Northwestern University, Stanford University, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Mental illness may sometimes happen, anyway, but I do think that, sometimes, it is deliberately fostered by the challenges and rejection that racist assumptions heap on young athletes of color. People said that I could have come back from that triple-triple combination, she said. Do you find this information helpful? She is now engaged to Jamie Loonie and they have two children together, residing in southwest Virginia. Who Is Julian Sands' Wife? A close up of my four biggest skating accomplishments Olympic Bronze, Two U.S. National Championship Golds, and a, Posted by Debi Thomas onSaturday, March 27, 2010. That is so technically difficult that no other woman even attempted that in her long program. Figure Skating Championship and took fifth place in the World Championship. As it turned out, after landing on both feet after the second triple jump, she did not care whether she recovered. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. So, why did this idiot speaker refer to her as a loser? In 1991 she graduated from Stanford University with a degree in engineering. Debi lost her bronze medal to the bank, and she doesnt feel bad about it. In 2000, Debi Thomas was inducted into the U.S. I lost that feeling. Vander Ark wrote the song "Colorful", which appears at the end of the film, sung by the Chris Cole Band, and simulated by Mark Wahlberg. McGowan, who coached Thomas for 11 years, was surprised and at first refused to believe the news when told of the wedding while he was watching the show in the ice stadium. When a police officer arrived, Debi said she had a gun and wanted to hurt herself. Another source is represented by her medical career. That same year, Thomas won the U.S. Championships. Help us build our profile of Brian Vanden Hogen! The couple also has a son from the wedlock by the name of Christopher Jules who was born in 1997. Inside the Figure Skaters' Off-Ice Relationship, Caitlyn Jenner Feels That 'Old Bruce' Still 'Lives Inside Her - Kids Call Her Dad Even After Transition. Debi told ABC Sports: For as long as I can really remember, I wanted to be a doctor [] I would make my mom buy me the toy doctor kit.". Speaking about her personal life, Debi Thomas has been married twice. Structural Info Facts He said that she did not mean disrespect to Witt or Manley. It has been estimated from authoritative sources that Debis net worth is $20,000, as of mid 2016. Debi became the first black athlete to win any medal at the Winter Olympics, and she then won the World Professional Championships, and again two years after that. Your email address will not be published. ''I did not want this news to detract from my focus on the world championships,'' Thomas said. She repeated this success in 1990 and 1991, which also increased her net worth by a large margin. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); Type above and press Enter to search. I have often thought about Debbie Thomas, and wondered to what extent that harsh reality shaped her mind. Deborah Janine Thomas, daughter of McKinley Thomas and Janice Skelton, was born in 1967. Ever since her second marriage, Debi Thomas has been residing in Terre Haute, Indiana and is a practicing physician in the same city. If Diet Pepsi wants me, Im here.. 20072023 Blackpast.org. Later in the year, she was given the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Candace Award for Trailblazing. They divorced. They have also lived in Denver, CO and Westminster, CO. Brian is related to Tracy Renee Szobody and Eric James Olson as well as 3 additional people. Brian Vanden Hogen is currently single. Debi Thomas is an African American former figure skater and physician. In 2012, Debi and Jamie had a discussion at the trailer, and she took his gun and fired it to the ground outside. He left before the exhibition ended. ''I've had too many things on my mind that I want to accomplish,'' she said. In 2016, Brian released an album of story songs with actor/songwriter Jeff Daniels. Debi started skating at the age of five, but first entered skating competition in 1976 when she was nine years old, and never stopped competing until her retirement in 1991. We all are:). If ever the word champion fit a figure skater, it was Debi Thomas. Debbie seems like a kind soul but like so many famous people she got lost somehow. 101 Followers, 175 Following, 14 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Brian Vanden Hogen (@bvandenhogen) She was the first athlete since Tenley Albright in the 1950s to win those titles while attending college. I now hear about the notoriety of our newest gymnastic star, Ms. Biles, and I hope and pray that she is never subjected to those same attitudes. Thomas, who celebrated her 21st birthday Friday, was married on March 15 in Boulder, Colo., to Brian Vanden Hogen, who turned 23 that day. There she would have a rematch against Witt, in what would be called the Battle of the Carmens, because both skated to the music of Bizets opera Carmen. Graduated from Northwestern Medical School (1997), Graduated from Stanford University with a degree in engineering, On the cover of Time magazine (February 15, 1988). According to a February 2016 online article in The Washington Post, she had declared bankruptcy, let her medical license expire, and was living with her fianc in a trailer in rural southern Virginia (see Miscellaneous links). send a message to a profile manager: https://www.blacknamesproject.com/people/debi-thomas-debra-janine-thomas, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debi_Thomas, https://www.newspapers.com/image/191059259/?article=e072bd0b-be1a-4bd0-a526-632b688f4780&focus=0.019761946,0.31032646,0.17781022,0.6181982&xid=3398, USBH Notables, Needs Genealogically Defined, US Black Heritage Project, Needs Profiles Created, US Black Heritage Project Managed Profiles. It was like being at Skate Canada again. In 1987, Debi placed second in both events after struggling with Achilles tendonitis, and afterward, she relocated to Colorado to start preparing for the Olympics. Debi Thomas, the former figure skater that became the first black athlete to win a medal at the Winter Olympics, turned into a struggling physician that lost her bronze medal to bankruptcy. Many skaters have won titles, but Thomas was unique. He toured extensively in support of the album, including a double-bill acoustic tour with Butch Walker. Debi Thomas is a 55 year old American Skater. I always had a really soft spot in my heart for Debi. She answered all of them. Its hard to make a sweet article about the power of codependency. At a Baltimore press conference recently during the national championships, the first she has attended as a spectator, she was the same Debi Thomas that