Lee Harris (born October 16, 1981) is a skating coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets and former pair skater who competed internationally for the United States. With partner Colette Appel, he is the 2002 U.S. national junior champion and placed 12th at the 2002 World Junior Championships. They were fourth at two ISU Junior Grand Prix events and on the senior level at the 2003 Finlandia Trophy.
| Lee Harris | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 16, 1981 Windsor, Ontario, Canada |
| Figure skating career | |
| Country | United States |
| Skating club | Detroit SC |
| Began skating | 1984 |
| Retired | 2006 |
A native of Harrow, Ontario, Harris practiced both ice hockey and figure skating from the age of three.[1][2] He also played Jr. Hockey for the Belle River Canadians and Kingsville Comets in the Great Lakes Junior C Hockey League (GLJCHL) from 1996 to 1999.[citation needed] Harris settled on figure skating at age 18.[1]
After splitting with his previous partner, Harris paired with Colette Appel in 2000, after getting invited to Newington, Connecticut, by Appel's mother to train with her.[3] While in Connecticut, he was roommates with Alexei Yagudin.[3] The pair of Harris and Appel "burst on to the scene" by winning the 2002 U.S. national junior title.[4] They made their senior debut at the 2003 Finlandia Trophy, finishing in fourth place.[4]
In 2006, Harris retired from competitive figure skating and began a five-year professional skating career going on tour with Royal Caribbean Cruise ships.[1]
Coaching career
editAfter retiring from Royal Caribbean, Harris began coaching at the Chiller Skating Rinks in Columbus, Ohio. In 2012 and 2013 he became a National Level Figure Skating Coach when his Novice pair team competed at the U.S. National figure skating championships.
In 2014, Harris was hired by the Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL) as their skating coach.[5] Harris works with both the Columbus Blue Jackets players and their AHL affiliate team.[6]
In 2017, Harris was added onto the Ohio State Buckeyes men's ice hockey team's coaching staff as the on-ice conditioning specialist (consultant).[7]
Programs
edit(with Colette Appel)
| Season | Short program | Free skating |
|---|---|---|
| 2005–2006 [8] |
|
|
| 2001–2002 [9] |
|
Results
edit(pairs with Colette Appel)
| Results[9] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International | |||||
| Event | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | 2003–04 | 2004–05 | 2005–06 |
| Finlandia Trophy | 4th | ||||
| International: Junior | |||||
| World Junior Championships | 12th | ||||
| JGP Serbia | 4th | ||||
| JGP Slovakia | 4th | ||||
| National | |||||
| U.S. Championships | 1st J. | 3rd J. | 15th | 11th | 12th |
| J. = Junior level; JGP = Junior Grand Prix | |||||
Personal life
editHarris was previously married to Marcy Hinzmann, his skating partner on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship tours.[10][11] He married Chelsea Koenigseker in 2015.[12]
References
edit- ^ a b c Parker, Jim (July 11, 2015). "Harris helping NHLers hit stride (I)". Windsor Star. p. 43. Retrieved May 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Caton, Mary (December 3, 1996). "Double-edged blade". Windsor Star. p. 29. Retrieved May 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Caton, Mary (November 7, 2000). "On the edge of skating's elite". Windsor Star. p. 29. Retrieved May 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Caton, Mary (January 2, 2004). "Harrow skater glides to top". Windsor Star. p. 16. Retrieved May 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Bellacicco, Bob (November 11, 2022). "NHL coach helps local hockey teams get an edge". CTV Windsor. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
- ^ "Blue Jackets 0703.HTML". Archived from the original on 2015-07-04. Retrieved 2015-07-03.
- ^ "Ohio State Adds Carlson, Caruso and Harris to Men's Hockey Staff". 19 September 2017. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- ^ "2006 U.S. Championships: Colette Appel & Lee Harris" (PDF). U.S. Figure Skating. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2011.
- ^ a b "Colette APPEL / Lee HARRIS: 2001/2002". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on September 22, 2006.
- ^ "Area teen to train with Olympian". The Columbus Dispatch. May 4, 2007. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
- ^ "Passing the Torch". Columbus Monthly. April 27, 2011. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
- ^ Parker, Jim (July 11, 2015). "Harris helping NHLers hit stride (II)". Windsor Star. p. 44. Retrieved May 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.