Natalie D'Alessandro

Last updated
Natalie D'Alessandro
2020-01-15 Medals Ceremonies (2020 Winter Youth Olympics) by Sandro Halank-149.jpg
D'Alessandro at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics
Born (2004-06-16) June 16, 2004 (age 19)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)
Figure skating career
CountryFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Discipline Ice dance
Began skating2007
Retired2022
World Junior Championships
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2022 Tallinn Ice dance

Natalie D'Alessandro (born June 16, 2004) is a Canadian retired ice dancer. With her skating partner, Bruce Waddell, she is the 2022 World Junior silver medallist and 2022 Canadian national junior champion. They have won three medals on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series, including gold at the 2021 JGP Slovakia, and bronze in the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics team event. [1]

Contents

Personal life

D'Alessandro has two brothers. She enjoys photography and baking.

Since her retirement from competitive skating, D'Alessandro has attended the University of Western Ontario. [2]

Skating career

D'Alessandro started skating in 2007 and initially competed in singles, winning a bronze medal in the novice ladies' event at the 2016 Canadian Championships. [3]

Both D'Alessandro and Bruce Waddell trained as singles skaters at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club, and initially tried out as a dance team at the suggestion of the TCC's dance coach, Andrew Hallam. D'Alessandro/Waddell were pre-novice champions at the 2016 Skate Canada Challenge, and then won the novice title at the 2017 Canadian Championships. [3] Making their international debut as a dance team, they placed fourth at the 2017 Bavarian Open in the advanced novice division. [4]

2017–18 season: Junior debut

D'Alessandro/Waddell were assigned by Skate Canada to make their debut on the ISU Junior Grand Prix, with one assignment to the 2017 JGP Australia in Brisbane. [4] Placing sixth, Waddell commented that the international competition made them "more nervous than usual." [5] Competing at the 2018 Canadian Junior Championships, they placed eighth.

2018–19 season: Junior national bronze

Given two assignments on the Junior Grand Prix, D'Alessandro/Waddell were fourth at the 2018 JGP Austria and sixth at the 2018 JGP Canada, the latter held in Richmond, British Columbia. Competing at the 2019 Canadian Junior Championships, they won the bronze medal. [6]

2019–20 season: First JGP medal

Again assigned to two events on the Junior Grand Prix, D'Alessandro/Waddell began the season at the 2019 JGP Latvia, where they placed fourth, missing the bronze medal by 0.68 points after sitting in third after the rhythm dance. [7] At their second event, the 2019 JGP Italy, they won the silver medal, the highest colour of medal won by a Canadian dance team on the Junior Grand Prix that season. [8] D'Alessandro commented afterwards "seeing your name on the podium with the Canadian flag next to it is a pretty cool feeling." [3]

D'Alessandro & Waddell compete in the rhythm dance at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics 2020-01-11 Ice Dance Rhythm Dance (2020 Winter Youth Olympics) by Sandro Halank-1223.jpg
D'Alessandro & Waddell compete in the rhythm dance at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics

D'Alessandro/Waddell won the gold at the 2020 Skate Canada Challenge. [9] This would be their final domestic competition of the season, as they were assigned as part of the Canadian delegation to the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics in Lausanne, which both had had as a longtime goal. [3] Competing in the ice dance event in Lausanne, D'Alessandro/Waddell placed third in the rhythm dance despite encountering level issues on several elements. [10] These continued in the free dance, where they placed fifth, and dropped to fourth place overall, 0.91 points behind bronze medallists Wolfkostin/Chen. Waddell said after "there were a few technical errors but I definitely still had a blast." They subsequently won a bronze medal in the team event. [11]

Skate Canada assigned D'Alessandro/Waddell to one of Canada's three berths at the 2020 World Junior Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, and also to compete at the 2020 Bavarian Open in the junior division. They won the bronze medal, narrowly behind fellow Canadians Bronsard/Bouaraguia. [12] D'Alessandro/Waddell finished the season at the World Junior Championships, where they placed eleventh, narrowly behind the other Canadian teams competing, Bronsard/Bouraguia and Makita/Gunara. [13]

