Gary Beacom (born February 23, 1960) is a Canadian Figure skater, choreographer and author. He is the 1983 and 1984 Canadian and finished 11th at the 1984 Winter Olympics.
In his professional career he developed into an interesting skater specializing in unusual moves, such as those in his famous performance to Leonard Cohen's I'm Your Man. He is also the 1988 World Professional Champion.
As a Canadian citizen, he protested against United States income tax, which he did not pay, and was eventually sentenced in 1998 to 21 months in Federal prison. He wrote a book about this in 2003 titled Apology.
Biography[]
Born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Beacom began skating at the age of six. He won his first competition three years later and would go on to win the silver medal at the Canadian in 1983 and 1984, behind Brian Orser. He finished 11th at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo and 10th at the 1984 World Championships.
In the latter part of his amateur competitive career, he coached himself while studying full-time for a university degree. Beacom graduated from the University of Toronto in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science in physics and philosophy.
In his professional career he developed into an interesting skater specializing in unusual moves, such as those in his famous performance to Leonard Cohen's I'm Your Man.
Competitive highlights[]
| Event | 1979-1980 | 1980-1981 | 1981-1982 | 1982-1983 | 1983-1984 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Winter Games | 11th | ||||
| World Championships | 13th | 10th | |||
| Canadian | 3rd | 2nd | 2nd |