AmericanPair SkaterMedalistCoach

John Zimmerman (figure skater)

American pair skater and coach John Zimmerman was a 2002 World bronze medalist and three-time U.S. national champion, later suspended by SafeSport in 2021.

1. Early Life and Background

John Zimmerman was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on November 26, 1973. He has two older sisters. His involvement in figure skating began at an early age; he started skating at a mall when he was three years old, setting the foundation for his future career in the sport.

2. Personal Life

Zimmerman is married to Italian-American former competitive skater Silvia Fontana. They were married on August 28, 2003. The couple has two daughters; their first daughter was born on April 2, 2012, at Northwest Medical Center in Coconut Creek, Florida, and their second daughter was born on June 2, 2013. The family resides in Hackensack, New Jersey. Zimmerman's height is 6.0 ft (1.83 m).

Zimmerman in 2018
Zimmerman in 2018

3. Professional Career

John Zimmerman's professional journey spans a significant competitive career with multiple partners, followed by extensive post-retirement activities including television appearances, expert commentary, and a successful coaching tenure.

3.1. Early Partnerships

Zimmerman's competitive skating career began with early partnerships. For the 1994-1995 season, he briefly partnered with Brie Teaboldt. Following this, he teamed up with Stephanie Stiegler, a partnership that lasted from 1995 to 1998. During their collaboration, they were coached by Peter Oppegard and achieved a bronze medal at the 1997 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Their partnership concluded in 1998 due to injuries.

3.2. Partnership with Kyoko Ina

In 1998, Zimmerman formed a highly successful partnership with Kyoko Ina. Initially, they were coached by Peter Burrows and Mary Lynn Gelderman, training in Monsey, New York, and also commuted to Stamford, Connecticut, to work with renowned coaches Tamara Moskvina. Later, they primarily trained under Moskvina and Igor Moskvin in Hackensack, New Jersey. Ina and Zimmerman became a dominant force in American pair skating, winning three consecutive U.S. national titles from 2000 to 2002. Their international achievements include a silver medal at the 2000 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships and a bronze medal at the 2001 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships. The pinnacle of their competitive career was winning the bronze medal at the 2002 World Figure Skating Championships. They also competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, finishing in fifth place.

3.3. Post-Competitive Activities and Coaching

After the 2002 Winter Olympics, Ina and Zimmerman retired from competitive skating in 2003 and transitioned to professional skating, joining the renowned ice show "Stars on Ice".

Zimmerman's post-competitive career extended into television and expert commentary roles. In January 2006, he participated in the FOX television program "Skating with Celebrities", where he was partnered with FOX broadcaster Jillian Barberie. They finished in second place. Following this, he was featured as Yahoo's special guest expert correspondent for figure skating at the 2006 Winter Olympics held in Turin, Italy. On March 19, 2010, he competed in an ABC skating series titled "Thin Ice", partnering with world champion Canadian ice dancer Shae-Lynn Bourne. They secured second place, earning a prize of 50.00 K USD after performing to "Closer" by Ne-Yo and "Poker Face]] by Lady Gaga.

Zimmerman also embarked on an extensive coaching career alongside his wife, Silvia Fontana. They initially coached at Panthers Ice Den in Coral Springs, Florida, and later moved to AdventHealth Center Ice in Wesley Chapel, Florida. He has coached several notable pairs, including Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier (from autumn 2012 to February 2015, and again since 2018), and Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres (starting in June 2016).

4. Competitive Programs and Results

This section provides details on the competitive programs performed by John Zimmerman with Kyoko Ina, followed by a comprehensive overview of his competitive results across his various partnerships.

4.1. Programs

(with Ina)

4.2. Detailed Results

GP: Champions Series / Grand Prix

With Kyoko Ina

Ina and Zimmerman performing a
Ina and Zimmerman performing a "detroiter" lift.
SeasonShort programFree skating
2001-02
  • Shine On You Crazy Diamond
    by Roger Waters, Pink Floyd

>

  • Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
    by Sergei Rachmaninov

|-

2000-01
  • Truman Show

>

  • Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
    by Sergei Rachmaninov

|}

International
Event1998-991999-20002000-012001-02
Olympics5th
Worlds9th7th7th3rd
Four Continents2nd3rd
GP Final5th4th
GP Cup of Russia3rd4th
GP Lalique2nd4th3rd2nd
GP Skate America5th5th4th2nd
GP Skate Canada2nd
GP Sparkassen Cup on Ice2nd
National
U.S. Champ.2nd1st1st1st



With Stephanie Stiegler

International
Event1995-961996-97
World Championships15th
GP Trophée Lalique6th
GP Skate America3rd
National
U.S. Championships4th3rd



With Brie Teaboldt

Event1994-95
U.S. Championships12th

5. Controversies and Disciplinary Actions

In December 2019, John Zimmerman, along with his wife Silvia Fontana and fellow coach Vinny Dispenza, became subjects of a United States Center for SafeSport investigation. The investigation centered on accusations that they had engaged in tactics to cover up alleged sexual abuse committed by their coached athlete, Morgan Cipres, through intimidation.

In March 2021, SafeSport issued a two-year suspension to Zimmerman, accompanied by an additional year of probation. The disciplinary action was based on findings of abuse of process, emotional misconduct, and his failure to report sexual abuse involving a 13-year-old individual whom he was coaching. As a result of this suspension, Zimmerman was barred from participating in any skating events sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating or the Olympic committee, and he was prohibited from accessing any facilities operated by these organizations.