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Amber Glenn
Amber Glenn - 2019 Skate America.jpg
Glenn at 2019 Skate America
Personal information
Full name Amber Elaine Glenn
Country represented United States United States
Born (1999-10-28) October 28, 1999 (age 25)
Plano, Texas, U.S.
Home town Plano, Texas
Residence Plano, Texas
Height 1.67 m (5 ft 5+12 in)
Coach Damon Allen
Tammy Gambill
Former coach Peter Cain
Darlene Cain
Ann Brumbaugh
Ben Shroats
Choreographer Misha Ge
Katherine Hill
Former choreographer Cordero Zuckerman
Daniil Barantsev
Scott Brown
Julia Golovina
Darlene Cain
Rohene Ward
Nick Traxler
Walter Afalla
Ann Brumbaugh
Skating club Dallas FSC
Training locations Colorado Springs, Colorado
Former training locations Plano, Texas
Euless, Texas
Frisco, Texas
Began skating 2004
ISU personal best scores
Combined total 201.02
2021 Skate America
Short program 69.63
2023 Four Continents
Free skate 133.45
2021 Skate America
Medal record
Representing  United States
Figure skating: Women's singles
World Team Trophy
Gold 2023 Tokyo Team

Amber Elaine Glenn (born October 28, 1999) is an American figure skater. She is the 2024 U.S. national champion, a two-time ISU Grand Prix bronze medalist, and a three-time ISU Challenger Series medalist. She has finished within the top ten at three ISU Championships.

Early in her career, she won bronze medals at two ISU Junior Grand Prix events (2013 JGP Czech Republic, 2014 JGP France) and was the 2014 U.S. Junior champion.

Glenn is the sixth American woman to land a clean triple Axel in international competition.

Personal life

Glenn was born October 28, 1999, in Plano, Texas. Her father, Richard, works as a police officer. She has a younger sister named Brooke. She has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Glenn, who identifies as both bisexual and pansexual, is the only openly LGBTQ ladies' figure skater on Team USA as of December 2019.

In November 2020, she revealed that she worked with the creative team of the Yuri on Ice movie during production in August of 2017.

Career

Glenn began learning to skate in 2004. She won a bronze medal at the 2013 Junior Grand Prix (JGP) event in the Czech Republic and became a national junior champion at the 2014 U.S. Championships. Ranked fifth in the short program and eighth in the free skate, she finished seventh at the 2014 World Junior Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. She trained in McKinney, Texas and at Stonebriar Ice in Frisco, Texas until the rink closed in 2014.

2014–15 season

In May 2014, U.S. Figure Skating named Glenn as the recipient of the 2014 Athlete Alumni Ambassador (3A) overall award. In August, she won bronze at the 2014 JGP in France. She finished sixth at her second JGP assignment in Estonia and thirteenth on the senior level at the 2015 U.S. Championships.

2015–16 season

Glenn began the 2015–2016 season training in McKinney, Texas under Ann Brumbaugh and Ben Shroats. At the junior level, she placed fifth at the 2015 JGP Latvia. Struggles with depression saw Glenn admitted to a mental hospital, but with her first international senior assignment at the 2015 Autumn Classic International pending, she decided to leave the facility to attend. She would later describe the event as a "disaster" that she had no memory of beyond her sixth-place finish.

Following this, Glenn announced publicly that she would take a break to "reevaluate". In a 2024 profile in The Washington Post, she revealed that she had been told by her psychiatrist to stop skating indefinitely. She resumed training in February 2016 after joining Peter Cain and Darlene Cain in Euless, Texas.

2016–17 season

Glenn placed fifth at the 2016 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, fourth at the 2016 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb, and eighth at the 2017 U.S. Championships. She was selected to compete at the 2017 World Junior Championships but withdrew in early March.

2017–18 season

Glenn finished eighth at the 2017 CS Lombardia Trophy. She was invited to compete at her first Grand Prix event, the 2017 Cup of China, after the withdrawal of Gracie Gold. She placed tenth in China and finished the season with a second consecutive eighth-place at the 2018 U.S. Championships.

2018–19 season

Glenn was sixth at the 2018 CS Lombardia Trophy and seventh at the 2019 U.S. Championships.

2019–20 season

Competing on the Challenger series again at the start of the 2019–2020 season, Glenn won the bronze medal at the 2019 CS U.S. Classic. This was her first senior international medal. Assigned to two Grand Prix events, she placed seventh at the 2019 Skate America and sixth at the 2019 Cup of China.

