Amber Glenn has the right people behind her — forever and always.
The champion figure skater tells PEOPLE that her family’s support was “absolutely essential” to starting her figure skating career.
Glenn, 25, started skating two decades ago and has since grown into an international sensation, most recently winning the 2024 Grand Prix Final in Grenoble, France, on December 7. The American figure skater is the first woman from the USA to succeed at the age of 14.
During the competition earlier this month, Glenn successfully executed her signature triple axel as well as seven triple jumps. This gave her an advantage of 3 points over the competition.
Glenn is currently preparing for the USA Figure Skating Championships in January, the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in February and the World Figure Skating Championships in March, which will conclude the ’24-’25 season.
She spoke to PEOPLE after a “long, long, long day of training” with her dog Uki by her side, who was just as excited to see Glenn.
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Amber Glenn skating in 2015.
Streeter Lecka/Getty
Glenn doesn’t remember the exact age when she started skating, but recalls that she “took to it right away.” At first, skating was just a family activity with her cousins and sister at a mall in Texas.
“My aunt and my mom would go to the mall while our dads would watch us skate,” Glenn says. “It was a very easy, neat thing that they said, ‘That’s an activity the kids will enjoy.’ ”
That “activity” turned into something her parents “could never have imagined,” says Glenn.
Glenn tried soccer before skating and realized she was overheating, but on the rink “it was a different change of pace” and “it was something I really loved,” she says.
After completing beginner skating lessons, Glenn has already caught the attention of coaches with her “natural talent,” she tells PEOPLE.
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“They went to my parents who said, ‘Hey, she’s supposed to take private lessons and really take this seriously?’ [They were told]’You could have a career in this,'” Glenn recalls of the conversation.
Glenn was just 7 years old at the time and her parents, Richard and Cathlene, were taken aback: ” ‘Wow, okay. I guess we’re doing this.’ ” By the time Glenn was 8 years old, she was already competing at the national level. Glenn admits, “It happened very quickly.”
Success did not come without the sacrifice of her determined parents.
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“My mom was a big part of my success at a young age,” says Glenn. “Then, of course, my dad worked so, so hard that he could pay for it financially. I mean, when I started figure skating, I had no idea that it was so… It’s not a cheap sport. He worked so, so hard that he could get the best opportunities for me.”
Her family made ends meet, whether it was “buying used blades” or “dresses off eBay,” Glenn tells PEOPLE. “It’s easy to put money into that, but for us, we didn’t really have that.”
“My parents, even my sister, sacrificed a lot growing up,” Glenn praises his loved one’s support. “I would say that my family is absolutely essential to me and I will never be able to repay their sacrifices, but they support me and are so proud of me.”
Glenn will next return to the rink when she competes at Nationals, which begin on January 20.
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Source: HIS Education