The World's Shortest Skating Books

Welcome to the World's Shortest Skating Book Library!

Sure, we've all seen Zero Tolerance, My Sergei, Boitano's Edge, and autobiographies of girls who haven't lived enough to have autobiographies... But there is a long-neglected genre of skating literature, newly discovered by skating net.fans around the globe. Here you'll find books by all your favorite skating authors! (The Books they didn't want you to know about!) I've also added a section for the net.posters and chatters, so if you've written a book, or know someone who did (I will not post anything insulting, though!), you can submit that now too! Enjoy, laugh a bit, and feel free to add more, or discuss the ones here! =) Books added on 20 December or after are in the box below. That color-coding was tiresome! My little comments or additions are in italics.
  • "How To Be Decisive" by Paul Wylie
  • "Rollerblading: The Key to Extending Your Figure Skating Career" by Paul Duchesnay
  • "How To Stay Injury-Free for 3 Consecutive Months" by Aleksandr Abt
  • "Coping with Shortness" by Lisa Marie Allen
  • "Tasteful Costumes" by Marina Annissina
  • "A Crash Course in Driving" by Oksana Baiul
  • "A Detailed Account of My Success as a Professional Skater" by Oksana Baiul
  • "Knowing when to say when" by Oksana Baiul
  • "My Life as a Jumping Bean" by Oksana Baiul
  • "No coach, no problem" by Oksana Baiul
  • "Waiting Your Turn" by Oksana Baiul
  • "Why we're so close" by Oksana Baiul and Galina Smievskaya
  • "1001 Tax Tips" by Gary Beacom
  • "Pay Fewer Taxes Legally" by Gary Beacom
  • "It's Okay for Guys to Hold Hands" by Sandra Bezic
  • "OTHER Choreographic Genii" by Sandra Bezic
  • "Costuming" by Denise Bielmann
  • "Exercise Is a Waste of Time" by Denise Biellmann
  • "Variety in Ice Choreography" by Denise Bielemann
  • "Non-Canadian Biased Commentary" by Rod Black and Rob Faulds
  • "How to Retain a Coach" by Nicole Bobeck
  • "Skating without Sex Appeal" by Nicole Bobeck. Introduction by Oksana Baiul
  • "Cool Celebrations: a guide to planning birthday parties on the ice" by Brian Boitano
  • "New Programs" by Brian Boitano
  • "Spreadeagles: Who Needs 'Em?" by Brian Boitano
  • "Statistics" by Brian Boitano
  • "Where to buy pants, if your thighs look like mine" by Brian Boitano
  • "Blue Eyeshadow Should Be Illegal" by Surya Bonaly
  • "Fancy Footwork and Graceful Gliding" by Surya Bonaly
  • "Guide to School Figures" by Surya Bonaly
  • "Mother Knows Best" by Surya Bonaly with Tiffany Chin
  • "The Musical art- Figure skating" by Surya Bonaly
  • "On My Own" by Surya Bonaly
  • "Winning world silver with grace" by Surya Bonaly
  • "Letting Go" by Suzanne Bonaly
  • "Laying Low: How NOT to Attract Media Attention" by Shae-Lynn Bourne
  • "Why I Stay Away From European Men" by Shae-Lynn Bourne
  • "Gracious Losers" by Bourne and Kraatz (ouch! Well, I have to be fair... -HBG)
  • "Rigid, Upright Postures for Ice Dancers" by Bourne & Kraatz
  • "Christopher Bowman's Guide to Weight Loss and Holistic Living"
  • "Fashion and the Smaller Man" by Christopher Bowman
  • "How to Realize Your True Potential" by Christopher Bowman and Tonya Harding
  • "Everything I Know About Skating" by Christine Brennan
  • "My Technichal Knowledge of Skating" by Christine Brennan
  • "Triple Axel Tips and Tricks" by Sebastien Britten
  • "Writing Without Rumor-Mongering: A Guide for the Ethical Journalist" by Christine Brennan
  • "Ballet = ZZZZZZZ" by Kurt Browning
  • "Remembering your program" by Kurt Browning
  • "Total Recall" by Kurt Browning
  • "Understated Elegance in Athletic Costuming", Edited by Maria Butryskaya, translated, with a foreward by Surya Bonaly
  • "Consice, Intelligent Commentating" by Dick Button
  • "The Conscience-ness of Edges" by Dick Button
  • "Contemporary Ladies Figure Skating: Comprehensive List of Modern Day Gladiatrixes With The Perfect Layback Postion" by Dick Button
  • "The Fine Art of Meaningful and Relevant Commentary by Dick Button
  • "Free Leg? Who Cares about Free Legs?" by Dick Button
  • "How to Make a Concise Statement" by Dick Button
  • "Michelle Kwan's Artistic Flaws" by Dick Button, Peggy Flemming, with> intro by Boitano