She was fourth in the short program at the 2020 U.S. Championships with a clean skate and, remarking on her then-recent coming out, said it "has brought a weight off my shoulders. It was very scary, and not having to pretend I’m someone I’m not anymore. She dropped to fifth place after the free skate and said further mental preparation was needed. Glenn finished ninth at the 2020 Four Continents Championships, her first senior ISU championship assignment.

2020–21 season

The coronavirus pandemic prompted a multi-month hiatus from training, after which Glenn began working on mastering the triple Axel, which she had been attempting "for fun" periodically for nine years by that point. She missed an early virtual competition due to fracturing her orbital bone after passing out during cryotherapy but then attempted the triple Axel for the first time in competition during a later virtual domestic event, singling it.

With the pandemic restricting international travel, the ISU opted to conduct the Grand Prix assignments based mainly on training location. Glenn was assigned to compete at the 2020 Skate America. She placed fifth in the Skate America short program after having to execute a turn in between her triple-triple jump combination. She was sixth in the free skate, remaining in fifth place overall.

Glenn attempted her triple Axel in the short program at the 2021 U.S. Championships but was unable to land it successfully. Her otherwise strong performances earned her her highest-ever placement at the event and first senior national medal, a silver. She expressed that she was "happy to finally put out a performance I'm proud of." Glenn revealed that she had been suffering from a foot infection that had spread up to the knee and had begun a course of antibiotics on the day of the free skate.

Despite her silver medal, U.S. Figure Skating opted to name bronze medalist Karen Chen, who had finished 0.35 points behind Glenn, alongside champion Bradie Tennell to the 2021 World Championships team. It was the first time since 2008, when Katrina Hacker was bypassed in favor of Kimmie Meissner, that the selected ladies team in a non-Olympic year did not follow Nationals placements (for age-eligible skaters). Glenn was instead named first alternate. She had previously said, when asked about the prospect of the World team, "US Figure Skating should go with a team that they know will go and get those three spots back. Whether that includes me or not, I’m all for it either way."

2021–22 season

Glenn withdrew from the Skating Club of Boston's Cranberry Cup event and then made her full competitive debut at the 2021 CS Finlandia Trophy, where she placed tenth.

Beginning the Grand Prix at 2021 Skate America, Glenn did not attempt a triple Axel in competition after practice session difficulties. Seventh in both segments of the competition, she placed sixth overall with a score of 201.02, breaking 200 points internationally for the first time. Speaking afterward, she said, "breaking that point target internationally for the first time, it really makes me feel like I'm up there, and it's not just, ‘Oh, she got second at Nationals; she did this in her own country.’ I know I can hold my own internationally, and this is just a taste of that." She went on to finish seventh at the 2021 NHK Trophy.

Glenn concluded the fall season at the 2021 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb, where she won the silver medal. Attempting to qualify for the American Olympic team at the 2022 U.S. Championships in January, Glenn struggled in the short program and finished fourteenth in that segment. She tested positive for COVID-19 afterward and withdrew before the free skate. She was named as an alternate for the Olympic team. Glenn would later reflect that while she had not assumed that going to the Olympics was possible for most of her career due to the expectations raised after the previous national championships, "I felt like I was expected to make it, so that made it all the more devastating. It was hard."

2022–23 season

Before starting the season, Glenn relocated to Colorado Springs, Colorado to train under Damon Allen, Tammy Gambill, and Viktor Pfeifer. She said her departure from the Cains was amicable, reasoning that "I needed to grow, not just as a skater, but as a human. I lived in the same city, the same place, my entire life."

Glenn started off her season with a bronze medal at the Skating Club of Boston's Cranberry Cup event before finishing fourth at the 2022 CS Lombardia Trophy. On the Grand Prix at 2022 Skate America, Glenn scored a personal best in her short program of 68.42, placing third in that segment and then third in the free skate as well to take the bronze medal. This was her first Grand Prix figure skating medal. On her performance in the free skate, she said afterward that "knowing that I didn't feel 100% out there when I was skating and how much room for improvement, the possibilities are endless. It really kind of just blew my mind that I'm finally starting to reach my potential." For the 2022 NHK Trophy, she vowed she was "not playing it as safe" as she had at her first event, "I'm just going to really try and go all out." The short program in Sapporo was a struggle, putting a hand down on her jump combination and then underrotating and falling on her final triple loop. She finished eleventh of twelve skaters in that segment. Glenn voiced her disappointment, saying, "it's so disheartening to have a skate like that after working so hard." She placed eighth in the free skate but remained eleventh overall.

