Ryan Bradley
Ryan Bradley hopes his return to Spokane is as successful as his last trip to town, when the skater captured silver and bronze medals at the 2007 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Only now Bradley's goals are set even higher: to become a national, world and Olympic champion.
Bradley, a two-time U.S. Collegiate champion (2005-06) and the 1999 U.S. junior champion, is vying for a spot on the world stage at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, as well as in the World Figure Skating Championships in Turin, Italy, in March. The two competitions are the only places the Missouri native has yet to stand atop the medal podium (he did place 15th at the 2007 World Championships), but that could change with his free skate and short program performances in January. Spokane's competition, then, is a must-win stop in order for the 26 year old to achieve his lofty skating targets.
But when you've been around the sport all your life, as Bradley has, Olympic and World Championship goals are sometimes part of a plan that begins to take shape at a young age.
Skating has been a part of Bradley's life since he was born. Both his parents were figure skaters, and once his sister (a former competitive figure skater who is now a skating coach) started, he was determined to follow in her footsteps. It seemed it was only a matter of time before the youngster would lace up his own skates, and for Bradley that came at age two.
A fan of Scott Hamilton's skating style, Bradley was involved with the U.S. Figure Skating Basic Skills Program during the mid-'80s, and partnered with Tiffany Vise in pair skating from 1996 to 1998. Meanwhile, Bradley was practicing his solo performances and injecting his routines with more athletic moves including back flips under the guidance of Becky Calvin and Tom Zakrajsek, who has been his coach since he was five years old. According to his official Web site, "he landed a double axel, triple salchow and triple toe loop by the time he was nine years old," moves that are trademarks to this day of his high-octane and crowd-pleasing performances. At the age of 12, the entire Bradley family decided to uproot and move to their current residence in Colorado Springs to foster his figure skating talent.
Bradley is currently studying business at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, where he also trains throughout the year. He says he would like to attend graduate school at the University of Kansas. His official Web site states Bradley's goals for the season are to qualify for all three major championships.