Doran The Skater

 

By Susan Mitchell

 

In 1989, Daniel Doran won the Silver Medal at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Baltimore and a place on the World Figure Skating Team. Today, he lives in a homeless shelter in Key West.

A You Tube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLI1IYA0RuE

shows him performing triple axles and defying gravity for a stadium of adoring fans and worldwide on television. Today, Doran has the same high pitched raspy voice, handsome smile and sparking blue eyes. A violent assault and robbery put him in this homeless situation, according to Doran. 

At 21, Doran was a member the U.S. figure skating team and World Team along with Brian Boitano who won the gold medal in 1989. His first coach was the late Carlo Fassi, who worked with both Peggy Fleming and Dorothy Hamill. Donald Laws, who previously coached Scott Hamilton, worked with Doran from 1983-1990.

Doran then became a professional skater, performing in ice shows like “Champions on Ice” around the world. After the ice shows ended, he coached ice skaters in Washington, D.C., for 11 years and worked part-time as a server in a D.C. restaurant. 

Three years ago, his aging parents asked for his help. So, he helped his skaters find new coaches and moved to Branson, Mo., to take care of his parents. Both died last year.

In September, after his parents passed, Daniel took his dying mom’s suggestion to get out of the cold and go to Miami and resume coaching. He packed all his belongings including cash, found a skating rink in South Beach, to begin a new coaching career. After lining up an apartment to rent for six months, he walked across town to sign a lease and pay the rent and deposit, before setting up a bank account. Doran explained he was assaulted and robbed of all his money on his way there.

He awoke from a coma in the hospital three days later with several dozen stitches and only the clothing on his back. The thieves not only took his backpack and shoes, they also raided his hotel room with his key and identification in his backpack and stole all his belongings which included all of his skating pictures and memorabilia.  Miami Police officers who were in his hospital room when he awoke, told him they didn’t have the services to help him regain his bank card, identification or housing. Last November, he did obtain a bus pass to Key West.

Doran said his parents were the only people he has ever turned to for emergency help. “I consider the people at KOTS (Keys Outreach Temporary Shelter) both residents and staff, my family. I love them,” said Doran.

Doran said Miami is unsafe and he has no interest in coaching there. His current dream is to be a server in a restaurant in Key West or work in a retail or grocery store and find a place to live. Doran spends his day applying for jobs. When applying for jobs in Key West, Doran said he doesn’t mention his background as a skating champion. “That’s another life,” he said.

He worked out on the ice as a teenager, seven hours a day, attending special schooling when teachers were brought to the ice rink and taught top skaters between morning and evening trainings and shows. Doran earned his high school diploma in two years. 

Today Doran says, “I don’t feel homeless. If I can be a skater, I can go out and get a job. Now that KOTS helped me get my identification back, I look forward to working. Once paychecks come rolling in and I bring in my own income, I’m going to learn the computer a little bit more and get back up on line, get back in the email situation and start consulting. His long-term goal is to  travel around the U.S. meeting with other skating coaches, setting up their students’ routines, picking out their music and coming in and choreographing their whole routine for competition.

“I’d really like to do that again. Help other coaches further their students. Set all their skating routines, then go back to watch and help them polish up right before competition,” said Doran.

Doran envisions giving back to KOTS in some capacity as a volunteer or through financial support after regaining success once again in the skating world.

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