Ryan O'Meara

Ryan O'Meara (born January 5, 1984, Houston, Texas) is an American ice dancer. With partner Jamie Silverstein, he is a 2006 Olympian. Following his retirement from competitive skating, he began working full-time as a coach and an interior designer.

Ryan O'Meara
Personal information
Country represented United States
Born (1984-01-05) January 5, 1984
ResidenceScottsdale, Arizona, U.S.
Height175 cm (5.74 ft)
Former partnerJamie Silverstein
Lydia Manon
Melissa Ralph
Lia Nitake
Former coachIgor Shpilband
Marina Zoueva
Jerry Santoferrara
Elizabeth Coates
Genrich Sretenski
Skating clubCoyotes Skating Club
Retired2006
ISU personal best scores
Combined total155.51
2005 Skate America
Comp. dance29.98
2006 Four Continents
Original dance48.28
2005 Skate America
Free dance78.79
2005 Skate America

Career

O'Meara competed on the novice and junior levels with Melissa Ralph and Lia Nitake, having some success with them both. He won four straight medals at the U.S. Championships on the novice and junior levels between 1999 and 2002, two with Ralph and two with Nitake. He competed with Lydia Manon from 2003 to 2005. With Manon, he won the bronze medal at the 2005 U.S. Championships and at the 2005 Four Continents, following which Manon decided to end the partnership.[1]

He began training with Jamie Silverstein, a former World Junior Champion with Justin Pekarek, in April 2005.[2] They were coached by Igor Shpilband and Marina Zueva in Canton, Michigan.[3] Silverstein and O'Meara had sudden success. They were sent as a host entry to the 2005 Skate America, their first international competition together as a team, and placed 5th.

They won the bronze medal at the 2006 U.S. Championships, which qualified them for the 2006 Winter Olympics and the 2006 Four Continents Championships. They competed at the Four Continents and placed 6th.

At the Olympics, they placed 18th in the compulsory dance, 16th in the original dance, and 18th in the free dance, placing 16th overall out of 23 teams. They chose not to compete at the 2006 World Championships. U.S. pewter medalists Morgan Matthews and Maxim Zavozin were sent in their place.

In the spring of 2006, Silverstein and O'Meara announced they would be taking time off from competitive skating. Their partnership ended soon after and O'Meara retired from competitive skating.

Personal life

O'Meara works as a coach. He owns an interior design business called "Palavela Home", which is named after the Palavela, the venue for the figure skating competition at the Olympics.[4]

O'Meara is openly gay.[5]

Competitive highlights

With Silverstein
Event 2005–06
Winter Olympic Games16th
Four Continents Championships6th
U.S. Championships3rd
Skate America5th
Pacific Coast Sectionals1st

With Manon
Event 2003–04 2004–05
Four Continents Championships3rd
U.S. Championships6th3rd
Nebelhorn Trophy6th1st
Pacific Coast Sectionals1st
Midwestern Sectionals1st

With Ralph
Event 2000–01 2001–02
U.S. Championships4th J.2nd J.
Helmut Seibt Memorial1st J.
J. = Junior level

With Nitake
Event 1998–99 1999–00
U.S. Championships3rd N.4th J.
N. = Novice level; J. = Junior level

Programs

(with Silverstein)

Season Original dance Free dance
2005–2006[6]
  • Salsa: Round the World
  • Rhumba: Sweet the Sting
  • Cha Cha
 Nu Tango

(with Manon)

Season Original dance Free dance
2004–2005[7]
  • You Can't Take that Away From Me
  • 42nd Street musical
 Black Cat, White Cat (soundtrack)
by Goran Bregovic

References
  1. "Two U.S. ice dancing teams announce end of partnerships". U.S. Figure Skating. March 1, 2005.
  2. Mittan, Barry (October 10, 2005). "Painful Breakups Lead to New Beginnings for Silverstein and O'Meara". SkateToday.
  3. "Jamie Silverstein & Ryan O'Meara". U.S. Figure Skating. Archived from the original on May 24, 2006.
  4. Harvey, Christine (25 March 2011). "Palavela Home opening interior design showroom, events venue". Phoenix Business Journal. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  5. Zeigler, Jr, Cyd (17 July 2008). "Olympic figure skater comes out". OutSports.com. Archived from the original on 24 June 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
  6. "Jamie SILVERSTEIN / Ryan O'MEARA: 2005/2006". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on November 2, 2009.
  7. "Lydia MANON / Ryan O'MEARA: 2004/2005". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on December 1, 2009.
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