Naomi Nari Nam
Encyclopedia
Naomi Nari Nam is an American
figure skater
who competed in both single skating
and pair skating
. As a single skater, she is the 1999 U.S. silver medalist. As a pair skater, she is the 2007 U.S. bronze medalist
with Themistocles Leftheris
.
and fluent in Korean.
Following her silver medal win at the 1999 U.S. Championships, Nam had endorsements in South Korea
and appeared on the Tonight Show With Jay Leno.
In August 2010 she married Tyler Poor; the couple has one son, Aiden Zachary Poor, born in March 2011.
In the 1997-1998 season, Nam won the pewter medal on the junior level at the 1998 U.S. Figure skating Championships.
In the 1998-1999 season, Nam won the silver medal at the 1999 U.S. Figure Skating Championships behind Michelle Kwan
. Although this medal would under normal circumstances have qualified Nam for the team to the World Championships, Nam was not eligible to be sent because she was not old enough. Sarah Hughes
, who had placed 4th at Nationals, was sent in her stead. Hughes was also not age-eligible for Worlds, but was allowed to compete at the World Championships because she had won a medal at the 1999 World Junior Figure Skating Championships
. Nam could not get this exemption because she had not competed at the 1999 World Junior Championships. 1999 was the last year that the U.S. Figure Skating Championships were held after the World Junior Championships.
In the 1999-2000 season, Nam competed on the ISU Junior Grand Prix
. She won a silver medal at the event in Canada and placed 7th at the event in Japan. She did not qualify for the Junior Grand prix Final. At the 2000 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, she placed 8th and was not sent to the World Junior Championships.
Nam suffered from a stress fracture in her hip, hampering her singles career. She withdrew from the 2001 U.S. Figure Skating Championships with injury.
In 2003, following hip surgery
, she won the Southwest Pacific Regional title but placed 5th at the Pacific Coast Sectionals. She failed to qualify for the 2004 U.S. Nationals.
with Themi Leftheris. After winning both the Regional and Pacific Coast Sectional, the pair placed 5th at the 2006 United States Figure Skating Championships.
In the 2006-2007 season, Nam and Leftheris won the bronze medal at the 2006 Skate America
event. They won the bronze medal at the 2007 U.S. Figure Skating Championships behind Rena Inoue
and John Baldwin and Brooke Castile
and Benjamin Okolski
. They went on to the 2007 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships
and placed 6th.
In the 2007-2008 season, they withdrew from their Grand Prix events with injury. They placed 7th at the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
Naomi Nari Nam announced her retirement from competitive skating on October 10, 2008, citing her recurrent hip injury.
(with Leftheris)
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
figure skater
Figure skating
Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
who competed in both single skating
Single skating
Single skating is a discipline of figure skating, wherein a single person skates alone. Men's singles and ladies' singles are both Olympic disciplines and are both governed by the International Skating Union. The other Olympic figure skating events are pair skating and ice dancing...
and pair skating
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,...
. As a single skater, she is the 1999 U.S. silver medalist. As a pair skater, she is the 2007 U.S. bronze medalist
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...
with Themistocles Leftheris
Themistocles Leftheris
Themistocles Nicholas "Themi" Leftheris , is an American pair skater. With former partner Naomi Nari Nam, he is the 2007 U.S. bronze medalist.-Career:Leftheris began skating at age 12....
.
Personal life
Naomi Nari Nam was born in 1985 in California. She is Korean AmericanKorean American
Korean Americans are Americans of Korean descent, mostly from South Korea, with a small minority from North Korea...
and fluent in Korean.
Following her silver medal win at the 1999 U.S. Championships, Nam had endorsements in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
and appeared on the Tonight Show With Jay Leno.
In August 2010 she married Tyler Poor; the couple has one son, Aiden Zachary Poor, born in March 2011.
Singles career
Nam won the 1997 U.S. Figure Skating Championships on the novice level.In the 1997-1998 season, Nam won the pewter medal on the junior level at the 1998 U.S. Figure skating Championships.
In the 1998-1999 season, Nam won the silver medal at the 1999 U.S. Figure Skating Championships behind Michelle Kwan
Michelle Kwan
Michelle Wingshan Kwan is an American figure skater. She is a two-time Olympic medalist, a five-time World champion and a nine-time U.S...
. Although this medal would under normal circumstances have qualified Nam for the team to the World Championships, Nam was not eligible to be sent because she was not old enough. Sarah Hughes
Sarah Hughes
Sarah Elizabeth Hughes is an American figure skater. She is the 2002 Olympic gold medalist and 2001 World bronze medalist in ladies singles.-Personal life:...
