books:

	On Edge: Backroom Dealing, Cocktail Scheming, Triple Axels, and How Top Skaters Get Screwed Jon Jackson, James R. Pereira Da Capo Press, 2006 - 288 pages average customer review:based on 16 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Rebelling against this culture of nightly cocktail parties, where judges predetermine the next day?s winners, Jackson co-created the World Skating Federation in hopes of freeing the industry from the stranglehold of the seemingly omnipotent International Skating Union (ISU). The fallout was immediate. Detailing his battle with the ISU, Jackson reveals his reservations about the continued corruption and the new scoring system, setting the stage for an even more dramatic and controversial scandal waiting to happen at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy.

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A beautiful sport's ugly secrets exposed

I endorse this book not only as an Amazon Reviewer but as a skater. The dirty deals, corrupt judging, and federation attempts to advance their favorite skaters at the expense of equally talented but less-popular athletes (who, for whatever reason, don't fit their cookie-cutter out of date "image"), Jackson tells all. Should be required viewing for everyone in the sport, especially the federations, who must take a hard look at their own ethics and make some changes.


This is a great book - what a riot

I love this book! he establishes his childhood in order to show us his passion for figure skating. This book is very insighful into the world of judging.

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Insider Look

I have to admit that I picked up the book because of the catchy title. I expected to find nonstop gossip and talk about how corruption is heavily prevalent in figure skating and how "top skaters" get screwed.

The beginning of the book covers Jackson's childhood, in which he describes how he first got involved with skating. He describes how the beginning of his skating career was constantly under the control of a "family friend," Charles Kennedy, a wealthy individual who had connections with top figure skating figures such as the Propotonovs. Furthermore, Jackson illustrates the troubles he faced as a young boy trying to come to terms with his sexuality as a gay man.

There are some notable sections in the book that is directly connected to the title of the book. He mentions how many of the judges, from the West (particularly California), tend to rely on strict scrutiny and mandatory socializing among judges, a procedure Jackson dislikes because he rather spend time chatting to the skaters and their families. Jackson notes that he would have never been able to rise to the higher levels as a skating judge unless he was forced to socialize with the other judges. In addition, Jackson mentions several well-known figure skating names such as Tonya Harding, Irina Slutskaya, Michelle Kwan, Rudy Galindo, Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman, and Jamie Salé and David Pelletier. He argues that Harding might have been unfairly treated and how Slutskaya (and other top Russian skaters) are heavily favored to win due to the influence of "Russian propaganda" and the underground Russian mafia. During moments like these, it's hard as a reader to differentiate between personal bias or truth. Regardless of these factors, Jackson paints a humorous description. Also, before I forget to mention, Jackson ends each chapter with a bit of trivia describing the wins, losses or scandalous news of a Russian figure skater(s).

Jackson made it his mission to target certain individuals in US Figure Skating (the organization) and the International Skating Union. He criticizes head officials such as Phyllis Howard (USFS) and Octavio Cinquanta (ISU) for behind-the-scene manuevers that Jackson believed sacrificed the aspirations of American figure skaters such as Ina and Zimmerman immediately after the Winter Olympic that caused the gold-medal controversy. Personally, I never heard of Howard or Cinquanta but Jackson does not hide his dislike for these two individuals, an opinion I understand now after reading the book.

The end of the book primarily focuses on the World Skating Federation, an organization that Jackson and several of his other judging colleagues created in hopes to become a IOC-recognized judging group. Unfortunately, as the readers learn, the WSF loses its lawsuit against the International Skating Union.

Overall, the book was humorous and a fun read. I would definitely recommend it to any figure skating fan. Of course, Jackson's outspoken voice might upset some readers but if you put that aside, the book is a delight.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

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