In 2015, Debi made headlines and grabbed national attention once again when she appeared in an episode of OWNs Iyanla: Fix My Life to made her struggles public. She finally decided that even if she missed, she would have plenty of time to recover. The Verve Pipe's major label debut, Villains, featured the Vander Ark-penned single "The Freshmen", the group's highest-charting single and one of the most successful multi-format tracks of 1997. 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. Months before the Olympics, Thomas debated whether she should try it so soon into her routine. She again blamed her coach, Alex McGowan, saying that he distracted her with his remarks before she went onto the ice. Debi lost her bronze medal to the bank, and she doesnt feel bad about it. After looking forward for so long to participating in the Olympics, she said that she was not able to enjoy it once she was there. She is an actress, known for Nutcracker on Ice (2009), American Gladiators (1989) and Win, Lose or Draw (1987). Inducted into the U.S. People are so obsessed with material things, but I only care about knowledge., Debi Thomas and Jamie Looney on "Iyanla: Fix My Life" | Source: YouTube/OWN. About. She lost it months before, when she discovered that she no longer was receiving the same satisfaction from skating as she had in the past. Figure Skating Hall of Fame. In 2012, Debi and Jamie had a discussion at the trailer, and she took his gun and fired it to the ground outside. She felt that people were going to hate her.. 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. She first got married to Brian Vander Hogenbut got divorced, and later she married to Chris Bequette. Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2000. She is now engaged to Jamie Loonie and they have two children together, residing in southwest Virginia. She was the first Black athlete to win a medal at a Winter Olympics. In 1997 she graduated from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. 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. Even though she said that she wanted to be known as a skater, not as a black skater, she could not deny that she felt responsibility as a role model. Figure Skating Championships in Denver, 1988 | Photo: GettyImages. She was incredibly gracious and wrote me a long letter (snail mail) with great suggestions. They dated for 1 year af Connect any celebrity with Brian Vanden Hogen to see how closely they are linked romantically! To me she just seemed like a really nice person who loved to skate. No longer an amateur, Thomas said she might consult McGowan at times in future. Brian Vanden Hogen is currently single. In 1992, he disbanded Johnny with an Eye to form The Verve Pipe with Brad, drummer Donny Brown and guitarist Brian Stout. Brian Vander Ark released his first solo album, Resurrection, in May 2003. Brian Vanden Hogen Director HVH Group Pty Ltd Greater Sydney Area HVH Group Pty Ltd, +7 more University of Colorado Boulder Brian Vanden Hogen Business Analyst at Electronic Theatre. In June 2005, she graduated from the Orthopedic Residency Program at Charles R. Drew University in Los Angeles. If she hit it, it would inspire her. Ogden said he believes the only other woman who will have a significant standing in the next Q ratings is sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner. He eventually quit and started the band Johnny with an Eye with his brother, Brad Vander Ark. Ahead of the 1988 Olympics, which took place in Calgary, Canada, Debi reclaimed once again her title in the U.S Nationals. Figure Skating and a World Figure Skating Championship (1986). In 2016, Brian released an album of story songs with actor/songwriter Jeff Daniels. For her personal life, it is known that Thomas married Brian Vander Hogen in 1988 but their marriage ended in divorce. It was like being at Skate Canada again. Brian Van der Hoeven (Only RP Spanish) See Photos Brian Hogan See Photos Brian Hogan See Photos Loading more results. Thomas said she has to go back home and work hard for her exams, so she can enter medical school. In 1996, she married sports attorney, Chris Bequette. How rich is Debi Thomas? Brian Vanden Hogen About Work Arts Writer at The Badger Herald Madison, Wisconsin College Studied at Univeristy Wisconsin Whitewater Studied at University of Wisconsin-Madison High school Went to Appleton North High School Class of 2014 Photos See all photos Others Named Brian Vanden Hogen See more Others With a Similar Name Brian Syahputra Debi joined "Stars on Ice," and won the world professional figure skating championship in 1988, 1990 and 1991. The two met at the University of Colorado when Thomas. IMPORTANT PRIVACY NOTICE & DISCLAIMER: YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO USE CAUTION WHEN DISTRIBUTING PRIVATE INFORMATION. I wasnt mentally focused on hitting that program. Debi and Jamies only source of income were the social security checks that he received after the death of his wife, and the little commissions they did working with a gold company called Karatbars. I got sick of skating. Thomas started skating at the age of five. 'I did not want the news to detract from my focus on the World Championship,' said Thomas, who finished third in the women's event to East Germany's Katarina Witt and Elizabeth Manley of Canada Saturday. Debi Thomas is a 55 year old American Skater. 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. Graduated from Northwestern Medical School (1997), Graduated from Stanford University with a degree in engineering, On the cover of Time magazine (February 15, 1988). She later married Chris Bequette, a sports attorney in 1996, and they had a son before divorcing. 