| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Craig Budan Joeright |
| Born | (1978-09-19)September 19, 1978 (age 47) |
| Figure skating career | |
| Country | United States |
| Partner | Larisa Spielberg Celina Taylor |
| Coach | Sergey Petrovskiy Richard Callaghan Veronica Voyk Johnny Johns Mitch Moyer Jason Dungjen |
| Skating club | Onyx Skating Academy |
| Began skating | 1983 |
| Retired | 2004 |
Craig Budan Joeright[1] (born September 19, 1978) is an American former competitivepair skater. With his wife,Larisa Spielberg, he is the 2002Golden Spin of Zagreb champion and2000 U.S. national bronze medalist.
Joeright was born on September 19, 1978, inCleveland,Ohio.[2] He graduated fromTroy High School (Michigan) in 1997 and then studied sports psychology atOakland University inRochester, Michigan.[3] He and Spielberg announced their engagement in August 2003.[3] They were married in early 2006. Their twin daughters were born in 2012.
Joeright began learning to skate in 1983.[2] Skating with Celina Taylor, he placed sixth in junior pairs at the1996 U.S. Championships.
A pairs coach,Johnny Johns, introduced him toLarisa Spielberg.[4] Spielberg/Joeright teamed up in September 1996 at the Detroit Skating Club.[3] Early in their partnership, they were coached by Johns, Mitch Moyer, andJason Dungjen inBloomfield Hills, Michigan.[4]Competing in the1998–99 ISU Junior Grand Prix series, the pair won bronze inMexico City, Mexico, and placed fifth inBudapest, Hungary.
During the1999–2000 ISU Junior Grand Prix series, Spielberg/Joeright won silver inOstrava, Czech Republic, and then took bronze inNagano, Japan. They finished as third alternates for a spot at the JGP Final. In February, they competed in the senior ranks at the2000 U.S. Championships and received the bronze medal. In March, they placed 13th at the2000 World Junior Championships inOberstdorf, Germany.
In 2001, Spielberg injured her left wrist and foot, causing the pair to withdraw from the Grand Prix series.[4] Sergey Petrovskiy,Richard Callaghan, and Veronica Voyk became their coaches after Spielberg/Joeright relocated to the Onyx Skating Academy inRochester, Michigan, in 2001.[3]
Making their senior international debut, the pair placed fifth at the2002 Nebelhorn Trophy and then won gold at the 2002Golden Spin of Zagreb. They took the pewter medal at the2003 U.S. Championships.
In their final season, Spielberg/Joeright competed at two seniorGrand Prix events; they placed seventh at the2003 Skate America and tenth at the2003 Skate Canada International. They retired from competitive skating after placing sixth at the2004 U.S. Championships.[4]
Joeright coaches skaters around the Greater Detroit area, mainly at the Detroit Skating Club[5] and Royal Oak Ice Arena.
(with Spielberg)
| Season | Short program | Free skating |
|---|---|---|
| 2003–2004 [2] |
|
|
GP:Grand Prix; JGP:Junior Grand Prix
| International[2] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 97–98 | 98–99 | 99–00 | 00–01 | 01–02 | 02–03 | 03–04 |
| GPSkate America | 7th | ||||||
| GPSkate Canada | 10th | ||||||
| Golden Spin | 1st | ||||||
| Nebelhorn | 5th | 4th | |||||
| International: Junior[6] | |||||||
| Junior Worlds | 13th | ||||||
| JGPCzech Rep. | 2nd | ||||||
| JGPHungary | 5th | ||||||
| JGPJapan | 3rd | ||||||
| JGPMexico | 3rd | ||||||
| National[4] | |||||||
| U.S. Champ. | 3rd J | 8th | 3rd | 9th | 7th | 4th | 6th |
| National | |
|---|---|
| Event | 1996 |
| U.S. Championships | 6th J |