1968 U.S. junior pair champion with Annetta Baird
When Rudy Galindo came off the ice after his historic winning freeskate at 1996 U.S. Nationals, he cried to the heavens, "I love you, dad! I love you, George! Jim! Rick!" He was calling out to the four men whom he loved the most, all deceased.
"Rick" was the late Rick Inglesi, Galindo's singles coach after the late Jim Hulick. Galindo approached him in April 1990, four days after Kristi Yamaguchi dissolved their pair partnership. It was under Inglesi's tutelage that Galindo developed his reputation for flamboyance in music and costuming. In his autobiography, Galindo offered this loving description of Inglesi:
"Rick was from back East and was this really enthusiastic, funny, high-energy guy in his midthirties. And he was also very good-looking. I wasn't attracted to him, but he was Italian and looked like the kind of person you'd see on Melrose Place...He was the kind of guy who was up at three in the morning, did his workout at home, cleaned his house, went grocery shopping, and was on the ice at five-thirty in a remarkably good mood...It was no secret that Rick was gay, which was important to me. You spend a lot of time with your coach, and I wanted to be completely comfortable with the people around me." (Galindo, Icebreaker, p. 102.)
Inglesi won a national title in roller skating before he switched to singles and pairs on ice, eventually winning a national junior title in pairs. After retirement, he toured worldwide with Holiday on Ice before coaching in the Bay Area. He died of AIDS-related complications in December 1994.
If you would like to add further information about Rick Inglesi, please contact lorrie-ri@plover.com.