Drew Meekins

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Drew Meekins
Paetsch Meekins 1a.jpg
Drew Meekins with Jessica Rose Paetsch in 2008.
Full nameAndrew Meekins
Born (1985-04-10) April 10, 1985 (age 39)
Juneau, Alaska
Hometown Wellesley, Massachusetts
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Figure skating career
CountryUnited States
Coach Dalilah Sappenfield
Laureano Ibarra
Skating club Skating Club of Boston

Drew Meekins (born April 10, 1985) is an American retired pairs skater and choreographer. With former partner Julia Vlassov, he is the 2006 World Junior Champion. Meekins attended the 2018 Olympic Games with Mirai Nagasu. [1]

Contents

Skating career

Meekins and Vlassov won the 2006 World Junior Championships. In their first season of senior international competition, they won the silver at the Nebelhorn Trophy, placed sixth at the 2006 Cup of China, and placed 5th at the 2006 NHK Trophy. [2] Vlassov and Meekins finished in 7th place in their senior debut at the 2007 U.S. Championships. They were fifth in the free program.

Vlassov and Meekins were assigned to two Grand Prix events for the 2007–2008 season; however, they were forced to withdraw from the 2007 Skate Canada International before the event began due to an injury to Meekins's shoulder which occurred during an attempted lift in practice. Vlassov and Meekins announced the end of their partnership on November 8, 2007. [3]

U.S. Figure Skating announced on July 14, 2008, that Meekins had teamed up with Jessica Rose Paetsch. [4] Paetsch and Meekins placed 10th at the 2009 U.S. Championships.

After qualifying for the 2010 U.S. Championships, Paetsch & Meekins announced the end of their partnership in December 2009.

Coaching career

Meekins is now a figure skating coach and choreographer at the Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and coaches a wide range of skaters and offers virtual lessons and other resources on his website. [5]

As a coach, his students have included:

As a choreographer, his clients have included:

Early life and family

Russ Meekins, Jr. 1977.jpg
Susan Meekins Sullivan.jpg
Drew's father, Russ Meekins, Jr., and aunt, Susan Meekins Sullivan, as Alaska state legislators in the mid 1970s.

Andrew Meekins, known as "Drew", was born in Juneau, Alaska on April 10, 1985. He is one of five children (four sons and one daughter) born to Edward Russell "Russ" Meekins, Jr. (1949–2020) and his wife Nancy Harvey. All four of his grandparents moved to Anchorage, Alaska from the Northeastern United States during the tail end of World War II and were active in business and civic affairs in Anchorage throughout the middle and late 20th century. His father, his aunt Susan Sullivan, and his grandfather Russ Meekins Sr. all served in the Alaska State Legislature as Democrats representing Anchorage. His father, the only one of the three to serve more than one term, was the House's majority leader in his last term (1981–1983). In that term, he played a key role in two events which rank amongst the most significant in the history of the Alaska Legislature: the mid-session overthrow of the Democratic House leadership and its replacement with a multi-party coalition, and the bribery conviction and subsequent expulsion of a member of the Alaska Senate. As a result of the fallout from these events, he soon found himself on the outs with Alaska's political establishment. The family left Alaska ca. 1990 and moved to Massachusetts, the home state of Nancy Harvey's parents, settling on Cape Cod. [28] One of his brothers, Cam Meekins, is a rapper. [29]

Programs

(with Vlassov)

Season Short program Free skating
2007–2008 [30] Malaguena
by Ernesto Lecuona 		Titanic Symphony
by Richard Clayderman
2006–2007 [31]
  • Leelo's Tune
    by Maksim Mrvica
  • Sarabande
    by Maksim Mrvica
Warsaw Concerto
performed by Richard Clayderman
2005–2006 [32] Picante
by Vanessa Mae 		Paychek (soundtrack)
by John Powell
2004–2005 [33] [34] Picante
by Vanessa Mae 		Paychek (soundtrack)
by John Powell
2003–2004 [35] Beethoven's 5th
  • Mission Impossible
  • Pink Panther

