Jamie Silverstein

Jamie Silverstein
Personal information
Country represented United States
Born (1983-12-23) December 23, 1983
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Height 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)
Former partner Ryan O'Meara
Brandon Forsyth
Justin Pekarek
Former coach Igor Shpilband
Marina Zueva
Skating club Arctic FSC
Retired 2006
ISU personal best scores
Combined total 155.51
2005 Skate America
Comp. dance 29.98
2006 4CC
Original dance 48.28
2005 Skate America
Free dance 78.79
2005 Skate America

Jamie Silverstein (born December 23, 1983) is an American former competitive ice dancer. With Justin Pekarek, she is the 2000 Four Continents bronze medalist, the 1999 World Junior champion, and 2000 U.S. silver medalist. With Ryan O'Meara, she is the 2006 U.S. bronze medalist and competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Early life

Silverstein was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[1] She grew up in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh.[2] After her parents divorced when she was 11, she moved with her mother to Michigan.[3]

Skating career

Early in her career, Silverstein competed with Justin Pekarek. They won the 1999 World Junior and U.S. Junior titles.[4][5] The next season, they moved up to the senior level. They won gold at the 1999 Nebelhorn Trophy, silver at the 2000 U.S. Championships, and bronze at the 2000 Four Continents. They announced their split on January 10, 2001.[6] Silverstein later revealed that she had battled eating disorders, anorexia and bulimia, during her career.[3][7][8]

Silverstein trained briefly with Brandon Forsyth but never competed with him.[7] She left competitive skating for a period and attended Cornell University.[8] She was off the ice completely for two years, stepping onto the ice again in late 2004.[3] Silverstein decided to make a return to competition. In April 2005, she began training with Ryan O'Meara.[9] They won the bronze medal at the 2006 U.S. Championships and qualified for the 2006 Winter Olympics. They were coached by Igor Shpilband and Marina Zueva in Canton, Michigan.[3][10]

On May 3, 2006, Silverstein and O'Meara announced that they would take time off from competitive skating, with Silverstein planning to return to school.[11]

Later life and career

In 2008, Silverstein graduated from Cornell University with a degree as a College Scholar, choosing to specialize in catharsis and emotional psychology. Her thesis work involved a performance piece whose subject was Ekman's six basic emotions. Now she works as a yoga instructor and is an advocate in eating disorder recovery. She also maintains a blog.

In 2012, Silverstein opened a yoga studio, The Grinning Yogi, in Seattle.[12]

Programs

With O'Meara

Season Original dance Free dance
2005–06
[1]
  • Salsa: Round the World
  • Rhumba: Sweet the Sting
  • Cha Cha
  • Nu Tango

With Pekarek

Season Original dance Free dance
1999–2000
[13]
  • I Like It Like That
  • Eres Todo en Mí
  • I Like It Like That
1998–99

    Competitive highlights

    GP: Grand Prix; JGP: Junior Series / Junior Grand Prix

    With O'Meara

    International[14]
    Event 2005–06
    Winter Olympics 16th
    Four Continents Champ. 6th
    GP Skate America 5th
    National[10]
    U.S. Championships 3rd
    Pacific Coast Sectionals 1st

    With Pekarek

    International[13]
    Event 95–96 96–97 97–98 98–99 99–00
    World Champ. 12th
    Four Continents Champ. 3rd
    GP Skate America 5th
    GP Sparkassen Cup 4th
    Nebelhorn Trophy 1st
    International: Junior[13]
    World Junior Champ. 10th 1st
    JGP Final 6th 1st
    JGP Bulgaria 2nd
    JGP France 2nd
    JGP Germany 3rd 1st
    National[13]
    U.S. Championships 1st N 3rd J 2nd J 1st J 2nd
    Levels: N = Novice; J = Junior

    See also

    References

    1. 1 2 "Jamie SILVERSTEIN / Ryan O'MEARA: 2005/2006". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on November 2, 2009.
    2. Anderson, Shelly (February 18, 2006). "Local skater savoring Olympic 'experience'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
    3. 1 2 3 4 Elliott, Helene (February 17, 2006). "Silverstein Already Has a Big Victory". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 8, 2011.
    4. "World Junior Figure Skating Championships: Ice Dance" (PDF). International Skating Union. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013.
    5. "Silverstein and Pekarek continue winning ways". Associated Press. Canadian Online Explorer. February 14, 1999. Retrieved September 8, 2011.
    6. "Silverstein and Pekarek announce end to successful career". ABC Sports Online. ESPN. January 10, 2001. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008.
    7. 1 2 DeSimone, Bonnie (October 22, 2005). "Skater dancing way into contention for Olympic berth". ESPN. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
    8. 1 2 Macur, Juliet (February 18, 2006). "Ex-Rising Star Makes a Healthy Return to the Ice". The New York Times. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
    9. Mittan, Barry (October 10, 2005). "Painful Breakups Lead to New Beginnings for Silverstein and O'Meara". SkateToday.
    10. 1 2 "Jamie Silverstein & Ryan O'Meara". U.S. Figure Skating. Archived from the original on May 24, 2006.
    11. "Silverstein and O'Meara announce time off from competitive skating". U.S. Figure Skating. May 3, 2006. Archived from the original on June 30, 2006.
    12. Elfman, Lois (June 14, 2012). "Silverstein experiences life's twists and turns". IceNetwork.com.
    13. 1 2 3 4 "Jamie SILVERSTEIN / Justin PEKAREK". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on November 30, 2016.
    14. "Jamie SILVERSTEIN / Ryan O'MEARA". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on November 30, 2016.
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