Before beginning medical school, she said that she will take a year off from school to either start a family or skate professionally. In February 1986, she took the senior women's title at the U.S. She is now engaged to Jamie Loonie and they have two children together, residing in southwest Virginia. In 1986 she won the U.S. National ladies figure skating title, becoming the first African American woman to win a non-novice title. By the time she sent her application to Stanford University, Debi had described herself as invincible., American figure skater (and future Olympian) Debi Thomas, Palo Alto, California, 1987 | Photo: GettyImages. On March 15, 1988 Debi Thomas married, Brian Vander Hogen in Boulder, Colorado. Newspapers.com makes these newspapers available for the purpose of historical research, and is not responsible for the content of any newspapers archived at our site. By age nine, she was taking formal lessons and winning competitions. He toured extensively in support of the album, including a double-bill acoustic tour with Butch Walker. Born Debra Janine Thomas on 25th March, 1967 in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States, she is famous for She is the 1986 World champion and 1988 Olympic bronze . You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Debi Thomas on "Iyanla: Fix My Life" | Source: YouTube/OWN | Photo: GettyImages. It may look [to] people on the outside like its insane, but I dont care, Debi told the New York Post in 2018. Debi Thomas spent her childhood with her brother in San Jose, California and she was raised by a single mother, as her parents divorced when she was a young girl; both of her parents were computer programming analysts. Her weight is estimated to be around 53 kg. Was for many years an orthopedic surgeon in Little Rock, Arkansas. Most of the questions were about that night at Calgary. How tall is Kristopher London? If I had a test, I could only skate two hours a day instead of six. She was unable to keep the practice going, and soon after, bills started to mount. Inducted into the U.S. CONTENT MAY BE COPYRIGHTED BY WIKITREE COMMUNITY MEMBERS. Here I was at the Olympics, and I didnt feel like I was at the Olympics, she said. Even though she gave them a reason not to in Calgary, people still seem to like her. BUDAPEST, Hungary -- Former world figure skating champion Debi Thomas married two weeks ago and kept the news a secret - even from her coach. I felt like, If this is my Olympic experience, why does Mr. McGowan feel he has to control it? Coaches should try to read more what their skaters are thinking. View the profiles of people named Brian Vanden Hogen. ''Now that the world championships are over I want to let all my friends and supporters know how happy I am.''. 1997), who currently plays defensive tackle for Boston . Select this result to view Brian J Hogan's phone number, address, and more. I wanted to give the performance of my life. I thought amateur skating was hard, she said. We believe that every person's story is important as it provides our community with an opportunity to feel a sense of belonging, share their hopes and dreams. In the latest Q ratings for athletes, which indicate a persons marketability, Thomas finished 12th. McGowan, who coached Thomas for 11 years, was surprised and at first refused to believe the news when told of the wedding while he was watching the show in the ice stadium. In 2016, Brian released an album of story songs with actor/songwriter Jeff Daniels. Its a no-win situation for me, he said in Baltimore. Katarina Witt of East Germany won the championships. He never understood my reasons for skating. Was for many years an orthopedic surgeon in Little Rock, Arkansas. She became the only woman to reach the top 22 of the Q score athlete standings, and was later inducted into the US Figure Skating Hall of Fame. When she heard one of those typical reporter questions--would you do it all over again?--she laughed. If you compare what I made before the Olympics and what Im making now, Im doing pretty well, Thomas said. Brian Vander Ark is an American singer-songwriter best known as lead singer for the band The Verve Pipe. As an indication of the rift between Thomas and McGowan, she did not tell him, even though he was preparing her for the world championships in Budapest a month after the Olympics. By any measure, Debbie Thomas was the most accomplished young woman of any race of her generation. Debis business inexperience and the fact that she chose a less populated town to open her first practice, soon led her to fall behind with her bills as she struggled to make end meets. In 1985, Debi came second at the U.S. They began dating steady