Jerod Swallow (born October 18, 1966) is an American ice dancer. With his wife Elizabeth Punsalan, he is a five-time U.S. national champion, two-time Skate America champion, and competed twice in the Winter Olympics.

Personal life

Swallow was born October 18, 1966, in

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

. He married Elizabeth Punsalan in September 1993.

Career

Early career

Swallow competed in two disciplines at the 1985 World Junior Championships, placing fourth in pair skating with Shelley Propson and fourth in ice dancing with Jodie Balogh. He and Propson withdrew from the 1986 U.S. Championships after an accident in a practice session. She hit her head when she fell from a lift and was taken to the hospital where she recovered quickly.

Partnership with Punsalan

Swallow teamed up with Elizabeth Punsalan in mid-1989. They were initially coached by Sandy Hess in Colorado Springs, Colorado. They placed 7th at 1989 Skate America and 5th at the 1990 U.S. Championships. The following season, they won their first U.S. national title. At the 1991 World Championships in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, they performed a "catchy" free dance based upon the theme of

stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of Auto racing, automobile racing run on oval track racing, oval tracks and road courses. It originally used Production vehicle, production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifical ...

. They both wore black sketch suits in racing colors. They played the roles of race cars, with test trials, pit stops, and the race itself. Writer Ellyn Kestnbaum, in her discussion and analysis of the program, does not consider Punsalan and Swallow's program as a single coherent narrative, but states that it instead used a variety of images, including that of victory and defeat, related to their theme. Kestnbaum also stated that although their theme seemed to "defy gender", Swallow represented the more male role of the human agent, or driver. Punsalan's role of the car followed conventional representation of the female body taking on "the status of inanimate object (or alien 'other')",Kestnbaum, p. 233 while Swallow took "literal control" of Punsalan's body in the program, which controlled the narrative imagery; as Kestnbaum put it, "The man's choreographed control of the woman's body thus results in male victory within the final image of the performance". They were one of the favorites for the 1992 Olympic team but at the 1992 U.S. Championships, Swallow fell during the free dance and they finished in third. Swallow was ready to leave competition for show skating but Punsalan persuaded him to continue. In 1992, Punsalan/Swallow began working with Igor Shpilband for choreography in Detroit. By the 1993–94 season, he had become their head coach. The couple developed a rivalry with Renee Roca / Gorsha Sur, who had earlier choreographed a program for them and trained alongside them. The U.S. had a single berth to the ice dancing event at the 1994 Winter Olympics. Punsalan and Swallow were involved in a letter-writing campaign to Congress to prevent Sur from receiving expedited citizenship, which would allow him to compete at the 1994 Olympics. At the U.S. Championships in January 1994, Punsalan and Swallow placed first in the original dance, ahead of their injured rivals in second. Roca/Sur withdrew before the free dance and Punsalan/Swallow went on to win their second national title and were named to the Olympic team. They competed at the 1994 Olympics only two weeks after her father's death, finishing 15th. Punsalan/Swallow won silver at the 1995 U.S. Championships behind Roca/Sur but finished ahead of them the following year to take their third national title. Punsalan/Swallow won another two national titles at the 1997 and 1998 U.S. Championships. They placed 7th at the

1998 Winter Olympics The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 (), were a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Nagano, Nagano, Nagano Prefecture, Japan, with some events ...

and 6th at the 1998 World Championships. Punsalan/Swallow ended their eligible career in 1998 and continued to skate in shows for a number of years. Swallow is managing director at the Detroit Skating Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

Results

Ice dancing with Punsalan

Ice dancing with Balogh

Pair skating with Propson

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swallow, Jerod American male ice dancers Olympic figure skaters for the United States Figure skaters at the 1994 Winter Olympics Figure skaters at the 1998 Winter Olympics Living people 1966 births 20th-century American sportsmen