Competitive highlights

With Paetsch

Event2008–20092009–2010
U.S. Championships 10th

With Vlassov

Event2004–052005–062006–07
World Junior Championships 9th1st
U.S. Championships 2nd J.3rd J.7th
Cup of China 6th
NHK Trophy 5th
Nebelhorn Trophy 2nd
Junior Grand Prix Final 4th2nd
Junior Grand Prix, Croatia 3rd
Junior Grand Prix, Andorra 2nd
Junior Grand Prix, Ukraine 3rd
Junior Grand Prix, Belgrade 1st

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References

  1. 1 2 MACUR, JULIET. "How Mirai Nagasu Grew Up and Got Back to the Olympics". The New York Times . Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  2. ↑ Welcome to U.S. Figure Skating
  3. ↑ "Pairs Team Vlassov and Meekins Announces Split". U.S. Figure Skating. 2007-11-08. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
  4. ↑ "Pairs Team Jessica Rose Paetsch and Jon Nuss End Partnership". U.S. Figure Skating. 2008-07-14. Archived from the original on 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
  5. ↑ "Coach Bios". Broadmoor World Arena. Br. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  6. ↑ "Nica Digerness and Mark Sadusky". U.S. Figure Skating. U.S. Figure Skating. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  7. ↑ "Olivia FLORES / Luke WANG: 2023/2024". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 9 August 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ↑ "Pairs". www.isuresults.com. Archived from the original on 2024-04-06. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  9. 1 2 "Pairs". www.isuresults.com. Archived from the original on 2023-11-04. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
  10. ↑ "Elyce Lin-Gracey". US Figure Skating Zone. US Figure Skating Zone. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  11. ↑ "Noami WILLIAMS / Lachlan LEWER: 2022/2023". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 3 March 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  12. ↑ "Vincent ZHOU: 2018/2019". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on September 21, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Karen CHEN: 2021/2022". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Olivia FLORES / Luke WANG: 2023/2024". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 9 August 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  15. ↑ "Sofia Lexi Jacqueline FRANK: 2022/2023". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  16. ↑ "Logan HIGASE-CHEN: 2023/2024". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 7 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  17. ↑ "Seoyeon JI: 2021/2022". International Skating Union. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  18. ↑ "Phattaratida KANESHIGE: 2023/2024". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  19. ↑ "Ye Lim KIM: 2021/2022". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Elyce LIN-GRACEY: 2023/2024". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Naoki ROSSI: 2022/2023". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022.
  22. ↑ "Clare SEO: 2021/2022". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022.
  23. ↑ "Audrey SHIN: 2020/2021". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020.
  24. ↑ Capellazzi, Gina. "Audrey Shin and Balázs Nagy preparing for debut". Figure Skaters Online. Figure Skaters Online. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  25. ↑ "Noami WILLIAMS / Lachlan LEWER: 2022/2023". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 3 March 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  26. ↑ "Young YOU: 2023/2024". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 6 January 2024.
  27. ↑ International Skating Union. "Zhou dazzles to capture world junior crown". Ice Network. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  28. ↑ Bragg, Beth (February 20, 2018). "Olympic notebook: Former Seawolf already earned Olympic metal. Now he wants a medal". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  29. ↑ Brannen, Sarah S.; Meekins, Drew (May 23, 2012). "The Inside Edge: Sarah, Drew (try to) go hip-hop". IceNetwork . Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
  30. ↑ "Julia VLASSOV / Drew MEEKINS: 2007/2008". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011.
  31. ↑ "Julia VLASSOV / Drew MEEKINS: 2006/2007". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on August 26, 2007.
  32. ↑ "Julia VLASSOV / Drew MEEKINS: 2005/2006". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 14, 2006.
  33. ↑ "Julia VLASSOV / Drew MEEKINS: 2004/2005". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on February 10, 2005.
  34. ↑ Mittan, Barry (May 8, 2005). "Arctic Pair Vlassov and Meekins". Skate Today.
  35. ↑ "Julia Vlassov & Drew Meekins". U.S. Figure Skating . Archived from the original on October 13, 2007.
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