Elizabeth Putnam (figure skater)


Elizabeth Gale Putnam is a Canadian former competitive pair skater. With Sean Wirtz, she is the 2006 Four Continents bronze medalist and a two-time Canadian national bronze medalist.

Personal life

Elizabeth Gale Putnam was born on November 28, 1984 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her father died in October 2006.
As of May 2019, Putnam is dating fellow Canadian skater Patrick Chan.

Career

Putnam started skating in 1989. In addition to singles, she began training in pairs at age 15. She finished 9th with Mark Batka at the 2002 Canadian Championships.

Partnership with Wirtz

Putnam began training with Sean Wirtz in July 2002, following tryouts at the Toronto Cricket and Curling Club. The pair won bronze at the 2003 Canadian Championships and placed ninth at their first ISU Championship, the 2003 Four Continents in Beijing.
Putnam/Wirtz made their Grand Prix debut in the 2003–04 season, having received two assignments. After placing sixth at the 2003 Skate America and fifth at the 2003 Skate Canada International, they won bronze at a regular international, the 2003 Bofrost Cup on Ice. For the second season in a row, they took bronze at the Canadian Championships and finished 9th at the Four Continents Championships.
In the 2004–05 Grand Prix series, Putnam/Wirtz placed fifth at the 2004 Skate America and 8th at the 2004 Cup of Russia. They were fourth at both the 2005 Canadian Championships and 2005 Four Continents Championships.
Competing in the 2005–06 Grand Prix series, Putnam/Wirtz placed fourth at the 2005 Skate America and fifth at the 2005 Cup of Russia. After finishing fifth at the 2006 Canadian Championships, they won the bronze medal at the 2006 Four Continents Championships in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Their training for the following season was delayed by a visa problem, which prevented Wirtz from returning to New Jersey for a month. Competing in the 2006–07 Grand Prix series, Putnam/Wirtz finished fourth at the 2006 Skate Canada International, two weeks after the death of Putnam's father, and then fourth at the 2006 Trophee Eric Bompard. They were sixth at the 2007 Canadian Nationals.
Their preparations for the 2007–08 season were hampered by injuries. After Wirtz recovered from a broken rib, sustained while skiing in spring 2007, he injured his foot and then the other foot, causing them to withdraw from both of their Grand Prix assignments. Tchernyshev's availability also decreased due to his show commitments. on August 28, 2007, Putnam/Wirtz announced the end of their partnership.

Later career

Putnam decided to return to single skating, training in Vancouver under Jill Marie Harvey and Joanne McLeod.
She later skated on cruise ships with adagio pairs partner Jonathan Poitras. In 2015, she appeared in a video skating on Widgeon Lake, near Coquitlam, at an altitude of 2,500 feet.

Programs

SeasonShort programFree skatingExhibition
2006–2007

by Louis Prima

  • Piano Concerto No. 1
by Pyotr Tchaikovsky
2005–2006

  • Incantation

by Cirque du Soleil

  • Piano Concerto No. 1
by Pyotr Tchaikovsky
2004–2005

by Eugen Doga

by Ludwig van Beethoven
2003–2004

by Johann Sebastian Bach, Charles Gounod

by Sergei Rachmaninov

by Josh Groban
2002–2003

  • Meditation

by Jules Massenet
London Symphonic Orchestra

performed by Vanessa-Mae
and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Nessun Dorma

by Giacomo Puccini
performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra

  • To Where You Are
by Josh Groban

Results

GP: Grand Prix

With Wirtz

With Batka

Single skating