Todd Eldredge

Todd Eldredge
Eldredge in 2010.
Personal information
Country represented	United States
Born	(1971-08-28) August 28, 1971 Chatham, Massachusetts
Height
Former coach	Richard Callaghan
Skating club	Los Angeles FSC
Began skating	1976
Retired	2002
Medal record Figure skating: Men's singles Representing United States World Championships 1996 Edmonton Men's singles 1997 Lausanne Men's singles 1998 Minneapolis Men's singles 1991 Munich Men's singles 1995 Birmingham Men's singles 2001 Vancouver Men's singles Grand Prix Final 1996–97 Hamilton Men's singles 1997–98 Munich Men's singles World Junior Championships 1988 Brisbane Men's singles 1987 Kitchener Men's singles

Todd James Eldredge (born August 28, 1971) is an American former competitive figure skater. He is the 1996 World champion and a six-time U.S. national champion (1990, 1991, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2002). He competed at three Winter Olympics.

Career

Eldredge began skating when he was five years old and moved from Chatham, Massachusetts to Philadelphia at age ten to train with Richard Callaghan. He later trained at the Detroit Skating Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and at the Onyx in Rochester Hills, Michigan. He won silver at the 1987 World Junior Championships and then gold in 1988. He took bronze at the 1988 Skate America.

In the 1989–90 season, Eldredge won his first senior national title and was sent to the 1990 World Championships, where he finished fifth. The following season, he repeated as the national champion and then took the bronze medal at the 1991 World Championships. Although Eldredge missed the 1992 U.S. Championships, he was nominated to represent the U.S. at the 1992 Winter Olympics. He placed tenth in Albertville and then seventh at the 1992 World Championships.

Eldredge struggled during the next two seasons, placing sixth at the 1993 U.S. Championships and fourth in 1994, and was not selected for the 1994 Olympics. He regained momentum in the 1994–95 season, taking silver at the 1994 Goodwill Games and gold at the 1994 Skate America and 1994 NHK Trophy. He then won his third national title and silver at the 1995 World Championships. In 1996, he came away with silver at the U.S. Championships but won gold at the 1996 World Championships.

In the 1996-1997 season Eldredge started off on fire, easily beating Alexei Urmanov (who also skated cleanly) to win Skate America. He controversially lost the Grand Prix final to Elvis Stojko who landed the first ever quadruple-triple combination, but had other errors, including a fall on his 2nd triple axel. Eldredge skated a clean and more complete program, but suffered from the home country scoring of the event in Canada. He regained his U.S title easily, in the absence of defending Champion Rudy Galindo, who was now professional. At the World Championships Eldredge skated a spectacular short program, but due to the very early draw he finished 2nd to Alexei Urmanov who skated near the very end. The top 6 were all clean with triple axel-triple toe combinations. Elvis Stojko though came from 4th to win the gold after a flawless long program with a quadruple-triple combination. Eldredge first singled, then later fell on his 2nd triple axel try, sealing his fate when combined with that he also didn't have a quadruple jump to begin with.

In the pivotal year of his career in 1997-1998, Eldredge suffered through a sluggish grand prix circuit. First winning Skate America with an uninspiring skate, after injuring himself in warm up. Then placing only 4th at Trophee Lalique, won by rising start Alexei Yagudin. He controversially finished 3rd at the Grand Prix final where most believed he deserved at least 2nd place above Elvis Stojko. He skated cleanly, apart from a doubled triple loop, and strangely lost to Stojko who fell on his quadruple attempt. He then finished fourth at his second Olympics, in Nagano, after a crushing long program performance, managing only 5 of 8 planned triples, when a clean skate would have garnered him at least silver comfortably. He rebounded to win silver at a watered down World Championships in his home country, an event missing all 3 Olympic medalists. A fall in the short program cost him the gold to rising star Alexei Yagudin, despite comfortably winning the long program with a strong skate.

