Skaters
Pairs
Naomi Nari Nam
Born:
July 6, 1985
Birthplace:
Anaheim, CA
Height:
5' 1"
Level:
Senior
Hometown:
Irvine, CA
College:
Coastline Community College
Club:
All Year FSC
Themistocles Leftheris
Born:
December 20, 1982
Birthplace:
Tarpon Springs, Fla.
Height:
5' 11"
Level:
Senior
Hometown:
Long Beach, Calif.
College:
Long Beach City College
Club:
Los Angeles FSC
Coach:
Peter Oppegard, Karen Kwan-Oppegard
Choreographer:
Peter Oppegard
This team ended its partnership in the fall of 2008 after Nam was forced to retire due to medical issues concerning her hip.
Nam started skating at age 5 after going public skating with her family ... Burst into the spotlight at the 1999 U.S. Championships as a singles skater when she was 13, winning silver behind Michelle Kwan ... In the 2000-01 season, she suffered a devastating hip injury that essentially ended her career as a singles skater ... Eventually tried out with Leftheris in 2005 despite having no pairs experience ... Passed all her pairs tests in the summer of 2005 ... Retired from skating in 2008 because of issues resulting from her most recent hip surgery ... Formerly coached by John Nicks, Jenni Meno and Todd Sand ... Attends Coastline Community College majoring in liberal arts ... Coaches and is an off-ice training assistant coordinator at East West Ice Palace ... Hobbies include reading, watching movies, dancing, shopping and kayaking ... Favorite foreign country to travel to is Germany ... Has a passion for children ... Says living life is her most prized possession ... Says her "sassiness" sets her apart from others, and the fact that you can hear her from a million miles away ... Loves to shop on eBay ... Would like to be on "Real World/Road Rules Challenge" ... After her skating career, she would like to go to back to school and become a teacher ... Has had two hip surgeries at ages 15 and 22 ... Says she is a huge Anaheim Ducks fan ... Chris Kunitz is her favorite hockey player ... Would like to meet Tiger Woods because "I'd like to know what goes through his mind when he competes" ... Says she feels blessed to have found the greatest partner.
Favorite TV shows: Real World, Jon and Kate Plus 8, So You Think You Can Dance, Entourage, Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, House, Big Brother, Friday Night Lights, SportsCenter
Favorite movies: Superbad, Romeo and Juliet, Prozac Nation, Juno, Little Miss Sunshine
Favorite charity: Make-A-Wish Foundation
Favorite celebrities: Claire Danes, Tiger Woods, Kate Hudson, Christina Ricci, Leonardo DiCaprio
Favorite book: The Bible, Mind Gym
Favorite web sites: www.MySpace.com, www.YouTube.com
Favorite food: Frozen yogurt, breakfast wraps from Starbucks
Favorite drink: Gatorade, water
Leftheris started to skate at age 12 after watching the 1994 Olympic Winter Games ... Skated with five different partners between 1999-2005 before when he joined up with Nam ... Also skated under four coaches until pairing up with Oppegard in 2003 ... The team was in third place following the short program at their first showing at the U.S. Championships; finished in fifth ... Hobbies include camping, reading, listening to music, rollerblading, movies, playing video games, writing and riding his bike on Venice Beach ... Has a passion for writing ... Leftheris says his biggest life-defining moment was partnering with Nam ... Has been involved with Pathways Mentoring Program, which helps children with incarcerated parents ... Volunteers with the Special Olympics to coach ice skating ... Expects to graduate in 2008 from Long Beach City College with a degree in communications ... Brother, Leo, is a rock climber ... Gives $15 a month to Greenpeace because "I am aware of the toll the earth takes due to pollution and global warming" ... Father, Nick, is a ship captain ... Was first chair in the 1998 all-county band ... Received superior ratings at a music festival from 1996-98 ... Older sister was ranked nationally in cheerleading ... Not many people know that he used to play the clarinet ... If he could be on any reality show, it would be "Real World" ... If he could meet any living celebrity, he would choose actor/comedian Jack Black to learn his philosophy on life ... Is a part-time server and skating coach ... After his skating career, he would like to be involved in counseling and therapy ... His personality makes him unique.
