Alex Benoit

Alex Benoit
Personal information
Country represented United States
Born (1995-10-09) October 9, 1995
Winfield, Illinois
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Partner Elliana Pogrebinsky
Former partner Olivia Di Iorio
Coach Igor Shpilband
Former coach Candice Brown
Choreographer Igor Shpilband
Training locations Novi, Michigan
Former training locations Naperville, Illinois
Began skating 2004
ISU personal best scores
Combined total 167.81
2016 CS Tallinn Trophy
Short dance 65.94
2016 CS Tallinn Trophy
Free dance 101.87
2016 CS Tallinn Trophy

Alex Benoit (born October 9, 1995) is an American competitive ice dancer. With partner Elliana Pogrebinsky, he is the 2016 CS Tallinn Trophy bronze medalist, the 2016 Lake Placid Ice Dance International champion, and a two-time (2015–16) U.S. junior national bronze medalist.

Personal life

Alex Benoit was born on October 9, 1995 in Winfield, Illinois.[1] He has French-Canadian and Ukrainian ancestry.[2] His mother has served as a U.S. Figure Skating judge and ice dance controller.[3] After finishing high school through distance education, he enrolled at Oakland University in Rochester Hills, Michigan, where he is studying for a Bachelor of Fine Arts/Theatre degree.[4]

Early career

Benoit began skating in 2004.[1] Competing as a single skater, he won the national juvenile bronze medal at the 2009 U.S. Junior Championships and was awarded the intermediate bronze medal the following season. Candice Brown coached him from 2004 to 2014.[4]

Benoit decided to switch to ice dancing after being diagnosed with a congenital knee problem that affected his flip and Lutz jumps.[3] He teamed up with Olivia Di Iorio in late 2012.[5] The two placed 11th in junior ice dancing at the 2014 U.S. Championships. They were coached by Candice Brown in Naperville, Illinois and by Igor Shpilband in Novi, Michigan.[3][5]

Partnership with Pogrebinsky

Benoit teamed up with Elliana Pogrebinsky in March 2014 after a tryout in Novi, Michigan that was suggested by Igor Shpilband.[4][3] Their international debut came at the 2014–15 ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) in Aichi; after placing fifth in Japan, Pogrebinsky/Benoit were sent to the JGP in Zagreb, Croatia, where they finished 8th. In January 2015, they won the junior bronze medal at the 2015 U.S. Championships and were selected to compete at the 2015 World Junior Championships in Tallinn. Ranked 12th in the short dance, they qualified for the free dance (14th) and finished 13th overall in Estonia.

During the 2015–16 ISU Junior Grand Prix series, Pogrebinsky/Benoit placed fourth in Linz, Austria, and won the bronze medal in Logroño, Spain. They repeated as junior national bronze medalists and were assigned to the 2016 World Junior Championships in Debrecen, Hungary; they placed fifth in the short dance, fourth in the free, and fourth overall.

Pogrebinsky/Benoit decided to compete on the senior level in the 2016–17 season.[3]

Programs

With Pogrebinsky

Season Short dance Free dance
2016–17
[6]
  • Persian Legend: Layla's Seduction of Majnun
2015–16
[1]
2014–15
[7][6]
  • Straight to Memphis
    by Club des Belugas
  • Beijos
    by DJ Vadim
  • Banto
    by Kaoma

With Di Iorio

Season Short dance Free dance
2013–14
[5]
  • Medley
    by Dean Martin

Competitive highlights

GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

With Pogrebinsky

International[8]
Event 14–15 15–16 16–17
GP Rostelecom Cup 6th
GP Skate America 7th
CS Nebelhorn Trophy 4th
CS Tallinn Trophy 3rd
Lake Placid IDI 1st
International: Junior[8]
Junior Worlds 13th 4th
JGP Austria 4th
JGP Croatia 8th
JGP Japan 5th
JGP Spain 3rd
National[4]
U.S. Championships 3rd J 3rd J
Midwestern Sectionals 1st J 1st J
J = Junior level
TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew

With Di Iorio

National[5][9]
Event 2013–14
U.S. Championships 11th J
Midwestern Sectionals 3rd J
J = Junior level

Single skating

National
Event 2008–09 2009–10
U.S. Junior Championships 3rd V 3rd I
Levels: V = Juvenile; I = Intermediate

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Elliana POGREBINSKY / Alex BENOIT: 2015/2016". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on February 8, 2016.
  2. ↑ Pogrebinsky, Elliana; Benoit, Alex (September 9, 2015). "Waltzing on the Danube: Ice dancers blog from Linz". IceNetwork.com.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Calder, Anne (June 15, 2016). "Pogrebinsky & Benoit set their sights on long-term goals". ice-dance.com.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Elliana Pogrebinsky and Alex Benoit". IceNetwork.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Olivia Di Iorio & Alex Benoit". ice-dance.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2016.
  6. 1 2 "Programs". Official website of Pogrebinsky & Benoit. Archived from the original on February 8, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Elliana POGREBINSKY / Alex BENOIT: 2014/2015". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 20, 2015.
  8. 1 2 "Competition Results: Elliana POGREBINSKY / Alex BENOIT". International Skating Union.
  9. ↑ "Competition Results: Olivia DI IORIO / Alex BENOIT". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on February 8, 2016.

External links

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