Junior Nationals Coaches
Famous Figure Skaters Did the Coaching at Junior Championships
The 2008 US Junior National Figure Skating Championships took place from 11-26 through 12-1, 2007. Many very famous ice skating champions were coaching behind the scenes.
At the 2008 US Junior Championships, former ice skating champions worked quietly in the background as new champions were crowned. Many people that have contributed to figure skating and its history were in one place for one short week
One of the most famous coaches present was Randy Gardner. Randy is better known as being part of the famous pair skating duo: "Randy and Tai." At the Junior Nationals, he coached a young pair team.
World Ice Dance Champion, Doreen Denny, quietly observed the ice dance events. Doreen coached 1976 Olympic Bronze Medalists Colleen O'Connor and Jim Millns. Today, she passes her great knowledge of ice dancing onto young ice dancers.
Olympic Silver Medalist and World Champion Dianne DeLeeuw worked as an official. She is a US Figure Skating Technical Specialist and used her talents to help the judges with their job. Another world champion present was 1978 World Figure Skating Champion and 1980 Olympic Bronze Medalist Charlie Tickner.
Other Olympians present included Wendy Burge-Dickinson and Tiffany Chin. Burge placed sixth in the 1976 Winter Olympic Games. She is remembered for her very athletic freeskating style. She went on to star with the Ice Capades and now coaches skating in southern California. Chin, also another great athlete, coached at the event. Tiffany is also remembered for her athletic figure skating skills. She too, went on to star with Ice Capades and Holiday on Ice.
Another Olympian coached a pair team. Erica Susman Shorr was an American figure skater who competed in the Olympics while representing Great Britain. Some remember that she married her British pair skating partner in order to qualify for the Olympics.
Sharon Jones-Baker, a four-time British ice dance champion and also an Olympian was also present. Jones-Baker coached her son, Jean-Luc Baker and his partner Joylyn Yang as they won gold in the Intermediate Ice Dance event. Another British ice skating champion present was British Men's Champion, Christian Newberry. One of his sons, Jack, qualified for the final round in Juvenile Boys, Juvenile Dance,and Juvenile Pairs.
Russian pair skating legend and Olympic Champion Natalia Miskutionok was also present. Miskutionok could easily be spotted during the competition since her young toddler accompanied her to the Junior Championships.
Some other famous figure skating champions coaching behind the scenes included Donald Adair, Bobby Beauchamp, Issabelle Brasseur, Rory Flack Burghart, Kitty Carruthers-Conrad, Shelby Lyons, Suna Murray, and Jenni Meno and Todd Sand. .
Next time you watch an ice skating event, pay attention to who is coaching a skater. The coach just might be a very famous figure skating legend.