a year ago and married on her husband's 23rd birthday. Graduated from Northwestern Medical School (1997), Graduated from Stanford University with a degree in engineering, On the cover of Time magazine (February 15, 1988). When a police officer arrived, Debi said she had a gun and wanted to hurt herself. Before divorcing, they had a son named Christopher Jules "Luc" Bequette (b. I didnt really care if I won or not. Takin selfies with friends and new friends at #WOFLovedTour pic.twitter.com/kMCdLTxlUt, Debi Thomas (@Orthodeb) October 10, 2015, Posted by Debi Thomas onWednesday, November 2, 2016, In 1986, Thomas won the US National and World Championships, culminating in her being awarded Athlete of the Year from Wide World of Sports, the first female athlete to win while still attending college full-time, since Tenley Albright during the 1950s. Debi Thomas and Brian Vanden Hogen were married for 2 years. As it turned out, after landing on both feet after the second triple jump, she did not care whether she recovered. She finally decided that even if she missed, she would have plenty of time to recover. I have often thought about Debbie Thomas, and wondered to what extent that harsh reality shaped her mind. However she did not get serious and begin taking lessons until she was nine years old. However, when the big day came at the Olympics, Debi didnt give her best, something that she admitted years later. Debi Thomas, the former figure skater that became the first black athlete to win a medal at the Winter Olympics, turned into a struggling physician that lost her bronze medal to bankruptcy. Bud Greenspan's Favorite Stories of Winter Olympic Glory, The Official 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics Video, Herself / American Figure Skater Bronze Medalist. Human Capital/Human Resources leader with strong experience as both an internal HR business partner and an external human capital consultant to senior leaders. Debi Thomas is an African American former figure skater and physician. I had a personal experience with Debi Thomas after she completed her residency in orthopedics at Stanford and was a busy physician and before her life became extremely difficult. Brian Vanden Hogen - Director Project, Operations & Facilities Consultant - HVH Group Pty Ltd | LinkedIn View Brian Vanden Hogen's profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional. Thomas attended Stanford University in California while continuing her training in figure skating. Facebook gives people the power to. After winning a number of youth competitions, Thomas caught the eye of coach Alex . He read about it in news reports after the world championships, in which she again finished third. Its very human stuff really but there is much more help today than ever before. In 2000, Debi Thomas was inducted into the U.S. She did two surgical residencies, one at the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences Hospital and one at the Charles Drew University Medical Center in South Central Los Angeles. Debi Thomas is a figure skater and physician, and the first African American woman to win a medal in the Winter Olympics.Thomas was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1967 and first started skating around the age of five.However she did not get serious and begin taking lessons until she was nine years old. She said that the relationship did not interfere with her Olympic effort. Debi married her second husband, sports attorney, Chris Bequette, in 1996, and they welcomed a son, Christopher, in 1997. If that isnt an example of greatness, I dont know what is. It sort of blew it for me., Elizabeth Manley, Katarina Witt and Debi Thomas at the 1988 Winter Olympic Games on February 27, 1988 at the Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada | Photo: GettyImages, Less than a month after the Olympics, Debi married Brian Vander Hogen, who was a student at the University of Colorado, on March 15, 1988. Husband, Net Inducted into the San Jose [California] Sports Hall of Fame in 1998. She felt that people were going to hate her.. Not only that, but the speaker compared Ms. Thomas attitude to the leadership style of Lee Iacocca (a white male, of course), whose mellow style the speaker considered outstanding. