Why Olympic Figure Skater Ashley Wagner Can’t Wait For ‘A Night Of Stars’

Photo Credit: Courtesy Photo

While Ashley Wagner certainly has had an impressive career that she can look back on at just 30 years old, the 2016 World silver medalist and 2014 team bronze medal recipient at the 2014 Winter Olympics feels like she is just getting started.

The retired Olympian moved to Boston three years ago to join the coaching staff at The Skating Club of Boston and is currently attending Northeastern University to pursue her undergraduate degree in psychology.

“What I love most about Boston is the life I have made for myself here,” Wagner told us in a phone interview. “I really just picked a place on the map and decided to move there. Boston has always been a positive place for myself and my skating so it drew me to come back. The Skating Club of Boston is world renowned so the opportunity was so exciting. It was a win-win for me.”

Photo Credit: Courtesy Photo

How did she make the difficult decision to step away from competitive figure skating? “I was a dinosaur at the time I retired at 27 years old when I was competing against 15 year olds,” Wagner joked. “I had been a top athlete for the greater part of a decade. I don’t miss competing; it was so stressful.”

She now offers a figure skating class called Skate & Sculpt in Boston that she is planning to take nationwide. “To be able to choose to be in Boston feels incredible,” she said. “Skate & Sculpt was created mostly for retired athletes like myself. I wanted to create a space for retired athletes like myself to stay connected with the ice. It has helped me redefine my relationship with skating in a noncompetitive way and it has been so exciting to see how much the figure skating community has been about getting back on the ice.”

Photo Credit: Courtesy Photo

On Saturday, Wagner is preparing for “A Night of Stars,” a star-studded skating event that will be the largest gathering of figure skating Olympians and U.S. champions outside the Olympics itself.

The evening will feature performances by former Olympians and U.S. Champions including Marissa Castelli & Simon Shnapir, 2014 Olympic bronze medalists; Max Aaron, 2014 U.S. Champion; and Mirai Nagasu, 2018 Olympic bronze medalist.  US International Classic silver medalist, Jimmy Ma, will also perform along with other Olympic hopefuls and international competitors including The Haydenettes, the 28-time U.S. Synchronized Skating Champions.

“A Night of Stars will feature the opening of the new skating facility in Norwood and it will also be The Skating Club of Boston’s first full capacity event,” she said. “I am excited for everyone to see how incredible it is. Scott Hamilton, who is skating royalty, will be hosting the event. It’s going to be a very accomplished group of athletes and Olympians, all under one roof. These are all people I look up to. It’s going to be a very exciting event with proceeds benefiting the CARES Foundation, Mass General Brigham and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.”