Simon Shnapir

Simon Shnapir (born August 20, 1987) is an American former competitive pair skater. With Marissa Castelli, he is the 2013 Four Continents bronze medalist, the 2009 World Junior bronze medalist, and a two-time U.S. national champion (2013 & 2014). The pair won a bronze medal in the team event at the 2014 Winter Olympics. After their split in May 2014, Shnapir teamed up with DeeDee Leng and competed in the 2014–15 season.

Simon Shnapir
Castelli and Shnapir atop the medal podium at the 2013 U.S. Championships
Personal information
Country representedUnited States
Born (1987-08-20) August 20, 1987
Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Home townSudbury, Massachusetts
Height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
PartnerDeeDee Leng, Marissa Castelli, Tanya Aziz, Courtney Gill
CoachRobert Martin, Carrie Wall, Mark Mitchell
ChoreographerJulie Marcotte, Sheryl Franks, Carrie Wall, Robert Martin
Skating clubSC of Boston
Training locationsBoston
Began skating1993
RetiredJune 30, 2015
ISU personal best scores
Combined total187.82
2014 Winter Olympics
Short program67.44
2014 Winter Olympics
Free skate120.38
2014 Winter Olympics
Medal record
Representing  United States
Figure skating: Pairs
Olympic Games
2014 SochiTeam
Four Continents Championships
2013 OsakaPairs
World Junior Championships
2009 SofiaPairs

Personal life

Shnapir was born to Jewish parents, both chemical engineering graduates, in Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union.[1] He arrived in the United States with his family when he was 16 months old.[2] After living in Brighton, Boston for a few years, the family moved to Sudbury, Massachusetts.[1]

Shnapir graduated from Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School in 2005, and went on to major in marketing at Emerson College.[3][4]

Career

Shnapir began learning to skate in 1993.[5] Early in his pairs career, he skated with Tanya Aziz and Courtney Gill. Bobby Martin became his coach in around 2000.[6]

Partnership with Castelli

Shnapir and Marissa Castelli teamed up in April 2006 and began training together in earnest in June.[2][7] They trained in Boston, coached by Bobby Martin, Carrie Wall (technical), Mark Mitchell (in-betweens, polishing), and Peter Johansson (throws).[3] Castelli broke Shnapir's nose once while they were practicing the twist.[8]

Castelli/Shnapir qualified for the 2008 Junior Grand Prix Final and placed sixth. The pair won the bronze medal at the 2009 World Junior Championships.

In the 2009–10 season, Castelli was off the ice for a month after a collision with an Italian skater resulting in 15 stitches to her inner thigh.[7] The pair placed tenth on the senior level at the 2010 U.S. Championships and were sent to the 2010 Four Continents Championships where they also finished tenth.

In 2012, Castelli/Shnapir split up for a month but decided to recommit to their partnership.[9] They won gold at the 2012 Ice Challenge and then won bronze, their first Grand Prix medal, at the 2012 NHK Trophy.[10] They won their first national title at the 2013 U.S. Championships.[9] They were assigned to the 2013 Four Continents and won the bronze medal.

Castelli/Shnapir won their second national title at the 2014 U.S. Championships and were named in the U.S. team to the 2014 Winter Olympics, held in February in Sochi, Russia. They won a bronze medal in the team event and placed 9th in the pairs event. In March, Castelli/Shnapir finished 11th at the 2014 World Championships in Saitama, Japan. They announced the end of their partnership on May 7, 2014.[11][12]

Partnership with Leng

On May 28, 2014, the Associated Press reported that Shnapir had teamed up with DeeDee Leng.[13] They were coached by Bobby Martin and Carrie Wall at the Skating Club of Boston.[6] For the 2014-2015 Grand Prix season, they were assigned to Rostelecom Cup and NHK Trophy.[14] After having placed 6th and 8th at these competitions, respectively, Leng and Shnapir placed 8th at the 2015 U.S. Championships.[15]

In April 2015, Leng suffered a season-ending concussion during a practice session.[16] On June 30, 2015, Shnapir announced his retirement from competitions.[17] In November 2016, he became the director of the high performance program at the Skating Club of Boston.[18]

Programs

With Leng
Season Short program Free skating
2014–2015
[5]

With Castelli
Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
2013–2014
[19]
2012–2013
[20][21]
  • Payadora
    by Julian Plaza
    choreo. by Julie Marcotte
2011–2012
[22]
2010–2011
[23]
  • Money
    by Pink Floyd
  • For the Love of Money
    by the O'Jays
2009–2010
[7][24]
  • Prelude
  • Quadukka-l-Mayyas
    by Jesse Cook
2008–2009
[25]
2007–2008
[7]
  • Gladiator
    by Hans Zimmer, Lisa Gerrard
2006–2007
[7]
  • Mon Enfant
    by George Winston
  • Salome
    by Richard Strauss

