2011 U.S. Figure Skating Championships Gold Medalist!!
Congratulations Ryan!
If you would like to contact Ryan for anything business related, visit the "Contact Ryan" page to find the contact information for his agent.
Ryan Bradley thought his competitive skating career had come to a close back in March 2010 when an injured foot landed him in 18th place at the World Championships in Torino. A longtime competitor and a natural showman, Ryan decided maybe it was time to entertain audiences instead of judges.
So he took some time off from competitive training, performed in several shows around the country and overall, he felt pretty good.
But inside, he knew he wasn't finished. Not yet.
He didn't reach his ultimate goal of competing in the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, finishing fourth at the 2010 U.S. Championships – the top three men made the U.S. Olympic team – but that didn't mean he was finished.
His fans encouraged him to continue competing too, sending him emails and messages on Twitter and Facebook, persuading him to give his competitive skating career one more shot.
Eventually, he decided to come back.
And, man, is he ever happy he did.
When he arrived at the 2011 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Greensboro, N.C., many were surprised by his presence. Once he started skating, however, he provided more surprises. His short program was dominating, including an incredible quadruple jump and he became the overnight leader. In the free skate, Ryan scored enough points to secure his first U.S. title in 11 trips to the national championships.
"I need to go home and make sure this really happened," Ryan said after his victory. "We were on the podium with our flowers and I was like, 'I don't think you can smell in dreams'. So I smelled the flowers to make sure I'm awake."
The flowers smelled beautiful, and yes, this has been a dream year for Ryan but make certain of this: It is no dream.
Profile
Name: Ryan Bradley
Country: United States
Date of birth: November 17, 1983
Place of birth: St. Joseph, Missouri
Height: 5'11"
Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colo.
Education: University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
Training Rink: Broadmoor Skating Club, Inc.
Home Club: Broadmoor Skating Club
Began skating at: 2 years old
Coaches: Becky Bradley, Tom Zakrajsek
Choreographers: Catharina Lindgren, Ryan Bradley
Bradley began skating at the age of 2 because his sister skated ... Participated in the U.S. Figure Skating Basic Skills Program (1985-88) ... Sister and parents were also figure skaters ... Sister, Becky, is now a figure skating coach ... Studying business at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs ... Volunteers for the Broadmoor Skating Club and coaches at the World Arena ... Biggest influence in his life is Brian Boitano ... If he weren't a skater, he'd want to be an author ... Likes to collect old movies on DVD ... Hobbies include reading, basketball and video games ... Favorite foreign city traveled to is Ortisei, Italy, because it was beautiful ... Has a passion for knowledge ... His biggest life-defining moment was going to college ... Likes to read mysteries, horror stories and biographies ... Would one day like to go to graduate school at University of Kansas ... Has had multiple surgeries on his knees ... If he could meet one currently living celebrity, it would be Michael Jordan so he could be in the presence of greatness ... His sense of humor sets him apart from others off the ice.
Ryan's Favorites
Favorite sports figure: Michael Jordan
Favorite sports team: Kansas City Chiefs (with the Kansas Jayhawks a close second!)
Favorite city: Kansas City
Favorite season: Summer
Favorite author: Christopher Moore
Favorite magazine: Sports Illustrated
Favorite gadget: iPad
Favorite vacation spot: Rome
Favorite drink: Water
Favorite foods: Pasta, sushi
Favorite quote: "It is what it is."
Personal Bests
| Total Score: | 212.75 | HomeSense Skate Canada Int. 2008 | 2008-11-01 |
| Short Program: | 72.50 | HomeSense Skate Canada Int. 2008 | 2008-10-31 |
| Short Program Technical: | 42.70 | HomeSense Skate Canada Int. 2008 | 2008-10-31 |
| Short Program Component: | 31.70 | Four Continents Championships 2010 | 2010-01-28 |
| Free Skate: | 145.97 | Four Continents Championships 2010 | 2010-01-30 |
| Free Skate Technical: | 75.17 | Four Continents Championships 2010 | 2010-01-30 |
| Free Skate Component: | 70.80 | Four Continents Championships 2010 | 2010-01-30 |