and a triple lutz. In the free skate he came in fifth place with 231.47 points after executing triple flip-triple toe loop combination, a triple axel-double toe loop combination, a triple loop, a triple axel, a triple lutz, a triple lutz-double toe loop-double loop combination, a double axel and a triple salchow. Overall he placed sixth with 231.47 points.

2010–2011 season

Rippon began his season at the Japan Open, where he finished ahead of Daisuke Takahashi and Evgeni Plushenko.^[23] His assigned Grand Prix events for the 2010–2011 ISU Grand Prix season were the 2010 Skate Canada International and the 2010 Skate America.^[24]

At the 2010 Skate Canada International, Rippon had a collision with Patrick Chan during the morning practice before the short program but stated, "That was definitely the most exciting collision, maybe not the most dangerous."^[25] He placed third in the short program with 77.53 points after executing a triple axel, a triple flip-triple toe loop combination and a triple lutz. He placed second in the free skate earning 155.51 points nailing a triple axel-double toe loop combination, a double axel, a triple lutz, a triple flip-triple toe loop combination, a triple lutz-double toe loop-double loop combination, a triple loop and a triple salchow but stepping out of his second triple axel. He won the bronze medal overall scoring 233.04 points, a new personal best.

At the 2010 Skate America, Rippon placed third in the short program with 73.94 points. He stepped out of his triple axel, but executed a triple flip-triple toe loop combination, a triple lutz and all his spins were graded a level four.

At the 2011 U.S. Championships, Rippon finished 5th and was assigned to the 2011 Four Continents but missed the World team. He was also 5th at Four Continents.

On April 1, 2011, Rippon announced he would no longer be coached by Orser but would remain at the same club coached by Ghislain Briand, with whom he had already worked for over two years.^[9][26] On June 16, 2011, Rippon announced he was leaving Toronto to train with Jason Dungjen at the Detroit Skating Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, having been impressed with the facilities while working with DCS-based choreographer Pasquale Camerlengo.^[27][28][23] While looking for an apartment, he stayed with his friend Alissa Czisny.^[29] During the off-season, he worked on a quad lutz.^[30][29]

2011–2012 season

In the 2011–2012 season, Rippon was assigned to 2011 Skate Canada and 2011 Trophée Eric Bompard as his Grand Prix events. He opened the season with a 4th place finish at Skate Canada. This competition marked Rippon's first attempt at including a quad jump in his free program. He was unsuccessful with the quad lutz attempt. At Trophée Bompard, he was 4th in the short program, 3rd in the long, and finished 4th overall.

Signature moves

Rippon's signature move is a triple lutz that he executes with both arms on his head, popularly called the "Rippon Lutz".^[31][32] He is capable of performing the triple lutz-double toe loop-double loop combination with one hand over his head in all three jumps (popularly called the "'Tano Lutz" after Brian Boitano, who invented the move). He is also one of the few men able to do a donut spin.

Programs

Rippon performs his short program to Jonathan Livingston Seagull at the 2010 World Figure Skating Championships.

Competitive highlights

Rippon (center) at the 2007–08 Junior Grand Prix Final podium.

Detailed results

Post-2009

Pre-2009

• SP = Short program; FS = Free skating

References

• 2005 South Atlantic Regional Championships at the United States Figure Skating Association
• 2005 Eastern Sectional Championships at the United States Figure Skating Association
• 2006 South Atlantic Regional Championships at the United States Figure Skating Association
• 2006 Eastern Sectional Championships at the United States Figure Skating Association
• 2007 South Atlantic Regional Championships at the United States Figure Skating Association
• 2007 Eastern Sectional Championships at the United States Figure Skating Association

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Adam Rippon

• Official site
• Adam Rippon at the United States Figure Skating Association
• Adam Rippon at the International Skating Union