{"id":11473,"date":"2018-06-05T08:43:38","date_gmt":"2018-06-05T12:43:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/figureskatersonline.com\/news\/?p=11473"},"modified":"2018-07-06T09:07:02","modified_gmt":"2018-07-06T13:07:02","slug":"ashley-cain-and-timothy-leduc-find-their-groove","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/figureskatersonline.com\/news\/2018\/06\/05\/ashley-cain-and-timothy-leduc-find-their-groove\/","title":{"rendered":"Ashley Cain and Timothy LeDuc find their groove"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Claire Cloutier, special to Figure Skaters Online
\nHeader photo by Robin Ritoss<\/p>\n

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U.S. pair skaters Ashley Cain and Timothy LeDuc<\/a> started their partnership in 2016 with lots of fanfare. The team gained unexpected success in their first season, winning a bronze medal at U.S. Nationals and appearing at the ISU Four Continents Championships and World Team Trophy.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Last season, Cain and LeDuc hoped to earn the sole pairs berth on the U.S. Olympic figure skating team. However, they ran into some setbacks in their sophomore season, struggling with inconsistent technical elements and negative feedback about their long program. But Cain and LeDuc persevered and ended the season on a high note. After a disappointing 8th-place finish in the short program at U.S. Nationals, the couple rallied in the long program, where they put out a successful, crowd-pleasing routine to music from\u00a0The Great Gatsby<\/i>\u00a0film soundtrack to pull up to fourth overall. The following month, they won silver at Four Continents.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Now, as they look forward to their third season together, Cain and LeDuc are feeling a new level of confidence with their technical elements. And artistically, they have a clear vision of the picture they want to present on the ice next season. \u201cWe’ve found our groove,\u201d declared Ashley Cain in a recent phone interview with Figure Skaters Online<\/i>. As the new season approaches, Cain and LeDuc are focused on improving every day, climbing the ranks internationally, and helping to raise the fortunes of U.S. pairs skating.<\/span><\/p>\n


\nFigure Skaters Online (FSO):\u00a0<\/strong>Ashley and Timothy, you had some ups and downs last year. But your season ended well, with the silver medal at Four Continents. Can you talk a bit about last season, and how it felt to finish on such a high note?<\/span><\/p>\n

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Timothy LeDuc:<\/strong>\u00a0 So, last season \u2026 Being a second-year team is really difficult. Because you have a little bit more expectation. Ashley and I were both still really developing in our partnership. There was never a time when we felt really comfortable with the elements, because everything was growing and changing. We didn’t have that advantage that a lot of our competitors did–they’d been together so many years that they know the speed and timing of each of their elements. So last season, the right word, without overselling it … \u201cTumultuous\u201d comes to mind. At times, it was a little tumultuous. We did so much. We went to so many different camps and [training] places. It took a lot out of us. So after the season was done, we wanted to mentally just chill and think, wow, what happened.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Ashley Cain<\/strong>:\u00a0 Being in first after the short [program at Four Continents] and earning the silver medal … It showed us that, through all the challenges this season, we just grew and came out stronger in the end. We felt like at Four Continents, we finally found our groove. And we felt [the] most comfortable in\u00a0<\/span>those two programs that I think we did all season. It was nice to end the season, that was just so uncertain, on two performances like that.<\/span><\/p>\n

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LeDuc:\u00a0<\/strong> And U.S. Nationals, as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Cain:<\/strong>\u00a0 The long program.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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LeDuc and Cain with coaches Peter and Darlene Cain and Cain’s dog, Mylo. (Photo courtesy Ashley Cain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

LeDuc:<\/strong>\u00a0 That (U.S. Nationals) was an important moment for us, personally. Not just who we are as competitors and athletes, but personally. For us to overcome everything that we had been through in this season, and after the short program, too. Just dealing with the disappointment and the constant pressure, all year, of: “We really want to be on the Olympic team. We have to make the Olympics. We have to be that one team, to get that one spot.” Just getting through that, at the end of the long [program at Nationals], was great.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Cain:<\/strong>\u00a0 Going into Nationals, you have all these hopes: “Okay, I’m so close to the Olympics.” But there was only one team that could go. And I think after the short [program], when we were sitting so low in the standings … We came to the realization together: “Okay, maybe the Olympics are out of the question now. But we can still get Four Continents. We can still be alternates for Worlds. And we can move ourselves up on the team envelope.\u201d So, we could still come out of the competition with a lot of positives. That’s exactly what our mentality was, going into the long program. To not give up, and leave feeling that we gave 100% in that long program.<\/span><\/p>\n

