Peter Dunfield (c. 1931 – May 25, 2014) was a Canadian

figure skater Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are m ...

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 Manley ...

to the 1988 Olympic silver medal.

Career

Dunfield competed in

with partners

Mary Kenner Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner (May 17, 1912 - January 13, 2006) was an African American inventor who received five patents in her lifetime. She holds the record for the most patents awarded to a Black woman by the U.S government. Kenner’s ...

Peter Firstbrook Peter Sprott Firstbrook (May 11, 1933 – February 22, 1985) was a Canadian figure skater. As a single skating, single skater, he was the 1951–1953 Canadian Figure Skating Championships, Canadian national champion. He placed 5th at the 1952 Win ...

, and Vera Smith. The group won the silver medal at the 1949

North American Championships A North American Championship is a top level international sports competition between North American athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. List of Championships ;Bridge * North American B ...

. 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 ...

, 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 of ...

, 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, 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 skaters. ...

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 Charlene Wong (born March 4, 1966) is a Canadian former competitive figure skater. She is the 1981 NHK Trophy bronze medalist and competed at the 1988 Winter Olympics. She currently works as a figure skating coach. Personal life Charlene Wong wa ...

(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 Mark William Militano (born March 28, 1954 in Rockville Centre, New York) is an American pair skater. With sister Melissa Militano, he is the 1973 U.S. national champion. They represented the United States at the 1972 Winter Olympics where the ...

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 Vivi ...

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 ...

, 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) (born 1966), ice hockey center and assistant coach *Scott Allen ...

* Angela Derochie *

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 The Skate Canada Hall of Fame is the sports hall of fame for figure skating maintained by Skate Canada. It was established in 1990 as the Canadian Figure Skating Hall of Fame. The members are inducted into one of four categories that best represent ...

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 K ...

, 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

, Vera Smith, and

)

References

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