Andrew Poje
Quick Facts
Biography
Andrew Poje (born February 25, 1987) is a Canadian ice dancer. With partner Kaitlyn Weaver, he is a two-time World medalist (2014 silver, 2015 bronze), a two-time Four Continents champion (2010, 2015), a two-time Grand Prix Final champion (2014–15, 2015–16), and a two-time Canadian national champion (2015, 2016).
Personal life
Andrew Poje was born February 25, 1987 in Waterloo, Ontario. His ancestry is Slovak — mother born in Bratislava — and Slovenian Gottscheer. He is the great-nephew of former pair skater and coach Agnesa Búřilová (née Wlachovská). He has some knowledge of French.
Career
Early career
Poje took up ice dancing at age seven and also skated in singles until he was 13. In his early career, he competed with Alexandra Nino, with whom he is the 2001 Canadian novice silver medalist. He teamed up with Alice Graham in late spring 2004. They trained in Kitchener-Waterloo with coaches Paul MacIntosh, Rebecca Babb, Susie McGrigor, and Bernie Ford. They won the bronze medal on the junior level at the 2005 Canadian Championships and placed 9th at the senior level at the 2006 Canadian Championships.
2006–2010
Poje teamed up with American-born Kaitlyn Weaver in August 2006. They trained in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario under coach Paul MacIntosh.
Weaver/Poje competed on the 2006–07 ISU Junior Grand Prix, winning two bronze medals. They went to the 2007 Canadian Championships and won the bronze medal in their first season together. They were placed on the team to the 2007 Junior Worlds. Weaver dislocated her left shoulder in the warm-up before the original dance but was able to compete and the couple won the bronze medal. They placed 20th at the 2007 World Championships.
In the 2007–08 season, Weaver/Poje competed on the senior Grand Prix series at the 2008 Skate Canada International, where they placed 6th, and at the 2007 Trophée Eric Bompard, where they placed 7th. They won the silver medal at the 2008 Canadian Championships, placed 5th at the 2008 Four Continents, and 17th at the 2008 World Championships. In January 2008, they moved to Toronto to train with new coach Shae-Lynn Bourne.
In the 2008–09 season, Weaver/Poje competed on the Grand Prix series at the 2008 Cup of China, where they placed 6th, and at the 2008 NHK Trophy, where they placed 7th. They won the bronze medal at the 2009 Canadian Championships and placed 5th at the 2009 Four Continents. Weaver was granted Canadian citizenship in June 2009. Advised by Bourne that they needed a more competitive atmosphere, they switched training bases in 2009 to the Detroit Skating Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan where they are coached by Pasquale Camerlengo and Anjelika Krylova. They also continue to work with Bourne. Massimo Scali, Natalia Annenko, and Elizabeth Punsalan are also members of the coaching team in Michigan.
During the 2009–10 season, Weaver/Poje won their first Grand Prix medal, bronze at 2009 Skate Canada International. They also won bronze at the 2010 Canadian Championships. They were sent to the 2010 Four Continents where they won the gold medal. They did not qualify for the Olympic or World team.
2010–present
During the 2010–11 season, Weaver/Poje won silver medals at the 2010 NHK Trophy and the 2011 Canadian Championships. They qualified for their first Grand Prix Final, where they finished 5th. They were fourth at the 2011 Four Continents. They were sent to the 2011 World Championships and placed 5th, a significant improvement over their previous best result of 17th at the event.
In the 2011–12 season, Weaver/Poje chose their free dance music on the suggestion of an anonymous fan. Karl Hugo composed additional music to add greater variation to the program. Weaver/Poje competed at three Grand Prix events and won three silver medals. They took the bronze medal at 2012 Four Continents before ending their season at the 2012 World Championships, where they placed fourth.
For the 2012–13 season, Weaver/Poje decided to go in a new direction and asked a contemporary dancer, Allison Holker, to work with them on their free dance. They began their season by winning gold at the 2012 Ondrej Nepela Memorial. Weaver/Poje's Grand Prix assignments were the 2012 Skate America and 2012 Cup of China. At both events, they were second in the short and third in the free dance and won the bronze medal overall behind Russians Ekaterina Bobrova / Dmitri Soloviev.
Weaver fractured her left fibula on December 14, 2012 when she fell into the boards during training in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and underwent surgery on December 18 in Toronto. As a result, the duo withdrew from the 2013 Canadian Championships. Hoping to compete at Worlds, Poje continued to train in Michigan, with Krylova acting as his partner, while Weaver recovered in Toronto. In mid-February, Weaver/Poje were added to Canada's World team. They placed fifth at the 2013 World Championships in London, Ontario.
