Outofshapeworthlessloser

Gracie Gold was briefly considered America's Sweetheart - a slender, blonde beauty whose athletic and artistic skills earned her two U.S. Figure Skating championships and a trip to the 2014 Olympics. Then her performances started to deteriorate, with missed jumps and falls. Gold's perceived laziness and bad attitude drew chastisement from the skating establishment. Tara Lipinski, commenting on a lackluster 2016 performance, callously remarked that Gold needed to “snap out of it.” In reality, Gold was falling apart from the combination of toxic family dynamics, depression, an eating disorder, ADHD, OCD, and trauma from being raped by a fellow skater (who is not named). Eventually, she got the help she needed, but it was too late to recapture her former glory.

Although it drags a bit in towards the end, Gold's memoir is a important reminder about the double whammy faced by women figure skaters - they have to tough it out, give 110%, AND they have to look pretty and keep smiling no matter what happens. In admitting she was a real person with real problems, Gold broke the rules and was punished for it. That she can honestly say that she still loves skating is astonishing.