Danny Curzon, a bronze medalist in the junior pairs event at the 2008 U.S. Championships, has announced his retirement from competitive skating.
In his three year partnership with Chelsi Guillen, the couple competed on both the Grand Prix circuit and the Junior Grand Prix circuit as well as at the 2008 World Junior Championships, where they placed 10th. Guillen and Curzon ended their partnership in 2009 following her knee reconstruction surgery in which the surgeon replaced her completely torn posterior cruciate ligament (PCL).
“This decision comes after a long period of reflection and discussion with loved ones, and I have decided that I am ready to move on to the next stage of my life,” said Curzon, a 2009 graduate from Arizona State University. “I will forever look back on my skating career with great fondness, and I consider the life lessons I learned from the sport to be greater prizes than the medals I have collected over the years. I am looking forward to starting my next career, whatever it may be, with the same passion, determination, and work ethic that I relied on so heavily and to which I attribute my success throughout my skating career.”
Curzon last competed at the 2009 U.S. Championships in Cleveland, where he and Guillen placed 17th in their senior national debut. The pair also competed as juniors in 2009, winning the short program before taking the bronze medal, and in 2008, placing eighth. They were ninth at 2009 Junior Grand Prix Estonia, 10th at Junior Grand Prix Great Britain and seventh at 2009 Cup of China.
“I look back on my career with no regrets and with complete fulfillment, and I consider myself fortunate to be able to walk away from the sport on my own terms after achieving my longest-held goal: representing the United States at international competition,” Curzon said. “I know that there is more to life than skating, but I must give skating credit for playing a large role in me becoming who I am today. While I plan to always remain connected with the sport that I have loved for so many years, I do not know what the next step for me in life is, but I look forward to the adventure of what lies ahead.”
Curzon attended the 2010 U.S. Championships in Spokane, Wash., to look for a partner but ultimately decided to pursue other avenues. He informed supporters in an e-mail Tuesday.
“I am writing this email in order to thank you all for all of your support throughout the years,” Curzon wrote. “Whether it be piecing me back together when I was injured, designing and maintaining a great website, offering honest criticism of what needed improvement, or even just your simple cheers and well-wishes, and everything in between, you all played a critical role in my career, and for that I thank you. Special thanks goes to my parents for their unwavering love and support from beginning to end of this great adventure. Also, a big thanks goes to Doug and Lara Ladret, who have been my coaches for over a decade, to whom I owe my career and who played a crucial role in me becoming the man I am today.”
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Photo courtesy of Leah Adams
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