she has always been in such situations: intelligent, witty and candid. The 8th Annual Black Achievement Awards (1987)as Herself, The Official 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics Video (1988)as Herself / American Figure Skater Bronze Medalist, Bud Greenspan's Favorite Stories of Winter Olympic Glory (2002)as Herself. I thought amateur skating was hard, she said. The business side of skating really took its toll I think. Inducted into the San Jose [California] Sports Hall of Fame in 1998. As the first black skater to achieve international, or even national, prominence, she was a champion, however reluctant, of minorities. Brian Vander Ark is an American singer-songwriter best known as lead singer for the band The Verve Pipe . She said Vanden Hogen is a student at the University of Colorado. In 1992, he disbanded Johnny with an Eye to form The Verve Pipe with Brad, drummer Donny Brown and guitarist Brian Stout. I told him that I was really bored with skating, and he said, How can you not be excited about this? By the time I got to the Olympics, I was burned out.. We are not speaking here solely of the titles--U.S. champion in 1986 and 1988, world champion in 1986--that she won. Thomas, who celebrated her 21st birthday Friday, was married on March 15 in Boulder, Colo., to Brian Vanden Hogen, who turned 23 that day. But if she missed it, it might set the tone for the rest of her four-minute performance. That medal I dont even put it out. Before beginning medical school, she said that she will take a year off from school to either start a family or skate professionally. 'I love the sport and I would like to put something back into it, maybe in a center for young athletes, not necessarily skaters. Mini Bio (1) Debi Thomas was born on March 25, 1967 in Poughkeepsie, New York, USA. If she hit it, it would inspire her. Currently, she is engaged toJamie Looney, and she adopted his two sons. Thomas mother, divorced when Debi was a small child, earned considerably less than that as a computer programming analyst in Sunnyvale, Calif. Most of the questions were about that night at Calgary. During the championships Thomas said she had trouble concentrating. As anyone who follows sports realizes, that sometimes happens. How rich is Debi Thomas? My coach really felt that if he could get me out there alone, away from school, that I would be like a robot and do whatever he wanted, she said. I had a personal experience with Debi Thomas after she completed her residency in orthopedics at Stanford and was a busy physician and before her life became extremely difficult. She then moved to Boulder, Colorado to help her prepare for the Olympics, leading her to win the US National title the following year. Here I was at the Olympics, and I didnt feel like I was at the Olympics, she said. Facebook gives people the. A pre-med student at Stanford, she was the first U.S. champion since Tenley Albright, the 1956 Olympic champion, to combine serious academic pursuits with skating. And Thomas was a champion of those who believe that skaters should leave the sport with knowledge of something other than camel spins and triple-toe loops. Again, she pointed a finger at McGowan. Brian Vanden Hogen Business Analyst at Electronic Theatre Controls Madison, Wisconsin, United States. By the time she sent her application to Stanford University, Debi had described herself as invincible., American figure skater (and future Olympian) Debi Thomas, Palo Alto, California, 1987 | Photo: GettyImages. If I had a test, I could only skate two hours a day instead of six. The two met at the University of Colorado when Thomas moved there last year to train. 'It's not my primary goal,' she said. The first black skater to win a U.S. In 1986 she won the U.S. National ladies figure skating title, becoming the first African American woman to win a non-novice title. But she sacrificed whatever she had to assure that her daughter could pursue her goals. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Bud Greenspan's Favorite Stories of Winter Olympic Glory, The Official 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics Video, Herself / American Figure Skater Bronze Medalist. Vander Ark played bassist Ricki Bell, of the fictional band Blood Pollution. Nathan Aaseung, African American Athletes (New York: Facts on File, 2003); http://www.espn.com/skating/news/2000/0209/345701.html; http://blackamericaweb.com/?q=articles/news/the_state_of_black_america_news/16253. Human Capital/Human Resources leader with strong experience as both an internal HR business partner and an external human capital consultant to senior leaders. In the year since, Thomas, 21, has developed a less than flattering reputation within the figure skating world. She was unable to keep the practice going, and soon after, bills started to mount. Even though she said that she wanted to be known as a skater,. On the show, Iyanla Vanzant slammed Debi for losing the custody of her then-13 years old son, while raising Looneys two boys. The names, logos, and other source identifying features of newspapers depicted in our database are the trademarks of their respective owners, and our use of newspaper content in the public domain or by private agreement does not imply any affiliation with, or endorsement from, the publishers of the newspaper titles that appear on our site. Was for many years an orthopedic surgeon in Little Rock, Arkansas. But those people dont understand who I am. She later married Chris Bequette, a sports attorney in 1996, and they had a son before divorcing. Vander Ark recorded vocals of this song on the film's soundtrack. Afterward, at a press conference, she did not take responsibility for her failure to win, instead blaming her coach of 10 years. View the profiles of people named Brian Vanden Hogen. However, when the big day came at the Olympics, Debi didnt give her best, something that she admitted years later. Brian Vanden Hogen was previously married to Debi Thomas (1988 - 1991). We believe that every person's story is important as it provides our community with an opportunity to feel a sense of belonging, share their hopes and dreams. Debi Thomas is currently living in Terre Haute, Indiana with her husband and son, and is a practicing physician in that city. She became the only woman to reach the top 22 of the Q score athlete standings, and was later inducted into the US Figure Skating Hall of Fame. S he then won bronze in the world championship and retired from amateur skating. She is also a physician and orthopedic surgeon. They began dating steady a year ago and married on her husband's 23rd birthday. Her only deal is with MacMillan books. If you prefer to keep it private, I wasnt mentally focused on hitting that program. 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