Ice dancers strike gold

By Nick Greenizan - Peace Arch News - April 10, 2008

It’s a good thing ice dancers Paul Gagnon and Rebecca Sasges are quick on their feet, or else winning gold at last week’s 2008 National StarSkate Championships might have been a tall order.

Despite only skating together since December, the Lower Mainland pair – Gagnon, 22, is a member of the White Rock-South Surrey Skating Club, while Sasges is from Abbotsford – finished atop the podium in gold dance biathlon, held in Brampton, Ont.

“Usually people take about six months to get things together – at least. We were pretty much just winging it,” Gagnon explained.

“It all just came together so quickly, and it worked out, but we were changing the program as late as last week.”

Though the two have been skating competitively for years, they’d never before paired up, but Gagnon has a pretty good idea of where the instant connection comes from.

“Well, we’re dating, so there should be a little bit of chemistry there,” he laughed.

Gagnon and Sasges skated a pair of compulsory dances, but it was their creative program – which included a waltz from the Cirque du Soleil, and a tango from Shall We Dance – that set them apart.

“I think our skating skills and our expression was what did it,” Gagnon said.

He did admit to some early nervousness, after seeing some of the other pairs’ routines.

“Once we saw some of the other skaters we kind of knew what to expect, and what we had to do.

“We were OK with the compulsory stuff, but were a little more nervous about some of the other pairs’ creative dances.”

Now that they’ve achieved gold, Gagnon said the duo will still skate, but is likely done competing, so Sasges can focus on school and Gagnon can concentrate on his career – he has his commercial pilot’s licence.

“We’ll just go and focus on some other things for awhile,” he said.

Email | Print | Letter to Editor | Share on Facebook

Ice dancers strike gold

Most read in your Region

Most read across BC