Burrows with Jason Dungjen and Kyoko Ina in Nagano Japan at the 1998 Olympic Games.
Peter with Dorothy Hamill.
began coaching out of Sport-ORama in Monsey, N.Y., eventually directed a school at the Iceland arena in New Hyde Park, and managed and consulted several other schools in the tri-state area. Katherine, Burrows’ wife for the last 17 years of his life, said Peter was both a coach and a teacher of skating skills. “He had a very firm grasp of technique, edge work, that sort of thing,’’ she said, “and he was not what I would describe as a trainer. He could really teach you how to do something you did not think you could do. But he was also very into working with skaters to get them ready for competitions. He could do both.” Katherine said Peter was inspirational to his skaters, something she has heard time and again from his former skaters over the year since he passed away due to complications related to diabetes. “The one thing about Peter is he could take people who didn’t
think they could get to Nationals and he could get them there,’’ she said. “He could take someone who didn’t have very much natural ability and he could shape them up, give them the technique they needed to get beyond where they might otherwise go.” Coaching for almost half a century, Burrows saw many changes in the sport, not only from a scoring standpoint but also from a technological standpoint. While he managed to traverse those changes (“he certainly embraced video training, but he was not operating the video camera himself,’’ Katherine said with a laugh) he stayed true to some of the principles of coaching that mattered to him. “He definitely adapted, but there are certain things that are timeless,’’ she said. “Things like work ethic and discipline and being supportive. He always said it is not about winning, it is about how you approach it. I
ACCOL ADES • 50-year coaching career • Joined PSA in 1970 and was a masterrated coach (MFF, MP), held a Level IX ranking, and was a PSGA board member in the early 90s • Coached the likes of Dorothy Hamill, Suna Murray, Gale and Joel Fuhrman, Charlene von Saher, Anita Thornfeldt, Allison Oki, Elaine Zayak, Rocky Marval, Calla Urbanski, Ralph Burghart, Michael Chack, Mark Mitchell, Jason Briggs, Dana Mednick, Jason Dungjen, Kyoko Ina, Lenny Raney, Joelle Forte, Tamar Katz, Christine Mozer and Ella Mizrahi • Figure Skating Director at Sport-ORama for over 35 years • British Junior & Senior National Champion, British European & World Team member
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