Rory Flack facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rory Flack
Flack at the 2007 Nurnberg Gala
Personal information
Full name	Ellen "Rory" Flack
Country represented	United States
Born	(1969-04-28) April 28, 1969 (age 56) Belleville, Illinois
Home town	San Diego, California
Residence	United States
Former coach	Roy Balmer Robin Cousins John Nicks Richard Callaghan
Skating club	Color of Ice Academy
Retired	1991 (competitive skating)

Rory Flack (also known as Flack-Mitchell) was born on April 28, 1969. She is a professional figure skater and used to compete in the sport. Rory made history in 1991 as the first African American woman to do a backflip on ice.

In 1994, she became the first African American woman to win the US Open Professional Figure Skating Championships. She is also famous for her special "Russian splits" move.

About Rory Flack's Life

Rory Flack was born in Belleville, Illinois. Her parents are Dorothy Jackson and William Flack. She is also the niece of the famous singer Roberta Flack.

Rory grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, until she was 10. Then she lived in San Diego, California, until she was 21. Later, she lived in Wasilla, Alaska, for 15 years.

She was married to Ralph Burghart, an Austrian National Champion and Olympian, from 1992 to 2007. They have two sons: Rendell Burghart, born in 1993, and Remington Burghart, born in 1997. Remington is a talented figure skater who won a bronze medal in 2011.

Rory Flack married Roi Mitchell Sr. on April 6, 2015, in Washington, D.C..

Rory Flack's Skating Journey

Rory Flack started learning to skate when she was five years old. When she was 13, she met Mabel Fairbanks. Mabel was a very important person for African Americans in figure skating. Mabel inspired Rory to keep skating, especially when Rory felt like quitting because of unfair treatment.

Two years later, Rory Flack, along with Debi Thomas and Bobby Beauchamp, won three medals at the US National Championships. This was a big moment because it was the first time three African American skaters competed at the Nationals and all earned spots on the international team.

In 1986, Rory won the junior bronze medal at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. She also competed around the world. She won a silver medal at the 1987 Grand Prix International St. Gervais. Her skating at the 1987 U.S. Championships was so good that it was even shown on the TV show Saturday Night Live. This was the first time a figure skater appeared on the show.

Sadly, Rory hurt her back in 1991. This happened just two months before the event to qualify for the 1992 Winter Olympics. Because of her injury, she could not compete. She stopped competitive skating in late 1991.

Becoming a Professional Skater

After competitive skating, Rory became a professional skater. She won the US Open Professional Champion title in 1991 and 1994. She also won the American Open Artistic Champion in 2002. In 2006, she skated for Team USA in the CBS Ice Wars.

In 1991, Rory moved to Cincinnati and skated in a show called Broadway on Ice. She created her own routine, auditioned, and got a solo part in the show.

She heard about a competition called the US Open Challenge Cup. Even though some people told her not to compete, Rory entered with support from her friends. Her childhood friend, Doug Mattis, taught her how to do a backflip on the ice. This made her the first Black woman in the world to do this amazing move.

At the US Open, Rory skated to "Summertime" by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. She won the Challenge Cup and placed third in the Championship round. She also won the first "Golden Blade Award" for being the most artistic skater. After this, she became a star in Ice Capades.

In 1992, while performing in Ice Capades, Rory took a break to compete in the US Open again. She skated to "Fever" and "Am I Blue" and won the silver medal.

In 1993, Rory had her first son, Rendell. Just two weeks later, she skated with her husband at the opening of the Rockefeller Center.

In 1994, Rory was invited to join The Nutcracker on Ice. She played the Sugar Plum Fairy alongside Olympic champions Oksana Baiul and Brian Boitano.

Rory still wanted to win the US Open title. She trained very hard, sometimes from 2 AM to 4 AM. She entered the US Open again, where the world champion Yuka Sato was also competing. Rory skated to Aretha Franklin's "Think" and won first place. This made her the champion.

Soon after, Rory opened her own figure skating school in Alaska. It was called the Artistry Of Movement Ice Skating Academy. The school helped skaters learn from the very beginning all the way to winning championships. Rory also continued to perform in professional shows and competitions on TV.

In 2001, Rory performed with Aretha Franklin. She created one group number and two solo routines for the event. A week later, Rory accepted a special award for Mabel Fairbanks from the Women's Sports Foundation. Inspired by Mabel again, Rory started her own company, The Color of Ice Production Inc.

In 2002, Rory created and produced Ebony on Ice. This was the first ice skating show with an all African American cast. The show ran for ten weeks in Chicago. Rory was the main performer, and guest artists like Savion Glover also appeared. Later that year, she won her second professional title at the American Open Professional Championships.

In 2003, Rory brought her show, also known as "Soul Spectacular On Ice," to Florida and Washington, D.C. The shows were completely sold out. The Washington Post newspaper gave the show great reviews.

Later in 2003, Rory was a guest star in Ray Charles' last performance, A Tribute to Ray Charles on Ice. In 2004, she helped choreograph a TV show called A Tribute to Earth Wind and Fire on Ice. She also created routines for Brian Boitano and Brian Orser. In 2006, she skated in A Tribute to Wynona Judd and in the last professional skating championships, Ice Wars USA Versus the World.

In 2007, Rory took a break from performing because of health issues. She is now working to overcome these challenges and plans to perform at the 2016 US Open Professional Figure Skating Championships.

Coaching and Choreography

Rory Flack started creating her own skating routines when she was still competing. In 1991, she began coaching in Kentucky and Ohio. She later took over the choreography department at the Indiana World Skating Academy.

In 1993, she moved to Seattle to help build the Basic Skills Program for the Seattle Skating Club. She also helped develop a new training rink.

From 1993, she worked in Alaska, leading the "Learn to Skate" program. A year later, she founded her own academy, Artistry Of Movement ISA. In 2009, she moved her academy to Provo, Utah. Since 2012, Rory has been coaching in many different places, including Alaska, Houston, Washington, D.C., and Chicago. She also offers skating clinics around the world.

Skating Results