Igor Shpilband facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Igor Shpilband |
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| Personal information | |
| Full name | Igor Yuryevich Shpilband |
| Former country(ies) represented | Soviet Union |
| Born | July 14, 1964 Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Former partner | Tatiana Gladkova |
| Former coach | Ludmila Pakhomova |
Igor Shpilband, born on July 14, 1964, is a very well-known American coach for ice dancing. He used to be a competitive ice dancer himself, representing the Soviet Union. He even won the 1983 World Junior Figure Skating Championships with his partner, Tatiana Gladkova.
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About Igor Shpilband's Life
Igor Shpilband was born in Moscow on July 14, 1964. In 1990, Igor was on a tour in the U.S. with other Soviet skaters. Some of them, including Igor, decided to stay in the United States.
Soon after, Igor started coaching in Detroit. He became a U.S. citizen in 2000. He has a son, Maxim, and a daughter, Ekaterina, who is also a figure skater for the United States.
Igor Shpilband's Skating and Coaching Journey
Early Skating Career
Igor Shpilband was coached by Lyudmila Pakhomova from when he was 12 until he was 20 years old. With his skating partner, Tatiana Gladkova, he won a silver medal at the 1982 World Junior Championships. The next year, in 1983, they won the gold medal! Igor stopped competing in skating after his coach, Lyudmila Pakhomova, passed away in 1986.
Becoming a Coach
After moving to the United States, Igor began working as a coach and choreographer at the Detroit Skating Club. Some of his first students were Elizabeth Punsalan and Jerod Swallow. Igor also worked with British coach Elizabeth Coates for a while. In 2001, he started coaching with Marina Zueva.
In 2003, Igor began coaching at the Arctic Edge Arena in Canton, Michigan. In 2012, he moved his training site to the Novi Ice Arena in Novi, Michigan. Many top ice dancers chose to train with him there. For example, Madison Chock and Evan Bates joined him in Novi.
Skaters Coached by Igor Shpilband
Igor Shpilband has coached many talented ice dancers throughout his career. Some of the skaters he is currently coaching include:
- Yura Min / Daniel Eaton
- Eva Pate / Logan Bye
- Robynne Tweedale / Joseph Buckland
He has also coached many other famous skaters, such as:
- Tanith Belbin White / Benjamin Agosto
- Anna Cappellini / Luca Lanotte
- Madison Chock / Evan Bates
- Meryl Davis / Charlie White
- Margarita Drobiazko / Povilas Vanagas
- Naomi Lang / Peter Tchernyshev
- Nathalie Pechalat / Fabian Bourzat
- Elizabeth Punsalan / Jerod Swallow
- Maia Shibutani / Alex Shibutani
- Tessa Virtue / Scott Moir
- Katarina Wolfkostin / Jeffrey Chen
- Diana Davis / Gleb Smolkin
Competitive Achievements
Here are the main achievements Igor Shpilband had with his partner, Tatiana Gladkova:
| Event | 1981–82 | 1982–83 | 1983–84 |
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| World Junior Champ. | 2nd | 1st | |
| Golden Spin of Zagreb | 2nd |