Glenn described "mixed emotions" approaching the 2023 U.S. Championships after her disappointment the previous year. In the short program she made an error on her triple loop jump, but still placed fourth in the segment. In the free skate she stepped out of her opening triple Axel attempt, but landed six other clean triples, despite doubling one planned triple and singling a planned double Axel. She was third in that segment, rising to win the bronze medal. Glenn said she was happy with how she performed, and that she had enjoyed the experience of the national championships and the crowd support.

Assigned to the 2023 Four Continents Championships, Glenn placed fourth in the short program, 1.76 points behind third-place Kim Chae-yeon of South Korea. Her only error in the performance was putting a hand down on her solo triple loop. Glenn said that she "didn't feel as energetic" as she had wanted to be. Continuing to feel sick, she made two jump errors in the free skate and dropped to seventh overall, but said that she was glad to have stayed in a "decent mental place" given the difficulties.

Glenn competed next at the 2023 World Championships in Saitama, where she finished twelfth despite underrotating her triple Axel attempt in the free skate. She said after that "the free skate wasn't what I wanted or what I've been training, but I feel that mentally I held myself together." Glenn then joined Team USA for the 2023 World Team Trophy in Tokyo, finishing sixth in both her segments of the competition. Team USA won the gold medal.

2023–24 season

For the new season's short program, choreographer Kaitlyn Weaver proposed to Glenn the Yeah Yeah Yeahs song "Heads Will Roll", which she initially considered "out there" for her, but subsequently accepted. Weaver's vogueing choreographer also appealed to her. After an on-ice collision with another skater in practice that set back her training by three weeks, she missed the Challenger series and other early competitions.

Glenn was assigned to start the Grand Prix at Skate America, which had special significance for her as it was to be held within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex in Allen, mere miles from her hometown of Plano. Glenn said it felt "very bizarre" to begin the season this late, but fared well in the short program, placing second in the segment with a new personal best score of 71.45. In the free skate, she made her fourteenth attempt at a triple Axel in competition, landing it cleanly for the first time. She was the fourth American woman to do so in international competition. However, she struggled in the second half of the program, falling twice and dropping to fifth place overall. Glenn said afterward that it felt "incredible" to land the triple Axel, but that afterward "my own energy of the excitement killed me. I lost my focus." Glenn had a "disastrous" short program at the 2023 Grand Prix of Espoo, finishing eleventh of twelve skaters after performing an invalid double flip instead of a triple and only managing a double toe loop as the second part of her improvised jump combination. She rebounded in the free skate with a new personal best score of 133.78, after her only error was singling her planned triple Axel. She came second in that segment, and rose to the bronze medal, her second on the Grand Prix. Glenn claimed she was "so surprised" at the result, but said she was now "excited where the rest of the season goes."

At the 2024 U.S. Championships, Glenn placed second in the short program with a clean skate. She opened her free skate with a successful triple Axel, but struggled in the second half of the program, doubling a planned triple Lutz and singling a planned triple flip. Initially believing that she had missed her chance at the gold medal, the final skater Isabeau Levito fell three times, as a result of which Glenn placed second in the segment and first overall. Glenn described her reaction as "utter shock," adding that it "was definitely not the performance I would have liked to have had tonight, and I know both Isabeau and I are capable of so much more." Glenn was the first U.S. women's champion to openly identify as queer. She stated that it "has been a long journey to get to this title."

Amber Glenn 2024 Worlds Free Skate 1
Glenn during her free skate at the 2024 World Championships

Glenn had been preemptively assigned 2024 Four Continents Championships, which were to occur the week following the national championships. However, she opted to withdraw after her national title victory, citing a need to focus on the World Championships that were to take place in Montreal in March. In the short program at the World Championships, Glenn landed her first two jumping passes successfully, but fell on her triple loop, and came ninth in the segment. She also expressed thanks for audience support, noting "to see the pride flags in the audience, the messages I get, the people that come up to me – it means everything. That's one of the biggest reasons why I keep going." Glenn landed a triple Axel in the free skate, but other jump errors caused her to finish tenth overall. Reflecting, she said her next move was to "plan out a better layout for that free skate. I seem to lose focus every time in that middle part, no matter what I've tried. Different strategies, different focus points, but I always seem to kind of lose it in the middle. So, to go back home and reset for next year."

