Kiira Korpi : Surviving the Ruthless World of Championship Figure Skating

Finnish figure skater Kiira Korpi's career included triumphal championships and bitter disappointments. Trained from early childhood in a sport that demands uncompromising self-discipline and unrelenting work, her "fight until you make it" attitude brought her success and fame--and an insidious performance anxiety. Mental and physical burnout forced her retirement in 2015.

With interviews and quotes from family, friends, coaches and competitors, Korpi's candid memoir describes the making and eventual undoing of a champion, reveals a darker side to the "ice princess" image of women's figure skating and advocates a more holistic, athlete-centered model of training.

Kiira Korpi is the winner of several European Figure Skating Championship medals and Grand Prix events, a five-time Finnish Champion and two-time Olympian. Now a psychology student living in New York, she trains young skaters using positive coaching methods.

Jere Nurminen is Director of Communications and Brand at Yle (the Finnish Broadcasting Company), where his long career as a sports journalist has focused on figure skating.