Caitlin Yankowskas (born May 6, 1990) is an American retired
pair skater
Pair skating is a figure skating discipline defined by the International Skating Union (ISU) as "the skating of two persons in unison who perform their movements in such harmony with each other as to give the impression of genuine Pair Skating a ...
. She competed for the United States with
John Coughlin from 2007 to 2011. They are the
2010 Cup of China
The 2010 Cup of China was the third event of six in the 2010–11 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing on November 4–7. Medals were a ...
bronze medalists and
2011 U.S. national champions. With partner
Hamish Gaman
Hamish Gaman (born 20 April 1983) is an English former competitive pair skater. With partner Caitlin Yankowskas, he is the 2015 Challenge Cup silver medalist and 2015 British national champion. Since 2018, he has appeared on the ITV series ''Dan ...
, Yankowskas skated for the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. They are the 2015
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...
silver medalists and 2015
British national
A British national, or United Kingdom national, is a person who possesses a type of British nationality law, British nationality. This includes anyone who is a:
* British citizen
* British Overseas Territories citizen
* British Overseas citizen
* ...
champions.
Personal life
Yankowskas was born May 6, 1990, in
Nashua, New Hampshire
Nashua is a city in southern New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 91,322, the second-largest in northern New England after nearby Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester. Along with Manc ...
. Raised in
Pelham, New Hampshire
Pelham is a New England town, town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 14,222 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 12,897 at the 2010 United States Census ...
, she was homeschooled and took ballet lessons in addition to skating. She was a member of the Methuen Ballet Ensemble in Salem, New Hampshire, for five years before moving to
Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...
. Her father has a dental practice in
. She has an older sister, Erica.
Career
Early years
Yankowskas began skating at the age of six. She skated with Daniyel Cohen in pairs at the novice level while competing as a single skater at the same time and at the same level. She and Cohen were the
2007 U.S. novice silver medalists. She did not make it out of sectionals as a single skater. Yankowskas and Cohen were coached by
Alexander Vlassov and Laura Amelina.
Partnership with Coughlin
In June 2007, Yankowskas had a tryout with new coach
Dalilah Sappenfield
Dalilah Sappenfield is an American figure skating coach and choreographer who specializes in pair skating. She has worked as a coach since 1993 and is the 2008 USFSA/PSA Coach of the Year, an award she won after her pair teams won the gold medal ...
in
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...
. Sappenfield suggested John Coughlin as a potential partner and they had a tryout in early August 2007. They placed 6th at the
2008 U.S. Championships and made their Grand Prix debut at the
2008 Skate America
The 2008 Skate America was the first event of six in the 2008–09 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Comcast Arena at Everett in Everett, Washington on October 23– ...
.
During the 2010–11 season, their ''Ave Maria'' long program was a tribute to Coughlin's mother who died in February 2010. They finished 4th at 2010 NHK Trophy and won the first Grand Prix medal, bronze, at Cup of China. At the
2011 U.S. Nationals, they placed first in the short program and then won the free program to earn their first national title.
Yankowskas and Coughlin went on to a sixth-place finish in their debut at the
World Championships
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
in April 2011; it was the best result by an American pair since 2006. After the event, Coughlin told Yankowskas that he wanted to split up. On May 4, the pair announced the end of their partnership.
Later partnerships
After leaving Sappenfield and Colorado Springs, Yankowskas moved in July 2011 to
Canton, Michigan
Canton, officially the Charter Township of Canton, is a charter township of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township had a population of 98,659.
Canton Township is Michigan's second most-populated townshi ...
, to train with
Johnny Johns
Johnny Johns (born August 9, 1951) is an American figure skating coach and former competitor. Competing in ice dancing with Mary Campbell, he became the 1973 national champion and finished 6th at the 1973 World Championships. Competing as a pair ...
and Adrienne Lenda at the Arctic Edge Ice Arena. She skated for seven weeks with Italian skater
Matteo Guarise
Matteo Guarise (born 15 September 1988) is an Italian pairs figure skater and roller skater. Guarise is the 2008 World champion in pairs roller skating with Sara Venerucci.
With his former figure skating partner Nicole Della Monica, he is a seve ...
but the pairing did not go further because they were unable to agree on which country to represent. In December 2011, Yankowskas said that she still wanted to continue her pairs career.
On March 22, 2012, it was announced that Yankowskas had teamed up with
Joshua Reagan
Joshua Reagan (born November 5, 1989) is an American pair skater. Competing for Canada with Brittany Jones, he is the 2016 U.S. International Classic champion. Earlier in his career, he represented the United States with Ashley Cain. They beca ...
. They were coached by Johnny Johns, David Kirby, and Marina Zueva in Canton, Michigan. Yankowskas and Reagan were assigned to the
2012 Cup of China
The 2012 Cup of China was the third event of six in the 2012–13 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai on November 2–4. Med ...
and the
2012 NHK Trophy
The 2012 NHK Trophy was the final event of six in the 2012–13 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Sekisui Heim Super Arena in Miyagi on November 22–25. Medals were ...
but withdrew from both events after Reagan sustained a rib injury in practice. They parted ways at the end of the season.
In May 2013, Yankowskas formed a partnership with
Hamish Gaman
Hamish Gaman (born 20 April 1983) is an English former competitive pair skater. With partner Caitlin Yankowskas, he is the 2015 Challenge Cup silver medalist and 2015 British national champion. Since 2018, he has appeared on the ITV series ''Dan ...
, coached by Johnny Johns and Marina Zueva in Canton, Michigan. Competing for Great Britain, the pair placed fifth in their debut at the 2013
Ice Challenge
The Icechallenge (formerly known as the Leo-Scheu-Gedächtnislaufen or Leo Scheu Memorial) is an annual international figure skating competition organized by the Grazer Eislaufverein and sanctioned by the Austrian Figure Skating association and the ...
. They went on to take the bronze medal at the
2014 British Championships. In mid-February 2014, they moved to Boston and began training under Bobby Martin and Carrie Wall at the Skating Club of Boston. After spending part of June 2014 in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
, coached by
Bruno Marcotte
Bruno Marcotte (born September 10, 1974) is a Canadian figure skating coach and former competitor in pairs. He is the 1993 World Junior bronze medallist with Isabelle Coulombe and the 2000 Nebelhorn Trophy champion with Valérie Marcoux.
Pers ...
and Richard Gauthier, the pair decided to move there in July. At the
2015 European Championships in
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
, Yankowskas/Gaman placed seventh in the short program, 14th in the free skate, and ninth overall.
On September 10, 2015, Yankowskas and Gaman announced their retirements from competitive figure skating due to lack of funding.
Programs
With Reagan
With Coughlin
With Cohen
Competitive highlights
''GP:
Grand Prix
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour
Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to:
Arts and entertainment ...
; CS:
Challenger Series (began in the 2014–15 season)''
With Gaman for the United Kingdom
With Reagan for the United States
With Coughlin for the United States
With Cohen for the United States
References
External links
Official site of Yankowskas/Gaman*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yankowskas, Caitlin
American female pair skaters
1990 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Nashua, New Hampshire
21st-century American women