Derek Trent
Encyclopedia
Derek Trent is an American
retired competitive skater pair skater
. He competed for most of his career with Tiffany Vise
. On November 17, 2007, Vise and Trent landed the first clean throw quadruple salchow jump
in international competition. They officially became the first team to perform that element in international competition.
Because Vise spun and jumped in the clockwise direction and Trent in the counter-clockwise direction, they were a mirror pair
.
On April 30, 2009, Trent announced his retirement from competitive figure skating.
. He began skating at age eight and moved to Colorado Springs at age ten in order to train.
Trent graduated from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
in 2002 with a degree in business with a minor in Spanish. He currently attends the MBA program at that university. Trent works as a coach. He is certified as a judge on the national level.
Trent speaks fluent Spanish.
with Eve Chalom
, with whom he competed on the Intermediate level and won the bronze medal at Junior Nationals in 1993. He also competed at Junior Nationals with his sister Kelli Trent, also in ice dancing. Derek Trent also briefly competed as a single skater.
Trent began pair skating as a teenager and was coached by Irina Vorobieva
. He competed on the novice and junior levels with Katie Gadkowski, winning the Novice pewter in 1998 and the Junior pewter in 1999. He then competed with Brandilyn Sandoval, with whom he won the bronze medal on the junior level at the 2001 Nationals. When that partnership broke up, he skated with former-singles skater Stacey Pensgen
. They placed 14th at the 2003 U.S. Championships
and split shortly thereafter.
Trent teamed up with Tiffany Vise
in the summer of 2003. They had skated for years at the same rink and her partnership had ended at the same time. Because they were both partnerless, they tried out together, despite the fact that they rotate in opposite directions, which is usually a partnership-killer. Very few teams at the highest level rotate in opposite directions because it makes elements like pair spins and twists much more difficult, due to the fact that one partner will have to "force" him- or herself to rotate in the "wrong" direction in order to complete the element (Vise spinned his way on twist lifts). They represented the Broadmoor Skating Club
.
Vise and Trent won the bronze medal at their first major event together, the Golden Spin of Zagreb. Beginning in the 2006/2007 season, Vise and Trent began attempting the throw quadruple salchow
in competition. They were credited for the element at the 2006 Skate Canada International
, but not with landing it, because it was fully rotated but not landed successfully.
They began the 2007–2008 season at Skate Canada, where they placed 5th. They went on to the 2007 Trophée Eric Bompard, where they successfully landed a throw quadruple salchow in their free skate, becoming the first pair team to ever perform that element in international competition.
(with Pensgen)
(with Sandoval)
(with Gadkowski)
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
retired competitive skater pair skater
Pair skating
Pair skating is a figure skating discipline. International Skating Union regulations describe pair teams as consisting of "one lady and one man." The sport is distinguished from ice dancing and single skating by elements unique to pair skating, including overhead lifts, twist lifts, death spirals,...
. He competed for most of his career with Tiffany Vise
Tiffany Vise
Tiffany Vise is an American pair skater. Between 2003 and 2009, she competed with partner Derek Trent. On November 17, 2007, Vise & Trent landed the first clean throw quadruple salchow jump in international competition...
. On November 17, 2007, Vise and Trent landed the first clean throw quadruple salchow jump
Salchow jump
The Salchow is a figure skating jump with a takeoff from a back inside edge of one foot. The rotation in the air is made in the direction of the curve of the take-off edge. The landing is made on the back outside edge of the foot opposite the one used for take-off. One or more rotations may be...
in international competition. They officially became the first team to perform that element in international competition.
Because Vise spun and jumped in the clockwise direction and Trent in the counter-clockwise direction, they were a mirror pair
Pair skating
Pair skating is a figure skating discipline. International Skating Union regulations describe pair teams as consisting of "one lady and one man." The sport is distinguished from ice dancing and single skating by elements unique to pair skating, including overhead lifts, twist lifts, death spirals,...
.
On April 30, 2009, Trent announced his retirement from competitive figure skating.
Personal life
Derek Trent was born in Knoxville, TennesseeKnoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
. He began skating at age eight and moved to Colorado Springs at age ten in order to train.
Trent graduated from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
The University of Colorado Colorado Springs is a campus of the University of Colorado system, the state university system of Colorado....
in 2002 with a degree in business with a minor in Spanish. He currently attends the MBA program at that university. Trent works as a coach. He is certified as a judge on the national level.
Trent speaks fluent Spanish.
