Amber Glenn
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Amber Elaine Glenn (born October 28, 1999) is an American figure skater. She is the 2022 Skate America bronze medalist, the 2021 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb silver medalist, the 2019 CS U.S. Classic bronze medalist, and the 2021 U.S. national silver medalist. She has finished within the top ten at two ISU Championships. Earlier in her career, she won bronze at two
ISU Junior Grand Prix The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men ...
events (2013 JGP Czech Republic, 2014 JGP France) and gold at the 2014 U.S. Junior Nationals.


Personal life

Glenn was born October 28, 1999, in
Plano, Texas Plano ( ) is a city in Collin County and Denton County, Texas, United States. It had a population of 285,494 at the 2020 census. It is a principal city of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. History European settlers came to the area near ...
. Her father, Richard, works as a police officer. Glenn, who identifies as both bisexual and
pansexual Pansexuality is sexual, romantic, or emotional attraction towards people regardless of their sex or gender identity. Pansexual people may refer to themselves as gender-blind, asserting that gender and sex are not determining factors in their ...
, is the only openly
LGBTQ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is ...
ladies' figure skater on Team USA . In November 2020, she revealed that she worked with the creative team of the
Yuri!!! on Ice is a Japanese sports anime television series about figure skating. The series was produced by MAPPA, directed and written by Sayo Yamamoto with original scripts by Mitsurō Kubo under the chief direction of Jun Shishido. Character designs ...
movie A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
during production in August 2017.


Career

Glenn began learning to skate in 2004. She won a bronze medal at the 2013 Junior Grand Prix (JGP) event in the Czech Republic and became a national junior champion at the 2014 U.S. Championships. Ranked fifth in the short program and eighth in the free skate, she finished seventh at the 2014 World Junior Championships in
Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...
, Bulgaria. She trained in
McKinney, Texas McKinney is a city in and the county seat of Collin County, Texas. It is Collin County's third-largest city, after Plano and Frisco. A suburb of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, McKinney is about north of Dallas. The U.S. Census Bureau lis ...
and at Stonebriar Ice in
Frisco, Texas Frisco is a city in Collin and Denton counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and about from both Dallas Love Field and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Its population was 200,509 at the 2 ...
until the rink closed in 2014.


2014–15 season

In May 2014, U.S. Figure Skating named Glenn as the recipient of the 2014 Athlete Alumni Ambassador (3A) overall award. In August, she won bronze at the 2014 JGP in France. She finished sixth at her second JGP assignment in Estonia and 13th on the senior level at the 2015 U.S. Championships.


2015–16 season

Glenn began the 2015–2016 season training in
McKinney, Texas McKinney is a city in and the county seat of Collin County, Texas. It is Collin County's third-largest city, after Plano and Frisco. A suburb of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, McKinney is about north of Dallas. The U.S. Census Bureau lis ...
under Ann Brumbaugh and Ben Shroats. After placing fifth at the 2015 JGP in Latvia and sixth on the senior level at the
2015 Skate Canada Autumn Classic The 2015 Autumn Classic International was a senior international figure skating competition in the 2015–16 figure skating season, 2015–16 season. The second edition of the annual event was held on 12–15 October 2015 in Barrie, Canada. Medals ...
in mid-October, she decided to take a break to "reevaluate". She resumed training in February 2016 after joining Peter Cain and Darlene Cain in
Euless, Texas Euless ( ) is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, United States, and a suburb of Dallas and Fort Worth. Euless is part of the Mid-Cities region between Dallas and Fort Worth. In 2020 Census, the population of Euless was 61,032. The population of t ...
.


2016–17 season

Glenn placed fifth at the 2016 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, fourth at the
2016 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb The 2016 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb was the 49th edition of the annual senior-level international figure skating competition held in Zagreb, Croatia. It was held at the Dom sportova in December 2016 as part of the 2016–17 ISU Challenger Series. ...
, and eighth at the 2017 U.S. Championships. She was selected to compete at the 2017 World Junior Championships but withdrew in early March.


