Benjamin Okolski

Benjamin Okolski
File:Brooke Castile & Benjamin Okolski Podium 2008 4CC.jpg Castile and Okolski in 2008.
Personal information
Full name	Benjamin Okolski
Country represented	United States
Born	(1984-11-12) November 12, 1984 Tucson, Arizona
Residence	Grosse Pointe, Michigan
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Former partner	Brooke Castile Colleen Okolski
Former coach	Johnny Johns Joseph Mero
Former choreographer	Marina Zueva
Skating club	Arctic FSC
Began skating	1993
Retired	2010
ISU personal best scores
Combined total	160.04 2007 Four Continents
Short program	56.44 2008 Four Continents
Free skate	104.92 2007 Four Continents
Medal record Representing United States Pairs Figure skating Four Continents Championships 2008 Goyang Pairs Nebelhorn Trophy 2007 Nebelhorn Pairs U.S. Championships 2007 Spokane Pairs

Benjamin Okolski (born on November 12, 1984) is an American pair skater. With Brooke Castile, he is the 2007 U.S. national champion, 2008 Four Continents bronze medalist, and 2007 Nebelhorn Trophy champion.

Career

Benjamin Okolski was born in Tucson, Arizona. He began skating at age eight and began pairs at twelve with his sister, Colleen. He teamed up with Brooke Castile after the 2002 U.S. Championships. They won two bronze medals on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series. They placed 7th at their first Four Continents in 2005. Following the 2006 U.S. Championships, Castile and Okolski changed coaches to Johnny Johns and Marina Zueva at the Arctic Figure Skating Club in Canton, Michigan. They won the 2007 U.S. Championships, earning them the right to compete at 2007 Four Continents, where they were 5th, and then to make their World debut, where they finished 12th.

In the 2007–2008 season, Castile and Okolski were assigned to 2007 Nebelhorn Trophy, 2007 Skate America, and 2007 Trophée Eric Bompard, but withdrew from all three due to injury. They won bronze at the 2008 U.S. Championships and went on to win a bronze medal in their third Four Continents appearance. They finished 11th at their second World Championships.

In 2008–2009, they also withdrew from their Grand Prix assignments, 2008 Cup of China and 2008 Cup of Russia, due to injury. They finished 5th at the 2009 U.S. Championships.

In the 2009–2010 season, Castile and Okolski were 6th at 2009 Skate America. Their 4th-place finish at the 2010 U.S. Championships meant they did not make the U.S. team to the 2010 Winter Olympics. They announced their retirement from competitive skating in May 2010.

Programs

(with Castile)

Season	Short program	Free skating
2009–2010	Samba Pa Ti by Carlos Santana	Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy
2008–2009	Memoirs of a Geisha by John Williams	Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy
2007–2008	Scheherezade by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov	L'Arena (from Kill Bill: Volume 2 by Ennio Morricone
2006–2007	Shine on You Crazy Diamond by Pink Floyd	Requiem for a Dream by Clint Mansell
2004–2006	Anticipation by Luciani	Romeo and Juliet (soundtrack)
2003–2004	Ave Maria	Romeo and Juliet

Competitive highlights

With Colleen Okolski

Even	2001	2002
U.S. Championships	4th N.	5th N.
N. = Novice level

With Brooke Castile

Results
International
Event	2002–03	2003–04	2004–05	2005–06	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09	2009–10
Worlds					12th	11th
Four Continents			7th		5th	3rd
GP Bompard				6th		WD
GP Cup of China							WD
GP Cup of Russia				8th			WD
GP Skate America						WD		6th
Nebelhorn					1st	WD		4th
International: Junior
Junior Worlds		9th
JGP Bulgaria		4th
JGP China			5th
JGP France			3rd
JGP Japan		3rd
JGP USA	6th
National
U.S. Champ.	6th J.	2nd J.	7th	8th	1st	3rd	5th	4th
GP = Grand Prix; JGP = Junior Grand Prix J. = Junior level; WD = Withdrew

External links

• Official site
• Brooke Castile / Benjamin Okolski at the International Skating Union
• Brooke Castile / Benjamin Okolski at the U.S. Figure Skating