Matthew Blackmer (born December 12, 1991, in Findlay, Ohio) is a retired American pair skater turned ice dancer. With former pairs partner Britney Simpson, he is the 2011 Junior Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, the 2012 U.S. Junior silver medalist and the 2013 U.S. Junior Champion. He also skated with ice dancer Alexandra Aldridge.
Personal life Blackmer began skating at the age of 12, having switched over from hockey. Blackmer is a graduate of Lake Orion High School in Lake Orion, Michigan.
Career Blackmer started out with Silver Blades, which is a figure skating club in Findlay, Ohio.
Partnership with Simpson Blackmer teamed up with Simpson in February 2011 after his previous partner, Kaitlin Budd, quit. He moved from Michigan to Colorado Springs to train with Simpson under coach Dalilah Sappenfield.
In the 2011–2012 season, Simpson and Blackmer won gold at their first Junior Grand Prix event, 2011 JGP Poland, and silver at their second event, 2011 JGP Estonia. They won the bronze medal at the 2011–2012 Junior Grand Prix Final. They competed at the 2012 World Junior Championships and finished 10th.
On December 2, 2013, Simpson and Blackmer announced the end of their two-year partnership; both expressed an interest to compete with new partners.
Partnership with Aldridge On July 31, 2015, IceNetwork announced that Blackmer had teamed up with ice dancer Alexandra Aldridge, though they had teamed up two months prior. They began work with coaches Anjelika Krylova, Pasquale Camerlengo, and Natalia Annenko-Deller, him moving to Detroit Skate Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, from Broadmoor Skating Club in Colorado. He passed sixteen dance tests in one week in order to compete with her. Their first competition together was the Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships, where they placed third in the senior category, finishing fourth in the short dance and third in the free. They finished ninth at the 2016 United States National Championships.
On September 13, 2016, Blackmer and Aldridge announced the end of their one-year partnership; Aldridge looks to continue competing with a new partner while Blackmer decided to retire from competition.
Programs With Aldridge +SeasonShort DanceFree DanceExhibition2015–2016 Masquerade Waltz Radetzky March Oblivion Tango de Amor Thinking Out Loud
With Simpson Season Short program Free skating Exhibition 2013–2014 Flamenco by Didulia Beethoven's Five Secrets by The Piano Guys 2012–2013 The Mask of Zorro by James Horner Henry V by Patrick Doyle You Should Be Dancing by Bee Gees 2011–2012 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon by Tan Dun Titanic by James Horner
Competitive highlights
With Simpson Results International Event 2011–2012 2012–2013 Junior Worlds 10th 10th JGP Final 3rd JGP Austria 5th JGP Estonia 2nd JGP Poland 1st JGP Germany 5th National U.S. Championships 2nd J. 1st J. J. = Junior level; JGP = Junior Grand Prix
References
External links
Britney Simpson / Matthew Blackmer at Icenetwork