'As the mother of Cordero Zuckerman, I can truly say "this kid loves to skate". It is he who wakes me up at 5:30 am to make sure he is at the rink by 6:00 am.
Cordero has been skating since he was 8 and he is now 14. His parents are Jeff and Jo Zuckerman and he has an older sister who is and ice dancer. Her name is Bianca (18). His older brother (16) David also loves to skate but not competitively. He loves to participate in the annual ice shows alongside Cordero.
Cordero lives in the far north town of Fairbanks, Alaska where skating for years has been very popular. He has ice dancing experience but his passion is in singles where he is perfecting his double axel at the Intermediate level and introducing triples. Being a high school student now, his training schedule is in the early mornings until school starts at 7:50 am. Additional ice time is squeezed in the afternoons here and there in conjunction with his other sports that help his skating. This would include cross country running and Tae Kwon Do. Yes, Tae Kwon Do for years has helped Cordero become the flexible boy he is today. He is dually as good in this sport and has qualified this year to represent the United States at the World Championships in Australia in September! This sport has helped him achieve his signature move after his favorite skater Lucinda Ruh! He actually met Lucinda and got to show off his bielman for her during a summer skating camp in Salt Lake City back in 2003. She told him it was pretty darn good for a boy!
Cordero is the reigning Northwest Pacific Champion since his onset at the pre-preliminary level. He has continued to achieve that gold medal year after year up to the Open-Juvenile level. This will be his first year, because of his age, to attempt to qualify for Junior Nationals and follow in the footsteps of his sister! It is his dream to do well here and continue skating as long as he can.
I have to say, he started skating because his older sister and brother were skating. The passion was instant as everyone saw he had a quality for showmanship and won the hearts of many from a very young age. Thus why, his favorite music is jazz where he can perform his second love of dancing. Cordero likes to move and is constantly looking for new dance moves to perform on the ice.
At present, he is coached by Debbie Cook in Fairbanks. Cordero takes advantage of every opportunity to be coached by visiting coaches but in general maintains his rigorous schedule with Debbie. He is hard working and never has to be told not to waste time. He understands ice time is precious and limited in the school year and is never to be taken for granted.
One of my favorite memories of him skating was when he was about 9. He was asked to skate as the half-time entertainment for a hockey game alongside the famous Canadian "King of Blades" Don Jackson. It was the most memorable picture to see them sitting side by side waiting to get on the ice when Cordero looked over at him and asked, "So, what level are you? I'm Pre-Preliminary." Don answered back, "Well, I don't think they have a level for me anymore!" being 70 years of age at the time!
Thank you for this opportunity. If you could meet Cordero you would know he is a great kid with a great love for skating!
Jo Zuckerman, mother and number one fan of Cordero!'