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. Take them or leave them. More about Her Life, Maddie Brown Shares Her Postpartum Journey Weeks after Giving Birth to Third Child, Jamie Lee Curtis Admits 'Saying Goodbye' to James Corden Was Harder than She Thought as His Show Ends, Florence Griffith-Joyner's Husband Al Found Her Lifeless in Their Bedroom & Tried to Revive Her by Himself, Are Madison Chock & Evan Bates Married? Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Thomas, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, married Brian Vander Hogen on March 15, 1988 in Boulder, Colorado. In 1988, Thomas competed at the Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada. Nathan Aaseung, African American Athletes (New York: Facts on File, 2003); http://www.espn.com/skating/news/2000/0209/345701.html; http://blackamericaweb.com/?q=articles/news/the_state_of_black_america_news/16253. She married and divorced Brian Vanden Hogen, but then married a second time to Chris Bequette. Hanging at the pool solving the world's problems with the real life Rudy Ruettiger, whose story was the inspiration for, Posted by Debi Thomas onTuesday, May 18, 2010. Currently, she is engaged toJamie Looney, and she adopted his two sons. ''My husband will travel with me to some of the upcoming skating exhibitions. There were no apologies, just explanations. By any measure, Debbie Thomas was the most accomplished young woman of any race of her generation. As the first black skater to achieve international, or even national, prominence, she was a champion, however reluctant, of minorities. Her agent, Jay Ogden of the International Management Group, said that is the reason she seemed so distant during the awards ceremony. In 1997 she graduated from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Its very human stuff really but there is much more help today than ever before. She is also a physician and orthopedic surgeon. Facebook gives people the. 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. It was a fall greater than any she had ever taken on the ice, this fall from grace. Right after graduation, she began working as an orthopedic surgeon, most notably for the ORTHO X-cellence Debra J. Thomas in Richlands, Virginia, which initially increased her net worth, but unfortunately the facility closed in 2014, and there is no record of her working since that point. Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brian_Vander_Ark&oldid=1118262748, Singer-songwriter, guitarist, public speaker, actor, screenwriter, This page was last edited on 26 October 2022, at 00:49. During the championships Thomas said she had trouble concentrating. The 8th Annual Black Achievement Awards (1987)as Herself, The Official 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics Video (1988)as Herself / American Figure Skater Bronze Medalist, Bud Greenspan's Favorite Stories of Winter Olympic Glory (2002)as Herself. Thomas, of San Jose, Calif., came in third in the final standings of the women's event Saturday. She won the senior title in the U.S nationals, and the gold medal in the world championship, describing that last victory as probably one of the best experiences that Ive ever had in skating.". Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2000. But I know hes not able to sit back and say, OK, Debi, do whatever you feel you have to do. Hes not able to do that.. He left before the exhibition ended. Lots of us do and beautiful Debbie deserves the best life qs much as anyone out there. Around that time, the father of a patient asked her out. Thomas went on to become a practicing orthopedic surgeon specializing in hip and knee replacement. In 1987, Debi placed second in both events after struggling with Achilles tendonitis, and afterward, she relocated to Colorado to start preparing for the Olympics. Ever since her second marriage, Debi Thomas has been residing in Terre Haute, Indiana and is a practicing physician in the same city. Husband, Net Inducted into the San Jose [California] Sports Hall of Fame in 1998. The couple resides in sout-west Virginia in what is rumoured to be a somewhat difficult relationship. For her personal life, it is known that Thomas married Brian Vander Hogen in 1988 but their marriage ended in divorce. 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. She is now engaged to Jamie Loonie and they have two children together, residing in southwest Virginia. Nonetheless, Thomass Bronze medal placed her in the history books as the first African American woman to win a medal at the Winter Olympic Games. As anyone who follows sports realizes, that sometimes happens. She already skates most weekends for Stars on Ice and recently, performing a 007 routine to Diamonds are Forever, won the world professional figure skating championship in Landover, Md. Structural Info Facts WIKITREE PROTECTS MOST SENSITIVE INFORMATION BUT ONLY TO THE EXTENT STATED IN THE TERMS OF SERVICE AND PRIVACY POLICY. She was previously married to Christopher Bequette and Brian Vanden Hogen. Afterward, at a press conference, she did not take responsibility for her failure to win, instead blaming her coach of 10 years. Figure Skating Championships becoming the first African American to win a non-novice title. She also made Debi admit that there had been domestic violence in her relationship, and criticized her for feeling just frustrated and not sad or angry about having a bed-bug infestation and living in such conditions. I told him that I was really bored with skating, and he said, How can you not be excited about this? By the time I got to the Olympics, I was burned out.. Olympian mentality is rough because you just get frustrated with how everybody does everything, Debi explained of her behavior. As a fellow Northwestern Medical School alumnus, I