2017–18 season

Glenn finished eighth at the 2017 CS Lombardia Trophy. She was invited to compete at her first Grand Prix event, the
2017 Cup of China The 2017 Audi Cup of China was the 3rd event of six in the 2017–18 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Capital Gymnasium in Beijing on 3–5 November. Medals were aw ...
, after the withdrawal of
Gracie Gold Grace Elizabeth Gold (born August 17, 1995), known as Gracie Gold, is an American figure skater. She is a 2014 Olympic team event bronze medalist, the 2014 NHK Trophy champion, the 2015 Trophée Éric Bompard champion, and a two-time U.S. nati ...
. She placed tenth in China and finished the season with a second consecutive eighth-place at the 2018 U.S. Championships.


2018–19 season

Glenn was sixth at the
2018 CS Lombardia Trophy The 2018 CS Lombardia Trophy was held in September 2018 in Bergamo, Italy. It was part of the 2018–19 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. Entries The ...
and seventh at the 2019 U.S. Championships.


2019–20 season

Competing on the Challenger series again at the start of the 2019–2020 season, Glenn won the bronze medal at the 2019 CS U.S. Classic. This was her first senior international medal. Assigned to two Grand Prix events, she placed seventh at the 2019 Skate America and sixth at the
2019 Cup of China The 2019 Shiseido, SHISEIDO Cup of China was the fourth event of the 2019–20 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at Chongqing Huaxi Culture and Sports Center in Chongqing, ...
. She was fourth in the short program at the 2020 U.S. Championships with a clean skate and, remarking on her then-recent coming out, said it "has brought a weight off my shoulders. It was very scary, and not having to pretend I’m someone I’m not anymore. She dropped to fifth place after the free skate and said further mental preparation was needed. Glenn finished ninth at the 2020 Four Continents Championships, her first senior ISU championship assignment.


2020–21 season

The
coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identifie ...
prompted a multi-month hiatus from training, after which Glenn began working on mastering the triple Axel, which she had been attempting "for fun" periodically for nine years by that point. She missed an early virtual competition due to fracturing her orbital bone after passing out
cryotherapy Cryotherapy, sometimes known as cold therapy, is the local or general use of low temperatures in medical therapy. Cryotherapy may be used to treat a variety of tissue lesions. The most prominent use of the term refers to the surgical treatment, s ...
but then attempted the triple Axel for the first time in competition during a later virtual domestic event, singling it. With the pandemic restricting international travel, the ISU opted to conduct the Grand Prix assignments based mainly on training location. Glenn was assigned to compete at the 2020 Skate America. She placed fifth in the Skate America short program after having to execute a turn in between her triple-triple jump combination. She was sixth in the free skate, remaining in fifth place overall. Glenn attempted her triple Axel in the short program at the 2021 U.S. Championships but was unable to land it successfully. Her otherwise strong performances earned her her highest-ever placement at the event and first senior national medal, a silver. She expressed that she was "happy to finally put out a performance I'm proud of." Glenn revealed that she had been suffering from a foot infection that had spread up to the knee and had begun a course of antibiotics on the day of the free skate. Despite her silver medal, U.S. Figure Skating opted to name bronze medalist
Karen Chen Karen Chen (born August 16, 1999) is an American figure skater. She is a 2022 Olympic Games team event silver medalist, two-time CS U.S. Classic bronze medalist (2016, 2017), the 2015 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb bronze medalist, the 2017 U.S. nat ...
, who had finished 0.35 points behind Glenn, alongside champion
Bradie Tennell Bradie Tennell (born January 31, 1998) is an American figure skater. She is a 2018 Olympic team event bronze medalist, the 2020 Four Continents bronze medalist, the 2018 CS Autumn Classic champion, the 2018 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb champion, ...
to the 2021 World Championships team. It was the first time since
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, when
Katrina Hacker Katrina Hacker (born May 31, 1990) is an American former figure skater. She placed sixth at the 2008 Four Continents and fifth at the 2009 World Junior Championships. Career Hacker won the novice-level bronze medal at the 2005 U.S. Champions ...
was bypassed in favor of Kimmie Meissner, that the selected ladies team in a non-Olympic year did not follow Nationals placements (for age-eligible skaters). Glenn was instead named first alternate. She had previously said, when asked about the prospect of the World team, "US Figure Skating should go with a team that they know will go and get those three spots back. Whether that includes me or not, I’m all for it either way."


