Beata Handra is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 ice dancer. With partner and husband Charles Sinek

Charles Sinek

Charles Sinek is an American ice dancer. With partner and wife Beata Handra, he is the 1999-2002 U.S. national pewter medalist.-Biography:...

, she is the 1999-2002 U.S. national pewter medalist

United States Figure Skating Championships

The United States Figure Skating Championships is figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of the United States. The competition is sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating. In the U.S. skating community, the event is often referred to informally as "Nationals".Skaters...

.

Biography

Handra's father is a refugee from the Hungarian revolution in 1956 and her mother is a concert pianist from Japan.

After briefly attending the University of California at Berkeley, Handra teamed up with Sinek in 1995 when she was 18 years old. She came to the 1995 National Championships looking for a dance partner. She had completed her senior test in 1991 with skating coaches Suzy Jackson and Paul Spruell when she lived in San Rafael, California. She had been skating as a solo dancer before teaming up with Sinek. They teamed up in 1995 and were married the next summer in 1996.

Despite their fourth place finish at the 2002 Nationals, Handra & Sinek earned the United States' second spot to the 2002 Winter Olympics

2002 Winter Olympics

The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...

 because the two teams who placed above them (Tanith Belbin

Tanith Belbin

Tanith Jessica Louise Belbin is a Canadian-American ice dancer. Though born in Canada, she holds dual citizenship and has competed for the United States since she began skating with Benjamin Agosto in 1998. With Agosto, Belbin is the 2006 Olympic silver medalist, four-time World medalist,...

 & Benjamin Agosto

Benjamin Agosto

Benjamin Alexandro Agosto is an American ice dancer. With partner Tanith Belbin, Agosto is the 2006 Olympic silver medalist, a four-time World medalist, the 2004–2006 Four Continents champion, and 2004–2008 U.S. champion....

 and Melissa Gregory

Melissa Gregory

Melissa Gregory is an American ice dancer. With partner and husband Denis Petukhov, she is the 2004–2007 U.S. silver medalist.-Biography:...

 & Denis Petukhov

Denis Petukhov

Denis Petukhov is a Russian-American ice dancer. With partner and wife Melissa Gregory, he is the 2004-2007 U.S. silver medalist.-Biography:...

) were not eligible to compete at the Olympics due to citizenship problems.

Competitive highlights

(with Sinek)

Event	1996-97	1997-98	1998-99	1999-00	2000-01	2001-02
Winter Olympic Games						23rd
Four Continents Championships				5th	6th	4th
U.S. Championships	10th	8th	4th	4th	4th	4th
Skate America 2000 Skate America The 2000 Skate America competition was held at the World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado, from October 26 through 29th. The compuslory dance was the Westminster Waltz....					6th
Skate Canada Skate Canada International The Skate Canada International is an international, senior-level invitation-only figure skating competition organized by Skate Canada. It is the second competition of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. The location changes yearly. Medals are awarded in four disciplines: Ladies' singles, Men's...					7th

External links