Shawn Sawyer

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Shawn Sawyer
Sawyer in 2006.
Personal Info
Country: Flag of Canada Canada
Date of birth: January 14, 1985 (1985-01-14) (age 23)
Residence: Edmundston, New Brunswick
Height: 165 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Coach: Annie Barabé, Sophie Richard
Former Coach: Gordon Forbes, Alexei Tchetveroukhin
Choreographer: Brian Orser, David Wilson
Skating Club: Edmundston CPA
ISU Personal Best Scores
Short + Free Total: 195.17 2006 Skate Canada
Short Program: 67.20 2006 Olympics
Free Skate: 128.42 2006 Skate Canada
Most Recent Results:
Event Points Finish Year
Four Continents 187.18 9th 2008
National Championships 197.48 3rd 2008

Shawn Sawyer (born January 14, 1985 in Edmundston, New Brunswick) is a Canadian figure skater known for his incredible flexibility and spirals. He is a three-time (2005-2006 & 2008} Canadian national bronze medalist. He represented Canada in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy finishing 12th overall. Unlike most skaters, Sawyer is a clockwise spinner.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early career

Shawn Sawyer was born in Edmundston, New Brunswick. He started skating at age nine. Even as a young skater, he was known for his artistry and his spirals. This attracted the attention of Olympic bronze medalist Toller Cranston. Cranston was about to retire from show skating and he envisioned a final tribute show in which he and other skaters passed down their knowledge of skating and life lessons to a young skater. This skater was Shawn Sawyer. [1] Cranston remains a mentor to Sawyer.

In 1999, Sawyer won the bronze medal on the novice level at the Canada Winter Games[2], skating with a bad cold.[3] The following year, he won the national novice title. He skated on the Junior Grand Prix the following season and won the bronze medal at his first event. His fifth place finish at his second event prevented him from qualifying for the JGP Final. At Nationals, he placed 4th in the junior level. On the JGP the following season, he qualified for the Junior Grand Prix Final, where he placed fifth, and then won the national Junior title. This earned him a trip to the World Junior Figure Skating Championships, where he placed 11th after performing an entirely new long program.[4]

Sawyer, already very flexible, had been working on a Biellmann spin. As a junior skater, Sawyer trained at the Minto Skating Club in Ottawa under coach Alexei Tchetveroukin. He had been training the Biellmann since learning in New Brunswick at age twelve, and he performed it in exhibition at Nationals in 2002 after winning the junior title.[5]

Later, Sawyer changed coaches to Gordon Forbes. In his third season as a junior internationally, he won his second JGP event, but an 8th place finish prevented him from returning the Final. In his senior debut at Nationals, he placed 6th, a promising finish, and then repeated that placement at the World Junior Championships. The 2003-2004 would be Sawyer's last as a junior. He dropped to ninth place at nationals and tenth at Junior Worlds. Sawyer then went senior internationally. Following this season, he changed coaches to Annie Barabe and Sophie Richard and moved to Drummondville, Quebec.[6]

[edit] Senior career

At the 2004 Cup of Russia, Sawyer's first senior international event, he placed just off the podium. He placed ninth at the NHK Trophy. At nationals, he won the bronze medal, earning him a trip to the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships. His podium finish did not earn him a spot to Worlds because Canada had only two spots to the 2005 World Championships.

In the 2005-2006 season, the Olympic season, Sawyer placed in the middle of the fields in his two Grand Prix events. But he held on to the bronze position at Nationals, earning him a spot to the Olympics and to Worlds. He placed 12th at the Olympics and 21st at Worlds, held in Calgary.

In the 2006-2007 season, Sawyer placed just off the podium in a weak field at the Skate Canada International competition, a competition which Stephane Lambiel won after sitting in the audience for the entire final flight. Sawyer then placed 8th at the Grand Prix event in Paris. At Nationals, he was ahead after the short program, but a charismatic comeback performance by Emanuel Sandhu pushed Sawyer down to 4th, depriving him of a spot to Four Continents and Worlds.

Sawyer is well-known for his spins and his spiral positions, which show great flexibility. Sawyer is one of few male skaters to perform spirals in their programs, because under Code of Points, men do not get any credit for spiral sequences. Sawyer's arabesque, I and Y positions in spins and spirals are his trademark moves. He has chronic jump problems and has yet to land a quadruple jump in competition.

[edit] Programs

Season Short Program Long Program Exhibition
2007-2008 Another Brick in the Wall (London Philharmonic Orchestra) Moments in Love (Art of Noise) Tainted Love, Untitled by Sum41
2006-2007 Excerpt from Tune in Tomorrow (Wynton Marsalis) Moments in Love (Art of Noise) It's my life (Bon Jovi)

Home (Michael Buble)
2005-2006 Libertango Warsaw Concerto It's my life (Bon Jovi)
2004-2005 Libertango Cirque du Soleil
2003-2004 Into The Night Cello Concerto Save Yourself and Sweet Dreams
2002-2003 Irma (Rene Dupere) Sparticus (Sparticus Soundtrack) How much is the fish?
2001-2002 How much is the fish?

[edit] Competitive highlights

Event 1999-2000 2000-2001 2001-2002 2002-2003 2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008
Olympic Winter Games 12th
World Championships 21st
Four Continents Championships 6th 9th
World Junior Championships 11th 6th 10th
Canadian Championships 1st N. 4th J. 1st J. 6th 9th 3rd 3rd 4th 3rd
Cup of China 7th
Trophée Eric Bompard 8th
Skate Canada International 6th 4th
Cup of Russia 4th 7th
NHK Trophy 9th 9th
ISU Junior Grand Prix Final 5th
Junior Grand Prix, Sofia 1st 3rd
Junior Grand Prix, Slovenia 3rd
Junior Grand Prix, Belgrade 1st
Junior Grand Prix, Canada 8th
Junior Grand Prix, Japan 3rd
Junior Grand Prix, China 5th
Junior Grand Prix, Mexico 3rd
Eastern Challenge 1st J.
Atlantic Divisionals 1st N.
  • N = Novice level; J = Junior level

[edit] References

  1. ^ Cranston, Toller; Martha Lowder Kimball (2000). When Hell Freezes Over: Should I Bring My Skates?. McClelland & Stewart. ISBN 0771023375. 
  2. ^ Young skater has performed with veterans�
  3. ^ Bronze easy lift for Yessie
  4. ^ Figure Skater Shawn Sawyer Gets Jump on Competition for 2003 - Figure Skating News
  5. ^ Figure Skater Shawn Sawyer Gets Jump on Competition for 2003 - Figure Skating News
  6. ^ SLAM! Sports - Figure Skating - Top skating prospects on the move

[edit] External links

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