On Jan. 12, 15 figure skaters will be
named to the U.S. Olympic Team. But did you know there is a team behind the team that also earned its way to Sochi? There are managers, medical staff, judges and officials whose dedication and knowledge in their fields have earned them the distinct honor of working at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, Feb. 6–23, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. While their roles vary, they were each nominated and ul- timately selected based on excellence in their position.
TEAM LEADER
Mitch Moyer Moyer’s principal role at the Olympic Games is to serve as team leader concentrating on administrative duties as a liaison to the U.S. Olympic Committee and coordinating with athletes, coaches and staff to ensure peak performance. Moyer, who joined U.S. Figure Skating in 2006 as the senior director of ath- lete high performance, has 25 years of coach- ing experience with athletes competing at the Olympic Winter Games and ISU World Championships. Moyer also served Team USA as team leader at the 2010 Olympics in Van- couver.
TEAM MANAGERS
John Millier Millier’s principal role will be to serve as man- ager and technical adviser for the ice dance competitions. Millier is a former competitor in pairs and ice dance, and retired from com- petition after taking part in the 1990 Olympic Festival. He began trial judging in 1988 and has achieved gold test appointments in all disciplines as well as his sectional competi- tion appointment in singles and pairs. In ice dance, Millier is a regional technical specialist, sectional technical controller, national referee and competition judge and a World judge. He has judged three ISU championship events
and numerous international competitions. Working as a team leader since 1996, Millier has attended many Grand Prix Series events, four ISU Grand Prix Finals, the ISU World Ju- nior Championships and four ISU World Championships. Over the past 20 years, Milli- er has served on numerous U.S. Figure Skat- ing committees, has been on the board of di- rectors and most recently served as the chair of the Dance Committee. He lives in Atlanta. Kathy Slack Slack’s principal role will be to serve as man- ager and technical adviser for the singles and pairs competitions. Slack has been a team leader for 24 years at domestic and interna- tional competitions and has worked at events including the ISU Four Continents Champi- onships, ISU Grand Prix Final, two ISU World Junior Championships and two ISU World Championships. She was a member of the U.S. Figure Skating Board of Directors. She has served as Midwestern vice president, judges chair and membership development coordinator. Slack is chair of the Nominating Committee and has served on the Judges, International Judges and Officials and Se- lections committees. She is a national judge and referee for singles and pairs as well as a regional technical controller for singles and pairs. Slack is a former pairs skater and com- peted at the 1962 U.S. Championships with her partner Gene Floyd. She serves as treasur- er of the Troy Skating Club in Troy, Ohio.
MEDICAL STAFF
Dr. Jen Burke Burke is the chair of the U.S. Figure Skat- ing Sports Sciences and Medicine Commit- tee, having served on that committee since 2001. For more than a decade, she has been a physician for Team USA, traveling internation- ally and serving as camp faculty. In her capac- ity as a sports medicine physician, Burke has lectured nationally and has provided sports
medicine coverage for local, national and international events. Burke has coauthored several book chapters and articles about the sports science of figure skating and injury management. She practices primary care sports medicine in Scottsdale, Ariz. Melinda Couch Couch began her career 20 years ago as a traveling physical therapist before settling in Colorado Springs, Colo., in 1995. She fo- cuses on outpatient orthopedics and sports medicine and utilizes an orthopedic manual therapy approach. In 2005, Couch opened Peak Performance Physical Therapy in Col- orado Springs. In addition to working with figure skaters, she is a certified Pose Method of Running coach. Couch, who began work- ing in figure skating in 1998, was the off-ice strength and conditioning coach for the Broadmoor Skating Club from 1999 to 2002. Her first international event was 1999 Skate America. She has served as Team USA’s phys- ical therapist at several ISU Four Continents Championships, the ISU Grand Prix Final, two ISU World Junior Championships and four ISU World Championships. She also serves on the U.S. Figure Skating Sports Sciences and Med- icine Committee.
JUDGES
Sam Auxier (men and team event men’s) Auxier will serve as a judge on the men’s event and the men’s segment of the inaugu- ral Olympic team event. A judge for nearly 30 years, Auxier is a two-time World judge, two- time World Junior judge, Four Continents judge and has judged many U.S. Champion- ships. He was the chief referee at the 2013 Midwestern Sectional Championships. Auxi- er, who was a competitive skater, is the Mid- west and first vice president on the U.S. Fig- ure Skating Board of Directors. Prior to this position, he served as the board’s secretary. Auxier has chaired several committees, in-
Mitch Moyer 24 JANUARY 2014
John Millier
Kathy Slack
Dr. Jen Burke
Melinda Couch
Sam Auxier
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