Jessica Dubé and Bryce Davison

Jessica Dubé and Bryce Davison
World Bronze Medalists, Three-Time Canadian Pair Champions, Olympians

World Bronze Medalists Jessica Dubé & Bryce Davison both say they knew from the first time they stepped on the ice together that their pairing had great potential. "Even in our very first tryout, I knew it would be really good because Jess was incredible. She was the one I wanted to skate with," Davison says.

Despite the clear compatibility, neither expected the partnership would progress as rapidly as it did. Within three months of teaming up in the summer of 2003, they won their first international gold medal at a Junior Grand Prix event in Mexico City. In that freshman season they also won the Junior Grand Prix Final and the Canadian Junior Pair title and claimed the silver medal at the World Junior Championships.

"From that very first day we just kind of rolled with things," says Davison. "They've gone pretty well."

In 2006, a second-place finish in senior pairs at the Canadian Championships earned them a spot on the Canadian Olympic team in Turin, Italy, where they placed an impressive 10th. "It was amazing. I have no words for it," says Dubé about the Opening Ceremonies. "It was something I couldn't even imagine before I was there." They ended that season with a seventh-place finish at the World Championships.

Dubé and Davison began 2007 with a flourish, claiming their first Canadian Senior Pair title, which they describe as incredible. Although neither expected to come so far so fast, they gladly accept the accolades. Davison attributes the success to hard work, but observers of the sport often point to their fluid chemistry on the ice. "We can relate to one another with just a look of the eye," he says.

The duo has worked with renowned choreographer David Wilson since the inception of their partnership. Award-winning choreographer Lori Nichol has also worked with them. Both Wilson and Nichol actively engage skaters in the choreography process. "Instead of saying, ‘These are your steps, do them,' they work with you to invent and create the programs. That helps us as skaters to develop our creativity and be more imaginative," Davison says.

At the 2007 ISU Four Continents Championships in Colorado Springs, the pair was forced to withdraw when Davison accidentally hit Dubé in the face with his blade during side-by-side camel spins. Amazingly, she was back on the ice within 10 days. "It didn't really affect me," Dubé says. "Everything was just like before." They placed seventh at the World Championships in Tokyo.  The Canadian Champions were excited to finish their season skating with Stars on Ice in Bryce's home town of London, Ontario.

For the 2008-09 season, their short program is "Fix You" by Coldplay and free skate is "Carmen" by Bizet. They will work with Wilson and Nichol to fine-tune and polish the programs.

Goals for this season include winning a medal at a Grand Prix competition, regaining their Canadian title and remaining on the podium at the World Championships. Long-term goals include participating in the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada. "We're both young, so maybe we will continue competing after that. We don't know yet," says Dubé.

Fans can learn more about them at their official Web site, www.skatetoday.com/dubedavison/, where both name Brad Pitt as their favorite actor. Dubé's favorite actress is Naomi Watts, but Davison says there are too many beautiful women in the movies to choose one. They both enjoy watching hockey.

Being Olympians fuels them every day. And then there is the music. "The first five seconds of a program, I feel adrenalin," says Dubé. "Then after that, I'm into the ice and I just feel the music." "We haven't reached our full potential yet or anything close to it," Davison says. "We work every day to return to the Olympics."

TWITTER POSTS

24 Jun 2010
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14 May 2010
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