Brian Boitano
Four-time US Champion, two-time World Champion and 1988 Olympic Gold Medallist Brian Boitano has also won more professional titles than any other skater in the history of the sport - including six World Professional Championships.
Since turning professional, Brian has starred in his own and many other tours, directed countless television specials, won an Emmy for his starring role in Carmen on Ice and has been inducted into both the World and US Figure Skating Halls of Fame. A caricature of Brian as a superhero appears as a recurring character in the cartoon series South Park, while the movie South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999) features a musical number titled "What Would Brian Boitano Do?"
Both a ground-breaking skater and an exceptional athlete, Brian helped push the technical limits of the sport, and was the first American to land the Triple axel, as well as the first skater to attempt a quadruple jump in competition. He first performed his signature jump, the Tano Triple Lutz, in 1987.
Brian, who lives in Sunnyvale, California, founded Youth Skate in 1998, to introduce inner-city youth to ice skating. Since its inception, over 3,000 school children have participated in the program.
© Erica Armstrong
In February 2002, Canadian pair skaters Jamie Salé and David Pelletier emerged from an unprecedented Olympic controversy in Salt Lake City with gold medals and the hearts of millions of fans around the world for the incredible grace and dignity they had demonstrated both on and off the ice. For Jamie and David, it was the culmination of a lifelong dream.
Salé and Pelletier's partnership became an official reality on March 10, 1998. In 2000, they won their first of three Canadian Championships, and became the first pairs team ever to receive five perfect "6.0" scores in the competition. After finishing fourth in the 2000 World Championships, they were determined to bring home a medal in the 2001 Worlds. The next year, on Vancouver ice they made that dream a reality, winning the gold.
Choosing to skate professionally shortly after the 2002 Olympics, Jamie and David have performed in countless shows and specials. Not resting on their laurels, this dynamic duo is skating better than ever and has continued to develop new and innovative skills which never cease to amaze audiences around the globe.
© IMG
With her late husband and ice partner Sergei Grinkov, Ekaterina captured two Olympic and seven World championships. Pair partners from the tender age of 11, this couple spent 13 years together thrilling audiences with a skating style all their own. They came to define pair skating, lifting the sport to new heights, both athletic and artistic. With ethereal beauty and grace, like a quiet ballerina, Katia floats on the ice seemingly in a world of her own creation, and we are the lucky participants, fortunate enough to be touched by her soulful athleticism.
In February of 1996, she began her solo career with a heartfelt tribute to her late husband in A Celebration of a Life, which aired on CBS. In November 1996, Katia chronicled her life and love affair in her book My Sergei, A Love Story (Warner Books), which became a best seller. That same year, she starred in her first television special Disney's Beauty and the Beast along with friend and fellow skater Scott Hamilton.
Born in the former Soviet Union, Katia grew up in a Moscow apartment and spent her summers north of the city. She now makes Connecticut her home, along with second husband, Ilia Kulik and daughters Daria and Elizaveta. She still visits her family's dacha near Moscow, which she considers her hometown. And she still continues to thrill a legion of fans, both young and old.
Ilia Kulik
When 20-year-old, two-time Russian National Champion Ilia Kulik stood at the top of the Olympic podium in Nagano, Japan in February 1998, he was only the second man in figure skating singles history to achieve a Gold Medal on his first trip to the Winter Games. “Rhapsody in Blue”, which was one of the most ambitious Olympic programs ever successfully skated, included a flawlessly executed quadruple toe loop, eight triple jumps, intricate footwork, multiple spins and sweeping connective choreography. Ilia achieved an “overpowering” Olympic performance according to Time magazine.
As a professional skater, Ilia has distinguished himself as an innovative choreographer and a mature performer, who continues to stress technical excellence and classic elegance. He has toured with both Champions on Ice and Stars on Ice in the U.S., Prince Ice World in Japan and performed with Stars on Ice and Art on Ice in Europe. Off ice, Ilia took a major role in the 2000 dance film, Center Stage.