In the 2013–14 season, Weaver/Poje won two silver medals on the Grand Prix series and placed fifth at the Grand Prix Final. After taking silver at the 2014 Canadian Championships, they were selected to represent Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, where they finished seventh. At the 2014 World Championships in Saitama, Japan, Weaver/Poje placed second in the short dance and third in the free dance. Finishing 0.02 of a point behind Italy's Cappellini/Lanotte and 0.04 ahead of France's Pechalat/Bourzat, they ended the competition as silver medalists.
In the 2014–15 season, Weaver/Poje took gold at both of their Grand Prix assignments, the 2014 Skate Canada International and 2014 NHK Trophy. In December 2014, they won the Grand Prix Final in Barcelona, having ranked first in both segments ahead of the United States' Madison Chock / Evan Bates. They again defeated Chock/Bates at the Four Continents Championships, held in Seoul in February 2015. Weaver/Poje were third in the short dance but first in the free dance, en route to their second Four Continents title. They capped off the season with a bronze medal at the 2015 World Figure Skating Championships.
At the beginning of the 2015–16 season, Weaver/Poje placed first at the 2015 Finlandia Trophy. However, they received the feedback from the judges that their Elvis Presley medley did not have clear rhythm required for the short dance. They changed the music to a set of Johann Strauss II pieces and won the 2015 Skate Canada International three weeks later. The team went on to win the 2015 Rostelecom Cup as well as their second consecutive gold at the 2015–16 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final.
In the second half of the 2015–16 season, Weaver/Poje won their second consecutive national titleand finished third at the 2016 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships the following month. The team capped of their season with a fifth-place finish at the 2016 World Figure Skating Championships.
Programs
With Weaver
Season | Short dance | Free dance | Exhibition |
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2016–17 |
Theme: Country swing
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Michael Jackson medley
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2015–16 |
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Elvis Presley medley
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2014–15 |
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2013–14 |
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2012–13 |
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2011–12 |
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2010–11 |
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Original dance | |||
2009–10 |
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2008–09 |
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2007–08 |
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2006–07 |
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Competitive highlights
GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix
With Weaver
International | |||||||||||
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Event | 06–07 | 07–08 | 08–09 | 09–10 | 10–11 | 11–12 | 12–13 | 13–14 | 14–15 | 15–16 | 16–17 |
Olympics | 7th | ||||||||||
Worlds | 20th | 17th | 5th | 4th | 5th | 2nd | 3rd | 5th | |||
Four Continents | 5th | 5th | 1st | 4th | 3rd | 1st | 3rd | ||||
GP Final | 5th | 4th | 5th | 1st | 1st | ||||||
GP Bompard | 7th | ||||||||||
GP Cup of China | 6th | 6th | 3rd | 2nd | |||||||
GP NHK Trophy | 7th | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | |||||||
GP Rostelecom | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 3rd | |||||||
GP Skate America | 4th | 3rd | |||||||||
GP Skate Canada | 6th | 3rd | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 1st | |||||
