Popular American figure skater, Jojo Starbuck, turned 70 on February 14, 2021. While some of her peers have slowed down considerably, Jojo has found ways to continue enjoying what she loves to do best. For those who are not in the know, Jojo Starbuck is a renowned figure skater who partnered with Kenneth Shelley to emerge the United States pair skating champion from 1970 to 1972, in addition to being a two-pair Olympian in 1968 and 1972.
Here is a quick run-down of Jojo Starbuck and her successful career, some details of her personal life, and what she is doing presently.
1. Jojo Starbuck started skating at eight years
Jojo Starbuck lost her father when she was just a kid. Her father Hal Francis Starbuck collapsed from a heart attack when they were living in Birmingham, Alabama United States. At the age of six, Jojo and her mother, Alice Josephine PlunkettStarbuck relocated to Southern California where she got a job and worked really hard to raise her.
As a child, her mother was always at work and she was alone in the house after school. They decided that since she had a pair of skates which she got for Christmas, it would be perfect for her to spend the time at the Downey school of Ice skating until her Mom returns from work. It was a perfect arrangement that calved a fulfilling career path for her.
2. Starbuck and Ken Shelley were the youngest skaters at the Olympics
After she joined the ice skating school, she met Ken Shelley who became her partner and is still a very close friend. They trained together but unfortunately, the rink in their hometown went bankrupt and closed. However, their mothers were committed to their training and took turns in driving them to the Iceland arena where they had joined another club.
John Nicks thus became their coach and he taught them pairs.
In 1968, they became the youngest pair to represent America at the Olympics game finishing 13th. They later returned to the Olympics four years later and finished 4th thus becoming world-famous. They went on to win three U.S titles and two world bronze medals and were later inducted into the U.S Figure skating Hall of Fame.
3. Some movies featured Jojo Starbuck
Jojo Starbuck appeared in some successful movies during her skating career. Such movies as The New York Stories, Snow Queen, The Cutting Edge (1992), and Beauty and the Beast: A Concert on Ice (1996) starred the figure skater. And of course, it helped to increase the appreciation of people for the sports.
Nowadays, she is not so much into the sport but has devoted her time to teaching willing adults who are interested in skating. She is now an instructor at the Rockefeller Center’s ice rink during weekdays and also teaches a number of adults once a week at the Twin Oaks Rink in Morristown as well as doing some private coaching. She is also the Artistic Director for the Ice Capades, an organization established to create an awareness of the sport and also encourage participation in it.
4. Jojo Starbuck has twin sons
Abraham and Noah, also known as the Gertler twins are the twin sons of Jojo Starbuck and her architect husband, Jeff. They met at a fourth of July party and started dating. They tied the knot a year later and welcomed their fraternal twin sons in 1995.
The arrival of the twins changed Starbuck’s life and was part of the reason she decided to switch to an instructor so that she could have time for them. Both have graduated from High School with Noah bagging a degree from Vanderbilt University while the youngest Abraham, is still attending the MIT institution. Starbuck was previously married to Terry Bradshaw, a popular NFL quarterback and now a Fox NFL analyst. However, their marriage crashed and the rest is history.
5. She is active on Social media
Starbuck is using her different social media pages to reach out to her fans. She is active on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and a website called Jojo Starbuck
Besides, the star skater will surely grab any opportunity to promote her sports and she obviously wants to share the thrills with anyone interested enough to want to learn. Americans will always remember Jojo Starbuck and her skating partner for putting them on the ice skating map.
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