Helene Elliott: Adam Rippon, openly gay, overcomes bullying, self-doubt to earn spot on Olympic skating team
LOS ANGELES - Adam Rippon stood 4 feet tall when he was in the third and fourth grade in Scranton, Pa., making him an easy target for bullies. He started to skate when he was 10 and found a creative outlet for his energy, but he had no role models to show him how to act or talk or fight back when he was taunted.
"Being a small gay kid from the middle of nowhere, Pennsylvania, is a hard way to grow up," he said.
Rippon tried to change his mannerisms to be "normal," but he couldn't pretend to be something he was not. Skating was his refuge. "I finally
