# Tarah Kayne

Tarah Kayne (born April 28, 1993) is an American retired competitive pair skater. With former partner Daniel O'Shea, she is the 2018 Four Continents champion, 2014 Four Continents silver medalist, and 2016 U.S. national champion.

## Personal life

Kayne was born on April 28, 1993, in Fort Myers, Florida.

## Career
### Early years

Kayne began learning to skate in 1998. She competed in the novice ladies' category in the 2010–2011 season and then on the junior level for one season. She then switched to pairs, teaming up with Daniel O'Shea in April 2012.

### 2012–13 season

Kayne/O'Shea finished seventh in their first trip to the U.S. Championships, in January 2013. Making their international debut, they won the silver medal at the 2013 International Challenge Cup.

### 2013–14 season

Kayne/O'Shea won bronze medals at the U.S. Classic and Ice Challenge. After placing sixth at the 2014 U.S. Championships, they were assigned to the 2014 Four Continents, where they won the silver medal.

### 2014–15 season

On July 28, 2014, Kayne underwent surgery due to a labral tear in her right hip. As a result, the pair withdrew from their 2014–15 Grand Prix assignments, the 2014 Cup of China and 2014 Rostelecom Cup. Kayne/O'Shea returned to competition at the 2014 Golden Spin of Zagreb, taking bronze at the ISU Challenger Series (CS) event. The pair stepped onto their first national podium at the 2015 U.S. Championships, where they were awarded the bronze medal.

### 2015–16 season

Kayne/O'Shea began their season with gold at a CS event, the 2015 U.S. International Classic. Kayne injured her right knee at the event.
Making their Grand Prix debut, the pair placed sixth at the 2015 Skate America and fourth at the 2015 Rostelecom Cup. Another Challenger medal followed, bronze at the 2015 Golden Spin of Zagreb in December. In January, Kayne/O'Shea placed first in both segments at the 2016 U.S. Championships and won the gold medal by a margin of 14.85 points over defending champions Alexa Scimeca / Chris Knierim.

### 2016–17 season

After placing fifth at the 2016 CS Finlandia Trophy, Kayne/O'Shea competed at two Grand Prix events, finishing sixth at the 2016 Skate America and fourth at the 2016 NHK Trophy. The pair withdrew from the 2017 U.S. Championships due to a concussion, Kayne having hit her head while attempting a throw triple flip during the short program on January 19.
During the season, Kayne experienced increasing pain due to right knee tendinitis, the result of her 2015 injury. She received a new cadaver tendon in an operation at the Vail Valley Medical Center on February 14, 2017, and then refrained from walking for seven weeks. She resumed training by July 2017.

### 2017–18 season

Kayne/O'Shea did not compete in the early part of the season, including the Grand Prix, instead beginning the season at the 2017 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb, where they won the bronze medal. They took silver at the 2018 U.S. Championships, and were named first alternates for the 2018 Winter Olympics, where the United States had only one pairs spot, as well as part of America's teams for the Four Continents and World Championships.
At the 2018 Four Continents Championships, they were third after the short program and then had a personal best score in the free skate to win the gold medal, the first American team to do so in over a decade. Kayne said she felt "really great about our performance," They anticipated competing at the World Championships. However, following the event, Kayne was diagnosed with a stress fracture in her right knee. As a result, they withdrew from the World Championships, and were replaced by bronze medalists Deanna Stellato / Nathan Bartholomay.
They were coached by Jim Peterson, in Ellenton, Florida, until the end of the season.

### 2018–19 season

On September 7, 2018, Kayne/O'Shea announced a coaching change, deciding to join Dalilah Sappenfield in Colorado Springs, Colorado. They began the season with the seventh-place finish at the 2018 CS Nebelhorn Trophy. Assigned to two Grand Prix events, they first competed at the 2018 NHK Trophy, finishing fifth. At the 2018 Internationaux de France, Kayne/O'Shea were fourth after the short program, but placed second in the free skate, finishing less than two points ahead of bronze medalists Aleksandra Boikova / Dmitrii Kozlovskii. This was their first Grand Prix medal. Kayne remarked that after a "less than desirable" performance in Japan, "to have come to France and make this much improvement in just two short weeks made us both very happy."
At the 2019 U.S. Championships, Kayne/O'Shea placed first in the short program, just ahead of Ashley Cain / Timothy LeDuc. In the free skate, they made some small opening mistakes on their twist and side-by-side jumps, but then had a major error when they failed to execute their final lift, which caused them to drop to fourth place. O'Shea commented afterward "I didn't do what I was supposed to do." They were nevertheless named to the American team for the Four Continents Championships over bronze medalists Stellato-Dudek/Bartholomay. They finished in sixth place there, with Kayne saying their performance was a personal disappointment.

