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On Edge: Backroom Dealing, Cocktail Scheming, Triple Axels, and How Top Skaters Get Screwed
 
 
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On Edge: Backroom Dealing, Cocktail Scheming, Triple Axels, and How Top Skaters Get Screwed [Paperback]

Jon Jackson (Author)
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)


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Book Description

November 27, 2006
Figure skating is the second most watched sport on television after NFL football, commanding lucrative endorsements and fame for its stars. Yet, the real action of figure skating takes place off the ice, behind closed doors. Until now, no one in skating’s inner circle has dared to expose the dirty little secrets of the seemingly pristine sport: it would have signaled an end to his or her career. Jon Jackson, a former Olympic level judge and competitive figure skater, has already ended his, and he is ready to talk.

During the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, the Russian gold medal debacle in the Pair Event publicly revealed the hidden world of bribery and collusion that is standard operating procedure across the sport. On Edge, takes readers on a twenty year journey through the private hotel rooms and hospitality suites where the culture thrives and multiplies, culminating in the days, weeks, and months following the Salt Lake City gold medal scandal.

Rebelling against this covert culture, Jackson co-created the World Skating Federation in hopes of freeing the industry from the stranglehold of the seemingly omnipotent US Figure Skating Association (USFSA). Detailing his battle, Jackson reveals his reservations about the continued corruption.


Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Not only the potential winner of a longest-subtitle contest, this revealing memoir delivers a scathing indictment of the sport of figure skating. Jackson, a former competitive skater and Olympic judge, lays bare the sport's double-dealing and corruption while simultaneously telling the genuinely inspiring story of a young man who tried to make his way through this cutthroat world without losing his way. With coauthor Pereira, Jackson writes about encountering bribery, manipulation, cowardice, substance abuse, sexual predation, and other sordid goings-on. It's not a pretty picture, and there might be a tendency to think the author's got an axe (or skate blade) to grind, except for the fact that he so clearly loves the sport. At some points, he seems almost heartbroken over the way the sport has been defiled by the very people who should be preserving its integrity (somewhat surprisingly, he argues that Tonya Harding was mistreated). Although the prose is a bit overenthusiastic (Jackson does like his exclamation points), the book offers a much-needed look behind the scenes. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Jon Jackson is a former competitive figure skater and Olympic level judge, and the founder of the World Skating Federation. A retired lawyer, he lives in Las Vegas.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Press (November 27, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1560259531
  • ISBN-13: 978-1560259534
  • Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #499,826 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

18 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars It's all true!, February 27, 2006
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Unfortunately what he says is true. I am a USFSA Gold Medalist (Figures and Freestyle) and a USFSA judge (though I don't like to admit it). Judges who have little to no skating experience seem to prevail in this sport. The corruption is even in the lower levels of skating. This book rings so true that it's upsetting. I couldn't read it before going to sleep. With each page I hoped the judges that I liked and respected were not named. I'm glad someone had the nerve to speak out for the skaters.
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16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Required reading, February 15, 2006
By 
Jackson's book should be required reading for anyone involved with figure skating, and the fans of the sport. Yes, the first half is a memoir about his childhood and teen/college years. Yes, he is a gay man and he openly discusses that in the book. I don't see any problem with that. The second half of the book describes Jackson's rise in the judging ranks and his growing discontent with the status quo of the USFSA, the ISU, and even the IOC. The fact that the ISU and the IOC have still done nothing to get rid of the corruption amongst their judges and officials makes this book even more important.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars An Edgy "On Edge", March 20, 2006
By 
Bill5 "Bill5" (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews
If you think figure skating is crooked, this book comes close to absolutely proving it. It's no wonder that the author, an international judge, appears to have been booted out by the figure skating establishment over his attempt to set up a rival figure skating union. The book covers the author's not particularly distinguished skating career and his coming out, aspects of his life I somewhat surprisingly intereting. He declines to diss dirt about the skaters, but does rip the judging establishment into small pieces.
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First Sentence:
THE GREAT SALT Palace once occupied the heart of downtown Salt Lake City. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
midwestern judges, skating federation, trial judging, celebrity coach, double axel, skating world, triple salchow, male skaters, hearing panel, figure skating, salt palace, judging system, triple lutz, presentation mark, ice dance, ice follies, other skaters
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Salt Lake, Phyllis Howard, Ron Pfenning, San Francisco, Skate America, Joe Inman, Doree Ann, Ted Clarke, Gale Tanger, Morry Stillwell, New York, Sally Stapleford, Steve Winkler, World Championships, Great Falls, Ron Hershberger, Colorado Springs, Los Angeles, Central Pacific, Joan Burns, Joan Rozolis, Michelle Kwan, Grand Prix, Kris Sherard, Paul Wylie
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