Wylie started skating at the age of three. At the same time, Wylie was competing in
pair skating with partner Dana Graham. They won the junior pairs title at the 1980 U.S. nationals. They were coached by
John Nicks, commuting to work with him in California. They placed eighth in the senior division at the 1981 U.S. nationals, but then dissolved their partnership when they lost financial sponsorship. In 1985, wanting to rework some of his technique, Wylie left Fassi and began to train instead with Evy and
Mary Scotvold, who were at that time located in
Janesville,
Wisconsin. Shortly afterwards, they all moved to the
Boston area. Wylie placed second at the
U.S. Figure Skating Championships in 1988, 1990, and 1992. He won the silver medal at the
1992 Winter Olympics in
Albertville,
France. The medal was considered a major upset, as Wylie had never finished higher than ninth at the
World Figure Skating Championships four years prior, and had skated such a poor performance at the 1992 U.S. Championships that reporters questioned his placement on the Olympic team. The
USFSA had even left Wylie off the team for the 1992 World Championships, naming
Mark Mitchell in his place. Figure skating writer and historian Ellyn Kestnbaum stated that Wylie's Christian faith influenced his skating, especially his free skating program during the 1991—1992 season, when he used music from the
Henry V soundtrack, when he "extended his body fully into space" and "might have been reaching for and supported by an ineffable spirituality". Kestnbaum also stated that Wylie used dramatic and powerful motions in his free skate, with a footwork section that portrayed a swordfight that "epitomized a heroic masculine energy". According to Kestnbaum, Wylie also used more feminine movements, with curved elbows, soft hands, and an
Ina Bauer movement. Wylie might have used these movements in order to emphasize his "beautiful extended body lines" and because he moved in harmony with his music. This style, used throughout his skating career, consistently earned him high artistic scores. After the Olympics, Wylie joined the professional skating ranks. He won the 1992 U.S. Open Professional Championship and the 1993
World Professional Figure Skating Championships. Wylie toured with
Stars on Ice from 1992 to 1998 before retiring to attend graduate school and work in the corporate world. After leaving his job at Disney in 2004, Wylie returned to the ice for 22 dates with
Stars on Ice. He has also continued his long association with
An Evening with Champions, the annual benefit show at Harvard. Wylie has worked as a sports commentator/analyst, most recently for
ESPN and
Universal Sports. Wylie was inducted into the
U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame on January 25, 2008. == Health ==