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. Inside the Figure Skaters' Off-Ice Relationship, Caitlyn Jenner Feels That 'Old Bruce' Still 'Lives Inside Her - Kids Call Her Dad Even After Transition. All Rights Reserved. Debi Thomas is currently living in Terre Haute, Indiana with her husband and son, and is a practicing physician in that city. She didnt complain about me when she won national championships in 1986 and 1988 or the world championship in 1986, he said. His first husband was Brian Vander Hogen(1988-96), then she was married to sports attorney Chris Bequette(1996-98), with whom she has a son. Figure Skating and a World Figure Skating Championship (1986). African American History: Research Guides & Websites, Global African History: Research Guides & Websites, African American Scientists and Technicians of the Manhattan Project, Envoys, Diplomatic Ministers, & Ambassadors, http://www.espn.com/skating/news/2000/0209/345701.html, http://blackamericaweb.com/?q=articles/news/the_state_of_black_america_news/16253, Foundation, Organization, and Corporate Supporters. That same year, Thomas earned the top spot at the World Championships. Join Facebook to connect with Brian Vanden Hogen and others you may know. Sign Up Log In Messenger Facebook Lite Watch Places Games Marketplace Facebook Pay Oculus Portal Instagram Bulletin Local Fundraisers Services Voting Information Center Groups Groups Directory Locations Page Categories People In the end we are all on our own specific spiritual journeys. At a Baltimore press conference recently during the national championships, the first she has attended as a spectator, she was the same Debi Thomas that she has always been in such situations: intelligent, witty and candid. S. he then won bronze in the world championship and retired from amateur skating. Figure Skating championships, Isabeau Levito battles through the pressure to win U.S. figure skating title, Elliott: Mikaela Shiffrin has more wins than any woman in skiing. However, during the competition, some mistakes saw her finish with the bronze medal. Thomas said she has to go back home and work hard for her exams, so she can enter medical school. Inducted into the U.S. 'At the moment though, it's such a relief that it's all over, I don't have those butterflies in my stomach any more.'. A close up of my four biggest skating accomplishments Olympic Bronze, Two U.S. National Championship Golds, and a, Posted by Debi Thomas onSaturday, March 27, 2010. She is also a physician and orthopedic surgeon. If she hit it, it would inspire her. But you cant make someone do something they dont want to do. Thomas has resumed her pre-med studies at Stanford. Categories: USBH Notables, Needs Genealogically Defined | USBH Notables, Needs Photo | US Black Heritage Project, Needs Profiles Created | USBH Notables, Needs More Sources | USBH Notables, Needs Biography | USBH Notables, Needs Connection | Olympians Representing the United States | Olympic Bronze Medalists | US Black Heritage Project Managed Profiles | African-American Notables | Notables, WIKITREE HOME | ABOUT | G2G FORUM | HELP | SEARCH. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. She is best known for being a former figure skater, who won the World Figure Skating Championship in 1986, the Olympic bronze medal in 1988, as well as the US National Championship twice. She was 19. send a message to a profile manager: https://www.blacknamesproject.com/people/debi-thomas-debra-janine-thomas, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debi_Thomas, https://www.newspapers.com/image/191059259/?article=e072bd0b-be1a-4bd0-a526-632b688f4780&focus=0.019761946,0.31032646,0.17781022,0.6181982&xid=3398, USBH Notables, Needs Genealogically Defined, US Black Heritage Project, Needs Profiles Created, US Black Heritage Project Managed Profiles. Debi joined "Stars on Ice," and won the world professional figure skating championship in 1988, 1990 and 1991. He said that he did not change; Thomas did. In 1992, he disbanded Johnny with an Eye to form The Verve Pipe with Brad, drummer Donny Brown and guitarist Brian Stout. But in defense of himself, he did say that he coached Thomas no differently last year than he had in years before and that his remarks to her before she skated in Calgary were little different from those he made to her before other performances. 20072023 Blackpast.org. She is the 1986 World champion, the 1988 Olympic bronze medalist, and a two-time U.S. national champion. Debi Thomas and Brian Vanden Hogen were married for 2 years. I always had a really soft spot in my heart for Debi. I pray that she gets help. She admitted that she gave up during her performance, saying that she lost her motivation only seconds into her routine when she failed to complete her most difficult trick, consecutive triple jumps. Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter. That is so technically difficult that no other woman even attempted that in her long program. He eventually quit and started the band Johnny with an Eye with his brother, Brad Vander Ark. 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