Val Joe "Rudy" Galindo (born September 7, 1969) is an American former competitive figure skater who competed in both single skating and pair skating. As a single skater, he is the 1996 U.S. national champion, 1987 World Junior Champion, and 1996 World Bronze medalist. As a pairs skater, he competed with Kristi Yamaguchi and was the 1988 World Junior Champion and the 1989 and 1990 U.S. National Champion. He is the first openly gay skating champion in the United States, though US, World and Olympic champion Brian Boitano came out long after his career was over.
Galindo began skating with his sister. Although the sport was expensive, his parents were supportive and forwent a chance to buy a house, settling instead for a larger trailer.[1] As a singles career, Galindo won the 1987 World Junior title.[2]
Galindo was paired with Kristi Yamaguchi by his coach, Jim Hulick.[1] They placed 5th on the junior level at the 1985 U.S. Championships and won the junior title in 1986. Hulick died of AIDS-related cancer in 1989.[1] Galindo did not compete in singles in the 1988–89 and 1989–90 seasons in order to concentrate on pairs. Galindo and Yamaguchi won the 1988 World Junior title[3] and the U.S. senior championships in 1989 and 1990. Their partnership came to an end in April 1990 when Yamaguchi decided to focus on her singles career.[1] Lacking a partner of Kristi's calibre, Galindo returned to singles competition.[1]
Rudy Galindo's father died of a heart attack in 1993, and his brother, George, died from AIDS in 1994. Another coach, Rick Inglesi, died of AIDS in 1995.[1] Galindo reports in his autobiography that he was grief-stricken and unmotivated by a lack of support from the skating establishment. He took eight months off after the 1995 U.S. Championships. The 1996 national championships were scheduled to take place in his hometown, San Jose. Rudy decided to take advantage of this opportunity to compete in front of his mother, who no longer traveled, and his hometown. He resumed training in September 1995, with his sister Laura as his coach.[1] In January 1996, he won the men's title at the U.S. Championships at the San Jose Arena in a performance that has become legendary in the skating world. He was the oldest male to win this title in 70 years.[1] He went on to win a bronze medal at the 1996 World Championships. He performed to Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky for his free skate program,[4] and Franz Biebl'a Ave Maria (performed by the Stanford Fleet Street Singers) for the exhibition program.[5]
Galindo retired from eligible competition in the summer of 1996 and toured with Tom Collins' Champions on Ice. He underwent hip replacement surgery in August 2003 after finishing the season's tour with a broken femur on his left side.[6] After recovering, Galindo continued to tour with COI until it went out of business in 2007. In 2006 he served as a judge on the WE tv series Skating's Next Star, created and produced by Major League Figure Skating and hosted by Kristi Yamaguchi.
Galindo coaches at Solar4America Ice (formerly Sharks Ice at San Jose), the same rink where he trained during his competitive career.[7][8] Among his students is Kristi Yamaguchi's daughter, Emma Hedican.[8]
Galindo was inducted into the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.[7] He was elected to the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame in December 2012.[9][10]
Personal life
Galindo is the third child of Jess and Margaret Galindo. He had a brother, George, who was ten years older and who later died of AIDS. His sister Laura is five years older.[1] He is of Mexican descent through his grandparents on his father's side.[1] In 1996 he came out as gay in Christine Brennan's book Inside Edge: A Revealing Journey Into the Secret World of Figure Skating (ISBN0-385-48607-3), which was published shortly before he won his national title that year.[8] He is the first openly gay skating champion in the U.S.[1] His autobiography Icebreaker (ISBN0-671-00390-9), co-written with Eric Marcus, was published in 1997.
Rudy was very close to his family, especially his father, who made many financial sacrifices to help his son's career. Rudy states in his autobiography, "Icebreaker" that his sister Laura often drove him to practice years before she was old enough to have a driver's license. Laura gave up her career in part to support Rudy. She acted as his coach during the 1996 championship season.
