Peter Dunfield (c. 1931 – May 25, 2014) was a Canadian figure skater and coach. He competed in

four skating Four skating is a figure skating and artistic roller skating discipline. Fours teams consist of two women and two men. The sport is similar to pair skating, with elements including overhead lifts, twist lifts, death spirals, and throw jumps, as wel ...

, winning the 1949 North American silver medal, and

single skating 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 ...

. He is best known for coaching

Elizabeth Manley Elizabeth Ann Manley, CM (born August 7, 1965) is a Canadian former competitive figure skater. She is the 1988 Olympic silver medallist, the 1988 World silver medalist and a three-time Canadian national champion. Early life and training Manle ...

to the 1988 Olympic silver medal.

Career

Dunfield competed in

with partners Mary Kenner, Peter Firstbrook, and Vera Smith. The group won the silver medal at the 1949 North American Championships. As a single skater, Dunfield won the

Canadian national The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN ...

junior title in 1951 and bronze on the senior level in 1952 and 1953. He was sent to the 1953 World Championships in Davos, Switzerland and the 1954 World Championships in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population ...

, Norway, placing eighth both times. From the early 1960s, Dunfield coached with his wife in New York City at the Sky Rink. When the rink closed around 1983, they moved to the

Gloucester Skating Club The Gloucester Skating Club is a non-profit skating club in Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The club has been serving skaters since 1971. The club is currently one of the sixth largest clubs in Canada with an active membership of more than 1,100 ...

Orleans, Ontario Orleans (; French: ; officially and in French OrléansThe suburb is called ''Orléans'' (with an accent) in French, but is commonly called ''Orleans'' (no accent) in English. The official name in English was changed from ''Orleans'' to ''Orléan ...

. His students included: *

(from 1983 to 1988), 1988 Olympic silver medalist. *

Yuka Sato is a Japanese former competitive figure skater and choreographer. She is the 1994 World champion, the 1990 World Junior champion and the 1993 & 1994 Japanese national champion. She placed 7th at the 1992 Winter Olympics and 5th at the 1994 ...

(from age 16 to 21) * Charlene Wong (from 1986 to 1990) *

Melissa Militano Melissa Mary Militano (married name: Warkmeister; born April 26, 1955 in Rockville Centre, New York) is an American former competitive figure skater who competed as a single skater and pair skater. As a pair skater, she won the U.S. Figure Skati ...

/ Mark Militano *

Vivian Joseph Vivian Joseph (born March 7, 1948) is an American former pair skater who competed with her brother, Ronald Joseph. They are the 1964 Olympic bronze medalists, 1965 World silver medalists, and 1965 North American champions. Personal life Viv ...

Ronald Joseph Ronald Joseph (born October 9, 1944) is an American former pair skater who competed with his sister, Vivian Joseph. They are the 1964 Olympic bronze medalists, 1965 World silver medalists, and 1965 North American champions. Personal life R ...

, 1964 Olympic bronze medalists. *

Scott Allen Scott Allen may refer to: * Scott Allen (figure skater) (born 1949), American figure skater * Scott Allen (footballer) (born 1975), Australian rules footballer *Scott Allen (ice hockey) Scott Allen (born April 6, 1966, in New Bedford, Massachuset ...

Angela Derochie Angela Derochie (born November 4, 1973) is a Canadian former competitive figure skater. She is the 1992 Nebelhorn Trophy bronze medalist and 1998 Canadian national champion in ladies' singles. Personal life Derochie was born on November 4, 19 ...

Vera Wang Vera Ellen Wang (; born June 27, 1949) is an American fashion designer. Early life Vera Ellen Wang was born June 27, 1949 in New York City to Chinese parents who emigrated to the United States in the mid-1940s. Her mother, Florence Wu (Wu ...

Dunfield retired from coaching in the late 1990s. He was inducted into the Canadian Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2001.

Personal life

Dunfield was married to American skater and coach

Sonya Klopfer Sonya Klopfer (married name: Dunfield, born December 26, 1934) is an American former competitive figure skater and coach. She is a two-time World medalist ( bronze in 1951, silver in 1952) and the 1951 U.S. national champion. Personal life ...

, with whom he had two sons. He died of a lung ailment in his sleep in Seattle, Washington, at the age of 82 on May 25, 2014.

Competitive highlights

Singles career

Fours career

(with Mary Kenner, Vera Smith, and Peter Firstbrook)

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunfield, Peter 1930s births 2014 deaths Canadian male single skaters Canadian figure skating coaches