Plano figure skater Amber Glenn says she’s used to getting a lot of questions these days.
“How are you feeling? Olympic trials are coming up. How are you doing?” Glenn says. “You want to be like ‘I'm doing great. I'm feeling amazing,’ which I am.”
But the 22-year-old Glenn hasn't always felt that way.
Five years ago, she says she arrived at the ice rink in Euless on emotional thin ice.
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“I came here broken, to be honest. I had dealt with a lot. I had quit skating. I had to totally rebuild.”
She did, returning to the elite ranks of U.S. figure skating. But something was still missing.
“I wasn't where I wanted to be.” Glenn was finishing consistently in the top 10.
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However, the medal podium remained elusive.
Glenn decided to make a bold move, revealing to the world that she is bisexual/pansexual.
“I finally was like, you know what? If I’m not going to be at the top, I at least wanted to be my authentic self. So I came out. I started living my truth, not caring about being some cookie cutter-type ice princess.”
Glenn says she was nervous about the reaction from fans and judges but was pleasantly surprised.
“The overwhelming amount of support and love that I received after was incredible.”
Glenn says she was finally more comfortable on the ice, and her scores went up. At the 2021 U.S. National Championships Glenn brought home the silver medal.
Maintaining momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic was a challenge.
Glenn set two goals for herself: perfecting the triple axel jump and making the 2022 Olympic team.
She has checked the first item off the list.
“It has been one of the most challenging but rewarding experiences of my career for sure,” Glenn said.
Now Glenn is aiming for the Winter Olympics. The U.S. National Championships are underway in Nashville, and Glenn’s finish will be a deciding factor in whether or not she earns a ticket to Beijing.
Glenn will perform her free skate on Friday night. Then on Sunday morning, a U.S. Figure Skating selection committee is expected to name the Olympic team.