2020–21 season

With the COVID-19 pandemic severely constraining competitions, both the ISU Junior Grand Prix and the 2021 World Junior Championships were cancelled. As well, in-person domestic competition was limited, as a result of which D'Alessandro/Waddell competed only once during the season, at a virtually-held 2021 Skate Canada Challenge. They won the gold medal. The 2021 Canadian Junior Championships were subsequently cancelled. [14] [15]

2021–22 season: World Junior silver

With the resumption of the Junior Grand Prix, D'Alessandro/Waddell returned to international competition at the 2021 JGP Slovakia in Košice. Second in the rhythm dance behind the Russians Kaganovskaia/Angelopol, they won the free dance after a poorly-designed choreographic element resulted in the Russians receiving two fall deductions, and took the gold medal. They were the only non-Russian gold medallists at the event. D'Alessandro commented on the effects of the pandemic, saying the long absence from competition "made us hungrier and more excited to come out here." [16] Weeks later at their second event, the 2021 JGP Slovenia in Ljubljana, they won the bronze medal behind Kaganovskaia/Angelopol and top Americans Wolfkostin/Chen. [17]

In November, D'Alessandro/Waddell competed at the junior event at the 2021 Ice Challenge in Graz. Second in the short program, they won the free dance and took the gold medal, their second international win of the season. Waddell assessed the result as having had "lots of positives but also a couple of negatives we weren't as happy about. But that’s super necessary for us to happen in order to realize the difference between this and an amazing performance." [18] While their results on the Junior Grand Prix had qualified them to the Junior Grand Prix Final in December, this event was cancelled as a result of restrictions prompted by the Omicron variant. [19]

Entering the 2022 Canadian Junior Championships as the favourites for the gold medal, they won both programs to take their first national junior title. [20] They were subsequently sent to compete at the Egna Trophy, taking the silver medal in the junior competition. [21]

Due to the pandemic, the 2022 World Junior Championships could not be held as scheduled in Sofia in early March, and as a result were rescheduled for Tallinn in mid-April. [22] Due to Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, the International Skating Union banned all Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating, which had a significant impact on the dance field. [23] As a result, D'Alessandro/Waddell entered the event as major medal contenders alongside Americans Wolfkostin/Chen and Brown/Brown. [24] In the rhythm dance, D'Alessandro/Waddell scored an even 64 points, finishing in second place behind the Browns with 66.98. Fellow Canadians Bashynska/Beaumont were third, while Wolfkostin/Chen were distantly in ninth after she fell on her twizzle sequence. [25] They were third in the free dance, behind Brown/Brown and Wolfkostin/Chen, but won the silver medal. D'Alessandro said afterward that "this season we've trained so hard, so many mornings, and finishing it off on the podium at a competition like this...it still has not sunk in." With Bashynska/Beaumont winning the bronze medal, it was the first time two Canadian dance teams had stood on the podium together at the World Junior Championships. [26]

On May 3, 2022, D'Alessandro and Waddell announced on their joint Instagram account that they would no longer be skating together, stating "the time has come when we are excited to move on with new separate adventures." [27] D'Alessandro said that she was retiring to pursue university studies full-time. [28]

Programs

Season Rhythm dance Free dance
2021–2022
[29]
2020–2021
2019–2020
[30]
2018–2019
[31]
Short dance
2017–2018
[32]

Competitive highlights

JGP: Junior Grand Prix

Ice dance with Bruce Waddell

ISU personal best scores in the +5/-5 GOE system 
SegmentTypeScoreEvent
TotalTSS163.04 2021 JGP Slovakia
Rhythm dance TSS64.482021 JGP Slovakia
TES34.922021 JGP Slovakia
PCS30.05 2022 World Junior Championships
Free dance TSS98.562021 JGP Slovakia
TES52.742021 JGP Slovakia
PCS47.012022 World Junior Championships
ISU personal bests in the +3/-3 GOE system (from 2010–11) 
SegmentTypeScoreEvent
TotalTSS113.25 2017 JGP Australia
Short dance TSS47.702017 JGP Australia
TES26.302017 JGP Australia
PCS22.402017 JGP Australia
Free dance TSS65.552017 JGP Australia
TES30.962017 JGP Australia
PCS34.592017 JGP Australia
International: Junior [33]
Event 17–18 18–19 19–20 20–21 21–22
Junior Worlds 11th2nd
Youth Olympics 4th
JGP Australia 6th
JGP Austria 4th
JGP Canada 6th
JGP Italy 2nd
JGP Latvia 4th
JGP Slovakia 1st
JGP Slovenia 3rd
Bavarian Open 3rd
Egna Trophy 2nd
Ice Challenge 1st
National [33]
Canadian Champ. 8th J3rd JC1st J
SC Challenge10th J7th J1st J1st J
Team events [33]
Youth Olympics 3rd T
3rd P
J = Junior
T = Team result; P = Personal result. Medals awarded for team result only.