### 2019–20 season

Kayne/O'Shea began with a fourth-place finish at the 2019 CS U.S. Classic. On the Grand Prix, they were sixth to begin at the 2019 Cup of China. Kayne/O'Shea were sixth as well at the 2019 NHK Trophy.
Competing at the 2020 U.S. Championships, Kayne/O'Shea placed second in the short program, seven points behind the leaders, Knierim/Knierim. Third in the free skate, they won the bronze medal behind the Knierims and Calalang/Johnson. O'Shea called it "an improvement as the program has progressed over the first part of the season. We are taking steps in the right direction." They finished the season with a fifth-place finish at the 2020 Four Continents Championships.

### 2020–21 season

In September, Kayne and O'Shea announced they were leaving coach Dalilah Sappenfield, at the time saying publicly that they were looking forward to exploring new training options and looking forward to staying strong as a team.
They were fourth at the ISP Points Challenge, a virtual domestic competition. They competed at the 2020 Skate America, primarily attended by American pairs teams due to travel restrictions relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. Their previous coaches Jim Peterson and Amanda Evora helped them to prepare for the competition. The permanent training environment of Kayne and O'Shea will be determined after the competition.
On December 10, it was announced that Kayne and O'Shea had split. While Kayne initially said she would be staying with Peterson and Evora as coaches, she subsequently retired from competitive skating.

### Allegations against Dalilah Sappenfield

In an exposé published by USA Today on October 8, 2021, Kayne detailed the alleged emotional and psychological abuse she endured at the hands of her former coach, Dalilah Sappenfield, before leaving Sappenfield's training group in September 2020. Kayne stated that Sappenfield's abuse prompted her to engage in self-harm behaviors, and that she'd been afraid to seek mental health treatment out of concern that Sappenfield would find out. She said, "these awful experiences forced me out of the sport I love. Dalilah said multiple times that she wanted to end my career, and she succeeded." Kayne's former skating partner, Danny O'Shea, expressed his support for Kayne on social media. Kayne was one of several skaters to file complaints against Sappenfield with the United States Center for SafeSport, leading to her suspension pending further investigation.

## Programs
### Pair skating with Daniel O'Shea

| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
| 2020–21 | Clair de lune by Claude Debussy choreo. by Randi Strong | Carmen by Georges Bizet choreo. by Randi Strong | |
| 2019–20 | Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) (from A Wrinkle in Time) by The Eurythmics performed by Mark Hadley & Dresage choreo. by Charlie White | Les Misérables by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil & Herbert Kretzmer choreo. by Pasquale Camerlengo | |
| 2018–19 | That's It (I'm Crazy) by Sofi Tukker choreo. by Shae-Lynn Bourne, Shae Zukiwsky Turning Page by Sleeping at Last | Swan Lake by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky choreo. by Shae-Lynn Bourne, Shae Zukiwsky | That's It (I'm Crazy) by Sofi Tukker choreo. by Shae-Lynn Bourne, Shae Zukiwsky |
| 2017–18 | All I Ask of You (from The Phantom of the Opera) by Andrew Lloyd Webber choreo. by Massimo Scali | Swan Lake by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky choreo. by Shae-Lynn Bourne, Shae Zukiwsky | Evermore by Josh Groban |
| 2016–17 | Take Me to Church by Hozier choreo. by Jim Peterson Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow Back to Black by Amy Winehouse choreo. by Judy Blumberg | A Song of India by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Marche Slave by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky choreo. by Jim Peterson, Judy Blumberg | Johanna (from Sweeney Todd) |
| 2015–16 | Take Me to Church by Hozier choreo. by Jim Peterson España cañí by Pascual Marquina Narro | The Music of the Night by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Charles Hart performed by Barbra Streisand and Michael Crawford choreo. by Jim Peterson | Manhattan by Sara Bareilles |
| 2014–15 | Your Song by Ewan McGregor choreo. by Jim Peterson | Spartacus by Aram Khachaturian choreo. by Jim Peterson | Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting by Elton John |
| 2013–14 | James Bond medley by John Barry choreo. by Jim Peterson | Don Quixote by Ludwig Minkus choreo. by Jim Peterson | |
| 2012–13 | My Fair Lady by Frederick Loewe choreo. by Jim Peterson | The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky choreo. by Jim Peterson | |