^(PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-24. (9.06 KB)
^(PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-13. (10.5 KB)
^Rudy Galindo (USA) - 1996 World Figure Skating Championships, Men's Long Program, archived from the original on 2021-12-12, retrieved 2015-09-30
^Rudy Galindo (USA) - 1996 World Figure Skating Championships, Exhibition Performances, archived from the original on 2021-12-12, retrieved 2015-09-30
^. U.S. Figure Skating. August 19, 2003. Archived from the original on December 5, 2003.
^ abElfman, Lois (August 31, 2011). "Galindo to enter San Jose Sports Hall of Fame". Icenetwork. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
^ abcdeAlmond, Elliott (January 30, 2012). "Rudy Galindo is coaching Kristi Yamaguchi's daughter on the ice". San Jose Mercury News. from the original on February 26, 2012.
^Almond, Elliott (December 17, 2012). "San Jose's Rudy Galindo elected to U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame". Oakland Tribune.
^Elfman, Lois (December 19, 2012). "Galindo hits jackpot with hall of fame induction". IceNetwork.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rudy Galindo.
Official website
January 13, 2023
rudy, galindo, rudy, galindo, born, september, 1969, american, former, competitive, figure, skater, competed, both, single, skating, pair, skating, single, skater, 1996, national, champion, 1987, world, junior, champion, 1996, world, bronze, medalist, pairs, s. Val Joe Rudy Galindo born September 7 1969 is an American former competitive figure skater who competed in both single skating and pair skating As a single skater he is the 1996 U S national champion 1987 World Junior Champion and 1996 World Bronze medalist As a pairs skater he competed with Kristi Yamaguchi and was the 1988 World Junior Champion and the 1989 and 1990 U S National Champion He is the first openly gay skating champion in the United States though US World and Olympic champion Brian Boitano came out long after his career was over Rudy GalindoGalindo in 1996Personal informationFull nameVal Joe GalindoCountry represented United StatesBorn 1969 09 07 September 7 1969 age 53 San Jose California U S ResidenceSan Jose California U S Height5 ft 6 in 1 68 m Former partnerKristi YamaguchiCoachLaura Galindo BlackRetired1996Medal record Men s Figure SkatingRepresenting United StatesWorld Championships1996 Edmonton Men s singlesWorld Junior Championships1987 Kitchener Men s singles1986 Sarajevo Men s singles1985 Colorado Springs Men s singlesPairs Figure skatingWorld Junior Championships1988 Brisbane Pairs1987 Kitchener Pairs Contents 1 Career 2 Personal life 3 Competitive highlights 3 1 Singles career 3 2 Pairs career 4 References 5 External linksCareer EditGalindo began skating with his sister Although the sport was expensive his parents were supportive and forwent a chance to buy a house settling instead for a larger trailer 1 As a singles career Galindo won the 1987 World Junior title 2 Galindo was paired with Kristi Yamaguchi by his coach Jim Hulick 1 They placed 5th on the junior level at the 1985 U S Championships and won the junior title in 1986 Hulick died of AIDS related cancer in 1989 1 Galindo did not compete in singles in the 1988 89 and 1989 90 seasons in order to concentrate on pairs Galindo and Yamaguchi won the 1988 World Junior title 3 and the U S senior championships in 1989 and 1990 Their partnership came to an end in April 1990 when Yamaguchi decided to focus on her singles career 1 Lacking a partner of Kristi s calibre Galindo returned to singles competition 1 Rudy Galindo s father died of a heart attack in 1993 and his brother George died from AIDS in 1994 Another coach Rick Inglesi died of AIDS in 1995 1 Galindo reports in his autobiography that he was grief stricken and unmotivated by a lack of support from the skating establishment He took eight months off after the 1995 U S Championships The 1996 national championships were scheduled to take place in his hometown San Jose Rudy decided to take advantage of this opportunity to compete in front of his mother who no longer traveled and his hometown He resumed training in September 1995 with his sister Laura as his coach 1 In January 1996 he won the men s title at the U S Championships at the San Jose Arena in a performance that has become legendary in the skating world He was the oldest male to win this title in 70 years 1 He went on to win a bronze medal