Adam Rippon's dream of becoming an Olympian [1] began with a muff. His mother received a popcorn tin from CVS featuring a vignette of Victorian people ice skating. A woman wearing a long fur coat and a muff immediately caught Rippon's eye. "It just looked so glamorous," the American figure skater told POPSUGAR. "I didn't have the verbiage to say that I wanted a muff, but I asked my mom for gloves that didn't have fingers. My mom said, 'I don't know what that is — and no.'"
Fast forward to 2018, and Rippon finally got his hands on that muff — a congratulatory gift after he nabbed the bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang [2], South Korea. "My friend ordered it on Amazon," he said. "If I only knew it was that easy." At 28, he became the oldest US figure skater to make an Olympic debut since 1936 and the first openly gay man to represent the United States at the Winter Olympics.
Rippon was also unapologetically outspoken [3] every step of the way, declining a meeting with former US Vice President Mike Pence (the leader of the US delegation) and opting out of a trip to the White House following the Games. His unfiltered interviews and tweets spoke to people well outside of figure skating's tight circles, including A-list fans like Reese Witherspoon [4], Cher, and Taylor Swift [5] (who cast Rippon in her "You Need to Calm Down" music video [6] in 2019).
After penning a memoir, winning Dancing With the Stars [7], walking red carpets, and spreading his wings as a social media butterfly, Rippon is back in the rink — this time as the coach of his former training mate, American figure skater Mariah Bell [8]. Asked what he adds to Bell's coaching team, Rippon replied: "Drama." He explained that he's also a great "sounding board" and "communicator" between Bell and head coach Rafael Arutunian, the same man who led Rippon to Olympic glory.
This week at the US National Figure Skating Championships [9] in Nashville, TN, Bell will fight for one of three coveted spots on the US Olympic figure skating team [10]. Much like Rippon, she is one of the more "mature" athletes in the sport at the ripe old age of 25. Bell is up against teen phenoms like 16-year-old Alysa Liu [11], a two-time US national champion. If Bell makes it to the contentious 2022 Beijing Olympics [12], she'll also face Russia's top three ladies — all under 18 and all with an arsenal of quadruple jumps [13].
Age, at least according to Rippon, has its advantages. "When you're an older skater, you've not only had more life experience, but you've had more time to refine your craft," he said. "I feel like I enjoyed my career the most in my late 20s because I was making a lot of decisions with my choreographers and my coaches. Everything felt more collaborative, and I took more ownership of what I was doing."
Bell is hoping to follow in her coach's footsteps. Her strategy at the championship in Music City is to showcase her hard-earned confidence, artistry [14], and love for skating. "It's not about competing with other people; it's just being the best I can be, and everything else takes care of itself," she explained. "Adam always says, 'Nobody else can be Mariah.'"
Keep reading, as figure skating's most dynamic duo divulged to POPSUGAR their best beauty tips, fashion lessons, and what really happens when hot bodies from around the world gather in one very cold village.
The Future Can Wait
"In the past, when I tried to make different Olympic teams, I was so focused on being at the Olympic Games that I wasn't as focused on what I needed to do to get there," Rippon said. "My advice for all skaters, but in particular my student Mariah, is to focus on the moment. Whether it be the National Championships or the Olympics, when you're present, you're likely to have a better performance."
Sex at the Olympics Isn't Sexy
"I shared a flat with five people [in the Olympic Village], so I don't know how anyone [was having sex]," Rippon said. "When I went to Pyeongchang, I was 28 and definitely not university age. I wasn't going to use the stairwell. I don't logistically see how you would make it happen. There would have to be a lot of scheduling involved, and you're at the Olympics, so it's not like you have time to get a Google calendar together. Also, the Winter Games is cold, so if there is a lot of f*cking, I assume it happens more at the Summer Games [15]."
Protection Isn't as Plentiful as You'd Think
"I wasn't concerned with having as much sex as possible [at the Olympic Games], I was really more concerned with where all of the condoms were," Rippon revealed. "As an insider, I can tell you that if you wanted them — and I did because I wanted to give them to all of my friends back home — you had to go to the medical tent . . . When I was randomly drug tested, I was brought into the medical tent and I saw a basket — a small basket — of condoms and I said, 'Is this them?' They were purple-wrapped, generic condoms. They were basically Safeway brand, not even Trojan."
Dreams Don't Have an Expiration Date
"I was [at the Olympic Games] for the first time as somebody who was almost 30 years old in a sport where my teammates were 17 and 18. That resonated with a lot of people. You don't need to look around to see what's possible. If you think that you can go further, just go for it."
Sexuality Has Nothing to Do With Success
"It was so important for me to speak my truth because the Olympics are unlike any other event. The entire world is really watching. You have an opportunity to show who you are and to speak your mind. I was a queer athlete representing my country when I was in the best shape of my life. I wanted to show that being gay has nothing to do with me being an Olympian. Me being out was me being the best version of myself," said Rippon, who agrees with fellow Olympian Tom Daley [16] that anti-LGBTQ+ legislation is an "obvious violation of human rights".
Keep It Real
"In a day and age where we can always tell when people are being genuine, my biggest piece of advice is to just be yourself," Rippon said. "You'll attract all of the attention that you want, and you'll attract like-minded people who will celebrate your successes with you."
Get Your Game Face On
"Adam always helps with packaging. He asked me to wear more makeup, and I've really tried to work on that!" Bell said. "He was adamant that I wear fake eyelashes, but I'm not comfortable skating in them. At the beginning of the season, he also gave me a red lipstick from Urban Decay called Bad Blood [17] (£19)," she added. "As a Swiftie, I felt like that was the perfect shade of red for her to have," Rippon said.
Rippon's best beauty tip for the boys? "Go to the drugstore and find a BB or CC cream in the right shade. I suggest Maybelline [18] or CoverGirl [19]," he said. "It's super light, but it evens out your skin tone."
Brows Are Everything
"God gave me blonde brows, but God also gave me Benefit brow gel [20], so I'm going to use it as much as I can. When you have a strong brow, it adds some definition to your face and frames it really nicely," Rippon said. Well-defined arches are equally important to Bell: "On the ice, and even every day, I like to fill in my brows with a pencil and add a little bit of eyebrow gel," she said.
Happiness Is a Good Hair Day
"I had really curly hair like Justin Timberlake [21] did when he was young. I looked to see what Justin did, and he got a Brazilian blowout. I know this sounds incredibly dramatic, but it changed my life," Rippon said. "All of a sudden, I didn't need to wash my hair every morning to make sure it wasn't frizzy or worry about whether or not my curls were in the right place. Now, I even buy keratin treatments [22] on Amazon and do it myself when I need an extra boost of beauty. I can blow out anything."
Always Serve Winning Looks
"In the last few years of my skating career, I loved wearing mesh because it can get hot in the arena and it's also a little bit see-through. I felt like I could focus on being slutty, which made it easier to compete," Rippon said. "Now that I'm a coach, it's all about the jacket that I wear when I'm out with Mariah . . . I make sure I get something that's a little over the top and a little ridiculous so that we can have a laugh and take some of the pressure away."
When asked about her coach's wardrobe, Bell said: "I'm just trying to get on his level when it comes to how put together I am. Honestly, the most stressful thing at a competition is figuring out how I can look better than my coach!" Rippon's response? "That's what I want her to think is the hardest part of competing."