EXCLUSIVE!!!!

 

ERIC RADFORD & VANESSA JAMES

 

Born on January 27, 1985 in Winnipeg – Canada, Eric Radford grew up in Balmertown, Ontario. He started skating in 1992. Between 1999 and 2001 Eric moved to Kenora, Winnipeg, Montreal and Toronto to pursue his skating ambitions. He studied music at the University of York and holds a Grade 9 Royal Conservatory of Music certificate. Together with Sarah Burke, Eric participated in the 2003 and 2004 ISU Junior Grand Prix. He also competed in single skating. In 2005 Eric participated in the Canadian championships. He competed in the Canadian Championships in 2007 and 2009 with Rachel Kirkland. Eric moved back to Montreal in 2009. Together with Anne-Marie Giroux, he participated in the 2010 Canadian Championships. Eric formed an ice skating duo with Canadian skater Megan Duhamel between 2010 and 2018. Between 2011 and 2018, they competed in the inaugural Autumn Classic International, the Skate Canada Autumn Classic, the CS Autumn Classic, the Skate America, two Canadian Championships, the Four Continents Championships, the Skate Canada, the Trophée Eric Bompard, the Olympic Winter Games, the NHK Trophy, the Skate Canada International three times, the Grand Prix Final and seven World Championships. Eric plays the piano and writes and composes music. During the 2013 World Championships, Megan and Eric skated their short program to music composed by Eric as a tribute to his late coach Paul Wirtz. In 2014, Eric registered as a member of the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada During the summer of 2016, he composed the 2016-2017 free skate music for fellow Canadian skater and three-time World Champion Patrick Chan. Eric is an ambassador for the Canadian Olympic Committee's #OneTeam program to combat homophobia in sports. In addition to competitions, he also coaches and composes performance music for skating. Between 2010 and 2018, Megan and Eric won five gold medals, six silver medals and eight bronze medals. They also won the Grand Prix Final title, the Four Continents title twice and the Canadian title up to seven times, which is a true all-time record. Eric participated in Stars on Ice tours and the "Thank You Canada" tour. In 2019, he and former ice hockey player Amanda Kessel participated in the fifth season of the TV show “Battle of the Blades” in which they eventually finished seventh. Together with former ice hockey player Jennifer Botterill, he participated in the sixth season of the TV show "Battle of the Blades" in 2020, in which they eventually finished sixth. Eric worked as a choreographer for several Canadian skaters. In March 2019, he was elected to the ISU Athletes Commission. He was appointed vice chairman.

 

Born on September 27, 1987 in Scarborough – Canada, Vanessa James lived in Bermuda until 1997. She then moved with her family to Virginia in the United States. After watching the 1998 Winter Olympics, Vanessa started skating. She originally competed domestically in the United States, representing the Washington Figure Skating Club. In 2005, Vanessa began representing Great Britain internationally. She also competed as a women's singles skater representing the United States and Great Britain. In 2006, Vanessa became the British Women's Singles National Champion. She won gold at the 2006 British Championships and silver in 2007, becoming Britain's first black figure skating champion. For Great Britain, Vanessa competed in the 2006 ISU Junior Grand Prix and the 2007 World Junior Championships. Her last event as a single skater was the 2007 International Cup of Nice where she won the bronze medal. Vanessa lived in the US until 2007 and then moved to Paris in France. Between 2007 and 2010 she formed an ice skating duo with French skater Yannick Bonheur. Between 2008 and 2010 they participated in the World Team Trophy, the Nebelhorn Trophy, the Cup of China and twice the Trophée Eric Bompard, the European Championships and also the World Championships. They were the first black couple to compete in the Olympics. Because her father is from Bermuda, Vanessa was able to keep her British citizenship. She became a French citizen in December 2009. Between 2010 and 2020, Vanessa formed an ice skating duo with French skater Morgan Ciprès. Between 2011 and 2019 they competed in the Ondrej Nepela Memorial, the Coupe de Nice, the Nebelhorn Trophy, the NRW Trophy, the International Challenge Cup, the Skate America, the Trophée de France, the Ondrej Nepela Memorial and the Coupe de Nice, twice the Olympic Winter Games, the CS Nebelhorn Trophy, the World Team Trophy, the Internationaux de France and the Grand Prix Final, three times the Trophee Eric Bompard, the Skate Canada International and the CS Autumn Classic International and seven times the World Championships and the European Championships. Between 2012 and 2018, they won the silver medal three times, the gold medal five times and the bronze medal six times. They won the bronze medal at the European Championships in January 2017, becoming the first French pair in fourteen years to medal in the event. In March 2017, they became the first French pair in 17 years to take the world stage at the 2018 World Championships. They won the free skate at the 2019 European Championships to take the European pairs title, only the second French team to do so, and the first since Andrée Joly and Pierre Brunet in 1932. Furthermore, Vanessa won awards as the 2017 European bronze medalist, the 2018 World bronze medalist, the 2018 Grand Prix final champion and became the 2019 European Champion. In 2019, she participated with former ice hockey player Brian McGrattan in the fifth season of the TV show “Battle of the Blades” in which they eventually finished sixth. In 2020, together with former ice hockey player Aki Aliu, she participated in the sixth season of the TV show “Battle of the Blades” in which they eventually finished fourth.

