Garrett Swasey facts for kids
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Quick facts for kids Personal information |
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| Birth name | Garrett Preston Russell Swasey |
| Born | November 16, 1971 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | November 27, 2015 (aged 44) Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S. |
| Residence | Colorado |
| Education | Melrose High School |
| Occupation | Figure skater Ice dance coach Law enforcement officer |
| Employer | Plaza of the Rockies ice rink Chapel Hills Mall ice arena University of Colorado Colorado Springs |
| Spouse(s) | Rachel Swasey |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Figure skating Ice dancing |
| Club | Broadmoor Skating Club |
| Partner | Christine Fowler-Binder Hillary Tompkins |
| Coached by | Sandy Hess Renée Roca Gorsha Sur |
| Achievements and titles | |
| National finals | |
Garrett Preston Russell Swasey (born November 16, 1971 – died November 27, 2015) was an American competitive ice skater, figure skating coach, and police officer. As an ice dancer, he won the 1992 U.S. junior ice dance title. He also competed twice at the senior level. Swasey was tragically killed while on duty in Colorado Springs in 2015.
Contents
Skating Career and Achievements
Garrett Swasey started competitive skating when he was young in the Boston area. He trained with coach Keith Lichtman. One of his close childhood friends and training partners was Nancy Kerrigan. She later became a two-time Olympic medalist in ladies' singles skating. Swasey had three different ice dance partners during his skating career.
Early Competitions and First Partner
With his first partner, Christine Fowler, Garrett competed in the 1991 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. They finished 14th in the junior division. After this, they decided to find new coaches. In June of the same year, they moved to Colorado Springs. There, they trained with Sandy Hess, a well-known ice dance coach, at the Broadmoor Skating Club. Renée Roca and Gorsha Sur also helped coach them. Roca and Sur later became two-time U.S. ice dance champions themselves.
Winning a National Title
The next season was very successful for Fowler and Swasey. They won the junior ice dance title at the 1992 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Orlando. They earned a gold medal by placing third in the compulsory section. They then moved up to first place after their original and free dances.
Moving to Senior Level
In 1993, the Boston Globe newspaper mentioned Fowler and Swasey as possible Olympic hopefuls. However, at the 1993 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, their first event as senior skaters, they finished 15th. Their coaches, Roca and Sur, won the event after coming out of retirement. Swasey did not compete in the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
New Partner and Later Career
In February 1995, Swasey competed with his new ice dance partner, Hillary Tompkins. They participated in the 1995 U.S. Figure Skating Championships and placed 13th. On March 11, the team performed in two Musical on Ice shows. These shows took place in Presque Isle, Maine, which was Tompkins' hometown.
After his competitive skating career, Swasey worked at ice rinks. He coached at the Plaza of the Rockies and the Chapel Hills Mall ice rinks.
Major Skating Competitions
| National Competitions | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | ||||
| U.S. Championships | 14th J. | 1st J. | 15th | - | 13th | ||||
Life as a Police Officer and Coach
In 2009, Garrett Swasey became a University of Colorado Colorado Springs police officer. While working as an officer, he also continued to coach ice dancing. He coached with Doreen Denny, a British ice dance champion. Denny is also a member of the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame. They coached together at the Sertich Ice Center until Swasey's death.
Personal Life and Legacy
Early Life and Family
Garrett Swasey was born in Boston and grew up in Melrose, Massachusetts. He graduated from Melrose High School in 1989. At the time of his death, Swasey was married to Rachel Swasey. They had two young children. He was also an elder at his church in Colorado Springs.
Tragic Death and Public Response
Garrett Swasey was killed while on duty on November 27, 2015. He was 44 years old. Following his death, President Barack Obama praised Swasey. He said, "May God bless Officer Garrett Swasey and the Americans he tried to save." Robert J. Dolan, the Mayor of Melrose and Swasey's former schoolmate, also spoke. He said that Swasey "made a real mark on the people that he met in this small town. He was so dedicated to his church and his community."
Funeral and Memorials
Swasey's funeral took place on December 4, 2015. Thousands of people attended, and the service was streamed live. Speakers included Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers, and University of Colorado Colorado Springs Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak.
To honor his memory, U.S. Figure Skating created the Garrett Swasey Memorial Trophy. This trophy is awarded to the juvenile dance competition champions at the Midwestern Sectional Figure Skating Championships. The first winners of this trophy were Elliana and Ethan Peal.
Garrett's widow, Rachel Swasey, worked to create a fund for first responders who are killed or injured on duty. A bill for this fund was passed by the Colorado House of Representatives in May 2018. After Swasey's death, donors also helped provide protective gear to the UCCS Police Department.