## Competitive highlights

* GP – Event of the ISU Grand Prix Series
* JGP – Event of the ISU Junior Grand Prix Series
* CS – Event of the ISU Challenger Series
* WD – Withdrew from competition

### Pair skating with Daniel O'Shea

Competition placements at senior level :
| Season | 2012–13 | 2013–14 | 2014–15 | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 2017–18 | 2018–19 | 2019–20 | 2020–21 |
| World Championships | | | | 13th | | | | | |
| Four Continents Championships | | 2nd | 8th | 4th | | 1st | 6th | 5th | |
| U.S. Championships | 7th | 6th | 3rd | 1st | WD | 2nd | 4th | 3rd | |
| GP Cup of China | | | | | | | | 6th | |
| GP France | | | | | | | 2nd | | |
| GP NHK Trophy | | | | | 4th | | 5th | 6th | |
| GP Rostelecom Cup | | | | 4th | | | | | |
| GP Skate America | | | | 6th | 6th | | | | 5th |
| CS Finlandia Trophy | | | | | 5th | | 7th | | |
| CS Golden Spin of Zagreb | | | 3rd | 3rd | | 3rd | | 2nd | |
| CS Tallinn Trophy | | | | | | | 2nd | | |
| CS U.S. Classic | | 3rd | | 1st | | | | 4th | |
| Challenge Cup | 2nd | | | | | | | | |
| Ice Challenge | | 3rd | | | | | | | |