CS Finlandia | 1st | ||||||||||
CS Nebelhorn | 1st | ||||||||||
Nepela Trophy | 1st | ||||||||||
U.S. Classic | 2nd | ||||||||||
International: Junior | |||||||||||
Junior Worlds | 3rd | ||||||||||
JGP Czech Rep. | 3rd | ||||||||||
JGP Taiwan | 3rd | ||||||||||
National | |||||||||||
Canadian Champ. | 3rd | 2nd | 3rd | 3rd | 2nd | 2nd | WD | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 2nd |
Team events | |||||||||||
World Team Trophy | 2nd T 2nd P | 4th T 1st P | |||||||||
Team Challenge Cup | 1st T 1st P | ||||||||||
TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew T = Team result; P = Personal result; Medals awarded for team result only. |
With Graham
International | ||
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Event | 2004–05 | 2005–06 |
JGP Canada | 8th | |
JGP France | 5th | |
National | ||
Canadian Champ. | 3rd J | 9th |
J = Junior level |
With Nino
International | |||||
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Event | 99–00 | 00–01 | 01–02 | 02–03 | 03–04 |
JGP Poland | 5th | ||||
JGP Yugoslavia | 7th | ||||
National | |||||
Canadian Champ. | 11th N | 2nd N | 9th J | 6th J | 4th J |
Levels: N = Novice; J = Junior |
Detailed results
With Weaver
2016–17 season | ||||
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Date | Event | SD | FD | Total |
January 16–22, 2017 | 2017 Canadian Championships | 2 78.92 | 2 113.81 | 2 192.73 |
November 18–20, 2016 | 2016 ISU Grand Prix Cup of China | 1 73.78 | 2 107.76 | 2 181.54 |
November 4–6, 2016 | 2016 ISU Grand Prix Rostelecom Cup | 3 69.81 | 2 108.76 | 3 178.57 |
2015–16 season | ||||
Date | Event | SD | FD | Total |
April 22–24, 2016 | 2016 Team Challenge Cup | 1 111.56 | 1T/1P | |
March 28 – April 3, 2016 | 2016 World Championships | 4 71.83 | 5 110.18 | 5 182.01 |
February 16–21, 2016 | 2016 Four Continents Championships | 2 72.42 | 4 101.43 | 3 173.85 |
January 18–24, 2016 | 2016 Canadian Championships | 1 76.20 | 1 115.53 | 1 191.73 |
December 10–13, 2015 | 2015–16 Grand Prix Final | 1 72.75 | 1 109.91 | 1 182.66 |
November 20–22, 2015 | 2015 ISU Grand Prix Cup of Russia | 1 69.49 | 1 104.09 | 1 173.58 |
October 30 – November 1, 2015 | 2015 ISU Grand Prix Skate Canada International | 1 68.00 | 1 105.79 | 1 173.79 |
October 9–11, 2015 | 2015 Finlandia Trophy | 1 65.13 | 1 96.54 | 1 161.67 |
2014–15 season | ||||
Date | Event | SD | FD | Total |
April 16–19, 2015 | 2015 World Team Trophy | 1 73.14 | 2 109.79 | 4T/1P 182.93 |
March 23–29, 2015 | 2015 World Championships | 2 72.68 | 3 106.74 | 3 179.42 |
February 9–15, 2015 | 2015 Four Continents Championships | 3 68.31 | 1 109.15 | 1 177.46 |
January 19–25, 2015 | 2015 Canadian Championships | 1 76.26 | 1 111.62 | 1 187.88 |
December 11–14, 2014 | 2014–15 Grand Prix Final | 1 71.34 | 1 109.80 | 1 181.14 |
November 28–30, 2014 | 2014 ISU Grand Prix NHK Trophy | 1 67.51 | 1 101.91 | 1 169.42 |
October 31 – November 2, 2014 | 2014 ISU Grand Prix Skate Canada International | 1 68.61 | 1 102.49 | 1 171.10 |
September 24–27, 2014 | 2014 ISU Challenger Series Nebelhorn Trophy | 1 65.59 | 2 99.73 | 1 165.32 |
2013–14 season | ||||
Date | Event | SD | FD | Total |
March 24–30, 2014 | 2014 World Championships | 2 69.20 | 3 106.21 | 2 175.41 |
February 6–22, 2014 | 2014 Winter Olympics | 7 65.93 | 5 103.18 | 7 169.11 |
January 9–15, 2014 | 2014 Canadian Championships | 2 72.68 | 2 110.86 | 2 183.54 |
December 5–8, 2013 | 2013–14 Grand Prix Final | 4 67.68 | 5 97.36 | 5 165.04 |
November 22–24, 2013 | 2013 ISU Grand Prix Cup of Russia | 2 61.50 | 1 101.64 | 2 153.37 |
October 25–27, 2013 | 2013 ISU Grand Prix Skate Canada International | 2 70.35 | 2 104.88 | 2 175.23 |
September 12–14, 2013 | 2013 U.S. Classic | 2 62.61 | 2 99.38 | 2 161.99 |
2012–13 season | ||||
Date | Event | SD | FD | Total |
