Marissa Castelli (born August 20, 1990) is an American retired
pair skater
Pair skating is a figure skating discipline defined by the International Skating Union (ISU) as "the skating of two persons in unison who perform their movements in such harmony with each other as to give the impression of genuine Pair Skating a ...
. With her skating partner,
Mervin Tran
Mervin Tran (born September 22, 1990) is a Canadian pair skater who competes for the United States with Olivia Serafini.
Competing for Japan with former partner Narumi Takahashi, he is the 2012 World bronze medalist, the 2010 World Junior si ...
, she is the
2017 U.S. national silver medalist.
With her former partner,
Simon Shnapir
Simon Shnapir (born August 20, 1987) is an American former competitive pair skater. With Marissa Castelli, he is the 2013 Four Continents bronze medalist, the 2009 World Junior bronze medalist, and a two-time U.S. national champion (2013 & 2014 ...
, she is the
2013 Four Continents bronze medalist, the
2009 World Junior bronze medalist, and a two-time
U.S. national
Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constituti ...
champion (2013 & 2014). The pair won a bronze medal in the team event at the
2014 Winter Olympics
, ''Zharkie. Zimnie. Tvoi'')
, nations = 88
, events = 98 in 7 sports (15 disciplines)
, athletes = 2,873
, opening = 7 February 2014
, closing = 23 February 2014
, opened_by = President Vladimir Putin
, cauldron =
, stadium = Fisht Olympic ...
.
Personal life
Castelli was born in Providence, Rhode Island, and graduated from
Cranston High School West
Cranston High School West (often called West, Cranston West or abbreviated as CHSW) is a public high school located in Cranston, Rhode Island, United States.
The school comprises five buildings; one of these buildings is the Cranston Area Career a ...
. She was enrolled at the
Community College of Rhode Island
The Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) is a public community college in Rhode Island. It is the only community college in the state and the largest community college in New England. The college's primary facility is located in Warwick, with ...
[ before deciding to study sales and marketing at ]DeVry University
DeVry University () is a private for-profit university with its headquarters in Naperville, Illinois. It was founded in 1931 by Herman A. DeVry and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. DeVry is predominantly an online educator but ...
.[ Her brother, Anthony Castelli, played football at ]Bryant University
Bryant University is a private university in Smithfield, Rhode Island. It has two colleges, the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Business, and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.
History
Butler Exc ...
[ and her mother, Lori Castelli, is a figure skating coach.][
]
Early career
Castelli began skating at age three and enrolled in U.S. Figure Skating
U.S. Figure Skating is the national governing body for the sport of figure skating in the United States. It is recognized as such by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee "USOPC" under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act an ...
's Basic Skills program when she was about five.[ Early in her career, she competed as a ]single skater
Single skating is a discipline of figure skating in which male and female skaters compete individually. Men's singles and women's singles are governed by the International Skating Union (ISU). Figure skating is the oldest winter sport contested ...
and also skated pairs with Brad Vigorito.[
]
Partnership with Shnapir
Castelli and Simon Shnapir
Simon Shnapir (born August 20, 1987) is an American former competitive pair skater. With Marissa Castelli, he is the 2013 Four Continents bronze medalist, the 2009 World Junior bronze medalist, and a two-time U.S. national champion (2013 & 2014 ...
teamed up in April 2006 and began training together in earnest in June.[ They trained in ]Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, coached by Bobby Martin, Carrie Wall (technical), Mark Mitchell (in-betweens, polishing), and Peter Johansson (throws).[ Castelli broke Shnapir's nose once while they were practicing the ]twist
Twist may refer to:
In arts and entertainment Film, television, and stage
* ''Twist'' (2003 film), a 2003 independent film loosely based on Charles Dickens's novel ''Oliver Twist''
* ''Twist'' (2021 film), a 2021 modern rendition of ''Olive ...
.[
Castelli/Shnapir qualified for the 2008 Junior Grand Prix Final and placed sixth. The pair won the bronze medal at the 2009 World Junior Championships.
]
2009–2010 season
In the 2009–2010 season, Castelli was off the ice for a month after she collided with an Italian while she was skating backwards and landed on his blade, resulting in 15 stitches to her inner thigh.[ The pair placed tenth on the senior level at the 2010 U.S. Championships and were sent to the 2010 Four Continents Championships where they also finished tenth.