, who had placed 4th at Nationals, was sent in her stead. Hughes was also not age-eligible for Worlds, but was allowed to compete at the World Championships because she had won a medal at the 1999 World Junior Figure Skating Championships
1999 World Junior Figure Skating Championships
The World Junior Figure Skating Championships is an annual event sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which younger figure skaters compete for the title of World Junior Champion. The 1999 competition took place between November 21 and November 29, 1998 in Zagreb, Croatia...
. Nam could not get this exemption because she had not competed at the 1999 World Junior Championships. 1999 was the last year that the U.S. Figure Skating Championships were held after the World Junior Championships.
In the 1999-2000 season, Nam competed on the ISU Junior Grand Prix
ISU Junior Grand Prix
The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating is a series of international invitational junior level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Junior figure skaters compete in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing...
. She won a silver medal at the event in Canada and placed 7th at the event in Japan. She did not qualify for the Junior Grand prix Final. At the 2000 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, she placed 8th and was not sent to the World Junior Championships.
Nam suffered from a stress fracture in her hip, hampering her singles career. She withdrew from the 2001 U.S. Figure Skating Championships with injury.
In 2003, following hip surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
, she won the Southwest Pacific Regional title but placed 5th at the Pacific Coast Sectionals. She failed to qualify for the 2004 U.S. Nationals.
Pairs career
In 2005, she took up pair skatingPair 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,...
with Themi Leftheris. After winning both the Regional and Pacific Coast Sectional, the pair placed 5th at the 2006 United States Figure Skating Championships.
2006 Skate America
Skate America is an international, senior-level invitation-only figure skating competition organized by the United States Figure Skating Association. It was the first competition of six of the 2006–2007 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating...
event. They won the bronze medal at the 2007 U.S. Figure Skating Championships behind Rena Inoue
Rena Inoue
is an American pair skater. With partner John Baldwin, she is the 2004 and 2006 U.S. National Champion. Inoue previously competed for Japan as both a single skater and pair skater. Inoue and Baldwin are the first skaters to perform a throw triple axel in competition.-Personal life:Rena Inoue was...
and John Baldwin and Brooke Castile
Brooke Castile
Brooke Castile is an American pair skater. She is best known for her partnership with Benjamin Okolski. They are the 2007 U.S. National Champions. They announced their retirement from competitive skating in May 2010....
and Benjamin Okolski
Benjamin Okolski
Benjamin Okolski is an American pair skater. He is best known for his partnership with Brooke Castile. They are the 2007 U.S. National Champions...
. They went on to the 2007 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships
2007 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships
The Four Continents Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition. The 2007 championships took place at the World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA, from February 7 to February 10, 2007. Skaters competed in the discplines of men's singles, ladies singles, pairs, and...
and placed 6th.
In the 2007-2008 season, they withdrew from their Grand Prix events with injury. They placed 7th at the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
Naomi Nari Nam announced her retirement from competitive skating on October 10, 2008, citing her recurrent hip injury.
Programs
| Season | Short Program | Long Program |
|---|---|---|
| 2007–2008 | Piano Fantasy by Aaron Copland Aaron Copland Aaron Copland was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later in his career a conductor of his own and other American music. He was instrumental in forging a distinctly American style of composition, and is often referred to as "the Dean of American Composers"... |
Liebestraum Liebestraum Liebestraum means "love dream", or "dream of love" in German.* Liebesträume for piano by Franz Liszt* Liebestraum , 1991 movie by Mike Figgis... by Franz Liszt Franz Liszt Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age... |
| 2006–2007 | Tango Jealousy by Jacob Gade Jacob Gade Jacob Thune Hansen Gade was a Danish violinist and composer, mostly of orchestral popular music.... |
Caravan |
Pairs career
| Event | 2005-2006 | 2006-2007 | 2007-2008 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
6th | ||
| 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... |
5th | 3rd | 7th |
| 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... |
3rd | ||
| Pacific Coast Sectionals | 1st |
Singles career
| Event | 1996-1997 | 1997-1998 | 1998-1999 | 1999-2000 | 2000-2001 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
1st N. | 4th J. | 2nd | 8th | WD |
| Junior Grand Prix, Canada 1999-2000 ISU Junior Grand Prix The 1999–2000 ISU Junior Grand Prix was the third season of the ISU Junior Grand Prix, a series of international junior level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. It was the junior-level complement to the Grand Prix of Figure Skating, which was for senior-level skaters.... |
2nd | ||||
| Junior Grand Prix, Japan 1999-2000 ISU Junior Grand Prix The 1999–2000 ISU Junior Grand Prix was the third season of the ISU Junior Grand Prix, a series of international junior level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. It was the junior-level complement to the Grand Prix of Figure Skating, which was for senior-level skaters.... |
7th |
- N = Novice level; J = Junior Level; WD = Withdrew