Programs

Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
2023–2024
  • Heads Will Roll
    by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
    performed by Elephant Music
    choreo. by Kaitlyn Weaver, Randi Strong
  • Exogenesis: Symphony Part 3
    by Muse
    choreo. by Katherine Hill

2022–2023
  • Without You
    by Ursine Vulpine & Annaca
    choreo. by Misha Ge
2021–2022
  • Scars
    by Madilyn Bailey
    choreo. by Cordero Zuckerman, Amber Glenn


  • Body Love Part 1
    by Mary Lambert
2020–2021
  • Scars
    by Madilyn Bailey
    choreo. by Cordero Zuckerman, Amber Glenn
2019–2020
  • Scars
    by Madilyn Bailey
    choreo. by Cordero Zuckerman
2018–2019
  • Gravity
    by Sara Bareilles
    choreo. by Daniil Barantsev
  • Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)
    performed by Lady Gaga
    choreo. by Daniil Barantsev
2017–2018
  • Fever
    (Heat version)
    covered by Beyoncé
    choreo. by Scott Brown
  • The Red Violin
    by John Corigliano
    choreo. by Scott Brown
2016–2017
  • Send in the Clowns
    performed by Susan Boyle
    choreo. by Scott Brown
2015–2016
  • Feeling Good
    performed by Nina Simone
    choreo. by Julia Golovina
  • Les Misérables
    by Claude-Michel Schönberg
    choreo. by Julia Golovina
2014–2015
  • Summertime
    by Giovanni
    choreo. by Nick Traxler
  • El Conquistador
    by Maxime Rodriguez
  • Aranjuez
    by Roni Benise
    choreo. by Rohene Ward
2013–2014
2012–2013
  • El Conquistador
    by Maxime Rodriguez
    choreo. by Walter Afalla
  • Slumdog Millionaire
    by A. R. Rahman
    choreo. by Walter Afalla
2011–2012

Competitive highlights

  • GP – Event of the ISU Grand Prix Series
  • CS – Event of the ISU Challenger Series
  • C – Event was cancelled
  • WD – Withdrew from competition
Competition placements at senior level 
Season 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024-25
World Championships 12th 10th
Four Continents 9th 7th WD
GP Cup of China 10th 6th TBD
GP Finland 3rd
GP France TBD
GP NHK Trophy 7th 11th
GP Skate America 7th 5th 6th 3rd 5th
CS Finlandia Trophy 10th
CS Golden Spin of Zagreb 4th 2nd 2nd
CS Lombardia Trophy 8th 6th 4th
CS Nebelhorn Trophy 5th
CS U.S. Classic 3rd
Autumn Classic 6th
Challenge Cup 4th
Cranberry Cup WD 3rd
Philadelphia 5th 5th
U.S. Championships 13th 8th 8th 7th 5th 2nd WD 3rd 1st
  • JGP – Event of the ISU Grand Prix Series
  • WD – Withdrew from event
Competition placements at junior level 
Season 2009-10 2010–11 2011–12 2012-13 2013–14 2014–15 2015-16
World Junior Championships 7th
JGP Czech Republic 3rd
JGP Estonia 6th
JGP France 3rd
JGP Latvia 5th
U.S. Championships 5th 1st

Detailed results

ISU personal best scores in the +5/-5 GOE system 
Segment Type Score Event
Total TSS 201.02 2021 Skate America
Short program TSS 71.45 2023 Skate America
TES 38.90 2023 Skate America
PCS 33.29 2023 Four Continents
Free skating TSS 133.78 2023 Grand Prix of Espoo
TES 70.63 2023 Grand Prix of Espoo
PCS 65.88 2021 Skate America