  • "Why I hate layback Spins" by Dick Button
  • "Chippendales In Ice" by Philippe Candeloro
  • "My Flaws" by Philippe Candeloro
  • "Our Most Disciplined Students: a Comparison of Nicole Bobek and Christopher Bowman" by Frank Carrol and Richard Callaghan
  • "Commentate With Style!", by Peter Carruthers
  • "Seven Habits of Highly Effective and Articulate Commentators" by Peter Carruthers
  • "My Life in the Glare of the US Media" by Michael Chack
  • "Ottavio Cinquanta's Guide to Figure Skating"
  • "The Golden Age of Belgian Skating" by Alice Sue Claeys
  • "Keeping Cool Under Pressure" by Steven Cousins
  • "Conservative--The Only Way To Be" by Toller Cranston
  • "Ah! Youth!" by Kathaleen Kelley Cutone
  • "Broadening my male fan base through exhibition programs" by Scott Davis
  • "Fulfilling Expectations" by Scott Davis
  • "How to Skate with Consistency" with Scott Davis, Nicole Bobek, and Susan Humphreys
  • "The Sure Fire Path to Consistent Performance" by Scott Davis
  • "Thriving under Pressure" by Scott Davis, special intro by Susan Humphreys
  • "Enough About Me - Talk About Someone Else" by Christopher Dean
  • "Motivational Speaking" by David Dore
    And his follow-up book:
  • "What's Right With Canadian Ladies' Figure Skating"
  • "Politics? What Politics?: A Treatise on Ice Dance" by Natalia Dubova
  • "How to Keep a Hold of Your Man" by Isabelle Duchesney
  • "Humbleness" by Lloyd Eisler
  • "How to Avoid Injuries and Illness in Olympic Years," by Todd Eldredge
  • "Let Your Emotions Show Through" by Todd Eldredge forward by Frank Carroll
  • "Me & The quad" by Todd Eldredge
  • "Pasion in Performance" by Todd Eldredge
  • "Cosmetic Orthodontics" by Marina Eltsova and Andrei Bushkov
  • "Arm positions aren't Everything" by Peggy Flemming
  • "The Art of Grunge: a Guide to Low-Maintainence Make-up and Hairstyling for Figure Skaters" by Peggy Flemming
  • "How Not to Find Anything to Compliment a Lady Skater On When She's Tanking Her Program" by Peggy Fleming
  • "The Art of Masculinity" by Rudy Galindo
  • "Forgiving your Former Pair Partner" by Rudy Galindo
  • "Going Straight" by Rudy Galindo
  • "How to "score" with the ladies" by Rudy Galindo
  • "If At First You Don't Succeed, Give Up" by Rudy Galindo
  • "On The Wings Of Love", by Rudy Galindo & Alexei Urmanov (reference to their preference for costumes with wings -- NOTHING else!)
  • "Overnight Success" by Rudy Galindo and Paul Wylie
  • "Stoicism in the Face of Tragedy" by Ekaterina Gordeeva
  • "The Art of the Subdued Performance" by Scott Hamilton
  • "Fighting Depression on the Ice" by Scott Hamilton
  • "How to Avoid a Bad Hair Day" by Scott Hamilton
  • "Life Without Friends" by Scott Hamilton
  • "Yuka Sato's Weaknesses," by Scott Hamilton
  • "Honesty" by Tonya Harding
  • "The Joys of Skating in Nude Sheer" by Tonya Harding
  • "Making the media love you" by Tonya Harding, with a special "me too" epilogue by Nancy Kerrigan
  • "Rules of Sportsmanship" by Tonya Harding
  • "Teddy Roosevelt's Theory of Diplomacy: Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick" by Tonya Harding
  • "Tonya Harding's Guide to Marrying Well and Still Having a Career"
  • "Why I LOVE The Opera" - by Tonya Harding
  • "Your Boots, Your Laces, and You" by Tonya Harding
    (follow up to "Stretching Warmups on the Judge's Table")
  • "Putting the Romance Into Your Skating Partnership" by Kyoko Ina and Jason Dungjen with a foreword by Mandy Woetzel and Ingo Steuer
  • "Unison" by Ina and Dungjen
  • "Triple jumps made easy" by Caryn Kadavy, special intro by Dorothy Hamill
  • "How to Give a TV Interview" by Nancy Kerrigan
  • "Improving your agents marriage" by Nancy Kerrigan
  • "Meeting the Press - A Technical Guide" by Nancy Kerrigan
  • "Why I love DisneyWorld" by Nancy Kerrigan
  • "The Wonderful World of Disney" by Nancy Kerrigan
  • "There's No Politics in Ice Dance" by Hans Kestercha (sp???)
  • "Stylistic Growth & Development" by Uschi Keszler
  • "How to Build a Dramatic Program Without Props", by Klimova and Ponomarenko
  • "How to Keep Away From The Boards" by Kovarikova and Novotny
  • "A Case Against Immigration" by Victor Kraatz
  • "Modesty - the Key to Success" by Victor Kraatz