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LeDuc:\u00a0<\/strong> I think that’s why, if you watch the conclusion of that long program, we were so emotional. It wasn’t a perfect program. We had mistakes, we knew that. But it was just the relief, from everything that had gone up to that, and knowing we had given 110%. It was just so satisfying. That’s why we were so emotional.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Cain:\u00a0<\/strong> I think, too, with that particular program \u2026 We had gotten a lot of negative feedback on the program at the beginning of the season, and people wanted us to change it. And we said no. We stuck with it, because we felt very connected to this program, because we thought it was something different. It was a different approach than teams had taken before. So when we got the [audience] response \u2026. We were in our final spin at Nationals, and people were already on their feet, because they felt they wanted to get up, they wanted to dance, and it made them feel good. That is exactly what we wanted. And I think that’s what made it so special. We were literally yelling with the audience, we were so excited.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Cain and LeDuc with Tarah Kayne and Danny O’Shea (USA) and Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya Harley Windsor (AUS) after short program small medal ceremony at Four Continents Championships. (Photo by Robin Ritoss)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

FSO:\u00a0<\/strong> You had a terrific ending to the season, including at Four Continents.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n


\nLeDuc:<\/strong>\u00a0 If you watch the kiss and cry from Four Continents after the long [program], we were just so elated to be on the podium. We had a number–what we needed in order to get a medal. When that number came up, we were just like, “Oh my gosh, we got [a medal] at Four Continents!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Cain:<\/strong>\u00a0 We were very happy.<\/span><\/p>\n

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FSO:<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0I enjoyed watching your Great Gatsby<\/i> long program every time I saw it last season. I’m glad you stuck with it.<\/span><\/p>\n


\nLeDuc:<\/strong>\u00a0 It was, honestly, the single hardest program. Not just endurance- and condition-wise, but all of it.<\/span><\/p>\n


\nCain:<\/strong>\u00a0 Mentally.<\/span><\/p>\n

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LeDuc:\u00a0<\/strong> It was such a hard program. But I think it was perfect for a second-year team, because it pushed us so hard.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Cain:<\/strong>\u00a0 And it shows that we’re willing to do something that’s different, and we’re never going to stay in our comfort zone. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Cain and LeDuc with choreographer Pasquale Camerlengo. (Photo courtesy of Ashley Cain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

FSO:<\/strong>\u00a0 You chose Pasquale Camerlengo to choreograph your programs for this coming season. What led you to Pasquale?<\/span><\/p>\n


\nLeDuc<\/strong>:\u00a0 This year, we had an opportunity to work with Pasquale. We had seen him around at competitions; we’d known him for a long time. And we really jumped at the opportunity to work with him. I really appreciate his style, and the finesse he gives his athletes. And I thought he would be perfect to package us in order to really move up in the world standings. <\/span><\/p>\n


\nCain:\u00a0<\/strong> Also, for both our programs this year, and just moving forward as a team, we really want to incorporate more ice dance-style skating into our partnership. That’s how we want to look on the ice. Because our body types are very “ice dancer.” Our height difference is very ice dance. So that’s what we want to create. We want to bring that into pairs skating. We want to be flowing, and then right up into a Lutz. That’s what we want to incorporate. I think Pasquale was the perfect person to do that.<\/span><\/p>\n

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FSO:<\/strong>\u00a0 How did you choose your program music this year? Did you work with Pasquale on that?<\/span><\/p>\n

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LeDuc:<\/strong>\u00a0 We certainly had his input. Choosing music for programs is always really tough, because you have to find what exact style and idea you want to go with for the season. As we were throwing around different ideas, an image of Ashley in the Nationals long program [kept coming]. When we had that change of music. And she points at me, and does this pose, and it was just this moment of pure star quality.\u00a0 <\/span>Amazing charisma and sass. I could not get that image out of my head. And by the way, that [moment] was completely improvised, because we were about three to four seconds early on the music. So, in that moment, on Nationals ice, we had to make up something on the spot. And that’s what came out of Ashley. We did not want to lose that star quality; it’s so relatable to an audience, so fun. We needed something that would harness that quality in one of the programs. And then also, we know we do lyrical and ethereal style well, and we didn’t get to do that as much last season. So we wanted to bring that back. Those are the two paths we chose this year: One program being that very fun, flirty, charismatic diva. And the other being more of that lyrical, ethereal, classic ice dance look. <\/span><\/p>\n