Simon Shnapir facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Simon Shnapir
Castelli and Shnapir atop the medal podium at the 2013 U.S. Championships
Personal information
Country represented	United States
Born	(1987-08-20) August 20, 1987 (age 37) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Home town	Sudbury, Massachusetts
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Partner	DeeDee Leng, Marissa Castelli, Tanya Aziz, Courtney Gill
Coach	Robert Martin, Carrie Wall, Mark Mitchell
Choreographer	Julie Marcotte, Sheryl Franks, Carrie Wall, Robert Martin
Skating club	SC of Boston
Training locations	Boston
Began skating	1993
Retired	June 30, 2015
ISU personal best scores
Combined total	187.82 2014 Winter Olympics
Short program	67.44 2014 Winter Olympics
Free skate	120.38 2014 Winter Olympics

Simon Shnapir (born August 20, 1987) is an American former figure skater who competed in pair skating. With his partner Marissa Castelli, he won several important medals. They earned a bronze medal at the 2013 Four Continents Championships. They also won a bronze medal at the 2009 World Junior Championships. Simon and Marissa were also two-time U.S. national champions in 2013 and 2014.

The pair also won a bronze medal in the team event at the 2014 Winter Olympics. After their partnership ended in May 2014, Simon teamed up with DeeDee Leng. They competed together during the 2014–15 skating season.

Simon Shnapir's Early Life

Simon Shnapir was born on August 20, 1987, in Moscow, which was then part of the Soviet Union. His parents were both chemical engineers. When he was about 16 months old, Simon and his family moved to the United States. They first lived in Brighton, Boston for a few years. Later, they moved to Sudbury, Massachusetts.

Simon finished high school at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School in 2005. After that, he studied marketing at Emerson College.

Simon Shnapir's Skating Career

Simon Shnapir started learning to skate in 1993. When he first began his career in pair skating, he skated with partners named Tanya Aziz and Courtney Gill. Around the year 2000, Bobby Martin became his coach.

Skating with Marissa Castelli

Simon Shnapir and Marissa Castelli became skating partners in April 2006. They started training seriously together in June of that year. They trained in Boston with several coaches. Bobby Martin was their main coach. Carrie Wall helped with technical skills, and Mark Mitchell worked on their in-between moves and polishing their routines. Peter Johansson helped them with their throws. Once, Marissa accidentally broke Simon's nose while they were practicing a twist lift.

In the 2008–09 season, Castelli and Shnapir made it to the Junior Grand Prix Final, where they finished in sixth place. They also won a bronze medal at the 2009 World Junior Championships.

During the 2009–10 season, Marissa Castelli had to take a month off from skating. This happened after she had a collision with an Italian skater. She needed 15 stitches on her inner thigh. The pair placed tenth at the senior level at the 2010 U.S. Championships. They also finished tenth at the 2010 Four Continents Championships.

In 2012, Castelli and Shnapir actually split up for a month. However, they decided to get back together and continue their partnership. They won a gold medal at the 2012 Ice Challenge competition. Then, they earned their first Grand Prix medal, a bronze, at the 2012 NHK Trophy. They achieved their first national title at the 2013 U.S. Championships. After that, they were sent to the 2013 Four Continents Championships, where they won another bronze medal.

Castelli and Shnapir won their second national title at the 2014 U.S. Championships. This win helped them get a spot on the U.S. team for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. At the Olympics, they won a bronze medal in the team event. They finished 9th in the pairs event. In March, Castelli and Shnapir placed 11th at the 2014 World Championships in Japan. They announced that their partnership was ending on May 7, 2014.

Skating with DeeDee Leng

On May 28, 2014, it was announced that Simon Shnapir had teamed up with a new partner, DeeDee Leng. They were coached by Bobby Martin and Carrie Wall at the Skating Club of Boston. For the 2014-2015 Grand Prix season, they competed at the Rostelecom Cup and NHK Trophy. They placed 6th at the NHK Trophy and 8th at the Rostelecom Cup. Leng and Shnapir then finished 8th at the 2015 U.S. Championships.

In April 2015, DeeDee Leng had a serious injury during a practice session. She suffered a concussion, which meant she could not skate for the rest of the season. On June 30, 2015, Simon Shnapir announced that he was retiring from competitive skating. In November 2016, he became the director of the high performance program at the Skating Club of Boston.

Competitive Highlights

Simon Shnapir competed in many events. Here are some of his main results:

With DeeDee Leng

With Marissa Castelli

See also

In Spanish: Simon Shnapir para niños

• List of select Jewish figure skaters
• List of Jewish Olympic medalists