Skate Today ~ Articles

Article by J. Barry Mittan

Italy's Isabella Pajardi, 20, and Stefano Caruso, who will turn 22 in April, are the latest in a line of strong ice dance teams to come from that country. The couple, who placed ninth at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships and seventh at the 2007-08 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final, moved to seniors this season.

Their goal for the season was to compete on the Grand Prix Series and at Europeans, both of which they accomplished. Later, they hope to compete at Worlds and the Olympic Games.

Pajardi and Caruso placed fifth at the Golden Spin in Zagreb in their senior debut, then tenth at their first ISU Grand Prix, the NHK Trophy. After winning the bronze medal in senior dance in Italy, the couple placed 16th at their first ISU championships, the 2009 European Figure Skating Championships. That gave Italy the best team finish in ice dancing at Europeans, ahead of both France and Russia.

Later in the season, they finished ninth at the 2009 Winter University Games in Harbin, China.

Pajardi started skating at the age of four because her mother was a speed skater. She won first place in ladies under the age of nine in singles, but then started dancing at eleven. “I started to do ice dancing because I did not want to continue in singles skating,” she said. “I like dancing for the emotions that I can express now.”