Two-Time U.S. Pairs Champions Inoue And Baldwin Announce Coaching Change

Colorado Springs, Colo. (May 18, 2009) - The U.S. pairs team of Rena Inoue and John Baldwin announced today that they will end their professional relationship with coach Phillip Mills and will begin training with Jenni Meno and Todd Sand.

The 2006 Olympians say they feel confident that the change will lead to a successful season.

"We are honored that they have accepted the challenge of coaching us through the next Olympic Games," Baldwin said. "We have always looked up to Jenni and Todd as a pair, and we see many similarities between their career and ours both on and off the ice."

Meno and Sand competed together for six seasons, winning three U.S. championships (1994-96) and three World medals (one silver, two bronze), and skating in two Olympic Winter Games (1994, 1998). They coached two teams at the 2009 AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships: seniors Lindsay Davis and Alexander Merritt (12th) and novices Tori Vollmer and Zack Sidhu (fifth).

"We are so lucky to have the opportunity to work with one of the most accomplished teams in the history of the sport," Inoue said.

Inoue and Baldwin trained under Mills for the past two years, during which time they won two U.S. medals: silver in 2008 and bronze last season.

"We thank Phillip Mills from the bottom of our hearts for taking us on the last two seasons," Baldwin said. "We will always remember what we accomplished through his guidance."

With Meno and Sand, the team will train at facilities in Aliso Viejo and Yorba Linda, Calif.


- U.S. Figure Skating -
U.S. Figure Skating is the national governing body for the sport of figure skating in the United States as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Skating Union. U.S. Figure Skating is comprised of more than 763 member clubs and Basic Skills Programs representing approximately 179,000 members. U.S. Figure Skating is charged with the development of the sport on all levels within the United States including athletes, officials, sanctioning of events and exhibitions, and establishing the rules and guidelines by which the sport is governed.