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Todd Eldredge

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Todd Eldredge
Eldredge in 2010.
Born (1971-08-28) August 28, 1971 (age 53)
Chatham, Massachusetts
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Figure skating career
CountryUnited States
Skating clubLos Angeles FSC
Began skating1976
Retired2002
Medal record
Figure skating: Men's singles
Representing  United States
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1996 Edmonton Men's singles
Silver medal – second place 1995 Birmingham Men's singles
Silver medal – second place 1997 Lausanne Men's singles
Silver medal – second place 1998 Minneapolis Men's singles
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Munich Men's singles
Bronze medal – third place 2001 Vancouver Men's singles
Grand Prix Final
Silver medal – second place 1996–97 Hamilton Men's singles
Bronze medal – third place 1997–98 Munich Men's singles
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 1988 Brisbane Men's singles
Silver medal – second place 1987 Kitchener Men's singles

Todd James Eldredge (born August 28, 1971) is an American former competitive figure skater. He is the 1996 World champion, a six-time U.S. national champion (1990, 1991, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2002), a three-time Olympian (1992, 1998, 2002), and a six-time World medalist.

Career

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Eldredge began skating when he was five years old and moved from Chatham, Massachusetts, to Philadelphia at age ten to train with Richard Callaghan.[1][2] He later trained at the Detroit Skating Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and at the Onyx in Rochester Hills, Michigan.[3] He won silver at the 1987 World Junior Championships and then gold in 1988.[4] He took bronze at the 1988 Skate America.

In the 1989–90 season, Eldredge won his first senior national title and was sent to the 1990 World Championships, where he finished fifth. The following season, he repeated as the national champion and then took the bronze medal at the 1991 World Championships. Although Eldredge missed the 1992 U.S. Championships, he was nominated to represent the U.S. at the 1992 Winter Olympics. He placed tenth in Albertville and then seventh at the 1992 World Championships.

Eldredge struggled during the next two seasons, coming sixth at the 1993 U.S. Championships and fourth in 1994, and was not selected for the 1994 Olympics. He regained momentum in the 1994–95 season, taking silver at the 1994 Goodwill Games and gold at the 1994 Skate America and 1994 NHK Trophy. He then won his third national title and silver at the 1995 World Championships. In 1996, he came away with silver at the U.S. Championships but won gold at the 1996 World Championships.

In the 1996-1997 season Eldredge started off on fire, easily beating Alexei Urmanov (who also skated cleanly) to win Skate America. He controversially lost the Grand Prix final to Elvis Stojko who landed the first ever quadruple-triple combination, but had other errors, including a fall on his 2nd triple axel. Eldredge skated a clean and more complete program, but suffered from the home country scoring of the event in Canada. He regained his U.S title easily, in the absence of defending Champion Rudy Galindo, who was now professional. At the World Championships Eldredge skated a spectacular short program, but due to the very early draw he finished 2nd to Alexei Urmanov who skated near the very end. The top 6 were all clean with triple axel-triple toe combinations. Elvis Stojko though came from 4th to win the gold after a flawless long program with a quadruple-triple combination. Eldredge first singled, then later fell on his 2nd triple axel try, sealing his fate when combined with that he also didn't have a quadruple jump to begin with.

In the pivotal year of his career in 1997-1998, Eldredge suffered through a sluggish grand prix circuit. First winning Skate America with an uninspiring skate, after injuring himself in warm up. Then placing only 4th at Trophee Lalique, won by rising start Alexei Yagudin. He controversially finished 3rd at the Grand Prix final where most believed he deserved at least 2nd place above Elvis Stojko. He skated cleanly, apart from a doubled triple loop, and strangely lost to Stojko who fell on his quadruple attempt. He then finished fourth at his second Olympics, in Nagano, after a crushing long program performance, managing only 5 of 8 planned triples, when a clean skate would have garnered him at least silver comfortably. He rebounded to win silver at a watered down World Championships in his home country, an event missing all 3 Olympic medalists. A fall in the short program cost him the gold to rising star Alexei Yagudin, despite comfortably winning the long program with a strong skate.