2021–22 season

Glenn withdrew from the
Skating Club of Boston The Skating Club of Boston is a not-for-profit figure skating club based in Norwood, Massachusetts. Founded in 1912, it is one of the oldest skating clubs in the United States, and a founding member of U.S. Figure Skating, the governing body for ...
's Cranberry Cup event and then made her full competitive debut at the 2021 CS Finlandia Trophy, where she placed tenth. Beginning the Grand Prix at 2021 Skate America, Glenn did not attempt a triple Axel in competition after practice session difficulties. Seventh in both segments of the competition, she placed sixth overall with a score of 201.02, breaking 200 points internationally for the first time. Speaking afterward, she said, "breaking that point target internationally for the first time, it really makes me feel like I'm up there, and it's not just, ‘Oh, she got second at Nationals; she did this in her own country.’ I know I can hold my own internationally, and this is just a taste of that." She went on to finish seventh at the 2021 NHK Trophy. Glenn concluded the fall season at the 2021 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb, where she won the silver medal. Attempting to qualify for the American Olympic team at the 2022 U.S. Championships in January, Glenn struggled in the short program and finished fourteenth in that segment. She tested positive for
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
afterward and withdrew before the free skate. She was named as an alternate for the Olympic team. Glenn would later reflect that while she had not assumed that going to the Olympics was possible for most of her career due to the expectations raised after the previous national championships, "I felt like I was expected to make it, so that made it all the more devastating. It was hard."


2022–23 season

Before starting the season, Glenn relocated to Colorado Springs, Colorado to train under
Damon Allen Damon L. Allen (born July 29, 1963) is a former professional quarterback who played in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is currently fourth in all-time professional football passing yards and second in all-time CFL passing yards after he ...
, Tammy Gambill, and
Viktor Pfeifer Viktor Pfeifer (born May 16, 1987) is an Austrian former competitive figure skater. An eight-time Austrian national champion, he has placed as high as eighth at the European Championships (2013) and has competed three times at the Winter Olympi ...
. She said her departure from the Cains was amicable, reasoning that "I needed to grow, not just as a skater, but as a human. I lived in the same city, the same place, my entire life." Glenn started off her season with a bronze medal at the
Skating Club of Boston The Skating Club of Boston is a not-for-profit figure skating club based in Norwood, Massachusetts. Founded in 1912, it is one of the oldest skating clubs in the United States, and a founding member of U.S. Figure Skating, the governing body for ...
's Cranberry Cup event before finishing fourth at the
2022 CS Lombardia Trophy The 2022 CS Lombardia Trophy Memorial Anna Grandolfi was held on September 16–18, 2022 in Bergamo, Italy. It was part of the 2022–23 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, women's singles, and ice dan ...
. On the Grand Prix at 2022 Skate America, Glenn scored a personal best in her short program of 68.42, placing third in that segment and then third in the free skate as well to take the bronze medal. This was her first Grand Prix figure skating medal. On her performance in the free skate, she said afterward that "knowing that I didn't feel 100% out there when I was skating and how much room for improvement, the possibilities are endless. It really kind of just blew my mind that I'm finally starting to reach my potential." For the
2022 NHK Trophy The 2022 NHK Trophy will be the fifth event in the 2022-23 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It will be held at the Makomanai Ice Arena in Sapporo on November 18-20. Medals will be a ...
, she vowed she was "not playing it as safe" as she had at her first event, "I'm just going to really try and go all out." The short program in
Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous cit ...
was a struggle, putting a hand down on her jump combination and then underrotating and falling on her final triple loop. She finished eleventh of twelve skaters in that segment. Glenn voiced her disappointment, saying, "it's so disheartening to have a skate like that after working so hard." She placed eighth in the free skate but remained eleventh overall.


Programs


Competitive highlights

''GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix''


2012–present


2009–2012: Juvenile to novice levels


Detailed results


Senior level


Junior level


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Glenn, Amber 1999 births American female single skaters Living people People from Plano, Texas American LGBT sportspeople Pansexual women LGBT figure skaters LGBT people from Texas Bisexual women Bisexual sportspeople 21st-century LGBT people 21st-century American women