Igor Shpilband Figure skating coach working in the USA. Date of Birth: 01.07.1964 Country: USA

1. Biography of Igor Shpilband
2. Early Career
3. Transition to Coaching
4. Coaching Success
5. Current Work
6. Personal Life

Biography of Igor Shpilband

Igor Shpilband is a figure skating coach currently based in the United States. He was born in the Soviet Union and was a highly accomplished figure skater himself, competing in ice dancing. Shpilband achieved the title of Master of Sports of the USSR in international class.

Early Career

Shpilband began his figure skating journey at the CSKA school in the Soviet Union. He formed a partnership with Tatiana Gladkova and together they achieved great success. They finished second in the World Junior Championships in 1982 and went on to win the championship in 1983. Shpilband and Gladkova were among the last students of the renowned coach Lyudmila Pakhomova.

Transition to Coaching

After Pakhomova's untimely death in 1986, Shpilband made the decision to retire from competitive skating. He then joined the newly established ice theater "Vse Zvyozdy" (All Stars) by Tatiana Tarasova. In 1990, Shpilband and his wife Veronika Pershina, who was also a figure skater, along with Gocha Sur and Elena Krykanova, left their hotel in New York City during a tour and never returned. They eventually settled in Detroit, where Shpilband began his coaching career.

Coaching Success

Shpilband's first notable pair of skaters were Elizabeth Punsalan and Jerod Swallow, who became multiple-time U.S. champions. He then teamed up with Marina Zueva to coach Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto, who went on to become champions at the World Junior Championships in 2002 and won a silver medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. In 2008, Belbin and Agosto decided to end their collaboration with Shpilband and Zueva and joined the coaching team of Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov.

Current Work

Currently, Shpilband and Zueva coach a majority of the top North American figure skaters. Their students include Canadian champions and multiple-time world medalists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, U.S. champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White, junior world medalists Madison Chock and Greg Zuerlein, and siblings Maia and Alex Shibutani. They also work with skaters from various other countries.

Personal Life

Shpilband was previously married to Veronika Pershina, who was also a figure skater. They later divorced. Their daughter, Ekaterina Shpilband, is also a figure skater and has competed at the junior level, finishing fourth at the 2009 U.S. Junior Championships.