Joanne Vassallo Jamrosz has been writing for U.S. Figure Skating for fifteen years. She also coordinated “Skating for Freedom,” an ice show fundraiser for Freedom Guide Dogs for the Blind. Being part of the figure skating community for so many years has introduced her to many amazing skaters and their stories, which she has shared in her book, Skating Forward.

Joanne and her husband Gregory live in Upstate New York with their dog, Angel.

MCA: Welcome to the spotlight Joanne! Can you please tell us about what motivated you to create your book?

Joanne: I’ve been a feature writer for US Figure Skating for the past 15 years, and the Club Spotlight writer for the past 5 years. Each day I have the pleasure and joy of interviewing figure skaters, from the tiniest beginner, to grassroots skaters to elite skaters. As I began to talk to these skaters I found each had a story to tell.

For my first book, Skating Forward: Amazing Young Women Celebrating Life and Skating, I found a young woman who won her breast cancer battle only to start the fantastic Skate for Hope Show Ice Show which to date earned more than $350,000 towards breast cancer research. Another young woman skates on a world synchro team, battling Tourettes syndrome. A third coaches figure skating while dealing with seizure disorder. And on and on…As they say EVERYONE has a story to tell.

When I thought about a second book I started to think about the wonderful pros in our sport. I had the pleasure of working with Randy Gardner, the incredible Olympian and World Champion with his lovely partner Tai Babilonia, and here he is, still giving back to the sport as a coach at an adult figure skating camp. Nancy Meiss is a World and Olympic Hall of Fame Judge, and in her early 90s there she is still at competitions, judging young up and coming skaters. I thought, how fantastic that these skaters, and coaches and judges are STILL giving to our sport in such a big way. They are definitely Still Skating Forward, and they are definitely amazing people celebrating life and skating. I feel so blessed to work with the world’s best skaters and coaches, and so blessed to work in my field and in this great sport!

MCA: Now that you have an award-winning book, what are your goals for the next year?

Joanne: I plan to continue my work as contributing writer with U.S. Figure Skating’s Club Spotlight Column, and Skating Magazine. It’s so much fun talking to the various skaters and clubs and writing about all the great programs and events they have coming up.

I’m also honored to present a writer’s workshop for the skaters at the Grassroots to Champions Camp in Lake Placid NY in June. The Camp is directed by Olympic Coach Audrey Weisiger. Audrey wrote the wonderful foreword in Still Skating Forward. I look forward to sharing workshops in biography writing, journaling and interviewing.

My most exciting project will be the start of my third book. It’s called Skating with the World: Olympic Memories from the World’s Greatest Skaters and Coaches. It’s just that. Past and present Olympians will share the joys of what it’s like to compete at the winter games. Yes, we’ll have some medal winners but we will also have some team members who didn’t medal, but found making the team and attending the games was truly an honor and an experience to treasure. That’s the message I want to send my young readers. You don’t always have to win, but always, always, enjoy the special experiences life brings.

MCA: Please name three ways your Mom’s Choice Award® will help you attain your goals.
Joanne: Telling my readers about Mom’s Choice, especially when I travel with my books, is going to be fantastic. Many moms and young readers stop by our table, and the first thing moms ask is if the book is appropriate for a youngster. I will now proudly display my Mom’s Choice award, and say “It most certainly is!”

As a Mom’s Choice Honoree I am hoping this book will introduce figure skating to other young people who may not have thought about trying ice skating as a sport. With a Mom’s Choice endorsement, many young people may choose our book, and decide to try skating too!
Mom’s Choice has inspired me to pursue my next book, Skating With the World. This book will feature Olympic memories from the world’s best skaters and coaches. I am hoping, with the Mom’s Choice endorsement, many skaters will jump on board.

MCA: Can you share with us what you learned about yourself as a writer in creating your award-winning book?
Joanne: I think the greatest lesson I have learned is that everyone has a story to tell, and many people are out there living and celebrating life, and perhaps dealing with some tough stuff at the same time. But they look for the positive, and the moving on, and it’s these special people and their stories that I want to share. Perhaps someone will be inspired by one of my skater’s stories, and that person will give them inspiration to go on and meet any challenges they may have.

MCA: Since launching your book, what has been your most rewarding experience in promoting or sharing it with the public? Do you have a favorite memory?
Joanne: In January, Still Skating Forward debuted at the 2012 US Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, CA. It was a memorable and joyful time. Many of the wonderful skaters who are in the book, Parker Pennington, Nicholas LaRoche and Olympian Emily Samuelson joined me each night of the event to sign their chapters. Even our US Figure Skating Mascot Snow Plow Sam stopped by. It was thrilling to watch our skaters compete for their national titles, choose our World team and then meet the skaters as they wandered the arena, taking pictures and signing autographs.

We met everyone from the smallest skating fan to our enthusiastic senior citizens, God bless them, who travel all over the United States attending our events and cheering on our skaters. I had my wonderful husband Greg with me to share the week (his first trip to California) and it was a magical, magical week.

MCA: Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Joanne: Thank you so much for this honor. I am so happy for the great opportunities and contacts available for all the honorees. I am truly proud to be a Mom’s Choice Award Winner.

MCA: Thanks, Joanne! We wish you the best of luck in the new year.

Mom’s Choice Awards® Honors

Still Skating Forward
by Joanne Vassallo Jamrosz
Comfort Publishing
Young Adult Book: Non-Fiction – Silver

Contact, Connect, and Network with Joanne

The Alumni Spotlight is a periodic feature on the official Mom’s Choice Awards® blog. It is part of our ongoing effort to “shine the spotlight” on you and your award-winning, family-friendly products, services, and media.