Drew Meekins Explained

Drew Meekins
Fullname:Andrew Meekins
Country:United States
Birth Date:10 April 1985
Birth Place:Juneau, Alaska
Hometown:Wellesley, Massachusetts
Residence:Colorado Springs, Colorado
Formerpartner:Jessica Rose Paetsch
Julia Vlassov
Coach:Dalilah Sappenfield
Laureano Ibarra
Formercoach:Alexander Vlassov
Choreographer:Zuzanna Szwed
Tom Dickson
Skating Club:Skating Club of Boston

Drew Meekins (born April 10, 1985) is an American retired pairs skater and choreographer. With former partner Julia Vlassov, he is the 2006 World Junior Champion. Meekins attended the 2018 Olympic Games with Mirai Nagasu.[1]

Skating career

Meekins and Vlassov won the 2006 World Junior Championships. In their first season of senior international competition, they won the silver at the Nebelhorn Trophy, placed sixth at the 2006 Cup of China, and placed 5th at the 2006 NHK Trophy.[2] Vlassov and Meekins finished in 7th place in their senior debut at the 2007 U.S. Championships. They were fifth in the free program.

Vlassov and Meekins were assigned to two Grand Prix events for the 2007–2008 season; however, they were forced to withdraw from the 2007 Skate Canada International before the event began due to an injury to Meekins's shoulder which occurred during an attempted lift in practice. Vlassov and Meekins announced the end of their partnership on November 8, 2007.

U.S. Figure Skating announced on July 14, 2008, that Meekins had teamed up with Jessica Rose Paetsch. Paetsch and Meekins placed 10th at the 2009 U.S. Championships.

After qualifying for the 2010 U.S. Championships, Paetsch & Meekins announced the end of their partnership in December 2009.

Coaching career

Meekins is now a figure skating coach and choreographer at the Broadmoor skating club in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and coaches a wide range of skaters and offers virtual lessons and other resources on his website.[3]

As a coach, his students have included:

As a choreographer, his clients have included:

Early life and family

Andrew Meekins, known as "Drew", was born in Juneau, Alaska on April 10, 1985. He is one of five children (four sons and one daughter) born to Edward Russell "Russ" Meekins, Jr. (1949–2020) and his wife Nancy Harvey. All four of his grandparents moved to Anchorage, Alaska from the Northeastern United States during the tail end of World War II and were active in business and civic affairs in Anchorage throughout the middle and late 20th century. His father, his aunt Susan Sullivan, and his grandfather Russ Meekins Sr. all served in the Alaska State Legislature as Democrats representing Anchorage. His father, the only one of the three to serve more than one term, was the House's majority leader in his last term (1981–1983). In that term, he played a key role in two events which rank amongst the most significant in the history of the Alaska Legislature: the mid-session overthrow of the Democratic House leadership and its replacement with a multi-party coalition, and the bribery conviction and subsequent expulsion of a member of the Alaska Senate. As a result of the fallout from these events, he soon found himself on the outs with Alaska's political establishment. The family left Alaska ca. 1990 and moved to Massachusetts, the home state of Nancy Harvey's parents, settling on Cape Cod. One of his brothers, Cam Meekins, is a rapper.

Programs

(with Vlassov)

SeasonShort programFree skating
2007–2008Malaguena
by Ernesto Lecuona
Titanic Symphony
by Richard Clayderman
2006–2007
  • Leelo's Tune
    by Maksim Mrvica
  • Sarabande
    by Maksim Mrvica
Warsaw Concerto
performed by Richard Clayderman
2005–2006Picante
by Vanessa Mae
Paychek (soundtrack)
by John Powell
2004–2005Picante
by Vanessa Mae
Paychek (soundtrack)
by John Powell
2003–2004Beethoven's 5th
  • Mission Impossible
  • Pink Panther

