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

by Jon Jackson

Book Overview

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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1560258047
• ISBN13: 9781560258049
• Release Date: December 2005
• Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Press
• Length: 298 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.9" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

The truth about a lot of things

I loved this book, from the biographical parts to the skating expose. What a mess to be a teenager anyway, let alone one in a repressive religious community with an alternate sexuality! I found that part very touching and thought provoking. Not all men in skating are gay, by the way, I happen to be the parent of a straight male ice dancer. We sure do know a lot of gay young men and they deserve our compassion and understanding for the extra challenges they face. The figure skating part is absolutely dead on true. I was present at some of the events described in the book, and find Jackson sticks uncompromisingly to the facts. Let's hope we can get our sport free of the scandals and bad behavior, before we become a complete joke.

A Great Man

I have not read this book yet, I am ordering it right now. I've read other reviews of the book and people seem to be attacking Jon Jackson as a person. Jon Jackson is a great man. I was a competitive figure skater for over 15 years and I was also a Novice comp/Silver test judge. I was judged by and along side of Mr. Jackson. If you have issue with him being gay, get over it. Jon is the sweetest person and he has nothing but figure skating's best interest at heart. As for the woman who said that Jon Jackson sounded like a washed-up skater who never did well... you couldn't be more wrong. Mr. Jackson is well respected in the figure skating world and was a great skater in his day. I know this review is not about the book, but we'll just say it is rather of Jon Jakson as a person... he's a great man with a great heart.

On time and Plenty to Spare-

Unlike Julie Wagner, I actually read this book. I found Jackson's stories anything BUT bitter, more self-deprecating if anything. It was a fun, funny read. I found myself laughing out loud time after time, and saw his insight into the everybody-knows-it's-corrupt world of figure skating very interesting. What surprises me in Julie's "review," is her clear and admitted hatred of all things gay. Can the idea of a 13-year old boy wanting to wear sequins and beads while figure skating really nauseate her? And if so, sounds like she needs to take a pill for that, because she's gonna be sick an awful lot if she's any kind of fan of figure skating. The Salt Lake Olympic scandal was only vilified by the "rest of the world" because Jon Jackson blew the whistle and told us about it. How do you think the "whole world" found out Julie? He sacrificed twenty years as a judge to try to end the corruption the mobsters in charge of figure skating tried to cover up, as well as three more years in expensive legal battles (that he won) with the very people he points his middle finger at. His "name calling in a book" was in fact well covered in those trials - he against some very nasty, and crooked people (clearly somebody you know). Nothing "cowardly" about that. Most people would have cut their losses, and in the "self-serving" manner you describe, do the opposite of what Jon Jackson did, and keep their mouths shut to protect themselves and their world class judging status. This was all explained in "On Edge." Including his dramatic eyewitness account of the French Judge melting down in a Salt Lake hotel lobby and admitting she was at least one of whom had been pressured to cheat for the Russians at the Salt Lake Winter Games. Jackson's back story (oh, and all that gay stuff is hilarious, how seldom we get to be a fly on the wall there) was equally compelling, because he illustrated the sacrifices he and his family made to get him into figure skating, and like an elite athlete, he demonstrated very clearly that when a judge or judges cheats, they not only cheat the kids, but the families and coaches and teams of the athletes they "screw" over. Julie, this was all covered from chapter 1 throughout. Oh... maybe you thought the title implied something more of a literal screwing... Oh I get it. Shame on you. I suggest God'sGall Julie learn to do as Jesus would do, and love all people for who they are, gay or straight, and maybe swallow a spoonful of "Pink" Pepto-Bismol for her little sour belly ache and re-read this great book. This time, maybe she'll write a review with less USFSA agenda and homophobic hatred. Get this book! It's a scream.

Wakeup call for parents,Trial judges and coaches

I was completely glued to this book. My daughter is a competitive skater. She skates about six times a week. We spend many dollars a year on her training. This book was a complete wakeup call for me. I was stunned with some of the factual information it provided. It was compelling, and I hope every skating mom, dad, coach and trial judge reads this. I could not put this book down. It was humorous at times, in an animated way. The Tonya Harding story was funny, startling and sad at the same time. There was lots of talent not being showed because of corruption, trade offs and threats by mobsters. I am still having trouble believing it. The only problem I had was too much personal information on Jon Jackson's gay life and coming out. It was important, but the book didn't get to the subject matter until half way through it. The other problem I had was remembering the many names and credentials of the judges, officals and skaters. That could have been my problem though. After I read the full name and credential once, they where only mentioned on a first name basis, so I had to go back and reflect. It was overall an excellent book and a must read for those in the skating world. Jon Jackson should be a role model for all judges, but from what I read it will never happen because of the corrupted nature of the sport in Jon Jackson's experience. I am a skating club director and soon hopefully will be president, and will promote this sport with a fair and balanced approach. After all, its all about supporting and caring for all skaters. Winning is the fruit of it all, but winning fairly. P.S. I am reading this book again and giving it to my daughter's skating coaches to read.