    Ladies' singles

    Event 16–17 17–18 18–19
    National [34]
    Canadian Champ. 15th J9th J
    SC Challenge11th J28th J14th J
    J = Junior

    Detailed results

    ISU Personal Bests highlighted in bold.

    With Waddell

    Junior results

    2021–22 season
    DateEvent RD FD Total
    April 13–17, 2022 2022 World Junior Championships 2
    64.00    		3
    98.56    		2
    162.56
    February 4–6, 2022 2022 Egna Dance Trophy 2
    62.62    		2
    97.09    		2
    167.06
    January 6–12, 2022 2022 Canadian Junior Championships 1
    70.79    		1
    104.24    		1
    175.03
    November 11–14, 2021 2021 Ice Challenge 2
    60.65    		1
    93.01    		1
    153.66
    September 22–25, 2021 2021 JGP Slovenia 2
    64.26    		3
    97.53    		3
    161.79
    September 1–4, 2021 2021 JGP Slovakia 2
    64.48    		1
    98.56    		1
    163.04
    2020–21 season
    DateEvent RD FD Total
    January 15–17, 20212021 Skate Canada Junior Challenge1
    68.08    		1
    101.79    		1
    169.87
    2019–20 season
    DateEvent RD FD Total
    March 2–8, 2020 2020 World Junior Championships 9
    61.63    		12
    90.16    		11
    151.79
    February 3–9, 2020 2020 Bavarian Open 3
    61.48    		3
    93.57    		3
    155.05
    January 10–15, 2020 2020 Winter Youth Olympics – Team –3
    95.73    		3T/3P
    January 10–15, 2020 2020 Winter Youth Olympics 3
    59.61    		5
    91.91    		4
    151.52
    Nov. 27 – Dec. 1, 20192020 Skate Canada Junior Challenge1
    69.79    		1
    104.53    		1
    174.32
    October 2–5, 2019 2019 JGP Italy 2
    63.25    		3
    89.51    		2
    152.76
    September 4–7, 2019 2019 JGP Latvia 3
    61.68    		4
    90.44    		4
    152.12
    2018–19 season
    DateEvent RD FD Total
    January 13–20, 2019 2019 Canadian Junior Championships 6
    58.75    		2
    97.04    		3
    155.79
    Nov. 28 – Dec. 2, 20182019 Skate Canada Junior Challenge5
    58.14    		6
    88.70    		7
    146.84
    September 12–15, 2018 2018 JGP Canada 7
    52.94    		4
    85.19    		6
    138.13
    Aug. 29 – Sept. 1, 2018 2018 JGP Austria 5
    50.45    		3
    84.97    		4
    135.42
    2017–18 season
    DateEvent SD FD Total
    January 8–14, 2018 2018 Canadian Junior Championships 9
    50.99    		8
    72.84    		8
    123.83
    Nov. 28 – Dec. 2, 20172018 Skate Canada Junior Challenge11
    44.90    		7
    67.92    		10
    112.82
    August 23–26, 2017 2017 JGP Australia 6
    47.70    		6
    65.55    		6
    113.25

