Paige Lawrence facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Paige Lawrence
Lawrence/Swiegers in 2010.
Personal information
Country represented	Canada
Born	(1990-02-22) February 22, 1990 (age 35) Kipling, Saskatchewan
Home town	Kennedy, Saskatchewan
Height	1.52 m (5 ft 0 in)
Former partner	Rudi Swiegers
Coach	Patricia Hole, Lyndon Johnston
Choreographer	Bernard Ford, Lance Vipond, Tammy McKay
Skating club	Wawota FSC
Training locations	Virden, Manitoba Ellenton, Florida
Began skating	1994
Retired	2014
ISU personal best scores
Combined total	168.88 2014 Worlds
Short program	59.84 2014 Worlds
Free skate	113.54 2013 Four Continents
Medal record Representing  Canada Figure skating: Pairs Four Continents Championships Bronze 2011 Taipei Pairs Canadian Championships Bronze 2011 Victoria Pairs Bronze 2012 Moncton Pairs Bronze 2013 Mississauga Pairs Bronze 2014 Ottawa Pairs

Paige Lawrence (born February 22, 1990) is a Canadian former figure skater. She competed in pair skating with her partner, Rudi Swiegers. Together, they won a bronze medal at the 2011 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships. They also earned four bronze medals at the Canadian Figure Skating Championships from 2011 to 2014.

About Paige Lawrence

Paige Lawrence was born in Kipling, Saskatchewan, a province in Canada. She is one of five children in her family. Her dad, Jim, was a professional bull rider, and her mom, Leanne, enjoyed figure skating. Her parents even owned a company that put on rodeo shows!

When Paige was younger, she also competed in barrel racing, which is a fast horse riding sport. Later, she studied at different universities, focusing on how the body moves (called kinesiology) and sports science. In 2018, she got engaged to Richie Champion, who is also a professional rodeo rider.

Paige's Skating Journey

Starting to Skate

Paige began ice skating when she was just four years old. It was one of the few activities available in her small hometown. In 2005, she started pair skating with Rudi Swiegers. Rudi was looking for a partner who jumped in the same direction as him. This was unusual, as Paige is right-handed but jumps clockwise, just like Rudi.

Even though their coach didn't have much experience with pairs, and their rink was very cold, Paige and Rudi decided to stay and train there. They didn't want to move to a different city.

Junior Competitions

Paige and Rudi had a slow start in their junior years. They finished 14th at the Junior Nationals in both 2006 and 2007. But in 2008, they improved a lot, moving up to 2nd place at the junior level. This success led to them competing internationally.

In the 2008–09 season, they competed in the Junior Grand Prix series, placing eighth and fifth. They then finished fourth at the 2009 World Junior Championships. They also placed fourth in the senior category at the Canadian Nationals that year.

Moving to Senior Level

For the 2009–10 season, Paige and Rudi moved up to the senior level. They competed at the 2009 NHK Trophy, where they finished seventh. At the Canadian Nationals, they placed sixth.

The 2010–11 season was a big one for them. They won their first international medal, a bronze, at the 2010 Skate Canada International. They also earned their first senior medal at the Canadian Nationals, a bronze, even after some mistakes in their long program.

Later that season, they competed at the 2011 Four Continents Championships. They performed very well, setting personal best scores and winning a bronze medal!

Paige Lawrence and Rudi Swiegers with other medal winners at the 2010 Skate Canada event.

Later Career and Olympics

In late 2011, Paige had a training accident and got a concussion. Despite this, she and Rudi competed at the 2012 Canadian Championships the next month, where they won their second national bronze medal.

Paige and Rudi were chosen to represent Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. They finished 14th at the Olympics. Their last competition together was the 2014 World Championships in Japan, where they placed 12th.

After the World Championships, Rudi decided to end their partnership. They announced their split in May 2014, and Paige retired from competitive skating.

Competitive Highlights

This table shows Paige Lawrence and Rudi Swiegers' results in different competitions.

GP: Grand Prix; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

With Swiegers