  • "Patent Law" by Victor Kraatz Ouch again!
  • "Costume Design" by Ilya Kulik
  • "Don't Smoke, Kiddies!" by Ilya Kulik
  • "A Guide to Flawless Jumping Technique" by Ilya Kulik
  • "Vinyl Allergies and You" by Ilya Kulik
  • "Following in My Sister's Footsteps" by Karen Kwan
  • "How to hold your liquor", by Michelle Kwan, special intro by Tara Lipinski
  • "How to make your lucky necklace match any costume" by Michelle Kwan
  • "Overcoming anonymity" by Michelle Kwan
  • "Nightlife in Newark: A Guide to Delaware" by Krylova and Ovsiannikov
  • "Ageing gracefully" by Tonia Kwiatkowski
  • "Happiness as a Skate Mom" by Pat Lipinski
  • "Achieving Success Late in Life" by Tara Lipinski
  • "Artistic Skating" by Tara Lipinski
  • "Coping with Anonymity and Lack of Pressure" by Tara Lipinski
  • "How To Do A Perfect Double Axel" by Tara Lipinski
  • "How to Look Good Next to Michelle Kwan" by Tara Lipinski
  • "Skating with Style" by Tara Lipinski
  • "Tasteful Costumes" by Tara Lipinski
  • "Skating to Non-romantic Themes," by Meno and Sand
  • "Facing the Competition" by Sophie Moniotte and Pascal Lavanchy
  • "Beautiful (and Original) Hair Colors" by Pasha
  • "Don't Ever Change Yourself" by Pasha
  • "Healthy Hair" by Pasha
  • "Low Self Esteem" by Pasha
  • "Slow, Graceful, Meaningful Ice Dance" by Pasha and Platov
  • "Build your Closet Around one Pair of Pants!" by Viktor Petrenko
  • "How to Succeed in Skating Without Really Skating" by Viktor Petrenko
  • "My orthodontist and Me" by Viktor Petrenko
  • "Female Dominance" by Evgeny Platov
  • "Better Ice Dancing Through Diplomacy" by Punsalan and Swallow
  • "Opening Up Immigration Laws" by Punsalan and Swallow
  • "The Perfect Buzzcut" by Jumpin' Joe Sabvocik (foreword by Scott Williams)
  • "What's Wrong with Spangles and Tights?" by Jozef Sabovcik
  • "How to Look More Mature" by Irina Slutskaya
  • "Maturity and Style" by Irina Slutskaya
  • "Dancing On Your Blade: A Guide to Creative Choreography"
    by Elvis Stojko, with an introduction by Nancy Kerrigan
  • "The Car Doesn't Make the Man by Elvis Stojko and Todd Eldredge
  • "Finding Your Feminine Side and Using it to Improve Your Skating" by Elvis Stojko
  • "Grace: The Way to Gold" by Elvis Stojko
  • "A Guide to Balletic Skating" by Elvis Stojko
  • "Physics of the Camel Spin" by Elvis Stojko
  • "Valid Reasons Why I Sometimes Lose" by Elvis Stojko
  • "Commentating: An Art" by Roz Sumners
  • "How to have a soothing voice" by Roz Sumners
  • "Positive Reinforcement in Commentating" by Roz Sumners
  • "Shopping - a consumer study" by Jayne Torvill
  • "Costuming Made Simple" by Alexei Urmanov
  • "Sleeveless Costumes" by Alexei Urmanov
  • "Style Without Frills" by Aleksei Urmanov
  • "My Aleksandr: A Love Story" by Maia Usova
  • "The 10 Best Hairstyles of TV Personalities" by Leslie Visser
  • "My Case for Instant Replay" by Michael Weiss
  • "The camera adds 10 pounds!" by Katarina Witt
  • "Cleavage isn't Everything: A Guide to Feminism by Katarina Witt"
  • "How to Downplay Your Sex Appeal" by Katarina Witt
  • "When to Stop Competing and Move On" by Katarina Witt
  • "You, Too, Are Only 3 Stuff Animals Away From A Bigger Chest by Katarina Witt
  • "Contemporary Dances of the Urban American Negro" by Woetzel and Steuer
  • "Landing on my Feet" by Mandy Woetzel
  • "You Too Can Be Accident-Free On The Ice" by Woetzel/Steuer
  • "How to skate to music not from a soundtrack" by Paul Wylie
  • "Judge Not, Lest Ye Be (Badly) Judged" by Paul Wylie (I'd add a foreword by Bourne and Kraatz here, but that's just me! ^_- HBG)
  • "Slapstick Skating", by Paul Wylie
  • "What I Learned in Law School" by Paul Wylie
  • "Etiquette Tips on Autograph Signing" by Kristi Yamaguchi
  • "How to cope with perfection" by Kristi Yamaguchi
  • "How to Stir Up Controversy in an Interview," by Kristi Yamaguchi
  • "Knitting the perfect red hat" by Kristi Yamaguchi
  • "10 Steps to Bigger Jumps" by Kristi Yamaguchi
  • "What "not" to throw onto ice after a skater's performance" by Kristi Yamaguchi
  • "Consistency" by Viacheslav Zagorudniuk
  • "You Can't Go Home Again" by Elaine Zayak
  • "Fidelity and Me" by Aleksandr Zhulin