Career
He originally competed in ice dancingIce dancing
Ice dancing is a form of figure skating which draws from the world of ballroom dancing. It was first competed at the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, but did not become a Winter Olympic Games medal sport until 1976....
with Eve Chalom
Eve Chalom
Eve Chalom was an American figure skater. She twice won the silver medals in ice dance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships with Mathew Gates. Chalom is almost entirely deaf, having lost most of her hearing in both ears after a childhood accident. She received bachelor degrees from the...
, with whom he competed on the Intermediate level and won the bronze medal at Junior Nationals in 1993. He also competed at Junior Nationals with his sister Kelli Trent, also in ice dancing. Derek Trent also briefly competed as a single skater.
Trent began pair skating as a teenager and was coached by Irina Vorobieva
Irina Vorobieva
Irina Nikolayevna Vorobieva is a Russian pair skater who competed for the Soviet Union. With partner and then-husband Igor Lisovsky, she is the 1981 World champion and the 1981 European champion...
. He competed on the novice and junior levels with Katie Gadkowski, winning the Novice pewter in 1998 and the Junior pewter in 1999. He then competed with Brandilyn Sandoval, with whom he won the bronze medal on the junior level at the 2001 Nationals. When that partnership broke up, he skated with former-singles skater Stacey Pensgen
Stacey Pensgen
Stacey Pensgen is a retired American figure skater. She competed in both singles and pairs. She is the 2000 Four Continents silver medalist in singles. Her highest placement at the United States Figure Skating Championships in singles was 6th in 2000. She also competed as a pair skater with Derek...
. They placed 14th at the 2003 U.S. Championships
2003 United States Figure Skating Championships
The U.S. Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition organzied by the United States Figure Skating Association. In addition to determining the national champions, the event was used to determine the U.S. teams for the World Figure Skating Championships, World Junior Figure...
and split shortly thereafter.
Trent teamed up with Tiffany Vise
Tiffany Vise
Tiffany Vise is an American pair skater. Between 2003 and 2009, she competed with partner Derek Trent. On November 17, 2007, Vise & Trent landed the first clean throw quadruple salchow jump in international competition...
in the summer of 2003. They had skated for years at the same rink and her partnership had ended at the same time. Because they were both partnerless, they tried out together, despite the fact that they rotate in opposite directions, which is usually a partnership-killer. Very few teams at the highest level rotate in opposite directions because it makes elements like pair spins and twists much more difficult, due to the fact that one partner will have to "force" him- or herself to rotate in the "wrong" direction in order to complete the element (Vise spinned his way on twist lifts). They represented the Broadmoor Skating Club
Broadmoor Skating Club
The Broadmoor Skating Club is a figure skating club based in Colorado Springs, Colorado that has long been a major training center for the sport of figure skating. Founded in 1939, it was originally known as the Pikes Peak Skating Club, and was based in the Broadmoor World Arena on the grounds of...
.
Vise and Trent won the bronze medal at their first major event together, the Golden Spin of Zagreb. Beginning in the 2006/2007 season, Vise and Trent began attempting the throw quadruple salchow
Salchow jump
The Salchow is a figure skating jump with a takeoff from a back inside edge of one foot. The rotation in the air is made in the direction of the curve of the take-off edge. The landing is made on the back outside edge of the foot opposite the one used for take-off. One or more rotations may be...
in competition. They were credited for the element at the 2006 Skate Canada International
2006 Skate Canada International
The Skate Canada International is an international, senior-level invitation-only figure skating competition. It was the second competition of six of the 2006–2007 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. The location changes yearly...
, but not with landing it, because it was fully rotated but not landed successfully.
They began the 2007–2008 season at Skate Canada, where they placed 5th. They went on to the 2007 Trophée Eric Bompard, where they successfully landed a throw quadruple salchow in their free skate, becoming the first pair team to ever perform that element in international competition.
