Release courtesy of U.S. Figure Skating
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett, the 2010 U.S. pairs champions, announced today they have ended their two-year professional relationship with coaches Jim Peterson, Lyndon Johnston and Alison Smith, and will train with John Zimmerman and Silvia Fontana at Saveology Iceplex in Coral Springs, Fla., as members of the Panthers Figure Skating Club.
“We feel this change is necessary to take our skating to the next level,” Barrett said. “We look forward to working with John and Silvia. They were great competitors, and we feel they have a lot to offer as coaches.”
Zimmerman and partner Kyoko Ina were three-time U.S. pairs champions (2000-02) and the 2002 World bronze medalists. They placed fifth at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. A five-time Italian champion, Fontana represented Italy at the 2002 and 2006 Winter Games. She and Zimmerman married in 2003.
“Silvia and I are looking forward to great things from Caydee and Jeremy,” Zimmerman said. “We’re honored to continue the amazing work Jim, Lyndon and Alison have done, and are excited to get the season under way.”
In their two International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series assignments last fall, Denney and Barrett finished fourth at the NHK Trophy and fifth at Skate Canada. They captured the gold medal at the 2010 AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Spokane, Wash., and were selected to represent the United States at the 2010 Olympic Games, where they finished 13th. The pair capped its season with a seventh-place finish at the 2010 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Torino, Italy.
“It is difficult to lose a team at this early stage in their career,” Peterson said. “However, Alison, Lyndon and I are proud of guiding Caydee and Jeremy to their goals of representing the United States as Olympians and achieving a national title in a short period of time. Both are talented athletes and competitors, and we wish them all the best in the future.”
Since announcing their partnership in 2008, Denney and Barrett have also captured the silver medal at the 2009 U.S. Championships and placed ninth at the 2009 World Championships.
“Jim, Lyndon, Alison and the staff at Ellenton Ice Rink have done so much for us as skaters and as people,” Denney said. “We would like to thank everyone there for supporting us and believing in us.”
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U.S. Figure Skating is the national governing body for the sport of figure skating in the United States as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Skating Union. U.S. Figure Skating is comprised of more than 763 member clubs and Basic Skills Programs representing approximately 179,000 members. U.S. Figure Skating is charged with the development of the sport on all levels within the United States including athletes, officials, sanctioning of events and exhibitions, and establishing the rules and guidelines by which the sport is governed.
