Silvia Fontana is a figure skater

Figure skating

Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...

 who represented Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 at the two Olympics. She was born on Staten Island

Staten Island

Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, raised in Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

, and trained during her career in Hackensack

Hackensack, New Jersey

Hackensack is a city in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States and the county seat of Bergen County. Although informally called Hackensack, it was officially named New Barbadoes Township until 1921. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 43,010....

, New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

.

Career

Fontana began skating in 1980. She began representing Italy in international competition in the 1993-4 season. During her career, she won five national titles

Italian Figure Skating Championships

The Italian Figure Skating Championships are a figure skating national championship held annually to determine the national champions of Italy. Skaters compete in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.-Men:...

 and finished as high as 7th at the European Championships

European Figure Skating Championships

The European Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition in which figure skaters compete for the title of European Champion...

 and 8th at Worlds

World Figure Skating Championships

The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...

. She finished 10th at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Following the 2002, Fontana left competitive skating. She made a comeback in the 2005-6 season, hoping to skate at the Olympics in her home country of Italy. Her 2nd place finish at the Italian Nationals qualified her for Italy's Olympic team

Italy at the 2006 Winter Olympics

Italy was the host nation for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. It was the second time that Italy had hosted the Winter Games and the third time overall . Italy's flag bearer for the opening ceremony was figure skater Carolina Kostner...

. She placed 22nd in her final competitive event.

Following the Olympics, Fontana appeared in ice shows around the World and skated in a skating competition on Italian TV.

Personal life

Fontana married American pairs skater John Zimmerman on August 28, 2003. The two coach together, and have served as ambassadors for Right to Play

Right to Play

Right To Play is an international humanitarian organization that uses sport and play programs to improve health, develop life skills, and foster peace for children and communities in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the world...

. The couple also have a line of sportswear, Karisma, which Fontana founded in 2009.

Results

Event	1993-94	1995-96	1996-97	1997-98	1998-99	1999-00	2000-01	2001-02	2005-06
Winter Olympics Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating...								10th	22nd
World Championships World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...	25th	24th			16th	19th	10th	10th
European Championships European Figure Skating Championships The European Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition in which figure skaters compete for the title of European Champion...	22nd	20th		18th	13th	8th	7th	11th
Italian Championships Italian Figure Skating Championships The Italian Figure Skating Championships are a figure skating national championship held annually to determine the national champions of Italy. Skaters compete in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.-Men:...	1st	1st	3rd	2nd	1st	1st	2nd	1st	2nd
Skate America Skate America Skate America is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. It is organized by the United States Figure Skating Association. The location changes yearly...					10th
Skate Canada International Skate Canada International The Skate Canada International is an international, senior-level invitation-only figure skating competition organized by Skate Canada. It is the second competition of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. The location changes yearly. Medals are awarded in four disciplines: Ladies' singles, Men's...			7th			5th
Trophée Lalique							10th	7th
Sparkassen Cup on Ice								7th
Cup of Russia Cup of Russia The Cup of Russia is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Figure skaters compete in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. It was held as the Rostelecom Cup in 2009 after...					11th	9th	9th
Winter Universiade							3rd

External links