Most figured Todd was now done with amateur skating. However he continued to compete in pro ams and leave the door open for a return. In 2000, he landed his first quadruple jump in competition at the Masters of Figure Skating. He competed in various events through the 1999-2000 season, yet oddly did not skate at the World Championships. Eldredge withdrew from the 2001 Four Continents Championships due to an ankle injury. He returned to the U.S Championships for the first time since 1998, and took silver behind Tim Goebel, but then edged Goebel for the bronze at the World Championships where most felt he deserved silver over an injured and flawed Alexei Yagudin. In 2002, he won his sixth U.S. title and placed sixth in his third Olympic appearance. After retiring from competition, he toured with Stars on Ice.

Eldredge was inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame during the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. On January 31, 2011, the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame announced Eldredge as a nominee for an outstanding competitor in the men's category.

Eldredge formerly coached at the Germain Arena in Estero, Florida. In April 2012, he underwent left hip replacement surgery. As of 2014, he coaches at the Dr Pepper StarCenter in McKinney, Texas.

Personal life

Eldredge was born in Chatham, Massachusetts. He married Megan McCrea on September 3, 2005, in St. Petersburg, Florida. In 2008, he moved to Florida. In March 2009, he said he was divorced. Eldredge married Sabrina Corbaci on September 28, 2012, in San Diego, California. Corbaci is a graphic designer and two-time (1991, 1992) U.S. novice pairs medalist with Eddy Zeidler. They have two sons — Ayrton, born May 26, 2012, and Rhyder, born in 2004.

Programs

Season	Short program	Free skating	Exhibition
2001–2002	Carmina Burana by Carl Orff	1492: Conquest of Paradise by Vangelis Lord of the Rings by Howard Shore	Your Song (from Moulin Rouge!) by Elton John
2000–2001	Exotica (from Cirque du Soleil) Phantom Menace by John Williams	The 13th Warrior by Jerry Goldsmith	1492: Conquest of Paradise by Vangelis
1999–2000	Wilkommen (from Cabaret) by Kander and Ebb	The 13th Warrior

Competitive highlights

Post-1993

International
Event	1993–94	1994–95	1995–96	1996–97	1997–98	1998–99	1999–00	2000–01	2001–02
Olympics					4th				6th
Worlds		2nd	1st	2nd	2nd			3rd
Four Continents							4th	WD
Grand Prix Final			5th	2nd	3rd			WD	4th
GP Int. Paris/Lalique	1st			1st	4th				2nd
GP Nations Cup			3rd
GP NHK Trophy		1st
GP Skate America	4th	1st	1st	1st	1st			3rd
GP Skate Canada							4th	2nd	3rd
Goodwill Games		2nd				1st
National
U.S. Champ.	4th	1st	2nd	1st	1st			2nd	1st
GP = Became part of Champions Series in 1995–96, Grand Prix from 1998–99 WD = Withdrew Eldredge did not compete in 1998–99 season.

Pre-1993

International
Event	1982–83	1983–84	1984–85	1985–86	1986–87	1987–88	1988–89	1989–90	1990–91	1991–92	1992–93
Olympics										10th
Worlds								5th	3rd	7th
Nations Cup									2nd		1st
NHK Trophy							6th
Skate America							3rd		3rd	3rd	1st
Goodwill Games									3rd
Nebelhorn						1st
St. Gervais						1st
International: Junior
Junior Worlds				5th	2nd	1st
National
U.S. Champ.	7th N.	2nd N.	1st N.	5th J.	1st J.	8th	5th	1st	1st		6th
Levels: N. = Novice; J. = Junior

External links

• Todd Eldredge's Champions of America website
• Todd Eldredge's Coaching Bio
• Todd Eldredge at the International Skating Union
• Stars on Ice: Todd Eldredge
• Todd Eldredge's U.S. Olympic Team bio
• Todd Eldredge at the Internet Movie Database