reached out to her to ask about her experience with athletes vertigo in certain sports. According to a February 2016 online article in The Washington Post, she had declared bankruptcy, let her medical license expire, and was living with her fianc in a trailer in rural southern Virginia (see Miscellaneous links). I would go home and do nothing. He told me, Do it for America. I thought, What does America have to do with this? Im the one who skated all those hours. At the age of 12 Thomas made it to the national novice finals, and won the silver medal. Vander Ark wrote the song "Colorful", which appears at the end of the film, sung by the Chris Cole Band, and simulated by Mark Wahlberg. Before divorcing, they had a son named Christopher Jules "Luc" Bequette (b. Human Capital/Human Resources leader with strong experience as both an internal HR business partner and an external human capital consultant to senior leaders. [3] He received his schooling at Jan van Riebeeck High School in Cape Town, South Africa, and in 1950 played for the Western Province junior tennis team. Critics arent satisfied, Olympic snowboarders accuse USOPC, national federation of sex trafficking in lawsuit, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, Dramatic before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, Yet more rain expected to hit California in March. Debi joined Stars on Ice, and won the world professional figure skating championship in 1988, 1990 and 1991. Who Is Julian Sands' Wife? Debi Thomas on "Iyanla: Fix My Life" | Source: YouTube/OWN. I went for the opening ceremony, then went back home for a week to train. If Diet Pepsi wants me, Im here.. She moved in with Jamie into his trailer, filed bankruptcy, and let her medical license expire. 'It's not my primary goal,' she said. In 2000, Debi Thomas was inducted into the U.S. BUDAPEST, Hungary -- Former world figure skating champion Debi Thomas married two weeks ago and kept the news a secret - even from her coach. Inside the Figure Skaters' Off-Ice Relationship, Caitlyn Jenner Feels That 'Old Bruce' Still 'Lives Inside Her - Kids Call Her Dad Even After Transition. Later in the year, she was given the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Candace Award for Trailblazing. Inducted into the U.S. Her mother, a computer engineer, split from her dad when Debi was 9, and she was raised alongside her brother Richard Taylor in San Jose, California. Mini Bio (1) Debi Thomas was born on March 25, 1967 in Poughkeepsie, New York, USA. Warmer storms could cause problems, Water polo is a mix-match gumbo of sports with some brutality on the side, Peace Village, a fake city just outside the DMZ, serves as metaphor for North Korean athletes at the Olympics, Kerrigan Moves to Top, While Harding Falters, Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier take pairs gold at U.S. Debi Thomas is a figure skater and physician, and the first African American woman to win a medal in the Winter Olympics. On the show, Iyanla Vanzant slammed Debi for losing the custody of her then-13 years old son, while raising Looneys two boys. Debra Janine Thomas was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1967. There has been little desire to do that on the part of advertisers. That medal I dont even put it out. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. The speaker, a white woman who certainly had no accomplishments to her name like those of Ms. Thomas, referred to Ms. Thomas attitude as one of a loser. As if someone who wins an Olympic bronze medal could ever be considered a loser, never mind the fact that she was also a student at one of the most prestigious and demanding universities in the country, and in one of its most difficult fields. Who would not crack under that kind of treatment? Clipping found in Green Bay Press-Gazette in Green Bay, Wisconsin on Feb 20, 1998. debi thomas brian vanden hogen "Never Let You Down," the lead single from the band's 2001 album, Underneath, was one of the Top 50 Most Played songs for Adult Top 40 and Modern A/C radio in 2001. McGowan, who now coaches at a rink outside Detroit, has been reluctant to respond to Thomas comments. The couple also has a son from the wedlock by the name of Christopher Jules who was born in 1997. She was also the first African-American to hold the US National title in ladies single figure skating. Get this The Des Moines Register page for free from Wednesday, March 30, 1988 band By JULIE HUTCHINSON 1988 Knight-Ridder Newspapers " DENVER, COLO. - They hugged so hard you could almost hear . Thomas, a student at Stanford University, said she does not intend to enter show business. After Ms. Thomas won her bronze medal at the Olympic games, I attended a workshop on leadership styles. She started seeing Jamie Looney, a single father of two who lived in a trailer and soon realized he had troubles with alcohol and prescription narcotics. I am thrilled.''. Brian Vanden Hogen Business Analyst at Electronic Theatre Controls Madison, Wisconsin, United States. People who have organized various shows in which she has performed, and those who have publicized them, and even some of the other skaters, say that she is demanding and temperamental, as if, they say, she expects to be treated as the gold medalist that she never became. She won the bronze medal in the women's figure skating event (finishing behind Canada's Elizabeth Manley and East Germany's Katarina Witt), thereby becoming the first African American to win a medal in any sport at the Winter Olympics. She place second in the 1987 World Championships to East German skater Katarina Witt. Would have plenty of time to recover great suggestions drummer Donny Brown guitarist! 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