Senior level

2023–24 season
Date Event SP FS Total
March 18–24, 2024 2024 World Championships 9
64.53
11
122.00
10
186.53
January 22–28, 2024 2024 U.S. Championships 2
74.98
2
135.48
1
210.46
December 6-9, 2023 2023 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb 2
63.09
2
114.42
2
177.51
November 17–19, 2023 2023 Grand Prix of Espoo 11
51.61
2
133.78
3
185.39
October 20–22, 2023 2023 Skate America 2
71.45
5
118.18
5
189.63
2022–23 season
Date Event SP FS Total
April 13–16, 2023 2023 World Team Trophy 6
66.55
6
128.46
1T/6P
195.01
March 20–26, 2023 2023 World Championships 10
65.52
14
122.81
12
188.33
February 7–12, 2023 2023 Four Continents Championships 4
69.63
8
122.87
7
192.50
January 26–28, 2023 2023 U.S. Championships 4
68.96
3
138.48
3
207.44
November 18–20, 2022 2022 NHK Trophy 11
52.04
8
117.32
11
169.36
October 21–23, 2022 2022 Skate America 3
68.42
3
129.19
3
197.61
September 16–18, 2022 2022 CS Lombardia Trophy 8
55.99
4
121.02
4
177.01
August 9–14, 2022 2022 Cranberry Cup International 11
45.99
1
120.74
3
166.73
2021–22 season
Date Event SP FS Total
January 3–9, 2022 2022 U.S. Championships 14
54.80
WD WD
December 7–11, 2021 2021 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb 2
64.45
2
118.91
2
183.36
November 12–14, 2021 2021 NHK Trophy 6
63.43
8
112.40
7
175.83
October 22–24, 2021 2021 Skate America 7
67.57
7
133.45
6
201.02
October 7–10, 2021 2021 CS Finlandia Trophy 10
60.76
10
122.70
10
183.46
2020–21 season
Date Event SP FS Total
January 11–21, 2021 2021 U.S. Championships 5
70.83
2
144.50
2
215.33
October 23–24, 2020 2020 Skate America 5
67.85
6
122.24
5
190.09
2019–20 season
Date Event SP FS Total
February 4–9, 2020 2020 Four Continents Championships 9
65.39
9
125.44
7
190.83
January 20–26, 2020 2020 U.S. Championships 4
73.16
9
113.42
5
186.57
November 8–10, 2019 2019 Cup of China 3
67.69
6
110.66
6
178.35
October 18–20, 2019 2019 Skate America 7
64.71
9
104.92
7
169.63
October 17–22, 2019 2019 CS U.S. International Classic 2
66.09
3
120.19
3
186.28
2018–19 season
Date Event SP FS Total
February 21–24, 2019 2019 Challenge Cup 1
5
4
180.91
January 19–27, 2019 2019 U.S. Championships 4
69.86
8
110.87
7
180.73
September 13–16, 2018 2018 CS Lombardia Trophy 4
58.57
5
107.68
6
166.25
August ?–?, 2018 2018 Philadelphia Summer International 2
54.53
8
68.25
5
122.78
2017–18 season
Date Event SP FS Total
January 1–9, 2018 2018 U.S. Championships 9
61.62
9
106.44
8
168.06
November 3–5, 2017 2017 Cup of China 10
52.61
10
98.53
10
151.14
September 14–17, 2017 2017 CS Lombardia Trophy 8
57.44
11
92.52
8
149.96
August ?–?, 2017 2018 Philadelphia Summer International 7
55.40

95.46
5
150.86
2016–17 season
Date Event SP FS Total
January 14–22, 2017 2017 U.S. Championships 12
56.34
8
116.29
8
172.63
December 7–10, 2016 2016 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb 2
67.93
4
115.67
4
183.60
September 22–24, 2016 2016 CS Nebelhorn Trophy 4
55.92
6
101.76
5
157.68

Junior level

2015–16 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total
October 12–15, 2015 2015 Autumn Classic International Senior 6
52.08
7
70.20
6
122.28
August 26–29, 2015 2015 JGP Latvia Junior 6
53.21
4
106.75
5
159.96
2014–15 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total
January 18–25, 2015 2015 U.S. Championships Senior 7
63.04
15
96.37
13
159.41
September 25–27, 2014 2014 JGP Estonia Junior 5
49.66
6
93.17
6
142.83
August 21–23, 2014 2014 JGP France Junior 3
54.71
4
93.32
3
148.03
2013–14 season
Date Event Level SP FS Total
March 10–16, 2014 2014 World Junior Championships Junior 5
56.58
8
102.30
7
158.88
January 5–12, 2014 2014 U.S. Junior Championships Junior 1
63.99
1
122.51
1
186.52
October 3–5, 2013 2013 JGP Czech Republic Junior 4
56.84
3
107.34
3
164.18
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