Jennifer Kirk
| Jennifer Kirk | |
|---|---|
 Kirk in 2003. | |
| Born | August 15, 1984 |
| Height | 1.58 m (5 ft 2 in) |
| Figure skating career | |
| Country |  United States |
| Skating club | SC of Boston |
| Retired | September 7, 2005 |
Jennifer Anne "Jenny" Kirk (born August 15, 1984) is an American figure skater. She is the 2000 World Junior Champion and the 2002 Four Continents Champion.
Early life
Jennifer Kirk was born in Newton, Massachusetts. Prior to skating, she was a gymnast until the age of nine.[1] She also studied ballet and once performed with the Boston Ballet.[2]
Career
Kirk grew interested in skating and began training with coaches Evy and Mary Scotvold at the age of 10,[1] at the Skating Club of Boston. At 15, a piece of bone tore from her pelvis and jutted into her hip flexor.[3]
Kirk won gold at the 2000 World Junior Championships. In 2002, she captured the Four Continents title. After failing to make the U.S. Olympic team in 2002, she moved to the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, California to train with Frank Carroll and Ken Congemi. In addition to single skating, she also briefly dabbled in pair skating with Fedor Andreev in the summer of 2003, describing it as fun but challenging.[1][4]
Kirk won the bronze medal at the 2004 Nationals. She also won bronze at the 2005 Four Continents.
On September 7, 2005, Kirk announced her retirement from competitive figure skating.[5] She moved to Boston, where she worked as a coach, but later returned to Southern California. Kirk's decision to quit competitive skating the year before the Olympics was profiled on Ice Diaries.
Kirk is a member of the US Figure Skating International Committee.
In the Fall of 2012 Kirk established "The Skating Lesson Podcast" with her friend Adult Figure Skater, David Lease. The two interview former/current skaters, coaches, choreographers and skating officials including Debi Thomas, Frank Carroll, Sandra Bezic, Alissa Czisny and Rudy Galindo. Since it's conception, the web-series has garnered a massive following of thousands of figure skating fans with its weekly video interviews.
Personal life
In May 1999, Kirk's mother, Pat Harris, was diagonosed with breast cancer. She died in August 2001. The loss of her mother was one of the reasons Kirk decided to retire. "Although I still love skating very much, my passion and love for the competitive aspect of the sport has dwindled following the death of my mother in 2001 and my nagging hip injuries."[5] In 2009, she revealed her career-long struggle with eating disorders and mentioned that it had been a factor in her decision to retire.[6][7] She also stated that disordered eating was very common among skaters but not enough was being done to address the problem.[8][9]
Results
| International | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999-00 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | 2003–04 | 2004–05 |
| Worlds | WD | 18th | 17th | |||||
| Four Continents | 5th | 1st | 3rd | |||||
| Cup of Russia | 10th | |||||||
| NHK Trophy | 6th | 5th | ||||||
| Skate America | 4th | 2nd | ||||||
| Skate Canada | 6th | |||||||
| Sparkassen | 4th | |||||||
| Trophée Lalique | 3rd | |||||||
| International: Junior | ||||||||
| Junior Worlds | 1st | |||||||
| JGP Final | 2nd | |||||||
| JGP Japan | 1st | |||||||
| JGP Netherlands | 4th | |||||||
| National | ||||||||
| U.S. Champ. | 3rd N. | 3rd J. | 7th | 4th | 5th | 5th | 3rd | 4th |
| Levels: N. = Novice; J. = Junior GP = Grand Prix; JGP = Junior Grand Prix; WD = Withdrew | ||||||||
- At the 2002 World Championships Kirk was 15th before withdrawing, having placed 4th in qualifying group A and 15th in the short program.
Programs
| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–2005 | Chicago by John Kander and Fred Ebb |
Beatles concerto | |
| 2003–2004 | Chicago by John Kander and Fred Ebb |
Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss |
Chicago by John Kander and Fred Ebb |
| 2002–2003 | The Princess Diaries soundtrack by John Debney |
ABBA medley Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss |
"Goodbye's (The Saddest Word)" by Celine Dion |
| 2001–2002 | "Puttin' on the Ritz" by Irving Berlin and "Moonlight Serenade" by Glenn Miller |
Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns |
"Only Hope" by Mandy Moore |
| 2000–2001 | Evita by Andrew Lloyd Webber |
The Nutcracker Suite by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky |
"Colors of the Wind" from Pocahontas by Vanessa L. Williams 1960s medley by The Angels |
| 1999–2000 | Evita by Andrew Lloyd Webber |
Ever After soundtrack by George Fenton |
"Don't Rain on My Parade" by Barbra Streisand "American Pie" by Don McLean |
References
- ^ a b c "Jennifer Kirk: Online Interview". goldenskate.com. November 10, 2003. Retrieved December 23, 2010.
- ^ Mittan, Barry (January 9, 2003). "Jennifer Kirk: Gymnastics Background Strengthens Kirk's Skating". GoldenSkate. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
- ^ Kirk, Jennifer (June 27, 2009). "Preventing Pain in Figure Skating". True/Slant.
- ^ Brannen, Sarah S.; Meekins, Drew (October 30, 2008). "The Inside Edge with Sarah and Drew". icenetwork.com. Retrieved December 23, 2010.
- ^ a b "2004 U.S. Bronze Medalist Jennifer Kirk Announces Retirement From Competitive Figure Skating". U.S. Figure Skating. September 7, 2005.
- ^ Kirk, Jennifer (July 5, 2009). "Skating's not-so-secret Shame". True/Slant. Retrieved December 23, 2010.
- ^ Kirk, Jennifer (July 8, 2009). "The Aftermath". True/Slant. Retrieved December 23, 2010.
- ^ Coker, Lesleyann (January 20, 2010). "Jenny Kirk on Figure Skating's Eating Disorder Epidemic (Part I)". Huffington Post. Retrieved December 23, 2010.
- ^ Coker, Lesleyann (January 21, 2010). "Jenny Kirk on Figure Skating's Eating Disorder Epidemic (Part II)". Huffington Post. Retrieved December 23, 2010.
External links
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