"Dancing With the Stars" is its own kind of Olympics. Each star is made to train hard, pick up new skills, and improve themselves week after week (often with limited dance experience). Contestants get one shot to wow the judges and win over the viewers — no second chances. Thankfully, high stakes are nothing new for a competitor like Amber Glenn.
As a gold medalist and record-breaking figure skater, Glenn knows what it takes to shine under scrutiny. Among her many accolades, she's the first US woman to land three triple Axels at a single Olympic Games, as well as the first openly queer woman to represent the United States in Olympic figure skating. Taking her talents off the ice, however, was not without its challenges. "In skating, we compete every month and a half or so, and we have the same routine," Glenn tells Popsugar. "For ['DWTS'], I'm having to learn a new routine that can compete every single week."
And that's not the only learning curve she's encountered. Week after week, Glenn has to lean on (and learn from) her professional ballroom partner, Pasha Pashkov. And although the two quickly hit it off, Glenn admits the amount of collaboration worried her at first. "I was really nervous about the partnership aspect, but it's been so much fun and Pasha has been such a light," Glenn says.
According to her, Pashkov also goes out of his way to help her establish a personal connection to the choreography . . . which may explain why the pair keeps crushing it. "We're able to have that passion when we dance rather than just like, 'Oh, this is a song, we're dancing to it,'" Glenn explains. On her Oct. 28 birthday, Pashkov even surprised Glenn by bringing a taste of her Colorado Springs training town to Los Angeles. "He got streamers and tore them up and was like, 'Here's snow,'" she laughs.
"I don't get the chance to be perfect."
Although this experience is much newer to Glenn, there are some similarities between training for the Olympics and training for "DWTS." Both require a high amount of resilience, physical endurance, and mental fortitude. But Glenn has since discovered she can't approach everything on "DWTS" like an elite athlete. "It's really challenged me in [terms] of performing and nerves and staying in the moment and perfectionism, because there's not a chance to go and redo [a dance] after I perform it," she says. "It's going to make me a better performer for sure."
Instead of ironing out every last imperfection, Glenn is learning to take the judges' feedback, be present, and resist the urge to hyper-fixate on any mistakes. At times, this can feel totally at odds with her experience as an Olympian, where she knows people expect her to be the very best. Sometimes the biggest challenge is just showing herself the grace she deserves. "This is something I'm new to, and I'm trying to remind myself of that," Glenn says. "I don't get the chance to be perfect or to be one of the best in this."
While perfectionism still rears its ugly head from time to time, Glenn is proud of how far she's come. And ultimately, whether she secures the Mirrorball or not, the real "DWTS" win is so much deeper. "I can't be the best, but I can do my best," Glenn says. "And as long as I'm doing my best, I'm happy."
Chandler Plante [2] (she/her) is a staff writer and PS Fit Producer. She has over six years of industry experience, previously working as an editorial assistant for People magazine, a social media manager for Millie magazine, and a contributor for Bustle Digital Group. She has a degree in magazine journalism from Syracuse University and is based in Los Angeles.