Skating Beyond Stereotypes Behind the Scenes
As a figure skating content creator, I’ve always been drawn to the stories that often go untold in our community. When I decided to take the leap into podcasting, I knew I wanted to focus on a subject that’s close to my heart: body diversity in figure skating. The idea was to create a series that would give voice to skaters who defy traditional body standards, challenge stereotypes, and shed light on the mental and physical struggles they face. But as a first-time podcaster, the journey from concept to final product was filled with learning curves, technical challenges, and personal growth.
My theme and goal for this project is to foster openness and acceptance with audiences. Anything challenging a stereotype can make people reluctant to break those stereotypes. Hopefully, the educational research and personal connections made through this project can allow everyone to come from a place of understanding. I also want to be empathetic toward the conversations and topics discussed in this podcast.
Getting a Grip on Research Pre-Production
Before hitting the record button, I knew thorough research was crucial. My research plan was the foundation of this project. I organized everything using Trello, where I housed all materials, ideas, podcast episode layouts, topics, research needs, and checklist items. This approach kept my project structured and ensured that every episode was well-planned and executed with quality in mind.
The research I did in the first few weeks guided my conversations with interview guests, shaping the questions and the direction of our discussions. I focused on topics like body image, the role of media in shaping perceptions of athletes, mental and physical health in sports, and the connection between aesthetic sports, body representation, diversity, and the brain. This research didn’t just inform the interviews—it was also woven into the episodes through educational commentary, episode descriptions, and social media promotions.
My favorite piece of popular research is this article where the exact topic and athlete I was planning on interviewing gave a great starting point for the rest of my research. An academic journal I really enjoyed was this one which provides a historical perspective on body image in sports, highlighting how societal norms and values have shaped perceptions of athletic bodies over time. The research overall gave me a ton to work with going into production. Click on the images to see at what my guide looked like:
In addition to content-focused research, I also delved into best practices for each platform the podcast would reach, from hosting platforms to social media channels. This video from Think Media was most useful for me as I was starting out. Understanding these platforms was essential to effectively distributing the podcast and engaging with my audience.
Production: The Heart of the Podcast
Interviewing skaters for the first time was both exciting and nerve-wracking. I wanted to ensure that my guests felt comfortable sharing their stories while also steering the conversation in a way that aligned with the podcast’s theme. I used Zoom to record my guests video view which wasn’t the best for podcasting but it is what I thought would be and easiest to use for my guests as they are not professional podcasters either. Additionally, there was the barrier of my guests being out of the US so I wanted a safe universal platform that ensured the least amount of tech difficulties.
As a first-time interviewer, I quickly learned the importance of preparation and active listening. I’d come into each interview with a list of questions but often found that the best moments came when I let the conversation flow naturally, allowing my guests to share insights I hadn’t anticipated.
Each interview taught me something new—about the sport, about the diverse experiences of skaters, and about my own approach to storytelling. It was a collaborative process, and my role was to create a space where these stories could be told authentically. I go into more detail about my podcast interviewing experience in this blog post.
The Post Editing Production Journey
When it came to production, I chose Final Cut Pro as my editing software. Although I was familiar with it from video editing, using it for a podcast required a new set of skills. The first step was setting up my workspace in Final Cut Pro, creating different libraries for each episode, and organizing my clips. I quickly learned the importance of audio clarity—something that isn’t as critical in video editing. This meant spending time on noise reduction, equalization, and balancing the sound levels so that every word was clear and engaging.
Music and crafting the perfect intro and outro for each episode played a subtle but vital role in setting the tone for the podcast. I selected music that complemented the theme while keeping it cohesive between all episodes using it to transition between segments. Final Cut Pro’s timeline allowed me to precisely place these elements, ensuring they enhanced rather than overwhelmed the dialogue. I dive more into my editing process in this blog post!
Distribution & Promotion: Reaching My Audience
With the episodes edited and polished, the next step was distribution. I knew that reaching the right audience was crucial, so I uploaded each episode to Spotify and YouTube. Spotify was my go-to platform for its wide podcast reach and user-friendly uploading approach, while YouTube allowed me to create the traditional visual video element.
Promotion was another critical aspect. I used stories on IG and TT as well as creating a long video for emotional appeal as the first promotions. I also created short promotional clips with key quotes from the interviews. These 20-60 second clips were designed to grab attention and drive listeners to the full episodes. I used CapCut to edit for its user-friendly interface as well as for the automated captions which was then easy to export to socials. These posts will be rolling in the upcoming week. Keep up with my Instagram and TikTok to see those posts!
Spotify Episodes:
Dealing With Figure Skating Bullies & Adult Competitions With Kirsty Webb
Adult Figure Skating Training With Sandra Gabriel
Body Inclusivity & Mental Health in Figure Skating With Courtney Michaud
Sources Used For This Project
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This journal examines body image disturbances and eating behaviors among female NCAA
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