    And by Various Authors:

  • "Canadian Women: Nerves of Steel"
  • "Repeat Pairs Skating Champions 1993-1997"

  • "Objectivity" by any ISU ice dance judge
  • "Skating, what's that?" by the BBC
  • "Against the Use of Animal Fur" by any Russian coach
  • "Jumping the Queue", published by the ISU. A collection of essays by world-class ice dancing couples of the 1980s and 1990s
  • "Triple Jumps Made Easy" by the Canadian Ladies' Skaters
  • "The Art of Understatement" by Russian costume designers

    Books by Net.Posters and Chatters:

  • "Favorite Olympic Moments" by Louis Epstein ;)
  • "The Things I Hate About Bourne and Kraatz: a study in support of Russian ice dancing" by Jamie "HB Girl" Huston
  • "Judging the Flutz - an objective and unbiased view" by Brad "TaraRulz" Miller

    These were thought up originally in the Figure Skating World Room, but now the great people in the newsgroup rec.sport.skating.ice.figure have gotten their thands on it, and there are lots more! These are all in fun, so please don't take offense if one of your favorites are "authors", I think everyone's got a fave in here! I've kept the contributors names off the list, but there have been many. If there is something that truly offends you, please feel free to email me. Keep them coming in! =)

    Mail me your suggestion! Back to the Main Page