Champions of Change: Eric Radford

Meet HIA #47 Eric Radford, retired Canadian figure skater, two time Olympic medallist and so much more.

Eric Radford’s journey in figure skating has been a standout. Having competed in two Olympics, he took home a gold in the team event and a bronze in pairs in 2018. Now coaching, he’s passing his wealth of experience on to new skaters. Eric also composes predominantly piano music, sometimes even joining passions and composing for skating programs. As one of the first openly gay figure skaters to compete at the Olympics, he’s also been a steady advocate for LGBTQ+ representation in sports.

To learn more about his journey and creative process behind the accomplishments, we had a chat.

Hi Eric.

Hello Marcus.

Can you share a pivotal moment in your career that defined your path as an athlete?

Winning my first National title in 2012 was extremely pivotal for me. It was the first time where my thinking changed from ‘I believe I can do this’ to ‘I know I can do this’.

Eric in his early competing days.

Who has been your biggest inspiration in sports or life, and why?

In the beginning I had my childhood heroes, Kurt browning and Elvis Stojko. But as my career went on it would be my teammates and friends that would inspire me most. My best friend Dylan Moscovitch would be one of those special people.

What’s the best piece of advice you've ever received?

I have two! The first was from my early coach, Dennis Silverthorne. He said ‘learn to skate first, then learn to skate with somebody else’. This advice was a big part of my success because my ability as a strong single skater, along with Meagan’s strong single skating ability, helped propel us up the rankings.

The second is ‘skate from the heart’. When a skater does this is when the audience feels like time stops, and a 4 minute performance feels like it’s over too quickly. This advice has spilled over into normal life where I try to ‘live from the heart’ more.

What does a typical training day look like for you?

While I don’t train daily the way I used to, it used to be 2 hours on the ice and an hour or more of off-ice everyday. We had multiple forms of physical therapy throughout the week as well as mental training some years.

What’s the strangest yet most effective training that's worked for you?

I would say this is strange in the sense that it’s counterintuitive. Once I learned to accept that I might make a mistake, the fear of actually making one lessened.

Do you have a pre-game ritual, song, or meal?

I always ate oatmeal for breakfast on competition day. It made me feel ‘grounded’.

How do you stay motivated?

I am still performing in shows so I need to keep myself in shape for those, which is good motivation. I have some nagging injuries leftover from my career which also motivates me to keep my body strong.

What techniques do you use to stay focused and composed?

I did a lot of visualization and mental preparation. Near the end of my career it was staying present as possible that became my main focus.

What has been the biggest challenge you've faced in your career and how did you overcome it?

There were difficult physical challenges to overcome, injuries and pushing your body to its max every day, but one of the most difficult challenges was finding new ways to stay motivated everyday when the usual ones stopped working. As we had more success and as the end of my career came into sight, I had to find new perspective on why I was doing what I was doing.

What is it about your mindset that's enabled you to succeed in your sport?

I think I had a good combination of imagination, competitiveness, and unconditional support from my family. All of these together gave me a quiet confidence that allowed me to really believe in myself.

Thank you for sharing your words and insight with us Eric, it’s inspiring to hear your the mindset behind your full sporting journey.

You can next listen to Eric’s first album (out now), Liminal, wherever you get your music.

To follow Eric @ericradford85