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- Mar 28, 2005
Who is the greatest North American dance team of all time in your opinion? North American success in ice dancing does not come easy, but considering its short history as an Olympic sport it is also not as sparse as some might think.
North American have produced 3 Olympic medals in the 9 Olympics ever held in ice dancing: Americans Colleen O'Connor and James Millns winning bronze in 1976, Canadians Tracy Wilson and the late Rob McCall bronze in 1988, and recently young U.S team Belbin and Agosto winning the highest Olympic medal for a North American team thus far-a silver. Others have had heartbreaking near misses of the podium, Americans Blumberg and Seibert finished a very controversial 4th in 1984, losing the bronze by 1 judge. In 1998 Canadian team Bourne and Kraatz also finished a very controversial 4th, losing the bronze by 1 vote in the 1st compulsory dance, in a year there was clear evidence of "bloc judging", 4 years later Bourne and Kraatz again took 4th place, losing the bronze by 2 votes after falling and failing to capatilize on a fall by the World Champion Italians right before them.
Bourne and Kraatz while twice falling just short of the Olympic podium have North Americans only gold at a Worlds, winning in their final amateur competition at the 2003 Worlds. To go with that they have a silver from the post-Olympic 2002 Worlds, and 4 World bronzes for a total of 6 World medals.
The very young Belbin/Agosto of the U.S have a World silver and World bronze already to go with their Olympic silverr. O'Connor and Millns also have a World silver and World bronze to go with their Olympic bronze. Wilson and McCall won 3 straight World bronzes from 1986-1988 giving them a streak of 4 straight bronze medals in World and Olympic competition. With Bourne/Kraatz not winning an Olympic medal it is still the only medal for a Canadian team in dance. Blumberg/Seibert also took 3 straight bronzes at Worlds from 1983-1984, ironicaly beating the same team who was controversialy put over them for the bronze at the 1984 Olympics at both the 83 Worlds and 84 Worlds. Also at the 83 Worlds slipping from 2nd to 3rd on a 5-4 split in the free dance, in a similar way to what happened to them from 3rd to 4th at the 1984 Olympics.
One of the great North American dancers, moreso then a particular team might be William McLachlan of Canada, who won 5 World medals at all 5 Worlds held from 1957-1962(1961 was canceled due to the horrable plane crush which killed the entire U.S skating team of that year)split among 2 different partners, skating for Canada. McLachlan and Geraldine Fenton took silvers in both 1957 and 1958, and a bronze in 1959. Then teamed with Virginia Thompson they took a silver in 1960 and a bronze in 1962. He never had an opportunity to win an Olympic medal as the Olympics were not held for ice dancing until 1976. Another North American team with some real pre-Olympics success would be Lorna Dyer and John Carrell of the U.S, who took silvers at the 1965 and 1966 Worlds, and a bronze in 1967. Also Americans Judy Schwomeyer and James Sladky who won silvers at the 1969 and 1970 Worlds, and bronzes at the 1971 and 1972 Worlds, making them the only North American team to win consecutive silvers at Worlds and four World medals in the same streak(Bourne/Kraatz had a streak of 4 straight World bronzes, and consecutive gold and silver at Worlds, but in seperate streaks, not combined). American team Carol Peters and Daniel Ryan medaled at the first 2 Worlds ever held in ice dancing(the first Worlds in the sport was 1952, making it by far the last discipline to be included in Worlds, just as it was by far the last to be included in the Olympics). They took bronzes in both 1952 and 1953. Another American dance team who was regularly near the podium when dance first became a World Championship discipline would be Carmel Bodel and Edward Bodel who took 4th places in both 1952(right behind Peters and Ryan)and 1955, but also a bronze medal in 1954. A big rival of Canadians Fenton/McLachlin in the late 50s were the American team of Andree Anderson and Donald Jacoby who won bronze at the 1958 Worlds right behind Fenton/McLachlin, then silver just over Fenton/McLachlin in 1959. Another Canadian team Paulette Doan and Kenneth Ormsby would pull off that same silver-bronze feat at Worlds with a silver at the 1962Worlds and a bronze at the 1963 Worlds.
Of minor note would be the other North American teams to win a World Champonships medal, or not but come close more then once:
1957 Worlds - Canadians Sharon McKenzie and Bert Wright take bronze in their only ever appearance at Worlds.
U.S dance team Joan Zamboni and Roland Junso-take 5th at the 1955 Worlds, followed by 4ths in both 1956 and 1957.
