"It never gets boring," Ina said in an exclusive interview last week as she was en route to a training session preparing for next month's World Championships in Vancouver, British Columbia. "Each one you compete in gets harder and harder, so it makes this one very special. Winning the nationals makes people pay attention to us. If we can get people notice us, then we've accomplished one goal."
Ina and Zimmerman were downright flawless at the national championships, held two weeks ago at the Fleet Center in Boston. They easily cruised to the title, as the remaining teams suffered embarrassing falls and spills throughout both the short and long routines.
"We struggled in our short program, but we came back strong in the long program," said Ina, who has been paired with Zimmerman for the last three years. "Both of us want to try our hardest to reach the ultimate goal, which is the Olympics [next year in Salt Lake City.] The nationals are really a stepping stone for the Olympics and we want to be ready for it. That's why it was so special for us to win at the nationals."
It was special for another reason: because Zimmerman is the second partner that Ina has skated with competitively. From 1991 through 1998, Ina, who has called Guttenberg's Galaxy Apartments her home since she was a youngster, was paired with Jason Dungjen. The Ina-Dungjen combination clicked for two national championships and finished fourth at the 1998 Olympics.
However, Ina felt that the relationship between herself and Dungjen had reached a pinnacle and the end of the competitive road together.
"I didn't think we could go any further and I wasn't ready to turn professional," Ina said. "I felt that I still had something to make me come back as an amateur, and Jason wanted to move on. If half the pairs team wants to remain amateur and the other wants to move on, then there's nothing else left. I think there was still this void I had and I had to remain an amateur."
Dungjen eventually found another partner and turned professional. Ina had to search for a new skating partner. "My coach at the time, Peter Burrows, arranged a tryout with John," Ina said.
Changing partners
Zimmerman, a native of Montgomery, Ala., who was training in California, was also looking for a career change. He had split with his former partner, Stephanie Stiegler, with whom he finished third in the 1997 United States championships, ironically behind Ina and Dungjen.
"At first, I thought, 'Why not? What did I have to lose?' " Ina said. "So I relocated to California for a while. But I went out there to train for a couple of days and didn't like it. I wanted to come home. In order for a team to work, someone has to make the concession, so John did and moved here. I never wanted to move away from home in the first place. Fortunately, we have a local place where we can train."
Zimmerman moved to Hackensack, where he could train with Ina at the new Ice Palace there. Ina and Zimmerman also switched coaches to work with legendary Russian pairs skaters Tamara Moskvina and Igor Moskvin.
Ina and Zimmerman finished second at the 1999 U.S. Championships and ninth at the World Championships. It represented a start, but the challenge still lied ahead.
"You always have that fear that maybe it's not going to work and you're not going to reach the same heights," Ina said. "It was a choice I made and I had to live with it. I wish things were easier right away. But I knew I made a decision for the right reasons. We just had to work harder. The potential was there. I think what also helped was that we have a wonderful relationship with our coach. Tamara has us reaching to achieve all the time and drives us to be better."
In 2000, Ina and Zimmerman were better. They won the national championship, finished second at the Four Continents Championships and were seventh at the World Championships.
Winning in Boston
The U.S. National Figure Skating Championships in Boston represented the first competition Ina and Zimmerman competed in this year.
"I think we've improved so much over the last season," Ina said. "We've shown it in practices. It's now just up to us displaying it to everyone under pressure."
Ina was asked to relate the differences between her former partner and her current one.
"First of all, they look differently," Ina said. "Jason had dark hair and John is blond with blue eyes. Plus, John is very artistic and emotional. He has this sense of freeness when he skates. Jason was more technical and powerful. John has an extra sense of style and is very expressive. He has a love for skating and he's willing to show it."
Added Ina, "It doesn't help when everything is so businesslike. John is wonderful to work with. We've become really close friends and developed a special relationship."
The camaraderie can only translate to bigger and better performances down the road.
"I think it helps that we'll go into the next two competitions as two-time national champions," said Ina, who will next perform at the Four Continents Championships in Salt Lake City in two weeks, followed by the World Championships next month. "I think it gives us an edge, especially with the judges. We're going to be everyone's focus going into the competitions."
With the 2002 Winter Olympics less than a calendar year away, it's not too early to make plans for Salt Lake City.
"It's absolutely not too soon," Ina said. "It's only 12 months away. We're shooting for it and everything should be perfect for next year. We can't focus on the gold, because there is only one Olympic gold. But being there has to be the focus, even now. I guess after the summer, we'll have one long drive to the Olympics."
Added Ina, "I think we'll be able to do it. We know what we're capable of. All we have to do is shut out the rest of the world and focus on ourselves."
In between, Ina is hopeful that she and her partner will be invited to participate in the U.S. Figure Skating Tour, which has a stop at the Continental Airlines Arena in April. Ina and Zimmerman participated last year, which represents the only chance that Ina gets to skate in front of her hometown fans.
"I love the opportunity to skate at home," Ina said. "The people of Guttenberg have always been so supportive of me, cheering me on. It's nice to have that support. Everyone respects what I do and they follow how I'm doing. They don't pry into my life and that's nice."
But there is a bit of bad news to report for local fans. Ina just recently moved out of her parents' home in Guttenberg and moved to Greenwich, Conn.
"I still visit my parents all the time and I love it there," Ina said. "Mom and Dad are still there. I know the people there still consider me from Guttenberg. Someone asked me what I'm going to use as my hometown and I haven't even thought about it. I really don't know yet."
The tiny municipality along the Palisades hopes that the township's most recognizable figure maintains her allegiance to the place where she grew up. Then, Guttenberg will be very proud when their native daughter Kyoko Ina brings home an Olympic medal from Salt Lake City a year from now.
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