April 11–14, 2013 | 2013 World Team Trophy | 2 62.42 | 2 97.66 | 2T/2P 160.08 |
March 10 – 17, 2013 | 2013 World Championships | 6 67.54 | 5 98.66 | 5 166.20 |
November 2–4, 2012 | 2012 ISU Grand Prix Cup of China | 2 65.59 | 3 93.38 | 3 158.97 |
October 19–21, 2012 | 2012 ISU Grand Prix Skate America | 2 65.79 | 3 91.53 | 3 157.32 |
October 3–7, 2012 | 2012 Nepela Trophy | 1 63.77 | 1 97.61 | 1 161.38 |
2011–12 season | ||||
Date | Event | SD | FD | Total |
March 26 – April 1, 2012 | 2012 World Championships | 4 66.47 | 4 100.18 | 4 166.65 |
February 7–12, 2012 | 2012 ISU Four Continents Championships | 3 64.23 | 3 99.03 | 3 163.26 |
January 16–22, 2012 | 2012 Canadian Championships | 2 68.27 | 2 106.26 | 2 174.53 |
December 8–11, 2011 | 2011–2012 Grand Prix Final | 4 66.24 | 4 99.83 | 4 166.07 |
November 24–27, 2011 | 2011 ISU Grand Prix Cup of Russia | 2 64.45 | 2 96.73 | 2 161.18 |
November 10–13, 2011 | 2011 ISU Grand Prix NHK Trophy | 2 60.07 | 2 91.69 | 2 151.76 |
October 27–30, 2011 | 2011 ISU Grand Prix Skate Canada International | 2 63.31 | 3 92.68 | 2 155.99 |
2010–11 season | ||||
Date | Event | SD | FD | Total |
April 24 – May 1, 2011 | 2011 ISU World Championships | 7 65.07 | 4 92.57 | 5 160.32 |
February 15–20, 2011 | 2011 ISU Four Continents Championships | 3 65.45 | 4 85.69 | 4 151.14 |
January 17–23, 2011 | 2011 Canadian Championships | 2 65.64 | 2 97.54 | 2 153.90 |
December 8–12, 2010 | 2010–2011 Grand Prix Final | 4 55.51 | 5 80.83 | 5 136.34 |
November 11–14, 2010 | 2010 ISU Grand Prix Skate America | 3 59.48 | 4 82.86 | 4 142.34 |
October 22–24, 2010 | 2010 ISU Grand Prix NHK Trophy | 2 58.69 | 3 82.88 | 2 136.93 |
2009–10 season | |||||
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Date | Event | CD | OD | FD | Total |
January 27–30, 2010 | 2010 ISU Four Continents Championships | 1 32.67 | 3 48.42 | 4 85.07 | 4 166.16 |
January 11–17, 2010 | 2010 Canadian Championships | 3 36.87 | 2 57.92 | 3 89.61 | 3 184.40 |
November 19–22, 2009 | 2009 ISU Grand Prix Skate Canada International | 3 32.18 | 4 51.18 | 4 82.28 | 1 165.64 |
October 19 – November 1, 2009 | 2009 ISU Grand Prix Cup of China | 5 30.40 | 9 41.11 | 4 80.36 | 6 151.87 |
2008–09 season | |||||
Date | Event | CD | OD | FD | Total |
February 2–8, 2009 | 2009 ISU Four Continents Championships | 5 30.62 | 5 53.33 | 5 84.81 | 5 168.76 |
January 14–18, 2009 | 2009 Canadian Championships | 5 31.69 | 3 52.92 | 2 85.42 | 3 170.23 |
November 27–30, 2009 | 2008 ISU Grand Prix NHK Trophy | 7 28.70 | 7 46.58 | 7 80.36 | 7 151.10 |
November 5–9, 2009 | 2008 ISU Grand Prix Cup of China | 6 29.91 | 6 48.77 | 6 78.52 | 6 157.20 |
2007–08 season | |||||
Date | Event | CD | OD | FD | Total |
March 16–23, 2008 | 2008 ISU World Championships | 20 27.74 | 17 48.62 | 17 78.48 | 17 154.84 |
February 11–17, 2008 | 2008 ISU Four Continents Championships | 5 30.94 | 5 55.95 | 4 88.47 | 5 174.36 |
January 16–20, 2008 | 2008 Canadian Championships | 3 32.54 | 2 55.60 | 4 87.47 | 2 175.61 |
November 15–18, 2007 | 2007 ISU Grand Trophée Éric Bompard | 7 27.47 | 7 46.99 | 6 79.74 | 7 196.89 |
November 1–4, 2007 | 2007 ISU Grand Prix Skate Canada | 8 25.07 | 8 45.74 | 5 77.96 | 6 148.77 |
2006–07 season | |||||
Date | Event | CD | OD | FD | Total |
March 20–25, 2007 | 2007 ISU World Championships | 18 25.76 | 23 42.58 | 20 71.80 | 20 140.14 |
February 26 – March 4, 2007 | 2007 ISU Junior World Championships | 6 30.43 | 4 49.03 | 2 72.05 | 3 151.51 |
January 15–21, 2007 | 2007 Canadian Championships | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 160.65 |
October 19–22, 2006 | 2006 Junior Grand Prix Chinese Taipei | 3 29.34 | 3 46.12 | 3 64.62 | 3 140.08 |
October 15–18, 2006 | 2006 Junior Grand Prix Czech Republic | 5 27.30 | 2 47.30 | 2 67.58 | 3 142.18 |
- CD = Compulsory dance; OD = Original dance; FD = Free dance.
- SD = Short dance.