Thomas Williams (figure skater)

Thomas Williams
Orford and Williams in 2012
Born (1991-04-20) April 20, 1991 (age 33)
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Height1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Figure skating career
CountryCanada
PartnerSarah Arnold
CoachMegan Wing, Aaron Lowe
Skating clubCalalta FSC Calgary
Began skating1995

Thomas Williams (born April 20, 1991) is a Canadian former ice dancer. He competed at three Four Continents Championships with his skating partners, Nicole Orford and Sarah Arnold.

Personal life

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Thomas Williams was born on April 20, 1991, in Calgary, Alberta.[1] He is the nephew of Canadian speed skater Michelle Morton.[2] He has a car detailing business and has also worked for a financial services company.[2][3]

Skating career

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Early years

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Williams began learning to skate in 1995.[1] He skated with Alicia Williams in the 2007–2008 season. During the following two seasons, he competed with Olga Lioudvinevitch, placing ninth on the junior level at the 2010 Canadian Championships.

Partnership with Orford

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Williams began training with Nicole Orford in May 2010.[4] Competing on the 2010–11 ISU Junior Grand Prix series, they took the bronze medal in England and placed fifth in the Czech Republic. After becoming junior national champions, they were sent to the 2011 World Junior Championships and finished eighth.

During the 2011–12 ISU Junior Grand Prix, Orford/Williams won gold in Brisbane, Australia,[5] and finished sixth in Austria. Due to Skate Canada rules, they competed on the senior level at the 2012 Canadian Championships and came in sixth. They also placed sixth at the 2012 World Junior Championships.

Orford/Williams made their senior international debut in the 2012–13 season. Competing on the Grand Prix series for the first time, they placed eighth at the 2012 Rostelecom Cup and fourth at the 2012 NHK Trophy. After winning the bronze medal at the 2013 Canadian Championships, they were assigned to the 2013 Four Continents Championships and finished sixth.

In the summer of 2013, Williams injured both ankles due to boot problems, causing the team to reduce their training to 20 minutes at a time.[3] They won bronze at the U.S. Classic and placed eighth at the 2013 Trophée Éric Bompard. Fifth at the 2014 Canadian Championships, Orford/Williams were not named in Canada's Olympic team but were sent to the 2014 Four Continents Championships, where they placed fifth. Their final competition together was the 2015 Canadian Championships.

Partnership with Arnold

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Following a tryout with Sarah Arnold in February 2015, Williams took a year off due to an Achilles injury and financial reasons.[2] They continued to skate together occasionally (around eight times) and began a formal partnership in March 2016.[2] They placed 5th at the 2018 Canadian Championships and 8th at the 2018 Four Continents Championships. They are coached by Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe in Burnaby, British Columbia.[1]

Programs

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With Arnold

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Season Short dance Free dance
2017–2018
[1]
2016–2017
[2][6]

With Orford

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Season Short dance Free dance
2014–2015
[3][7]
2013–2014
[8][9]
2012–2013
[10]
  • Polka: Sold
    by John Michael Montgomery
  • Waltz: Tennessee Waltz
    by Anne Murray
  • Polka: Sold
    by John Michael Montgomery
2011–2012
[11]
Senior-level:
  • Mariposa en Havana
  • Baila Baila Conmigo

Junior-level:
2010–2011
[12]

Competitive highlights

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GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

With Arnold

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International[13]
Event 16–17 17–18
Four Continents 8th
CS Warsaw Cup 8th
Lake Placid IDI 10th 9th
National[6]
Canadian Champ. 6th 5th
SC Challenge 4th 2nd
BC/YK Sectionals 2nd 2nd

With Orford

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International[14]
Event 10–11 11–12 12–13 13–14 14–15
Four Continents 6th 5th
GP Bompard 8th
GP NHK Trophy 4th
GP Rostelecom Cup 8th
GP Skate America 8th
CS Autumn Classic 6th
CS U.S. Classic 2nd
U.S. Classic 3rd
International: Junior[14]
Junior Worlds 8th 6th
JGP Australia 1st
JGP Austria 6th
JGP Czech Republic 5th
JGP U.K. 3rd
National[15]
Canadian Champ. 1st J 6th 3rd 5th 4th
J = Junior level

Early partnerships

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National[11]
Event 07–081 08–092 09–102
Canadian Championships 17th J 14th J 9th J
1 With Alicia Williams
2 With Olga Lioudvinevitch
J = Junior level

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Sarah ARNOLD / Thomas WILLIAMS: 2017/2018". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 21, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e Thayer, Jacquelyn (June 13, 2016). "Time and Life Shape Return Perspective for Arnold and Williams". twofortheice.com.
  3. ^ a b c Thayer, Jacquelyn (June 26, 2014). "Orford and Williams Expand their Horizons". ice-dance.com. Archived from the original on July 29, 2014.
  4. ^ Walker, Elvin (May 8, 2011). "Facebook brings Orford and Williams together". GoldenSkate. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  5. ^ Berridge, Tom (September 12, 2011). "Burnaby ice dancer takes gold at Junior Grand Prix in Oz". Burnaby Now. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Profile – Sarah Arnold & Thomas Williams". ice-dance.com. Archived from the original on April 21, 2018.
  7. ^ "Nicole ORFORD / Thomas WILLIAMS: 2014/2015". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 20, 2015.
  8. ^ "Nicole ORFORD / Thomas WILLIAMS: 2013/2014". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on July 2, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ^ "Nicole Orford / Thomas Williams: 2013/2014". Skate Canada. Archived from the original on January 12, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
    • "Alternate link". Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved 2013-09-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. ^ "Nicole ORFORD / Thomas WILLIAMS: 2012/2013". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on March 12, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. ^ a b "Nicole ORFORD / Thomas WILLIAMS: 2011/2012". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 18, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. ^ "Nicole ORFORD / Thomas WILLIAMS: 2010/2011". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 19, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  13. ^ "Competition Results: Sarah ARNOLD / Thomas WILLIAMS". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 21, 2018.
  14. ^ a b "Competition Results: Nicole ORFORD / Thomas WILLIAMS". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on September 8, 2015.
  15. ^ "Nicole Orford / Thomas Williams". Skate Canada. Archived from the original on September 15, 2014.
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