2011 Coach of the Year

[ljaeren]

The United States Figure Skating Association has posted the nominees for 2011 Coach of the year. Which coach do you think is most deserving?

• Carla DeGirolamo
  Tammy Gambill
  Saga Krantz
  Dalilah Sappenfield
  Yuka Sato and Jason Dungjen
  Igor Shpilband and Marina Zoueva
  Tom Zakrajsek

[dorispulaski]

How can it not be Zueva & Shpilband? The entire World's podium was their students! Plus they also had the 9th place team (C&Z) and Tobias and Stagniunas had a great debut. This is particularly remarkable in dance, since never before had there been an all North American podium. Furthermore, 2 years running, Z&S students have won Worlds. Before V&M's win in 2010, there had never been either a Canadian or American winning team.

Plus they are the absolute exemplars of how to be supportive of their students and of how to maintain a good working environment for all their students, not just the number one team.

[blue_idealist]

How can it not be Zueva & Shpilband? The entire World's podium was their students! Plus they also had the 9th place team (C&Z) and Tobias and Stagniunas had a great debut. This is particularly remarkable in dance, since never before had there been an all North American podium. Furthermore, 2 years running, Z&S students have won Worlds. Before V&M's win in 2010, there had never been either a Canadian or American winning team.

Plus they are the absolute exemplars of how to be supportive of their students and of how to maintain a good working environment for all their students, not just the number one team.

Yeah, exactly, although I really like Sato and Dungjen too.

[dorispulaski]

Well, there is next year for Sato/Dungjen.
And while Alissa did great, Jeremy should not have finished 4th at US Nationals. So yes, this year, I'd give it to Z&S.

The clincher is the great senior debut of the Shibutanis with a bronze medal at Worlds. Plus Lichtman & Copley won the bronze at Junior Worlds. And D&W won the GPF (only 2nd time for a US couple, and they won it for the first time last year) & won 4CC's. In fact, what else could they have done this year?

[ImaginaryPogue]

How can it not be Zueva & Shpilband? The entire World's podium was their students! Plus they also had the 9th place team (C&Z) and Tobias and Stagniunas had a great debut. This is particularly remarkable in dance, since never before had there been an all North American podium. Furthermore, 2 years running, Z&S students have won Worlds. Before V&M's win in 2010, there had never been either a Canadian or American winning team.
Plus they are the absolute exemplars of how to be supportive of their students and of how to maintain a good working environment for all their students, not just the number one team.

Bourne/Kraatz won in 2003.

Point still stands, though.

[dorispulaski]

True-Somehow I had erased the win of B&K from my memory banks, since I completely hated their FD, and the the best OD for me was Denkova/Staviski's Baroque (of course, the judges didn't agree).

[mikiandorocks]

True-Somehow I had erased the win of B&K from my memory banks, since I completely hated their FD, and the the best OD for me was Denkova/Staviski's Baroque (of course, the judges didn't agree).

I agree. Eventhough I've always been a fan of B&k, they got their gold medal precisely in the year I found them boring. Go figure. lol

In what concerns the poll, my vote goes to Igor and Marina. For me it's just to obvious