Victor Kraatz
Encyclopedia
Victor Kraatz, MSC is a Canadian figure skater. He and his partner, Shae-Lynn Bourne
became the first North American team to win a World Championship in ice dancing
in 2003.
and later moved with his mother to Canada
. In Switzerland he became an ice dancer and skated with Analisa Beltrami (Switzerland). After having moved to Canada, he teamed up with Taryn O'Neill. On April 20, 1991, Victor Kraatz began skating with Shae-Lynn Bourne, who had been a pair skater
until that time, and remained with her until his retirement from competition.
The team had quite a few coaches. Among others they were coached by Josée Picard and Eric Gillies, Tatiana Tarasova
, Natalia Dubova, Uschi Keszler
, Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko and finally by Nikolai Morozov
.
Victor Kraatz was skating for the club of Boucherville while Shae-Lynn represented Brossard FSC, in the Quebec
section. The final training location was Newington, Connecticut
.
Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz are the first World champions in ice dancing representing Canada. They were the first ice dancers to include hydroblading
elements in their routines.
were married in Helsinki, Finland. Their first son, Oliver, was born September 14, 2006, in North Vancouver, British Columbia. Their second son was born on July 10, 2010.
)
Shae-Lynn Bourne
Shae-Lynn Bourne, MSC is a Canadian ice dancer. She and partner Victor Kraatz became the first North American ice dancing world champions in 2003. They competed at three Winter Olympic Games, placing 10th at the 1994 Winter Olympics, 4th at the 1998 Winter Olympics, and 4th at the 2002 Winter...
became the first North American team to win a World Championship in ice dancing
Ice dancing
Ice dancing is a form of figure skating which draws from the world of ballroom dancing. It was first competed at the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, but did not become a Winter Olympic Games medal sport until 1976....
in 2003.
Career
Victor Kraatz began to skate at the age of 9. Born in West Berlin, he grew up in SwitzerlandSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and later moved with his mother to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In Switzerland he became an ice dancer and skated with Analisa Beltrami (Switzerland). After having moved to Canada, he teamed up with Taryn O'Neill. On April 20, 1991, Victor Kraatz began skating with Shae-Lynn Bourne, who had been a pair skater
Pair skating
Pair skating is a figure skating discipline. International Skating Union regulations describe pair teams as consisting of "one lady and one man." The sport is distinguished from ice dancing and single skating by elements unique to pair skating, including overhead lifts, twist lifts, death spirals,...
until that time, and remained with her until his retirement from competition.
The team had quite a few coaches. Among others they were coached by Josée Picard and Eric Gillies, Tatiana Tarasova
Tatiana Tarasova
Tatiana Anatolyevna Tarasova is a Russian figure skating coach and national figure skating team adviser. Tarasova has been coach to more world and Olympic champions than any other coach in skating history. As of 2003, her students have won a total of 41 gold medals at the European and World...
, Natalia Dubova, Uschi Keszler
Uschi Keszler
Uschi Keszler is a former West German figure skater and current international figure-skating coach and choreographer....
, Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko and finally by Nikolai Morozov
Nikolai Morozov (figure skater)
Nikolai Alexandrovich Morozov is a Russian former competitive ice dancer, who works as a coach and a choreographer.- Personal life :Morozov was briefly married to his ice dancing partner Tatiana Navka. He later married French ice dancer Caroline Douarin with whom he has a daughter, Annabelle...
.
Victor Kraatz was skating for the club of Boucherville while Shae-Lynn represented Brossard FSC, in the Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
section. The final training location was Newington, Connecticut
Newington, Connecticut
Newington is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2000 census, it had a total population of 29,306. The Connecticut Department of Transportation has its headquarters in Newington....
.
Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz are the first World champions in ice dancing representing Canada. They were the first ice dancers to include hydroblading
Hydroblading
Hydroblading is a figure skating move in the field in which a skater glides on a deep edge with the body stretched in a very low position, almost horizontal to the ice...
elements in their routines.
Personal life
On June 19, 2004, Victor Kraatz and Finnish ice dancer Maikki UotilaMaikki Uotila
Maikki Uotila-Kraatz is a Finnish ice dancer. She is a former Finnish national champion with Toni Mattila. She married Victor Kraatz on June 19, 2004. The two coach in Vancouver, where they are the ice dancing directors at the BC Centre of Excellence. She and Kraatz have one son, born September...
were married in Helsinki, Finland. Their first son, Oliver, was born September 14, 2006, in North Vancouver, British Columbia. Their second son was born on July 10, 2010.
Results
(with Shae-Lynn BourneShae-Lynn Bourne
Shae-Lynn Bourne, MSC is a Canadian ice dancer. She and partner Victor Kraatz became the first North American ice dancing world champions in 2003. They competed at three Winter Olympic Games, placing 10th at the 1994 Winter Olympics, 4th at the 1998 Winter Olympics, and 4th at the 2002 Winter...
)
| Event | 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-00 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympic Games Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating... |
10th | 4th | 4th | ||||||||
| World Championships World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion... |
14th | 6th | 4th | 3rd | 3rd | 3rd | 3rd | 4th | 2nd | 1st | |
| Four Continents Championships Four Continents Figure Skating Championships The Four Continents Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition. The International Skating Union established it in 1999 to provide skaters representing non-European countries with a similar competition to the much older European Figure Skating Championships and a chance... |
1st | 1st | 1st | ||||||||
| Canadian Championships Canadian Figure Skating Championships The Canadian Figure Skating Championships is a figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of Canada. It is organized by Skate Canada, the nation's figure skating governing body. The levels of the competition are senior and junior; in some years, the novice level has... |
1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | |
| Grand Prix Final Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final The Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final is an international, senior-level figure skating competition. It is the culmination of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Skaters compete in men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.... |
4th | 1st | 2nd | 5th | 1st | ||||||
| Skate America Skate America Skate America is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. It is organized by the United States Figure Skating Association. The location changes yearly... |
3rd | 1st | |||||||||
| Skate Canada International 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... |
6th | 3rd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | |||
| Trophée Eric Bompard Trophée Eric Bompard The Trophée Eric Bompard is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. The Trophée Eric Bompard was formerly known as the Trophée Lalique... |
2nd | ||||||||||
| Cup of Russia Cup of Russia The Cup of Russia is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Figure skaters compete in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. It was held as the Rostelecom Cup in 2009 after... |
2nd | ||||||||||
| NHK Trophy NHK Trophy The NHK Trophy is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Figure skaters compete in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.... |
2nd | 2nd | 1st | ||||||||
| Bofrost Cup on Ice Bofrost Cup on Ice The Bofrost Cup on Ice was a figure skating competition held in Germany between 1986 and 2004. It was part of the Grand Prix series until 2003, when it was replaced by Cup of China. Following being booted out of the Grand Prix series, a new form of competition was introduced to the Bofrost Cup... |
5th | 2nd | 2nd | 3rd | |||||||
| Nebelhorn Trophy Nebelhorn Trophy The Nebelhorn Trophy is an international senior-level figure skating competition organized by the Deutsche Eislauf-Union and held annually in Oberstdorf, Germany. The competition is named after the Nebelhorn, a nearby mountain.... |
1st |