Melissa Gregory

Melissa Gregory
Personal information
Country represented  United States
Born (1981-05-22) May 22, 1981
Residence Hartford, Connecticut
Height 1.64 m (5 ft 4 1⁄2 in)
Partner Denis Petukhov
Former partner James Shuford
Coach Shae-Lynn Bourne
Former coach Priscilla Hill, Natalia Linichuk,
Gennadi Karpanosov,
Nikolai Morozov
Skating club SC of New York
ISU personal best scores
Combined total 183.97
2005 4CC
Comp. dance 38.02
2005 4CC
Original dance 55.61
2006 Skate America
Free dance 92.74
2003 Skate America

Melissa Gregory (born May 22, 1981) is an Jewish American ice dancer. With partner and husband Denis Petukhov, she is a 2006 United States Olympic Team member and 2004–2007 U.S. silver medalist.

Personal life

Gregory was born in Highland Park, Illinois to a Catholic father, Joseph, and a Jewish mother, Dale.[1][2] She has one older brother, Michael.

Gregory and Petukhov were married in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 2, 2001.[2][3] The next month they flew to Kirov, Russia so that Petukhov's family could celebrate their marriage as well.[4] On November 21, 2014, the couple welcomed their first child, a son named Daxton Dale Petukhov.[5]

Career

Gregory began skating at age eight. She competed in novice ladies' singles before deciding to concentrate on ice dance.[6]

Gregory was US junior ice dance champion in 1998 with James Shuford.[7] She was without an ice dancing partner for nearly three years and told her coach that she would quit skating and go to college if she could not find one by September 1, 2000.[8] She met Russian ice dancer Denis Petukhov on an online skating partner search.[9] He spoke little English and so had a friend write his messages for him. He arrived in the United States on a tourist visa on August 31, 2000 to try skating with her and several other prospective partners. After skating with Gregory first, Petukhov canceled his other tryouts and never used his return plane ticket to Russia.[10]

Gregory and Petukhov were originally coached by Oleg Epstein and Sandy Hess but made a change in 2003 to Nikolai Morozov and Shae-Lynn Bourne.[11] Following the 2005-2006 season, they switched again to Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karpanosov[12] at the University of Delaware in Newark. On September 7, 2007, they announced another coaching change, this time to Priscilla Hill at The Pond Ice Arena, also in Newark.[13]

Gregory and Petukhov won four silver medals and two bronze medals at the U.S. Championships and competed in the 2006 Winter Olympics.[7]

Gregory and Petukhov both suffered injuries in a fall during the warmup before the free dance at 2007 Skate Canada International on November 4, 2007. Petukhov lost his footing while practicing a one-handed rotational lift and dropped Gregory onto the ice, injuring her ribs and hip and skidding into the boards himself, hurting his own knee and neck. Gregory was taken to a hospital following the fall but released that night.[14] They were then forced to withdraw from competition for the rest of the season while they healed from their injuries.[15]

Gregory and Petukhov did not return to competition. In 2008, they moved to Connecticut and began coaching and choreographing for other skaters and founded a nonprofit organization Proud Nation Inc. They also launched their own YouTube channel, OlympianUncut, focusing on a behind-the-scenes look at the skating world.[16] Gregory and Petukhov are successful show skaters and also devote much of their time to EduSkating Fever on Ice, a program they founded in 2009 that combines learn-to-skate sessions with academics and is targeted at middle school students in Connecticut. EduSkating Fever on Ice was one of two "Rings of Gold" award winners for 2010, and Gregory was the first skater to receive the individual award for her contribution to the program.[17] In 2014 EduSkating an official Community Olympic Development Program of The US Olympic Committee. In 2016, Gregory & Petukhov opened a seasonal outdoor luxury ice rink by The World Trade Center in New York City named The Rink at Brookfield Place with Gregory & Petukhov

Programs

(with Petukhov)

Season Original dance Free dance Exhibition
2007–2008[18] Lord of the Dance
(Irish Jig)		 Proud Nation
by Yoav Goren
2006–2007[7] Adam and Eve
by Yoav Goren
(Preliator and Sarabande)
2005–2006[7] Romeo and Juliet
by Prokofiev
Art of War
by Vanessa-Mae
2003–2004[7]
  • Toccata Fugue
  • Air on a G String
 God Bless America
by Celine Dion
2002–2003[3] Polka
by Andre Kiew 		Snow
by Craig Armstrong

Competitive highlights

With Petukhov

Event 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08
Winter Olympic Games 14th
World Championships 12th 11th 9th 10th
Four Continents Championships 6th 4th 2nd
U.S. Championships 3rd 3rd 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd
Grand Prix Final 6th
Skate Canada 8th 3rd WD
Skate America 5th 5th 2nd
Cup of Russia 4th
Trophée Eric Bompard 4th
NHK Trophy 4th 3rd
Cup of China 4th
Nebelhorn Trophy 2nd
WD = Withdrew

With Shuford

Event 1995–1996 1996–1997 1997–1998 1998–1999
World Junior Championships 10th
U.S. Championships 8th J. 4th J. 1st J.
Junior Grand Prix, China 2nd
J. = Junior level

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Denis Petukhov Becomes a United States Citizen". U.S. Figure Skating. February 23, 2005. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
  2. 1 2 "Gregory & Petukhov Combine Holiday Traditions". Ice Network. December 19, 2007. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
  3. 1 2 Mittan, Barry (November 25, 2002). "Internet Leads to Skaters' Love Match". Golden Skate. Archived from the original on October 30, 2006.
  4. ↑ "Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov". About.com: Marriage. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
  5. ↑ Petukhov, Denis. "Meet Our Son". Twitter. Twitter. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  6. ↑ Mittan, Barry (March 26, 2008). "We'll Be Back Say Dancers". SkateToday.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Melissa Gregory / Denis Petukhov". Ice Network. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012.
  8. ↑ Skating Magazine, January 2006: "Team Destiny: Gregory, Petukhov Cherishing Life On, Off Ice"
  9. ↑ "Melissa Gregory & Denis Petukhov". ice-dance.com. July 2002. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007.
  10. ↑ "Figure Skating: Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov". WNBC. January 2006. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov Switch Coaches". US Figure Skating Official Site. April 24, 2003. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
  12. ↑ "Ice Dancers Gregory and Petukhov Announce Coaching Change". US Figure Skating Official Site. May 31, 2006. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
  13. ↑ "Gregory and Petukhov Change Coaches". US Figure Skating Official Site. September 7, 2007. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Melissa Gregory Expected to Make Full Recovery after Fall during Warm-up at Skate Canada". US Figure Skating Official Site. November 5, 2007. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
  15. ↑ "Ice Dancing Team Gregory and Petukhov Withdraw from 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships". U.S. Figure Skating Official Site. January 11, 2008. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Gregory, Petukhov Hit the Road with Camera". icenetwork.com. January 1, 2009. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Gregory, Petukhov hit the ice with Proud Nation". Icenetwork. March 28, 2011.
  18. ↑ "Melissa GREGORY / Denis PETUKHOV: 2007/2008". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012.
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