Wesley Campbell represented the U.S. at the world junior championships and won three titles. But the figure skater’s career didn’t really begin until he retired from competing.
That’s when Campbell began traveling the globe, performing in iconic shows such as Disney on Ice and Broadway on Ice. He’s performed in front of the Sultan of Oman and to the vocal stylings of Andrea Boccelli and Ellie Goulding.
Now a coach for elite young skaters, Campbell, who stands at 6’3, is giving back.
Queerty recently caught up with the handsome skater to talk about his bromance with Eric Radford, the joys of being a dog dad and whether he’s considered giving OnlyFans a try. Here’s what he had to say…
QUEERTY: You’re 6’3. Is it challenging to be on skates?
WESLEY CAMPBELL: I think the margin for error is really the main thing. If you mess up a little bit, the degree of big, bad falls is pretty major. So that’s the main thing. If you’re learning hard tricks, you’re gonna fall a lot more.
You’ve had bad falls?
Oh yeah. When I was doing triple axles and stuff, it was like, “Oof!” It was a lot. If it was a little off, it was a lot off.
What’s your favorite experience from traveling and performing all of these years?
I think being in Disney on Ice, under the stars, performing with Andrea Boccelli and Ellie Goulding live in a coliseum. That kind of live music, in front of 15,000 people, that’s the pinnacle. Everyone is artistically at their peak, and you’re at this amazing historical venue. It doesn’t get any better than that. You’re thinking, “Enjoy every second of it, because it’s only going to last once.”
There’s a picture of you hanging with Eric Radford. Are you guys close?
Very close. We did shows together in [Italy]. We’ve been close for about 10 years now. He’s like a brother. You name it, we do it, like going out together for New Year’s, galleries and the arts, dinners and wine tastings. We do all of that. He’s funny. We have a similar sense of humor: very dry, very silly. We try to not take things too seriously.
What do you enjoy about coaching?
For me now, I really honed the skill of being able to turn it on for myself. I figured out what tools I needed, and what time to really turn it on. I think taking that and putting it into communication gives these guys the opportunity to figure out what the tools are, and hone their own skill. I think it’s learning how to communicate to get them their set of tools.
It’s exciting; it’s really creative and really unique. It’s fascinating how much I’m learning just from them, too.
How do you stay in shape?
What’s that? Haha! Oh man, right now I’m just on the ice a lot — six hours per day. I’ve done a physical reset, because the “being in shape” thing was about being very disciplined and eating the right thing, seven days per week. I did tons of sprints, tons of high-impact training, tons of high-rep, low-weight training. But now I’m just being health, eating healthy foods, drinking a lot of water. I think health and fitness long-term is different than specified health and witness. I think right now, I’m in a recalibration period.
What do you like to do when you’re not on the ice?
Oh man, that’s what I’m figuring out! I have these goals right now to find some hobbies that don’t necessarily yield a result, so I’ve been really on the hunt for “what are these things I might enjoy doing with my time that don’t have a financial outcome, or some kind of thing down the road I’m trying to get to? What do I love to do?”
One thing is martial arts. That’s the new thing I’m gonna try, and turn over a new leaf. The other is gardening. And I guess the third one would be puppies. I just adopted a new puppy.
What’s your favorite part of being a dog dad?
Favorite part of being a dog dad. Oh wow! The cuddles. They’re just right up in me, every night. It’s so sweet.
Are you dating anyone to join those cuddles?
Uhh…not exclusively. But we’ll get there. Right now it’s about getting a grounded relationship with myself outside of skating. That’s a big deal, and it’s a lot bigger than I thought it would be. I’m coming out this thing that’s so wrapped up in my identity. I didn’t even realize how much identify that was. And once that no longer exists, who am I?
As you know, tons of athletes are on OnlyFans now. Have you ever considered it?
I have definitely thought about it. My ex and I talked about it a lot: “What can we do to really make this work for us?” And I think both of us always came back to this reality that it would kind of pigeon-hold us out of a lot of platforms and opportunities. I feel like if you have a voice, you don’t want to close doors.
I have no qualms with OnlyFans. I think it’s great, and people should do whatever they want with their bodies without any repercussions. But that’s not the world we live in.
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We go beyond the field with Queerty’s Q&A series and get to know more about our favorite LGBTQ+ athletes and sports figures, from the music they’re streaming to what catches their eyes on the apps!
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