Photo courtesy businessinsider.com
SUNBURY – US Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon has been representing Pennsylvania well as a Clarks Summitt native. He also has relatives here in the Valley cheering him on. Thom Rippon of White Springs is the second cousin of the US Olympian. His first cousin, Rick, is Adam’s father, and knew Adam well when he was younger.
As a relative of an Olympic athlete, Thom Rippon says its been a thrill seeing his cousin perform on the biggest stage in sports, “The eyes open up more wide. The ears open up better to hear the audio commentary. There’s an excitement level that’s actually very personal in a way that normally doesn’t happen when you’re watching athletics on television.”
Though its been a while since Thom Rippon has been in touch with Adam, he still knows the long journey his cousin endured to achieve his success, “Adam was twice a world men’s junior champion. Now he’s at the senior level. He’s put in thousands of hours of work and at times he could not hold a full-time job. So it made the economics of it very challenging.”
Adam Rippon’s Olympic success has also be shadowed by his recent comments against Vice President Mike Pence and his stance on gay marriage. Media reports indicated Adam Rippon turned down an offer to meet with Pence but Thom Rippon says there’s a misunderstanding, “My cousin did not want to meet with the Vice President because his first competition was coming up and he did not need to experience a media event. I think the two are getting that clarified and Adam will meet with the Vice President at some point. But the office of the Vice President made a mistake I think in reaching out for a meeting prior to the competition.”
Thom Rippon and his son Jason are the owners of six McDonald’s around the Valley in Milton, Lewisburg, and Mifflinburg, and also three others in Clinton County.