Ilia is married to Olympic and World champion, Ekaterina Gordeeva. They live in Connecticut with their daughters, Daria (Dasha) Grinkova, 13 and Elizaveta (Liza) Kulik, 4.
© Getty Images
Jeffrey Buttle began skating at age 2 and first competed at age 6. He garnered international attention in 2002 when he upset the favorites to win the ISU Four Continents Championships, a feat he repeated in 2004. He placed eighth in his Worlds debut and received great praise for his musicality and artistry.
Buttle's skating has flourished under the tutelage of Lee Barkell at the world-renowned Mariposa School Skating in Barrie, Ontario. Last year, he posted outstanding results during the Grand Prix Series and earned his first berth at the Grand Prix Final.
He excelled on the Grand Prix circuit this season, winning Cup of China, placing third at Skate Canada and earning the silver medal at the Grand Prix Final. In March of 2005, he won the silver medal at the World Figure Skating Championships in Moscow.
Buttle has become one of the names to watch after his Bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy.
© IMG
Partners on and off the ice, Jason Dungjen and Yuka Sato share a long-time love of skating. Jason took to the ice at the age of 11 and won the US Junior Pair title in 1983 with his sister Susan, followed by a second-place finish at the 1984 World Junior Championships. With partner Kyoko Ina, he became a two-time National Pairs Champion and they placed fourth in both the 1997 World Championships and the 1998 Olympics.
Born to skating parents, Yuka Sato learned to skate at the age of four and first competed when she was six years old. She's a two-time Japanese Champion, 1994 World Champion and has captured the World Professional Champion title on three occasions. In 1995, Yuka won every competition she entered, defeating every professional female skater. Combining technical difficulty with breathtaking artistic presentation, Yuka excels in both singles and pairs.
Steven Cousins
Eight-time British men's champion, Steven Cousins has competed in eight World Championships and three Olympic Games. Steven was the first Briton to land a triple axel in competition and the youngest male skater to win the British Nationals.
A charismatic and dynamic performer, Steven has become a favourite with skating fans in Canada and around the world. Steven has strong skating ties to the Canadian skating community as he has trained full-time in Barrie, Ontario with coach Doug Leigh since 1993.
In July 2002, Steven was honoured to skate for the Queen of England as part of her Golden Jubilee, which celebrated the 50th Anniversary of her ascension to the throne. Later that year, International Figure Skating Magazine named Steven one of the "Top 10 Most Beautiful People in Skating."
© Paul Chiasson
Jennifer Robinson grew up watching icons of Canadian ladies skating like Elizabeth Manley and Josée Chouinard on television; but she never dreamt that one day she herself would achieve that same icon status in Canadian ladies skating.
Jennifer Robinson, nicknamed "Tiger", began skating when she was 8 years old. By the age of 10, she landed her first axel and at 16 won her first major skating title. This six-time Canadian Champion has become well-known among skating audiences for her fluid and graceful movements, combining artistry with athleticism. With the guidance of choreographer Lori Nichol, Jennifer brought her love of skating to life in performances.
In a competitive career that spanned more than 10 years, Jennifer, competed in eight World Championships, three times finishing in the top 10. She counts the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City as a personal highlight.
Violetta Afanasieva & Pete Dack
Growing up in Canada and Russia, Pete and Violetta competed as amateur skaters, in both singles and pairs. With a passion for performance, Violetta joined the Bolshoi Moscow Circus on Ice, where she developed her gymnastic and acrobatic skills.
Since 1994, Violetta and Pete have been thrilling audiences with their inconceivable accomplishments on ice. Combining figure skating with gymnastics, and achieving the impossible with hoola-hoops, contortion, adagio and Russian cube, the couple has toured extensively, worldwide. Violetta and Pete were married in 2002 and live near Peterborough, Canada.