Programs
| Season | Short program | Free skating |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 - 2008 | Harem by Sarah Brightman Sarah Brightman Sarah Brightman is an English classical crossover soprano, actress, songwriter and dancer. She is famous for possessing a vocal range of over 3 octaves and singing in the whistle register... |
Les Misérables Les Misérables (musical) Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo.... |
| 2006 - 2007 | Shall We Dance? Shall We Dance? (2004 film) Shall We Dance? is a 2004 American film. It is a remake of the award-winning Masayuki Suo 1996 Japanese film, Shall We Dance?. The film made its US premier at the Hawaii International Film Festival.-Plot:... Dance with Me Dance with Me (film) Dance with Me is a 1998 drama film on love and dance directed by Randa Haines and starring Vanessa L. Williams and Puerto Rican singer Chayanne.-Plot:... soundtracks |
Les Misérables Les Misérables (musical) Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo.... |
| 2005 - 2006 | Shall We Dance? Shall We Dance? (2004 film) Shall We Dance? is a 2004 American film. It is a remake of the award-winning Masayuki Suo 1996 Japanese film, Shall We Dance?. The film made its US premier at the Hawaii International Film Festival.-Plot:... Dance with Me Dance with Me (film) Dance with Me is a 1998 drama film on love and dance directed by Randa Haines and starring Vanessa L. Williams and Puerto Rican singer Chayanne.-Plot:... soundtracks |
Quidam Quidam Quidam is the ninth stage show produced by Cirque du Soleil. It premiered in April 1996 and has now been watched by millions of spectators around the world... from Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy... |
| 2004 - 2005 | The Italian Job The Italian Job The Italian Job is a 1969 British caper film, written by Troy Kennedy Martin, produced by Michael Deeley and directed by Peter Collinson. Subsequent television showings and releases on video have established it as an institution in the United Kingdom.... soundtrack |
Quidam Quidam Quidam is the ninth stage show produced by Cirque du Soleil. It premiered in April 1996 and has now been watched by millions of spectators around the world... from Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy... |
| 2003 - 2004 | The Italian Job The Italian Job The Italian Job is a 1969 British caper film, written by Troy Kennedy Martin, produced by Michael Deeley and directed by Peter Collinson. Subsequent television showings and releases on video have established it as an institution in the United Kingdom.... soundtrack |
Nights in White Satin by Moody Blues |
Pairs career
(with Vise)| Event | 2003–04 | 2004–05 | 2005–06 | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2008-09 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Four Continents Championships Four Continents Figure Skating Championships The Four Continents Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition. The International Skating Union established it in 1999 to provide skaters representing non-European countries with a similar competition to the much older European Figure Skating Championships and a chance... |
8th | |||||
| U.S. Championships United States Figure Skating Championships The United States Figure Skating Championships is figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of the United States. The competition is sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating. In the U.S. skating community, the event is often referred to informally as "Nationals".Skaters... |
13th | 9th | 6th | 5th | 4th | 8th |
| Trophée Eric Bompard Trophée Eric Bompard The Trophée Eric Bompard is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. The Trophée Eric Bompard was formerly known as the Trophée Lalique... |
4th | 5th | ||||
| Skate Canada International Skate Canada International The Skate Canada International is an international, senior-level invitation-only figure skating competition organized by Skate Canada. It is the second competition of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. The location changes yearly. Medals are awarded in four disciplines: Ladies' singles, Men's... |
5th | 5th | 5th | |||
| Skate America Skate America Skate America is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. It is organized by the United States Figure Skating Association. The location changes yearly... |
6th | |||||
| Nebelhorn Trophy Nebelhorn Trophy The Nebelhorn Trophy is an international senior-level figure skating competition organized by the Deutsche Eislauf-Union and held annually in Oberstdorf, Germany. The competition is named after the Nebelhorn, a nearby mountain.... |
5th | |||||
| Karl Schafer Memorial Karl Schäfer Memorial The Karl Schäfer Memorial is an annual elite senior-level figure skating competition held in Vienna, Austria. Skaters compete in four disciplines: men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice dance. The competition is named for figure skater Karl Schäfer. The competition is usually held in... |
3rd | |||||
| Golden Spin of Zagreb Golden Spin of Zagreb The Golden Spin of Zagreb is an annual senior-level figure skating competition, held yearly in Zagreb, Croatia. Skaters compete in four disciplines: men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice dancing, although, in some years, not every discipline was included in the program.The 2001... |
3rd | |||||
| Midwestern Sectionals | 2nd | 1st | 1st |
(with Pensgen)
| Event | 2002–2003 |
|---|---|
| U.S. Championships | 14th |
(with Sandoval)
| Event | 2000–2001 |
|---|---|
| U.S. Championships | 3rd J. |
| Junior Grand Prix, China | 5th |
(with Gadkowski)
| Event | 1997–1998 | 1998–1999 |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Championships | 4th N. | 4th J. |
| Junior Grand Prix, Hungary | 10th |
Singles career
| Event | 1995–1996 |
|---|---|
| U.S. Championships | 11th N. |