Rory Flack

Rory Flack (Flack-Mitchell ) (born April 28, 1969) is a professional figure skater and former competitor.

In 1986, Flack won the junior bronze medal at the U.S. Championships.

She also competed internationally, winning the silver medal at the 1987 Grand Prix International St. Gervais.

Her performance at the 1987 U.S. Championships attracted national attention and earned her an appearance with footage on Saturday Night Live.

It was the first time a figure skater was on the show.

She is the first African American woman to perform a back flip on the ice in 1991.

She retired from competitive skating in the winter of 1991.

Flack became a Competitive World Professional, 1991 and 1994 US Open Professional Champion, the 2002 American Open Artistic Champion and competed for Team USA in the 2006 CBS Ice Wars.

In 1991, Flack started her career as a professional figure skater.

She moved from California to Cincinnati and skated in the production Broadway on Ice.

She choreographed a routine, auditioned, and was selected for a solo spot.

She heard from fellow skaters about an open professional competition, the US Open Challenge Cup.

Despite being advised not to compete by the show producer because she would lose her next gig, Flack entered the competition with her friends' support.

She had a close childhood friend Doug Mattis who taught her to do a back flip on ice, making her the first black woman in the world with this ability.

The US Open competition had two parts for the skaters without a world title.

The winner of the Challenge round would advance to the Championship round.

The Championship round was filled with Olympic Champions and world medalists.

Performing to Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong's “Summertime”, she not only won the Challenge Cup, but also placed third in the Championship round, won the inaugural Golden Blade Award (given to the most artistic skater of the entire competition) and became the star of Ice Capades.

She was married to 8X Austrian National Champion & 1992 Olympian Ralph Burghart from 1992 to 2007.

Two months before the qualifying event for the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, she injured her back and could not compete.

In 1992, while starring in Ice Capades, Flack took time off from the tour to compete once again at the US Open.

She skated to “Fever” and a 5-minute version of “Am I Blue”, and won the silver medal.

She has two sons, Rendell Burghart, born 28 September 1993, and Remington Burghart, born 17 January 1997.

Rendell played tennis for Eastern Washington University and Graduated on the Deans List majoring in Film.

In September 1993, Rory gave birth to her first son, Rendell.

Two weeks later she skated as a pair team with her then-husband in the opening of the Rockefeller Center.

In 1994 she became the first African American woman to win the US Open Professional Figure Skating Championships.

She is very well known for her signature Russian splits.

Rory Flack was born in Belleville, Illinois.

She is the daughter of Dorothy Jackson and William Flack, and is the niece of Roberta Flack.

Raised in Phoenix, Arizona, until age 10, then until 21 in San Diego, California, she later resided for 15 years in Wasilla, Alaska.

In 1994, Flack was invited to join The Nutcracker on Ice.

Remington is a 2011 United States National Juvenile Bronze Pairs Medalist.

Flack married Roi Mitchell Sr. on April 6, 2015, in Washington, D.C.

Flack began skating at age 5.

At age 13, she met the pioneer for African Americans in figure skating, Mabel Fairbanks.

Fairbanks inspired Flack to continue skating after wanting to stop at an early age due to racism.

Two years later, Debi Thomas, Bobby Beauchamp and Rory Flack skated to three medals at the US National Championships.

This was the first time three African Americans competed at the Nationals, and they all earned spots on the international team.

and competed 2017 to COVID-19 Internationally for club ESI-Skating, SkateAustria International Competitive Team.