at the 1996 World Championships He performed to Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky for his free skate program 4 and Franz Biebl a Ave Maria performed by the Stanford Fleet Street Singers for the exhibition program 5 Galindo retired from eligible competition in the summer of 1996 and toured with Tom Collins Champions on Ice He underwent hip replacement surgery in August 2003 after finishing the season s tour with a broken femur on his left side 6 After recovering Galindo continued to tour with COI until it went out of business in 2007 In 2006 he served as a judge on the WE tv series Skating s Next Star created and produced by Major League Figure Skating and hosted by Kristi Yamaguchi Galindo coaches at Solar4America Ice formerly Sharks Ice at San Jose the same rink where he trained during his competitive career 7 8 Among his students is Kristi Yamaguchi s daughter Emma Hedican 8 Galindo was inducted into the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame in 2011 7 He was elected to the U S Figure Skating Hall of Fame in December 2012 9 10 Personal life EditGalindo is the third child of Jess and Margaret Galindo He had a brother George who was ten years older and who later died of AIDS His sister Laura is five years older 1 He is of Mexican descent through his grandparents on his father s side 1 In 1996 he came out as gay in Christine Brennan s book Inside Edge A Revealing Journey Into the Secret World of Figure Skating ISBN 0 385 48607 3 which was published shortly before he won his national title that year 8 He is the first openly gay skating champion in the U S 1 His autobiography Icebreaker ISBN 0 671 00390 9 co written with Eric Marcus was published in 1997 Rudy was very close to his family especially his father who made many financial sacrifices to help his son s career Rudy states in his autobiography Icebreaker that his sister Laura often drove him to practice years before she was old enough to have a driver s license Laura gave up her career in part to support Rudy She acted as his coach during the 1996 championship season In 2000 Galindo announced he was HIV positive 8 After residing a number of years in Reno Nevada Galindo moved back to San Jose California in 2006 8 Competitive highlights EditSingles career Edit InternationalEvent 1981 82 1982 83 1983 84 1984 85 1985 86 1986 87 1987 88 1990 91 1991 92 1992 93 1993 94 1994 95 1995 96Worlds 3rdAsko Vienna Cup 1st 1stNations Cup 4thPrague Skate 2ndInternational JuniorJunior Worlds 3rd 2nd 1stBlue Swords 2ndGrand Prize SNP 1stNationalU S Champ 1st N 5th J 3rd J 3rd J 8th 10th 11th 8th 5th 7th 8th 1stLevels N Novice J JuniorPairs career Edit with Kristi Yamaguchi InternationalEvent 1984 85 1985 86 1986 87 1987 88 1988 89 1989 90World Champ 5th 5thSkate America 5th 2ndNHK Trophy 3rd 4thSkate Electric 1stInternational JuniorWorld Junior Champ 5th 3rd 1stNationalU S Champ 5th J 1st J 5th 5th 1st 1stJ Junior levelReferences Edit a b c d e f g h i j k Swift E M March 11 1996 On A Roll Sports Illustrated Retrieved June 26 2011 World Junior Figure Skating Championships ISU Results Men PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2013 12 24 9 06 KB World Junior Figure Skating Championships ISU Results Pairs PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2012 02 13 10 5 KB Rudy Galindo USA 1996 World Figure Skating Championships Men s Long Program archived from the original on 2021 12 12 retrieved 2015 09 30 Rudy Galindo USA 1996 World Figure Skating Championships Exhibition Performances archived from the original on 2021 12 12 retrieved 2015 09 30 Rudy Galindo Undergoes Hip Surgery U S Figure Skating August 19 2003 Archived from the original on December 5 2003 a b Elfman Lois August 31 2011 Galindo to enter San Jose Sports Hall of Fame Icenetwork Retrieved September 1 2011 a b c d e Almond Elliott January 30 2012 Rudy Galindo is coaching Kristi Yamaguchi s daughter on the ice San Jose Mercury News Archived from the original on February 26 2012 Almond Elliott December 17 2012 San Jose s Rudy Galindo elected to U S Figure Skating Hall of Fame Oakland Tribune Elfman Lois December 19 2012 Galindo hits jackpot with hall of fame induction IceNetwork External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rudy Galindo Official website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Rudy Galindo amp oldid 1119505839, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
