Tracey Wainman

Tracey Wainman (b.2nd January 1968) is a Canadian figure skater. She won the Canadian Figure Skating Championships in 1981 and 1986.

Wainman first came to international prominence at the age of 12 in 1980, when she placed third at the Canadian Championships and was controversially selected to compete as Canada's sole entry in the ladies event at that year's World Figure Skating Championships instead of either of the two older skaters who had placed ahead of her in the national event. At that time she was being heavily promoted as a future champion by David Dore, the head of the Canadian Figure Skating Association, as well as by Canadian television.

After winning the 1981 Canadian championship, Wainman began to struggle with the effects of a normal teenage growth spurt; she grew six inches and put on weight as her figure developed. In 1982 she finished third at the Canadian Championships after a poor free skate, and the following year, she skated to a disastrous 7th place finish. At that point, she stopped skating entirely for a year. When she began to skate again in 1984, she essentially had to start from scratch and completely re-learn her technique. She won the 1986 Canadian Championships and competed at that year's World Championships, but when the CFSA passed her over for international competition assignments the following season -- allegedly because they disapproved of her undisciplined off-ice behavior -- she decided to retire from competitive skating.

Following her competitive career, Wainman skated professionally with shows including Holiday on Ice and Ice Capades, and was married to Slovak skater Jozef Sabovcik for a time. Her current off-ice partner is Grzegorz Filipowski; they both coach at the same rink in Richmond Hill, Ontario.

Today, Wainman is often cited as a cautionary example of a skater who burned out on the sport while still a child after being prematurely pushed into the spotlight. Wainman herself has pointed out that if she had been held back from competing at the World level as a child, when her skills were at their peak, she might never have had the opportunity to do so while older.

References

* " [http://www.torontolife.com/features/ice-storm/?pageno=1 Ice Storm] ", "Toronto Life", April 2006.
* Beverley Smith, "Figure Skating: A Celebration". ISBN 0-7710-2819-9.

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