Some figure skaters have reported that they have found a pair skating or an ice dancing partner through IcePartnerSearch.com. This is one skater's success story. For the purposes of privacy, the names of the skaters involved are not included in this account, but this story is true.

About "John":

"John" is a junior level ice dancer who is eighteen years old. He has passed the senior moves in the field test, his pre-gold dance test, and his junior free dance test.

He has qualified for the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships twice, and medaled in the novice division. He did not compete in 2009-10, but decided he wanted to compete in 2010-11. He put his profile on IcePartnerSearch.com in January of 2010.

"John's Mother" Did the Searching:

In February, 2010, "John's mother" began doing an active search for a girl to skate with her son. She found seven girls who might fit the criteria that was set by "John's coach" for a partner to skate with "John." One requirement was that whoever was chosen would have to relocate to "John's rink and hometown."

Tryouts Arranged:

A series of partner tryouts was set up at "John's home rink." Two of the girls that tried out with "John" came from Canada. One came from Boston. Two came from California, one came from John's home rink, and one came from Texas.

About the Tryouts:

Each tryout lasted for two to three days. Some of the girls that came to the partner tryouts traveled alone, but most traveled to "John's hometown and rink" with one or both parents.

"John's mother" paid for the ice time and lessons during the tryouts, but the girls and their families paid for travel and hotel costs. It was explained that the tryout alone did not guarantee that "John" would choose the skater as a partner.

Lessons and skating during the tryouts included doing junior level compulsory dances, ice dance spins, ice dance lifts, choreography, and stroking and footwork exercises. "John's mother" recorded videos at each tryout. The videos were reviewed closely by "John's coach."

Choices Narrowed Down:

It was determined that some of the girls that tried out with "John" were better suited to compete at the novice level rather than the junior level. That narrowed some of the decision making process down.

Partner Chosen:

After all the tryouts were completed, a final decision was made. "John," "John's mother," and "John's coach" chose one of the girls from Canada. "John's mother" notified "Jane's mother," but "John" personally called "Jane" and asked her if she would like to move to his hometown in the U.S. to skate with him and be his ice dance partner. "Jane" has never had a partner before, but has excellent skating and ice dance skills. "John" felt good about his decision.

A New Ice Dance Partnership Began:

Less than a month later, "Jane" traveled to the U.S. and moved in with "John's family" and "Jane and John" officially became an ice dance team. Plans have been made to compete at the Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships and to compete in US Figure Skating qualifying competitions in 2010-11. It is hoped that perhaps "John and Jane" will get a Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating assignment in 2010.

Summary:

Finding an ice dance partner through IcePartnerSearch.com is not a simple or easy process. "John's mother" explained that she was on the site every day. She spent a great deal of time looking at possible partner biographies, photos, and videos. There was much email and phone communication involved in the partner search process.