Jennifer Wester

Early years and career until 2002

Wester began skating as cross-training for shooting sports after her father read that skating could enhance her balance and thus improve her shooting skills. Soon after stepping on the ice however, she changed her focus from shooting to skating. She started skating at the America's Ice Gardens in Dallas, Texas in the fall of 1996,^[5] under coach Monica Reyes.

Wester began ice dancing in the spring of 1999, partnered with Nicholas Hart on the junior level.^[2] Their partnership dissolved in October of the same year. Wester continued ice dancing, testing through her US Gold Medal by the following summer. She then partnered with Italy's Massimo Scali and trained with him in Milan, Italy.^[2] They skated in shows throughout 2000 in Europe but never competed together due to international skating regulations.

Wester returned to the United States in the spring of 2001. In 2002, she competed on the Junior level with Jonathan Harris at the US National Championships. However, that partnership ended immediately following that competition — the same time Wester underwent shoulder surgery to repair a torn ligament.

2003–2009: Partnership with Barantsev

Wester teamed up with Daniil Barantsev in Newington, Connecticut in March 2003.^[6][7] She underwent surgery on her shoulder in 2003 and again in 2004.^[2]

Skating association paperwork issues prevented Wester/Barantsev from competing nationally until 2005. As a result of ISU paperwork regulations, they remained ineligible for international competitions until the Russian Skating Federation granted Barantsev a release, in January 2007.^[8] In the same month, Wester injured her knee in a practice immediately prior to the 2007 U.S. Championships, where they finished sixth. Initially believed to be a severe bone bruise, her injury was diagnosed in April 2007 as a fractured patella requiring immediate surgery.^[9][10]

In the summer of 2007, Wester/Barantsev moved to Bloomfield Hills, Michigan to train at the Detroit Skating Club under the tutelage of Anjelika Krylova and Pasquale Camerlengo.^[10] Recovering slowly from her injury, Wester returned to the ice around mid-June 2007.^[9] In September, the duo won gold at the 2007 Nebelhorn Trophy, skating in their first international competition as a team.

Wester/Barantsev placed fourth at their first ISU Championship together, the 2008 Four Continents Championships. In autumn 2008, they debuted on the Grand Prix series, Wester competing with pneumonia.

A back injury to Barantsev led them to withdraw from the U.S. Championships in January 2009 and Wester underwent knee surgery later that year.^[2] The two did not compete the following season and retired from competition shortly thereafter.

Later career

In 2010, Wester was cast on ABC's primetime television series Skating with the Stars as the professional skating partner for Vince Neil.^[11] In the spring of 2011, she and Barantsev began running the Newington Arena Learn to Skate School at the Newington Arena in Newington, Connecticut. She performed, partnering Ruslan Goncharov, at the 2012 Tribute to Life Charity Exhibition at Newington Arena in support of the Helen & Harry Gray Cancer Center at Hartford Hospital. In 2015, Wester joined the cast of Notti Sul Ghiaccio^[12] produced by Endemol and Rai, as the coach and professional partner of Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia. See Clip Reels from each show here: 2010 Skating With the Stars 2015 Notti Sul Ghiaccio

In 2017, Wester began appearing in various art venues painting with on canvas while skating on inline roller skates designed to act as figure skates. In December of 2017 she also debuted an audio/visual/projection art featuring the sounds of skating as a musical composition in collaboration with percussion artist and professional figure skater, Marco Garavaglia. In 2018, Wester performed a new work commissioned for the SOLUNA Festival entitled, Breaking Shadows, in which she designed and skated to the movements of shadows, accompanied by an original musical composition of skating sounds and classical instrumentation in collaboration with dutch sound artist, Baz Laakakers.

Wester currently serves on various committees of USFigureSkating, is a member of the executive committee of Art Conspiracy, creates art for show and sale,^[13], is part owner in a custom pressure vessel business, and sits on the board of a Montessori non-for-profit academy where she teaches art.^[14] In March 2017, she additionally began authoring a Montessori-based activity workbook series, Artistic Refinement Therapy Books & Exercises (ARTb) and performing as a public speaker at Montessori conferences and as a co-host at events by Total Life Complete, including a web-based video series titled B-side on LinkedIn.