Pieter Kollen was an American 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...

 and coach. In 1962 he won the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in 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,...

 with partner Dorothyann Nelson

Dorothyann Nelson

Dorothyann Nelson is a former American figure skater. She skated with partner Pieter Kollen. Together they were the champions in pair skating at the 1962 United States Figure Skating Championships and also won the silver medal in ice dance at the same event...

, and also placed second in the ice dance competition at the same event. They placed 8th in pairs and 7th in dance at the 1962 World Figure Skating Championships

World Figure Skating Championships

The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...

.

The following season, following Nelson's retirement from competitive skating, Kollen competed in pairs with new partner Patti Gustafson

Patti Gustafson

Patti Gustafson Feeney is an American former pair skater who competed with Pieter Kollen. Together, they won the bronze medal at the 1963 United States Figure Skating Championships...

. They placed 3rd at the US Championships and 9th at Worlds. They were the first pair team to perform the throw axel, which was invented by their coach Ronald Ludington

Ronald Ludington

Ronald Ludington is an American figure skater and coach. He was born in Boston.-Biography:With his then-wife, Nancy Rouillard Ludington, he won the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in pair skating four times, between 1957 and 1960, after having been the junior national champions in 1956...

.

For many years following his own competitive career, Kollen was a coach at the Indiana/World Skating Academy in Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...

. He was the inventor of the "K-Pick" -- an innovative skate blade

Figure skate

Figure skates are a type of ice skate used by figure skaters. The skates consist of a boot and a blade that is attached with screws to the sole of the boot...

 design with the toe pick extended to the side of the blade.

Results

Pairs

(with Nelson)

Event	1961	1962
World Championships World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...		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...	2nd J.	1st

Pairs

(with Gustafson)

Event	1963
World Championships World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...	9th
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...	3rd

Dance

(with Nelson)

Event	1960	1961	1962
World Championships World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...			7th
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...	3rd J.	3rd J.	2nd