]
2012–2013 season
In 2012, Castelli/Shnapir split up for a month but decided to recommit to their partnership.[ They won gold at the 2012 ]Ice Challenge
The Icechallenge (formerly known as the Leo-Scheu-Gedächtnislaufen or Leo Scheu Memorial) is an annual international figure skating competition organized by the Grazer Eislaufverein and sanctioned by the Austrian Figure Skating association and the ...
and then won bronze, their first Grand Prix
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour
Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to:
Arts and entertainment ...
medal, at the 2012 NHK Trophy.[ They won their first national title at the 2013 U.S. Championships.][ They were assigned to the 2013 Four Continents and won the bronze medal.
]
2013–2014 season
Castelli/Shnapir won their second national title at the 2014 U.S. Championships and were named in the U.S. team to the 2014 Winter Olympics
, ''Zharkie. Zimnie. Tvoi'')
, nations = 88
, events = 98 in 7 sports (15 disciplines)
, athletes = 2,873
, opening = 7 February 2014
, closing = 23 February 2014
, opened_by = President Vladimir Putin
, cauldron =
, stadium = Fisht Olympic ...
, held in February in Sochi
Sochi ( rus, Со́чи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg) is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in Southern Russia, with a population of 466,078 residents, up to 600,000 residents in ...
, Russia. They won a bronze medal in the team event and placed 9th in the pairs event. In March, Castelli/Shnapir finished 11th at the 2014 World Championships in Saitama, Japan. They announced the end of their partnership on May 7, 2014.[
]
Partnership with Tran
On June 10, 2014, Castelli announced that she and Canada's Mervin Tran
Mervin Tran (born September 22, 1990) is a Canadian pair skater who competes for the United States with Olivia Serafini.
Competing for Japan with former partner Narumi Takahashi, he is the 2012 World bronze medalist, the 2010 World Junior si ...
had formed a partnership which would train mainly in Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
under Bruno Marcotte
Bruno Marcotte (born September 10, 1974) is a Canadian figure skating coach and former competitor in pairs. He is the 1993 World Junior bronze medallist with Isabelle Coulombe and the 2000 Nebelhorn Trophy champion with Valérie Marcoux.
Pers ...
and to a lesser extent at the Skating Club of Boston under Bobby Martin.[ It was also announced that he was awaiting release from ]Skate Canada
Skate Canada ( Canadian French: ''Patinage Canada'', lit. "Skating Canada") is the national governing body for figure skating in Canada, recognized by the International Skating Union and the Canadian Olympic Committee. It organizes the annual ...
, indicating that they might compete for the United States.[
]
2016–2017 season
Tran sustained a concussion in August 2016.[ After winning bronze at the ]2016 CS Autumn Classic International
The 2016 CS Autumn Classic International was a figure skating competition held from September 28 – October 1, 2016 at the Sportsplexe Pierrefonds in Montreal, Quebec. It was part of the 2016–17 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were awarded in the ...
, the pair appeared at two Grand Prix events, placing 7th at the 2016 Skate America
The 2016 Skate America was the first event of six in the 2016–17 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Sears Centre in Chicago, Illinois, on October 21–23. Medals we ...
and 5th at the 2016 Trophée de France
The 2016 Trophée de France was the fourth event of six in the 2016–17 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris on November 11–13. Medals we ...
. Castelli accidentally struck Tran with her elbow during training in late December.[
]
Programs
With Tran
With Shnapir
Competitive highlights
''GP: Grand Prix
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour
Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to:
Arts and entertainment ...
; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix
The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men ...
''
With Tran
Pairs career with Shnapir
Singles career
References
External links
*
Marissa Castelli / Mervin Tran
at IceNetwork
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Castelli, Marissa
American female pair skaters
1990 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Providence, Rhode Island
Sportspeople from Cranston, Rhode Island
World Junior Figure Skating Championships medalists
Four Continents Figure Skating Championships medalists
Figure skaters at the 2014 Winter Olympics
Medalists at the 2014 Winter Olympics
Olympic medalists in figure skating
Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in figure skating
21st-century American women
20th-century American women