After the music stopped and the program was over, Jean-Luc Baker, down on one knee, gave a smile and a small fist pump before turning his head toward his partner Kaitlin Hawayek, who had her face buried in her hands in an expression of pure joy. Baker, a native of Edmonds, and Hawayek had just completed […]
Former world junior champions Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker led a strong contingent of American ice dancers with a gold medal and Team USA’s first medal of the Four Continents Championships on Thursday in Taipei City. Their win continues a string of success for American ice dancers at Four Continents. It is the 11th gold medal by […]
Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships veterans Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker, the 2014 World Junior champions, will return to Lake Placid for the Skate America Grand Prix event Nov. 24-26. The skaters have been building their careers since their World Junior win in 2014 – most recently with fifth-place finishes at the 2016 and 2017 […]
U.S. ice dancers Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker talk about the growing pains they went through in the 2015-16 season and their breakout performance at last year’s NHK Trophy. Nick McCarvel and Jackie Wong talk to athletes, coaches, choreographers and other skating personalities about their experiences in the sport. Nick and Jackie are also joined […]
As he aims to fulfill his dream, ice dancer Jean-Luc Baker continues to work toward earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic team ahead of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. Should he be successful in his attempt to reach PyeongChang with partner Kaitlin Hawayek, the 23-year-old will make personal history, but not family history. His […]
24 hours. That’s approximately how much time passed, after a troubled free dance performance at the 2017 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, before Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker seriously mulled the possibility of bringing back — or, rather, keeping with — their well-received Liebestraum free dance for the Olympic season… “We had a meeting the next morning […]
Ice dancers Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker discuss their Olympic season programs and how they first partnered up with NBC Olympics. Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker are the 2014 world junior ice dance champions. They also had back-to-back fifth place finishes at nationals in 2016 and 2017. Despite their young age compared to other teams […]
“Inspiration on Ice” spotlights several national champion competitors together with the Mercyhurst University Division 1 men’s hockey team, giving 80 special needs individuals the opportunity to perform in front of a live audience. Gliding Stars presents its 17th annual ice show, “Inspiration on Ice,” featuring music by Tennessee Backporch (live on ice!) this Saturday at […]
Let it be clear: blues in competitive figure skating can in no way truly be equated to blues the form of social dance. Even the most musically nuanced ice dancers are dancing in blades on an ice surface; they are obligated to incorporate a number of required technical elements, including lifts and separated sections very […]
I am infinitely charmed by these two simply due to their equal ability to lift each other off the ice, but I am even more impressed with Hawayek’s fabulously sexy dress for the pair’s short dance. Yes, she carried the entire stylistic weight of the team on her back, and with a dress that good, […]