Favorite TV show: Anything on the Discovery Channel
Favorite movie: I Heart Huckabees
Favorite charity: Greenpeace
Favorite celebrity: Bjork
Favorite book: Demian
Favorite web site: www.myspace.com
Favorite food: Ice cream
Favorite drink: Root Beer floats
Nam started skating at age 5 after going public skating with her family ... Burst into the spotlight at the 1999 U.S. Championships as a singles skater when she was 13, winning silver behind Michelle Kwan ... In the 2000-01 season, she suffered a devastating hip injury that essentially ended her career as a singles skater ... Eventually tried out with Leftheris in 2005 despite having no pairs experience ... Passed all her pairs tests in the summer of 2005 ... Retired from skating in 2008 because of issues resulting from her most recent hip surgery ... Formerly coached by John Nicks, Jenni Meno and Todd Sand ... Attends Coastline Community College majoring in liberal arts ... Coaches and is an off-ice training assistant coordinator at East West Ice Palace ... Hobbies include reading, watching movies, dancing, shopping and kayaking ... Favorite foreign country to travel to is Germany ... Has a passion for children ... Says living life is her most prized possession ... Says her "sassiness" sets her apart from others, and the fact that you can hear her from a million miles away ... Loves to shop on eBay ... Would like to be on "Real World/Road Rules Challenge" ... After her skating career, she would like to go to back to school and become a teacher ... Has had two hip surgeries at ages 15 and 22 ... Says she is a huge Anaheim Ducks fan ... Chris Kunitz is her favorite hockey player ... Would like to meet Tiger Woods because "I'd like to know what goes through his mind when he competes" ... Says she feels blessed to have found the greatest partner.
Favorite TV shows: Real World, Jon and Kate Plus 8, So You Think You Can Dance, Entourage, Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, House, Big Brother, Friday Night Lights, SportsCenter
Favorite movies: Superbad, Romeo and Juliet, Prozac Nation, Juno, Little Miss Sunshine
Favorite charity: Make-A-Wish Foundation
Favorite celebrities: Claire Danes, Tiger Woods, Kate Hudson, Christina Ricci, Leonardo DiCaprio
Favorite book: The Bible, Mind Gym
Favorite web sites: www.MySpace.com, www.YouTube.com
Favorite food: Frozen yogurt, breakfast wraps from Starbucks
Favorite drink: Gatorade, water
Leftheris started to skate at age 12 after watching the 1994 Olympic Winter Games ... Skated with five different partners between 1999-2005 before when he joined up with Nam ... Also skated under four coaches until pairing up with Oppegard in 2003 ... The team was in third place following the short program at their first showing at the U.S. Championships; finished in fifth ... Hobbies include camping, reading, listening to music, rollerblading, movies, playing video games, writing and riding his bike on Venice Beach ... Has a passion for writing ... Leftheris says his biggest life-defining moment was partnering with Nam ... Has been involved with Pathways Mentoring Program, which helps children with incarcerated parents ... Volunteers with the Special Olympics to coach ice skating ... Expects to graduate in 2008 from Long Beach City College with a degree in communications ... Brother, Leo, is a rock climber ... Gives $15 a month to Greenpeace because "I am aware of the toll the earth takes due to pollution and global warming" ... Father, Nick, is a ship captain ... Was first chair in the 1998 all-county band ... Received superior ratings at a music festival from 1996-98 ... Older sister was ranked nationally in cheerleading ... Not many people know that he used to play the clarinet ... If he could be on any reality show, it would be "Real World" ... If he could meet any living celebrity, he would choose actor/comedian Jack Black to learn his philosophy on life ... Is a part-time server and skating coach ... After his skating career, he would like to be involved in counseling and therapy ... His personality makes him unique.
Favorite TV show: Anything on the Discovery Channel
Favorite movie: I Heart Huckabees
Favorite charity: Greenpeace
Favorite celebrity: Bjork
Favorite book: Demian
Favorite web site: www.myspace.com
Favorite food: Ice cream
Favorite drink: Root Beer floats
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2008 Season NotesSP Music: "Bombay Awakes" by A.R. Rahman
FS Music: "Samson and Delilah" by Saint-Saens
Goals are to earn Grand Prix assignments, win the gold medal at the U.S. Championships and make the World Team. -
2007 Season NotesSP Music: "Piano Fantasy" by Aaron Copland
FS Music: "Liebestraum" by Franz Liszt
Costume designer is Shelly Dornbush.Goals are to win the gold medal at the State Farm U.S. Championships and make the U.S. World Team.
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2006 Season NotesSP Music: "Jealousy" (tango)
FS Music: "Caravan"
Goals are to skate well in their internationals and place in the top two at the U.S. Championships.
- 2008 - U.S. Figure Skating Championships - 7th
2007 - Four Continents Championships - 6th
2007 - State Farm U.S. Championships - 3rd
2006 - Skate America - 3rd
2006 - Campbell's Cup (Team USA Pairs/Dance) - 2nd
2006 - State Farm U.S. Championships - 5th
2006 - Pacific Coast Sectional - 1st