Eldredge continued to compete in pro ams and leave the door open for a return to amateur figure skating. In 2000, he landed his first quadruple jump in competition at the Masters of Figure Skating.[citation needed] He competed in various events through the 1999-2000 season, yet oddly did not skate at the World Championships. Eldredge withdrew from the 2001 Four Continents Championships due to an ankle injury.[1] He returned to the U.S Championships for the first time since 1998, and took silver behind Tim Goebel, but then edged Goebel for the bronze at the World Championships where most felt he deserved silver over an injured and flawed Alexei Yagudin. In 2002, he won his sixth U.S. title and placed sixth in his third Olympic appearance. After retiring from competition, he toured with Stars on Ice.[citation needed]

Eldredge was inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame during the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.[citation needed] On January 31, 2011, the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame announced Eldredge as a nominee for an outstanding competitor in the men's category.[5]

Eldredge formerly coached at the Germain Arena in Estero, Florida.[3] In April 2012, he underwent left hip replacement surgery.[3][6] Beginning in 2014, he coached at the Dr Pepper StarCenter in Frisco, Texas.[7]

In 2018, Eldredge relocated to Irvine, California, and he now coaches at Great Park Ice.[8] His students have included Emmi Peltonen and Yaroslav Paniot.[9][10]

Personal life

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Eldredge was born in Chatham, Massachusetts.[11] He married Megan McCrea on September 3, 2005, in St. Petersburg, Florida.[12] In 2008, he moved to Florida.[3] In March 2009, Todd said he was divorced.[2] Eldredge married Sabrina Corbaci on September 28, 2012, in San Diego, California.[13][14] Corbaci is a graphic designer and two-time (1991, 1992) U.S. novice pairs medalist with Eddy Zeidler. They have two sons — Ayrton, born May 26, 2012, and Ryder, born in 2014.

Programs

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Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
2001–2002
[11]
2000–2001
[1]
  • 1492: Conquest of Paradise
    by Vangelis
1999–2000
  • The 13th Warrior

Competitive highlights

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GP: Champions Series / Grand Prix

Post-1993

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International[15]
Event 93–94 94–95 95–96 96–97 97–98 98–99 99–00 00–01 01–02
Olympics 4th 6th
Worlds 2nd 1st 2nd 2nd 3rd
Four Continents 4th WD
GP Final 5th 2nd 3rd WD 4th
GP Lalique 1st 4th 2nd
GP Nations Cup 3rd
GP Skate America 1st 1st 1st 1st 3rd
GP Skate Canada 4th 2nd 3rd
Goodwill Games 2nd 1st
Inter. de Paris 1st
NHK Trophy 1st
Skate America 4th 1st
National[15]
U.S. Champ. 4th 1st 2nd 1st 1st 2nd 1st

Pre-1993

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International[15]
Event 85–86 86–87 87–88 88–89 89–90 90–91 91–92 92–93
Olympics 10th
Worlds 5th 3rd 7th
Nations Cup 2nd 1st
NHK Trophy 6th
Skate America 3rd 3rd 3rd 1st
Goodwill Games 3rd
Nebelhorn 1st
St. Gervais 1st
International: Junior[15]
Junior Worlds 5th 2nd 1st
National[15]
U.S. Champ. 5th J 1st J 8th 5th 1st 1st 6th

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Todd ELDREDGE: 2000/2001". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 9, 2001.
  2. ^ a b Fillo, MaryEllen (March 1, 2009). "Spilling the Beans with Todd Eldredge". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on March 6, 2009.
  3. ^ a b c d Barnas, Jo-Ann (April 26, 2012). "Former figure skating champ Todd Eldredge getting new hip". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on April 27, 2012.
  4. ^ "World Junior Figure Skating Championships: Men" (PDF). International Skating Union. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013.
  5. ^ "2011 World Figure Skating Hall of Fame Nominees". Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  6. ^ Brannen, Sarah S.; Meekins, Drew (May 8, 2012). "The Inside Edge: New hips and safe travels". IceNetwork.
  7. ^ Elfman, Lois (July 31, 2014). "Lone star: Eldredge takes teaching talents to Texas". IceNetwork.
  8. ^ "Instructors & Private Lessons". Great Park Ice. Irvine Ice Foundation. Archived from the original on 28 March 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  9. ^ "Emmi Peltonen : 2022/2023". ISU Results. ISU. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  10. ^ "Yaroslav Paniot : 2021/2022". ISU Results. ISU. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Todd ELDREDGE: 2001/2002". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on August 10, 2002.
  12. ^ Walden, Tammy (December 15, 2005). "Alliance native marries in magical destination wedding". the-review.com. Archived from the original on April 27, 2012.
  13. ^ Todd Eldredge [@toddeldredge] (28 September 2012). "@10NewsPatBrown I do remember our interview! Yes I'm back in SD. I'm getting married 2day plus I am playing golf in American Airlines event" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Eldredge Family - Today Show 11/16/12". YouTube. 16 November 2012.
  15. ^ a b c d e "Todd ELDREDGE". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 24, 2017.
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