Competitive highlights

GP: Grand Prix; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

With Leng
International[15]
Event 2014–15
GP NHK Trophy6th
GP Rostelecom Cup8th
National[26]
U.S. Championships8th

With Castelli
International[27]
Event 06–07 07–08 08–09 09–10 10–11 11–12 12–13 13–14
Olympics9th
Worlds13th11th
Four Continents10th3rd
GP Bompard7th
GP NHK Trophy7th3rd4th
GP Skate America6th5th6th
GP Skate Canada4th
Ice Challenge1st
Nepela Memorial4th
U.S. Classic4th
International: Junior[27]
Junior Worlds3rd
JGP Final6th
JGP Czech Rep.4th
JGP Estonia10th
JGP United Kingdom4th
National[7]
U.S. Champ.9th N3rd N3rd J10th5th5th1st1st
East. Sectionals4th N1st N1st
Team events
Olympics3rd
World Team
Trophy		1st T
5th P
Levels: N = Novice; J = Junior
T = Team result; P = Personal result; Medals awarded for team result only.

See also

References
  1. Cohen, Rachel (January 30, 2014). "US Olympic pairs skater Shnapir returns to Russia". Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 20, 2015.
  2. Mittan, Barry (January 8, 2009). "Castelli and Shnapir Top U.S. Pairs in Junior Grand Prix series". SkateToday. Retrieved July 30, 2011.
  3. Walker, Elvin (January 3, 2013). "Door wide open for Castelli and Shnapir". Golden Skate.
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-03-06. Retrieved 2014-03-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "Dee Dee LENG / Simon SHNAPIR: 2014/2015". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 20, 2015.
  6. Brannen, Sarah S. (June 4, 2014). "Leng, Shnapir set sights on 2018 Olympic Games". IceNetwork.com.
  7. "Marissa Castelli / Simon Shnapir". IceNetwork.com. Archived from the original on September 8, 2014.
    • "Archived copy". Archived from the original on February 11, 2009. Retrieved 2012-05-28.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
    • "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 17, 2008. Retrieved 2014-02-10.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. Schwartz, Jason (January 2014). "Q&A: Simon Shnapir & Marissa Castelli". Boston Magazine.
  9. Clarke, Liz (January 26, 2013). "U.S. Figure Skating Championships: Simon Shnapir and Marissa Castelli win pairs; Maryl Davis and Charlie White dominate ice dancing". Washington Post.
  10. Pave, Martin (December 6, 2012). "Figure skaters Shnapir and Castelli having a breakout season". Boston Globe.
  11. "Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir End Partnership". U.S. Figure Skating. May 7, 2014.
  12. Rosewater, Amy (May 8, 2014). "Castelli, Shnapir get off 'emotional roller coaster'". IceNetwork.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  13. "Leng joins Olympian Shnapir as pair". Associated Press. May 28, 2014.
  14. "2014-15 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating - Pairs" (PDF). July 22, 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 22, 2014.
  15. "Competition Results: Dee Dee LENG / Simon SHNAPIR". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015.
  16. Rosewater, Amy (February 8, 2016). "Concussions in figure skating: How to treat them". IceNetwork.com.
  17. "Two-time U.S. pairs champion Shnapir retires" (Press release). U.S. Figure Skating. June 30, 2015.
  18. Elfman, Lois (February 23, 2017). "Shnapir brings high performance program to SCOB". IceNetwork.com.
  19. "Marissa CASTELLI / Simon SHNAPIR: 2013/2014". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 8, 2014.
  20. "Marissa CASTELLI / Simon SHNAPIR: 2012/2013". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 20, 2013.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  21. Rutherford, Lynn (January 15, 2013). "Road to Omaha: Door open for Castelli, Shnapir". IceNetwork.com.
  22. "Marissa CASTELLI / Simon SHNAPIR: 2011/2012". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 19, 2012.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  23. "Marissa CASTELLI / Simon SHNAPIR: 2010/2011". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on August 16, 2011.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  24. "Marissa CASTELLI / Simon SHNAPIR: 2009/2010". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on October 20, 2009.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  25. "Marissa CASTELLI / Simon SHNAPIR: 2008/2009". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 1, 2009.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  26. "Dee Dee Leng & Simon Shnapir". IceNetwork.com. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016.
  27. "Competition Results: Marissa CASTELLI / Simon SHNAPIR". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 8, 2014.

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