Competitive highlights

With Vlassov

Event2004–05 2005–06 2006–07
align=left 9th bgcolor=gold 1st
align=left 2nd J. bgcolor=cc9966 3rd J. 7th
align=left 6th
align=left 5th
align=left bgcolor=silver 2nd
align=left 4th bgcolor=silver 2nd
align=left bgcolor=cc9966 3rd
align=left bgcolor=silver 2nd
align=left 3rd
align=left 1st

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: MACUR. JULIET. How Mirai Nagasu Grew Up and Got Back to the Olympics. The New York Times. 23 March 2018.
  2. http://www.usfigureskating.org/event_story.asp?id=36873 Welcome to U.S. Figure Skating
  3. Web site: Modern Figure Skating. Modern Figure Skating. 30 March 2019.
  4. Web site: Vincent ZHOU: 2018/2019 . International Skating Union . https://web.archive.org/web/20180921213422/http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00034362.htm . September 21, 2018 . dead .
  5. Web site: Pairs . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20231104200753/http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00115501.htm . 2023-11-04 . 2023-11-27 . www.isuresults.com.
  6. Web site: Noami WILLIAMS / Lachlan LEWER: 2022/2023 . International Skating Union . 19 January 2024 . 3 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230303004059/http://isuresults.com/bios/isufs00116390.htm . bot: unknown .
  7. Web site: Olivia FLORES / Luke WANG: 2023/2024 . International Skating Union . 19 January 2024 . 9 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230809033458/http://isuresults.com/bios/isufs00116602.htm . bot: unknown .
  8. Web site: International Skating Union. Zhou dazzles to capture world junior crown. Ice Network. 16 March 2017.
  9. Web site: Karen CHEN: 2021/2022. International Skating Union. https://web.archive.org/web/20210126023714/http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00034366.htm. January 26, 2021. dead.
  10. Web site: Audrey SHIN: 2020/2021. International Skating Union. https://web.archive.org/web/20201118215841/http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00103189.htm. November 18, 2020. dead.
  11. Web site: Clare SEO: 2021/2022 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20220308103511/http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00111283.htm . March 8, 2022 . dead .
  12. Web site: Sofia Lexi Jacqueline FRANK: 2022/2023 . International Skating Union . 15 January 2024 . 8 February 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230208033936/http://isuresults.com/bios/isufs00111529.htm . bot: unknown .
  13. Web site: Ye Lim KIM: 2021/2022 . International Skating Union . https://web.archive.org/web/20211006143143/http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00054721.htm . October 6, 2021 .
  14. Web site: Young YOU: 2023/2024 . International Skating Union . https://web.archive.org/web/20240106011151/isuresults.com/bios/isufs00102446.htm . 6 January 2024.
  15. Web site: Seoyeon JI: 2021/2022 . International Skating Union . 15 January 2024.
  16. Web site: Elyce LIN-GRACEY: 2023/2024. International Skating Union. November 19, 2023. November 20, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231120071903/http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00113178.htm. live.
  17. Web site: Phattaratida KANESHIGE: 2023/2024 . International Skating Union . 15 January 2024 . 18 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230818075613/http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00114124.htm . bot: unknown .
  18. Web site: Naoki ROSSI: 2022/2023 . International Skating Union . https://web.archive.org/web/20221012210224/http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00103779.htm . 12 October 2022 . dead .
  19. Web site: Logan HIGASE-CHEN: 2023/2024 . International Skating Union . 30 January 2024 . 7 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240107070051/http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00113901.htm . bot: unknown .
  20. Web site: Pairs . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20231104200753/http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00115501.htm . 2023-11-04 . 2023-11-27 . www.isuresults.com.
  21. Web site: Noami WILLIAMS / Lachlan LEWER: 2022/2023 . International Skating Union . 19 January 2024 . 3 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230303004059/http://isuresults.com/bios/isufs00116390.htm . bot: unknown .
  22. Web site: Olivia FLORES / Luke WANG: 2023/2024 . International Skating Union . 19 January 2024 . 9 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230809033458/http://isuresults.com/bios/isufs00116602.htm . bot: unknown .