Masters Pairs Gold Goes to Leslie and Peter Gaudreau in Lake Placid
by Amy Partain |
| Masters pairs gold medalists Leslie and Peter Gaudreau Photo by Amy Partain |
(4/17/04) - Skating is something that Leslie and Peter Gaudreau have been doing together their whole married life. And Friday it paid off with a gold medal in the masters pairs event at the 2004 U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championships.
The Gaudreaus (Indiana/World Skating Academy) were placed first by all but one of the nine judges despite a loss of focus that resulted in a mistake in the middle of the program. Peter Gaudreau said he was pleased with the program, despite the mistake.
"We're pleased with it although you hope for more," he said. "It's great to be here and have this experience and to be able to say we did it."
Peter Gaudreau said the mistake came when he "fast-forwarded" the program, thinking they had completed a section that they hadn't done yet.
"We got the element in, but the connected footwork going into it was messed up," he said.
Their first element, a full overhead press lift, was a highlight of their program and received a huge cheer from the audience, which Gaudreau said he heard on the ice.
"She looks beautiful up there," he said of his wife doing the press lift, "I'm just happy I can be a platform that lets her shine."
They also completed a single flip-single toe combination and a nice outside death spiral, but unison problems plagued them during their side-by-side sit spins.
The Gaudreaus first competed at the U.S. Adult Championships in 1996 as a couple who had been married a little over a year. Gaudreau said they especially enjoy competing at the events in Lake Placid because of the town's skating tradition and, more importantly, because of the people who organize such a good event.
The silver medalists were Lynne Kuechle (Roseville FSC) and Christopher Williams (FSC of Minneapolis). Only skating together for a year and a half, Williams said they were happy with their program.
"I think it is the best we've done it," he said. "We first did this program in February and we looked like two people on the same ice skating to the same music. Today we flowed together."
Kuechle and Williams had a good spiral sequence and good unison on split jumps and footwork into side-by-side single toes. But they struggled on their side-by-side Axels.
Williams said he was always interested in pairs skating,and decided to try it when Kuechle's previous pairs partner moved away.
"Pairs skating is so pretty," Williams said. "And it is a new challenge for me."
