Jenna McCorkell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jenna McCorkell
McCorkell in 2012
Personal information
Country represented	Great Britain
Born	(1986-09-15) 15 September 1986 (age 38) Coleraine, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland
Coach	Simon Briggs, Debbie Briggs, Yuri Bureiko, Silvie De Rijcke, Vera Vandecaveye, Marina Serova, Margaret O'Neill
Choreographer	Mark Hanretty, Lorna Brown, Yuri Bureiko
Skating club	Liedekerke
Training locations	Ninove, Belgium Dundee
Began skating	1994
Retired	29 March 2014
ISU personal best scores
Combined total	150.90 2010 Worlds
Short program	53.80 2010 Europeans
Free skate	98.78 2010 Worlds

Jenna McCorkell is a talented former figure skater from Northern Ireland. She was born on September 15, 1986. Jenna became a champion in British national skating eleven times. She also won seven international medals during her senior career.

Some of her biggest wins include gold medals at the Ondrej Nepela Memorial and Ice Challenge events. She achieved impressive results at major competitions. She finished eighth at the European Championships in 2008. At the World Championships, she placed 14th twice, in 2010 and 2012. Jenna also represented her country at two Winter Olympic Games. She competed in both the 2010 and 2014 Olympics.

About Jenna's Life

Jenna McCorkell was born in Coleraine, a town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. She grew up there and later started a family.

In May 2008, Jenna married fellow skater Kevin van der Perren from Belgium. They now live in Coleraine, Northern Ireland. The couple welcomed their son, Ben, in 2019.

Jenna's Skating Journey

Jenna McCorkell started her skating career with great dedication. She trained hard to become a top figure skater.

Early Training and Junior Years

In her early career, Jenna trained in Belfast. Her coaches were Margaret McAllister and Yuri Bureiko. She stayed there until the 2001–02 skating season.

For the 2002–03 season, Jenna moved to Coventry. There, she continued to be coached by Yuri Bureiko. She competed three times at the World Junior Championships. Her best result was 11th place in 2003.

Jenna also made her debut in senior competitions in 2003. She competed at both the World and European Championships that year.

Moving to Belgium and Career Highs

After the 2005–06 season, Jenna made another big move. She went to Liedekerke, Belgium, to train. Her coach there was Vera Vandecaveye.

In 2008, Jenna achieved her best result at the European Championships. She finished in an impressive 8th place. After this season, she started working with Juri Bureiko again. Silvie De Rijcke also coached her.

Jenna's highest finish at the World Championships was 14th place. She achieved this twice, in 2010 and 2012. These were significant achievements in her career.

Later Career and Olympic Appearances

In April 2011, Jenna changed coaches again. She decided to train with Simon Briggs. Her training locations were Ninove, Belgium, and Dundee, Scotland. Towards the end of 2012, Jenna faced a challenge. She suffered a torn abductor muscle, which is a type of injury.

In February 2014, Jenna competed in her second Winter Olympics. The games were held in Sochi, Russia. She placed 25th in the short program. This meant she did not move on to the free skate event.

Later that year, she competed at the 2014 World Figure Skating Championships in Saitama, Japan. Jenna qualified for the free skate. However, she had to withdraw from the competition. This was due to a hamstring injury. Jenna officially retired from competitive skating on March 29, 2014.

Competitive Achievements

GP: Grand Prix; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

2001–present

1996–2000