2006 Worlds-Canadians Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon take silver.
North American have produced 3 Olympic medals in the 9 Olympics ever held in ice dancing: Americans Colleen O'Connor and James Millns winning bronze in 1976, Canadians Tracy Wilson and the late Rob McCall bronze in 1988, and recently young U.S team Belbin and Agosto winning the highest Olympic medal for a North American team thus far-a silver. Others have had heartbreaking near misses of the podium, Americans Blumberg and Seibert finished a very controversial 4th in 1984, losing the bronze by 1 judge. In 1998 Canadian team Bourne and Kraatz also finished a very controversial 4th, losing the bronze by 1 vote in the 1st compulsory dance, in a year there was clear evidence of "bloc judging", 4 years later Bourne and Kraatz again took 4th place, losing the bronze by 2 votes after falling and failing to capatilize on a fall by the World Champion Italians right before them.
Bourne and Kraatz while twice falling just short of the Olympic podium have North Americans only gold at a Worlds, winning in their final amateur competition at the 2003 Worlds. To go with that they have a silver from the post-Olympic 2002 Worlds, and 4 World bronzes for a total of 6 World medals.
The very young Belbin/Agosto of the U.S have a World silver and World bronze already to go with their Olympic silverr. O'Connor and Millns also have a World silver and World bronze to go with their Olympic bronze. Wilson and McCall won 3 straight World bronzes from 1986-1988 giving them a streak of 4 straight bronze medals in World and Olympic competition. With Bourne/Kraatz not winning an Olympic medal it is still the only medal for a Canadian team in dance. Blumberg/Seibert also took 3 straight bronzes at Worlds from 1983-1984, ironicaly beating the same team who was controversialy put over them for the bronze at the 1984 Olympics at both the 83 Worlds and 84 Worlds. Also at the 83 Worlds slipping from 2nd to 3rd on a 5-4 split in the free dance, in a similar way to what happened to them from 3rd to 4th at the 1984 Olympics.
One of the great North American dancers, moreso then a particular team might be William McLachlan of Canada, who won 5 World medals at all 5 Worlds held from 1957-1962(1961 was canceled due to the horrable plane crush which killed the entire U.S skating team of that year)split among 2 different partners, skating for Canada. McLachlan and Geraldine Fenton took silvers in both 1957 and 1958, and a bronze in 1959. Then teamed with Virginia Thompson they took a silver in 1960 and a bronze in 1962. He never had an opportunity to win an Olympic medal as the Olympics were not held for ice dancing until 1976. Another North American team with some real pre-Olympics success would be Lorna Dyer and John Carrell of the U.S, who took silvers at the 1965 and 1966 Worlds, and a bronze in 1967. Also Americans Judy Schwomeyer and James Sladky who won silvers at the 1969 and 1970 Worlds, and bronzes at the 1971 and 1972 Worlds, making them the only North American team to win consecutive silvers at Worlds and four World medals in the same streak(Bourne/Kraatz had a streak of 4 straight World bronzes, and consecutive gold and silver at Worlds, but in seperate streaks, not combined). American team Carol Peters and Daniel Ryan medaled at the first 2 Worlds ever held in ice dancing(the first Worlds in the sport was 1952, making it by far the last discipline to be included in Worlds, just as it was by far the last to be included in the Olympics). They took bronzes in both 1952 and 1953. Another American dance team who was regularly near the podium when dance first became a World Championship discipline would be Carmel Bodel and Edward Bodel who took 4th places in both 1952(right behind Peters and Ryan)and 1955, but also a bronze medal in 1954. A big rival of Canadians Fenton/McLachlin in the late 50s were the American team of Andree Anderson and Donald Jacoby who won bronze at the 1958 Worlds right behind Fenton/McLachlin, then silver just over Fenton/McLachlin in 1959. Another Canadian team Paulette Doan and Kenneth Ormsby would pull off that same silver-bronze feat at Worlds with a silver at the 1962Worlds and a bronze at the 1963 Worlds.
Of minor note would be the other North American teams to win a World Champonships medal, or not but come close more then once:
1957 Worlds - Canadians Sharon McKenzie and Bert Wright take bronze in their only ever appearance at Worlds.
U.S dance team Joan Zamboni and Roland Junso-take 5th at the 1955 Worlds, followed by 4ths in both 1956 and 1957.
2006 Worlds-Canadians Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon take silver.
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