Paige Lawrence

Paige Lawrence (born February 22, 1990) is a Canadian pair skater. With former partner Rudi Swiegers, she is the 2011 Four Continents bronze medalist and a four-time Canadian national bronze medalist (2011–14).

Lawrence was born in Kipling, Saskatchewan to owners of a rodeo production company and competed in barrel racing in her youth. Her father, Jim, a professional bull rider, also played ice hockey, while her mother enjoyed figure skating.

In 2009, Lawrence began studying part-time at Brandon University, majoring in kinesiology. After studying sports physiology at the University of Regina, she attended the University of Calgary.

When Lawrence was four years old, her parents enrolled her in ice skating, one of few activities in their small town. In the summer of 2005, she began pair skating with Rudi Swiegers, who was seeking a partner who jumped in the same direction as him, a rarity at their club. Although Lawrence is right-handed, she is a clockwise jumper like Swiegers.

Lawrence/Swiegers had a slow start in the junior ranks, placing 14th at Junior Nationals in 2006 and 2007. In 2008, however, they moved up to 2nd at the junior level and received several international assignments for the 2008–09 season. They were eighth and fifth at their two Junior Grand Prix assignments before finishing fourth at the 2009 World Junior Championships. They placed fourth on the senior level at Canadian Nationals.

In the 2009–10 season, the pair moved up to seniors. They were seventh at the 2009 NHK Trophy, their sole Grand Prix event. They dropped to sixth at Canadian Nationals, and received no further assignments for that season.

Lawrence/Swiegers started the 2010–11 season at the 2010 Skate Canada International, where they won their first international medal, a bronze. They followed this with a fifth-place finish at the 2010 Cup of Russia. At the 2011 Canadian Nationals, they made several mistakes in the long program to drop from second after the short program down to third place; however, this was their first podium finish at the event as seniors. Lawrence/Swiegers were named to the Canadian team for the 2011 Four Continents Championships; they finished second in the short program and fourth in free skating, setting personal bests in both segments, and won the bronze medal.

In late December 2011, Lawrence sustained a concussion in a training accident. The next month, the pair competed at the 2012 Canadian Championships, where they won their second national bronze medal.

Lawrence/Swiegers were named in Canada's team to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and finished 14th. The final event of their career was the 2014 World Championships in Saitama, Japan, where they placed 12th. They announced the end of their partnership on May 8, 2014.

With Swiegers

Lawrence/Swiegers with the other medalists at the 2010 Skate Canada

GP: Grand Prix; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

With Swiegers