## Detailed results
### Pair skating with Daniel O'Shea

ISU personal best scores in the +5/-5 GOE System :
| Segment | Type | Score | Event |
| Total | TSS | 194.29 | 2019 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb |
| Short program | TSS | 66.34 | 2019 Four Continents Championships |
| Short program | TES | 36.96 | 2019 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb |
| Short program | PCS | 30.66 | 2020 Four Continents Championships |
| Free skating | TSS | 128.09 | 2019 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb |
| Free skating | TES | 66.13 | 2018 Internationaux de France |
| Free skating | PCS | 62.24 | 2019 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb |
ISU personal best scores in the +3/-3 GOE System :
| Segment | Type | Score | Event |
| Total | TSS | 194.42 | 2018 Four Continents Championships |
| Short program | TSS | 65.74 | 2018 Four Continents Championships |
| Short program | TES | 35.80 | 2014 Four Continents Championships |
| Short program | PCS | 30.03 | 2018 Four Continents Championships |
| Free skating | TSS | 128.68 | 2018 Four Continents Championships |
| Free skating | TES | 65.73 | 2018 Four Continents Championships |
| Free skating | PCS | 62.95 | 2018 Four Continents Championships |
* Small medals for the short program and free skating are only awarded at ISU Championships.
* At national events in the United States, pewter medals are awarded for fourth place.
Results in the 2012–13 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Jan 20–27, 2013 | 2013 U.S. Championships | 9 | 47.74 | 7 | 100.58 | 7 | 148.32 |
| Feb 21–24, 2013 | 2013 International Challenge Cup | 3 | 54.11 | 2 | 113.71 | 2 | 167.82 |
Results in the 2013–14 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Sep 12–14, 2013 | 2013 U.S. International Classic | 4 | 60.31 | 3 | 106.96 | 3 | 167.27 |
| Nov 19–24, 2013 | 2013 Ice Challenge | 3 | 53.97 | 2 | 103.68 | 3 | 157.65 |
| Jan 5–12, 2014 | 2014 U.S. Championships | 7 | 61.48 | 6 | 112.41 | 6 | 173.89 |
| Jan 20–25, 2014 | 2014 Four Continents Championships | 3 | 62.05 | 2 | 119.40 | 2 | 181.45 |
Results in the 2014–15 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Dec 4–6, 2014 | 2014 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb | 3 | 50.72 | 3 | 111.00 | 3 | 161.72 |
| Jan 17–25, 2015 | 2015 U.S. Championships | 4 | 61.56 | 3 | 123.75 | 3 | 185.31 |
| Feb 10–15, 2015 | 2015 Four Continents Championships | 8 | 57.91 | 8 | 108.76 | 8 | 166.67 |
Results in the 2015–16 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Sep 16–20, 2015 | 2015 CS U.S. International Classic | 3 | 54.30 | 1 | 116.00 | 1 | 170.30 |
| Oct 22–25, 2015 | 2015 Skate America | 6 | 58.38 | 5 | 107.61 | 6 | 165.99 |
| Nov 20–22, 2015 | 2015 Rostelecom Cup | 6 | 58.78 | 4 | 122.45 | 4 | 181.23 |
| Dec 2–5, 2015 | 2015 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb | 6 | 55.58 | 1 | 119.38 | 3 | 174.96 |
| Jan 15–24, 2016 | 2016 U.S. Championships | 1 | 69.61 | 1 | 142.04 | 1 | 211.65 |
| Feb 16–21, 2016 | 2016 Four Continents Championships | 7 | 59.72 | 4 | 122.30 | 4 | 182.02 |
| Mar 28 – Apr 3, 2016 | 2016 World Championships | 14 | 59.27 | 11 | 118.96 | 13 | 178.23 |
Results in the 2016–17 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Oct 6–10, 2016 | 2016 CS Finlandia Trophy | 4 | 54.65 | 5 | 103.46 | 5 | 158.11 |
| Oct 21–23, 2016 | 2016 Skate America | 8 | 57.93 | 3 | 115.57 | 6 | 173.50 |
| Nov 25–27, 2016 | 2016 NHK Trophy | 5 | 57.02 | 4 | 115.18 | 4 | 172.20 |
| Jan 14–22, 2017 | 2017 U.S. Championships | 5 | 61.80 | — | — | – | WD |
Results in the 2017–18 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Dec 6–9, 2017 | 2017 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb | 3 | 56.38 | 3 | 105.88 | 3 | 162.26 |
| Jan 3–7, 2018 | 2018 U.S. Championships | 2 | 68.93 | 2 | 131.87 | 2 | 200.80 |
| Jan 22–28, 2018 | 2018 Four Continents Championships | 3 | 65.74 | 1 | 128.68 | 1 | 194.42 |
Results in the 2018–19 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Oct 4–7, 2018 | 2018 CS Finlandia Trophy | 7 | 52.53 | 6 | 109.50 | 7 | 162.03 |
| Nov 9–11, 2018 | 2018 NHK Trophy | 5 | 59.00 | 5 | 105.16 | 5 | 164.16 |
| Nov 23–25, 2018 | 2018 Internationaux de France | 4 | 63.45 | 2 | 127.98 | 2 | 191.43 |
| Nov 26 – Dec 2, 2018 | 2018 CS Tallinn Trophy | 4 | 57.28 | 1 | 120.41 | 2 | 177.69 |
| Jan 19–27, 2019 | 2019 U.S. Championships | 1 | 71.83 | 4 | 126.81 | 4 | 198.64 |
| Feb 7–10, 2019 | 2019 Four Continents Championships | 5 | 66.34 | 6 | 114.02 | 6 | 180.36 |
Results in the 2019–20 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Sep 17–22, 2019 | 2019 CS U.S. International Classic | 4 | 64.90 | 4 | 109.12 | 4 | 174.02 |
| Nov 8–10, 2019 | 2019 Cup of China | 5 | 64.08 | 6 | 114.71 | 6 | 178.79 |
| Nov 22–24, 2019 | 2019 NHK Trophy | 7 | 58.70 | 5 | 120.03 | 6 | 178.73 |
| Dec 4–7, 2019 | 2019 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb | 3 | 66.20 | 2 | 128.09 | 2 | 194.29 |
| Jan 20–26, 2020 | 2020 U.S. Championships | 2 | 70.35 | 3 | 133.72 | 3 | 204.07 |
| Feb 4–9, 2020 | 2020 Four Continents Championships | 7 | 62.65 | 5 | 123.55 | 5 | 186.20 |
Results in the 2020–21 season :
| Date | Event | SP | SP | FS | FS | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Oct 23–24, 2020 | 2020 Skate America | 5 | 59.86 | 5 | 114.49 | 5 | 174.35 |