 

Eric and Vanessa formed an ice skating duo between 2021 and 2022. During that period they competed in the CS Autumn Classic International, the CS Finlandia Trophy, the Skate Canada International, the Internationaux de France, the Winter Olympics and the ISU World Championships. They also won a silver medal and a bronze medal together. Perry spoke to the very friendly Eric Radford and Vanessa James for an interview for the internet site.

 

001.How did your love for skating come about?

       ERIC: During the Olympic Games in 1992 when I saw Nancy Kerrigan (figure skater from 1987 to 1994, ed.) skating on TV, I fell in love with the sport.

       VANESSA: I myself fell in love with skating when I was 11 years old. My uncles were hockey players from Canada and took my twin sister and me ice

       skating for the first time. My sister was the one that truly enjoyed it the moment she touched the ice. She asked my parents if they would sign us up

       for lessons and as we always do everything together, I wanted to take lessons with her. We progressed so quickly and decided this was our passion.

       Something that challenged us, a sport we could do together and a sport that we loved.

002.In the spring of 2021 you became a skating duo of each other. Can you explain what the other has come to mean to you?

       VANESSA: I've always known Eric as a great skater. We used to compete against each other, so now it's a great honor to call him my partner. The

       bond and trust in a team is incredibly important. Without trust there would be no way we could perform some of the elements of our program. They

       can be very dangerous. I literally trust Eric with my life. Eric is not only a great partner, he is also an incredible person and friend. I truly consider

       myself lucky to have him in my life now.

       ERIC: I always thought Vanessa was a beautiful skater and that she and Morgan (Ciprès – her former skating partner, ed.) had very powerful and

       high quality elements. Trust is imperative for all pair and dance teams. You can't excel without it. Vanessa has become a very good friend of mine and

       I am so happy and grateful that we have lived through the amazing moments we have had together over the years.

003.At what moment in your career are you most proud and/or do you have the best memories?

       ERIC: I'm very proud of the great performances. I've had during my career, but last season stands out because I really didn't know if I could actually

       comeback and skate to a really high level again. Winning the second world title in Boston in January 2017 from Megan (Duhamel, Eric's skating

       partner from 2010 to 2018, ed.) and me will always be a big highlight for me. I think the most important thing is to be proud of yourself for all the

       work you’ve put into  going out on the ice and giving your best in a competition.

       VANESSA: My proudest moment was winning bronze at the 2022 World Cup with Eric with less than a year of training together. We skated a pretty

       clean program and it was incredible to finish on the podium with a great skate, in front of a French audience that is very close to my heart, while

       skating for Canada (the country where Vanessa was born, ed.). The french audience was so supportive and it felt like it was all destiny.

004.Is it an advantage that you already know each other from your career as an ice skater?

       VANESSA: It's definitely an benefit to have been Eric's ice skating partner before we started working together on Holiday on Ice: Supernova. We had

       our set of elements and transitions to offer to the choreographers and production team. We know each other well and it helps us to get through some

       of the difficulties that may arise during the tour.

       ERIC: The fact that Vanessa and I could from the skating competition we did together made learning and choreographing our programs in Holiday on

       Ice much easier.

005.What appealed to you in the show Holiday on Ice: Supernova?

       ERIC: The story of Supernova is all about acceptance and that is very close to my heart. I like how that is used on the show.

006.Which do you find more difficult: a skating competition or a Holiday on Ice show?

       VANESSA: Competitive skating is definitely harder than shows. I am more aware of the audience in competition. In competitive skating, the audience

       is usually a very big skating fan base. They encourage and support us throughout the program. I can hear and feel their encouragement, so I feel like

       I'm more aware and connected with the audience that is coming to a competition.

       ERIC: Competition skating is much more stressful and strenuous. It's just fun to perform in Holiday on Ice. I think I'm equally aware of the crowd in

       both competitive skating and Holiday on Ice. For me, the biggest difference between a skating competition and a Holiday on Ice show is that we don't

       have to perform so many difficult elements in Holiday in Ice, which is different from competitive skating.

007.What does a day of a performance at Holiday on Ice: Supernova usually look like for you?

       ERIC: The day can start late or early. That depends on whether we have one or two shows that day. We always have notes about the previous show

       for the next show which helps to improve the show. Then I usually do a good warm up before the show starts and then we go for it.

008.What can we expect from you two in the future?

       VANESSA: Until Sunday January 29, 2023 we will be touring in Austria with the Holiday on Ice - show 'Supernova'. Then we will close our tour in

       France from Friday 3 February to Sunday 30 April 2023.

       ERIC: I myself also hope that my album with classical music will be released this spring.

 

For more information about Holiday on Ice, visit https://holidayonice.com/nl/.

For more information about Vanessa James & Eric Radford, visit https://skatecanada.ca/high-performance/vanessa-james-and-eric-radford/.

 

Interview: Perry Krootjes