WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Life is sweet by LOIS ELFMAN Every morning Tiffany Stiegler and
sister Stephanie, who live only four blocks away from each other in Manhattan Beach, Calif., wake up at 4:15 for work. “We always hit the same Starbucks at the same time and laugh, get our teas and then we get to the rink,” said Tiffany, who’s been team teaching with Stephanie for more than a year. Tey began working together at the Culver City Ice Arena, and when it closed they moved their students, who now include intermediate pairs team Kasey Kutcher and Remington Burghart (son of Rory Flack and Ralph Burghart), to the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, Calif.
“I never in my life knew how passionate I would be as a coach,” she added. “Steph- anie and I are similar and we were trained by many of the same coaches. So we have a similar technique and idea of how you should be mentally for the sport, but we’re different. I’m a little more artsy and she’s a little fiery. Some days we reverse. We work great together. We never argue. We love it.” Harmony seems to be a running
theme in the Stiegler family, who all grew up in the sport. Stephanie, 34, was the first to skate. She found her way into pairs where she achieved success first with Lance Travis — winning the U.S. junior title in 1993 and the bronze medal in senior pairs in 1995 — and then with John Zim- merman, placing third at the 1997 U.S. Championships and competing at Worlds
that year, before a shoulder injury stopped her pairs career. Tiffany, 30, teamed with brother
Johnnie, 32, as small children, winning the U.S. novice pairs title in 1995 and junior title in 1997. Tey twice finished fourth in senior pairs and competed internationally before Johnnie retired due to injuries. Tif- fany skated one season with Bert Cording and then switched to ice dance, finishing fourth in senior dance with Sergei Mag- erovski.
Te entire Stiegler family was togeth-
er in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on June 28 when Tiffany married Joseph Woodrow Stahl (“Woody”). Stephanie was maid of honor and Johnnie, who went to high school with Woody, was a groomsman. “From training all the years at Lake
Arrowhead (at the Ice Castle International Training Center) together day in day out, there is a close bond that happened with us,” Stephanie said. “We were never com- petitive with each other. You’ve got to be there for each other. We’re still the same way.
“Weddings bring families closer to-
gether, that’s been for sure,” she added. “It’s been amazing, even though we’re already close. Everything is a little more special right now.”
After ending her competitive days,
Stephanie attended college, earning a de- gree in entertainment sports promotional management at Northwood University.
Stephanie Stiegler and John Zimmerman perform at the 1997 U.S. Figure Skating Championships exhibition in Nashville, Tenn.
Johnnie and Tiffany Stiegler compete at the 1998 Goodwill Games in Uniondale, N.Y.
She then felt the desire to coach skating, feeling she had unfinished business in the sport.
“I love that I’m making a difference in
Stiegler sisters relish coaching careers; Johnnie thriving in family business
the lives of these kids,” said Stephanie, who channels her personal sports energy into marathons and triathlons. “I love the high- er level, of course, the pairs. I love teaching singles. Ten I also love the 4- and 5-year- olds. Tat’s why I decided this is for me. I love what I’m doing every day.” Te only one not involved in skating
is Johnnie, who after earning a degree in automotive marketing management
at
Northwood, went into the family busi- ness, but with a twist. Teir father and his brothers owned a Mercedes dealership, which they sold. Johnnie knew he wanted to work in sales, and so he took the body shop that had been associated with the dealership and expanded it by starting the maintenance department. Auto Stiegler handles all makes and models but special- izes in European autos. “I enjoy what I’m doing,” Johnnie
said. “It’s growing and I’m motivated to ex- pand whatever I’m doing in this industry.” He appreciates the work ethic skating
gave him and has fond memories of the incredible performance opportunities Ice Castle founder Carol Probst created. Although he still owns skates, Johnnie
rarely goes on the ice. He stays in shape, but these days his sports activities more accurately reflect his Southern California roots, such as surfing. He also loves snow-
8 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014
DON EMMERT/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
PHOTO BY SARA RICHARDSON
DOUG PENSINGER /ALLSPORT
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84