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    References

    1. ↑ "Gold Medal Win for Natalie D'Alessandro and Bruce Waddell in Ice Dance – Skate Canada". skatecanada.ca. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
    2. ↑ Brodie, Robert (June 23, 2023). "'A team for everybody to be excited about'". R.W. Brodie Writes. Archived from the original on June 29, 2023.
    3. 1 2 3 4 "Meet Natalie D'Alessandro". Edges of Glory. January 5, 2020.
    4. 1 2 "Canadian skaters set to begin 2017-2018 ISU Junior Grand Prix season in Australia". Skate Canada. August 21, 2017.
    5. ↑ Daignault, Louis (August 26, 2017). "Canadian ice dancers win silver at ISU Junior Grand Prix". Skate Canada.
    6. ↑ "Lajoie and Lagha win third straight junior title 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships". Skate Canada. January 16, 2019.
    7. ↑ Daignault, Louis (September 7, 2019). "Canadian ice dancers edged for bronze at ISU Junior Grand Prix". Skate Canada.
    8. ↑ Daignault, Louis (October 5, 2019). "Kaiya Ruiter shows big improvement in second ISU Junior Grand Prix appearance". Skate Canada.
    9. ↑ Daignault, Louis (December 1, 2019). "Madeline Schizas emerges as women's champion at 2020 Skate Canada Challenge". Skate Canada.
    10. ↑ Daignault, Louis (January 11, 2020). "Canadian ice dancers open Youth Olympics with strong performances". Skate Canada.
    11. ↑ Daignault, Louis (January 13, 2020). "D'Alessandro and Waddell one point short of the podium". Skate Canada.
    12. ↑ "Canadian ice dancers shine at Bavarian Open". Skate Canada. February 9, 2020.
    13. ↑ "ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships Results – Junior Ice dance". International Skating Union.
    14. ↑ Ewing, Lori (January 16, 2021). "Madeline Schizas moves up 3 spots to win virtual Skate Canada Challenge". CBC Sports .
    15. ↑ "2021 Skate Canada Challenge – Results". Skate Canada.
    16. ↑ "Russia's next generation shines in Kosice at ISU Junior Grand Prix". International Skating Union. September 6, 2021.
    17. ↑ "Russia sweeps gold medals at ISU Junior Grand Prix in Ljubljana (SLO)". International Skating Union. September 27, 2021.
    18. ↑ "Fournier Beaudry and Sorensen on track for a third medal this season at Cup of Austria". Skate Canada. November 13, 2021.
    19. ↑ "Figure skating Grand Prix Final cancelled over travel rules". CBC Sports . December 2, 2021.
    20. ↑ "McIntosh and Mimar break Canadian junior pairs record at 2022 Canadian Tire National Figure Skating Championships". Skate Canada. January 11, 2022.
    21. ↑ "D'Alessandro and Waddell continue fantastic season at Egna Dance Trophy with silver". Skate Canada. February 7, 2022.
    22. ↑ "ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2022 allotted to Tallinn (EST)". International Skating Union. March 4, 2022.
    23. ↑ "ISU Statement on the Ukrainian crisis – Participation in international competitions of Skaters and Officials from Russia and Belarus". International Skating Union. March 1, 2022.
    24. ↑ "2022 World Junior Championships". International Figure Skating.
    25. ↑ Slater, Paula (April 15, 2022). "Siblings Brown and Brown dance to lead at 2022 Junior Worlds". Golden Skate.
    26. ↑ Slater, Paula (April 17, 2022). "USA's Oona Brown and Gage Brown 'overjoyed' with Junior World title". Golden Skate.
    27. ↑ "D'ALESSANDRO • WADDELL on Instagram". May 3, 2022.
    28. ↑ D'Alessandro, Natalie (May 3, 2022). "It is with deep gratitude that I am announcing my retirement from competitive skating. This fall I will be trading in my skates for books and will be attending full time university" (Instagram).
    29. ↑ "Natalie D'ALESSANDRO / Bruce WADDELL: 2021/2022 season". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on September 1, 2021.
    30. ↑ "Natalie D'ALESSANDRO / Bruce WADDELL: 2019/2020 season". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on December 1, 2019.
    31. ↑ "Natalie D'ALESSANDRO / Bruce WADDELL: 2018/2019 season". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on March 7, 2019.
    32. ↑ "Natalie D'ALESSANDRO / Bruce WADDELL: 2017/2018 season". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on December 23, 2017.
    33. 1 2 3 "Natalie D'ALESSANDRO / Bruce WADDELL: Competition Results". International Skating Union.
    34. ↑ "Natalie D'Alessandro". Stats on Ice.
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