Igor Shpilband

Igor Shpilband
Personal information
Full name Igor Yuryevich Shpilband
Country represented Soviet Union
Born July 14, 1964
Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Former partner Tatiana Gladkova
Former coach Ludmila Pakhomova

Igor Yuryevich Shpilband (Russian: Игорь Юрьевич Шпильбанд, born July 14, 1964) is a former Soviet ice dancer and current ice dancing coach. He is the 1983 World Junior champion with former partner Tatiana Gladkova.

Personal life

Shpilband was born in Moscow on July 14, 1964, to a Jewish family. In 1990, he and several other Soviet skaters were part of a U.S. tour headlined by Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean when one of them, Gorsha Sur, decided to defect and Shpilband, Veronica Pershina and Elena Krykanova decided to join him.[1][2] He got a coaching position in Detroit not long after.[1] Shpilband became a naturalized United States citizen in 2000.[3] With former wife Pershina, he has a daughter, Ekaterina "Katia" Shpilband, who is a competitive figure skater in the United States.[4] He proposed marriage to Adrienne Lenda, an Arctic FSC coach, during the 2006 Cup of Russia competition in Moscow.[5]

Competitive and coaching career

Shpilband (4th from left) in 2011 with Marina Zueva and students Tessa Virtue / Scott Moir, Meryl Davis / Charlie White, and Maia Shibutani / Alex Shibutani

Shpilband was coached by Lyudmila Pakhomova from age 12 to 20.[6] He and his partner Tatiana Gladkova won the silver medal at the 1982 World Junior Championships and then gold in 1983.[7] Shpilband retired from competitive skating following Pakhomova's death in 1986.[6]

Following his defection, he began working as a coach and choreographer at the Detroit Skating Club.[8] Gorsha Sur recommended him as a coach to Elizabeth Punsalan and Jerod Swallow, who were among his first students.[1] Shpilband formerly coached in collaboration with Elizabeth Coates. He began coaching with Marina Zueva in 2001.[2] In 2003, Shpilband began coaching at the Arctic Edge Arena in Canton, Michigan.[9] On June 3, 2012, Shpilband confirmed that he had been fired from the Arctic Edge Arena.[8][10] On June 12, it was announced that his new training site is the Novi Ice Arena in Novi, Michigan, and American ice dancers Madison Chock / Evan Bates confirmed that they would train with Shpilband in Novi.[11] They were joined soon after by Isabella Tobias / Deividas Stagniūnas of Lithuania.[12]

Shpilband has coached the following skaters:

Competitive highlights

(with Gladkova)

Event 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84
World Junior Championships 2nd 1st
Golden Spin of Zagreb 2nd

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Rosewater, Amy (May 24, 2011). "Shpilband, Zoueva at forefront of dance revolution". IceNetwork. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hayes, Marcus (February 23, 2010). "Torch passed as Canadians take ice-dancing gold". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  3. ↑ Rosewater, Amy (February 22, 2010). "Coaches balance loyalties with 'jacket dance'". Ice Network.
  4. ↑ Mittan, Barry (September 6, 2009). "Shpilband Follows Dad to the Ice". Golden Skate.
  5. ↑ "2006 Cup of Russia". U.S. Figure Skating.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Russell, Susan D. (January 5, 2013). "Lyudmila Pakhomova and Aleksandr Gorshkov". IFS Magazine.
  7. ↑ "World Junior Figure Skating Championships: Dance". International Skating Union.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Barnas, Jo-Ann (June 3, 2012). "Coach Igor Shpilband fired from position at Canton's Arctic Figure Skating Club". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on June 3, 2012.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Barnas, Jo-Ann (June 4, 2012). "U.S. Figure Skating confirms top American teams to stay in Canton after Shpilband dismissal". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on June 5, 2012.
  10. ↑ "U.S. endures ice dance shakeup". Associated Press (ESPN). June 5, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Shpilband moving to Novi, bringing Chock and Bates". Icenetwork. June 12, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Lithuanians Tobias, Stagniunas follow Shpilband". Icenetwork. June 14, 2012.
  13. ↑ "Alisa AGAFONOVA / Dmitri DUN". International Skating Union.
  14. ↑ "Alissandra ARONOW / Zachary DONOHUE". International Skating Union.
  15. ↑ "Tanith BELBIN / Benjamin AGOSTO". International Skating Union.
  16. ↑ "Ghiaccio, Cappellini-Lanotte, i programmi per la nuova stagione" [Skating: Cappellini-Lanotte's programs for the new season]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 29 July 2014.
  17. ↑ "Madison CHOCK / Greg ZUERLEIN". International Skating Union.
  18. ↑ "Katherine COPELY / Deividas STAGNIUNAS". International Skating Union.
  19. ↑ "Meryl DAVIS / Charlie WHITE". International Skating Union.
  20. ↑ "Margarita DROBIAZKO / Povilas VANAGAS". International Skating Union.
  21. ↑ "Grethe GRUNBERG / Kristian RAND". International Skating Union.
  22. ↑ "Jessica JOSEPH / Brandon FORSYTH". International Skating Union.
  23. ↑ "Siobhan KARAM / Joshua MCGRATH". International Skating Union.
  24. ↑ "Naomi LANG / Peter TCHERNYSHEV". International Skating Union.
  25. ↑ "Caitlin MALLORY / Kristian RAND". International Skating Union.
  26. ↑ "Lydia MANON / Ryan O'MEARA". International Skating Union.
  27. ↑ "Pechalat, Bourzat team up with Shpilband in Novi". IceNetwork. May 20, 2013.
  28. ↑ "Justyna PLUTOWSKA / Peter GERBER". International Skating Union.
  29. ↑ "Jamie SILVERSTEIN / Ryan O'MEARA". International Skating Union.
  30. ↑
  31. ↑ "Maia SHIBUTANI / Alex SHIBUTANI". International Skating Union.
  32. ↑ "Tessa VIRTUE / Scott MOIR". International Skating Union.
  33. ↑ "Skate Canada: Virtue, Moir staying with Zoueva". Icenetwork. June 6, 2012.
  34. ↑
  35. ↑
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