Christina Chitwood (born 21 March 1990) is an American former competitive ice dancer who represented Great Britain with Mark Hanretty. They are two-time (2008, 2010) British bronze medalists and competed at the 2009 European Championships, placing 18th.

Christina Chitwood
Chitwood/Hanretty skating their free dance at the 2008 Nebelhorn Trophy
Born (1990-03-21) 21 March 1990 (age 34)
Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Figure skating career
CountryUnited Kingdom
Skating clubiceSheffield
Retired2010

Competitive career

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Early in her career, Chitwood competed in pair skating with her brother, Will Chitwood.[1] She later switched to ice dancing and competed with Stephen Chasman.

Chitwood and Scottish ice dancer Mark Hanretty decided to team up on 31 December 2005 and began training together properly in May 2006.[2] Their training was disrupted by Chitwood's contraction of glandular fever (also known as mononucleosis). They made their debut at the 2007 British Championships at the National Ice Centre in Nottingham, Great Britain, in January 2007, finishing in 7th place.

Chitwood and Hanretty won bronze at the 2008 British Championships at IceSheffield in Sheffield in January 2008. In the summer of 2008, they were selected by the National Ice Skating Association (NISA) to join the Great Britain Squad (also known as Team Skate G.B.). This enabled them to represent Great Britain in elite international competitions. In September 2008, Chitwood and Hanretty made their international debut at the 2008 Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany, where they placed 10th. In November of that same year, they won the bronze medal in their second international competition, the Pavel Roman Memorial in Olomouc, Czech Republic.

Chitwood and Hanretty placed 4th at the 2009 British Championships at the National Ice Centre in Nottingham, in January 2009. However, their international success earlier in the season enabled them to qualify for the 2009 European Championships in Helsinki, Finland. At the event, they competed alongside the first-ranked British team, Sinead Kerr / John Kerr, and finished 18th.

In autumn 2009, Chitwood and Hanretty placed 8th at the 2009 Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany, fourth at the Ice Challenge in Graz, Austria, third at the 2009 NRW Trophy in Dortmund, Germany, and fourth at the Mont Blanc Trophy in Courmayeur, Italy. In November 2009, Chitwood and Hanretty won the bronze medal at the 2010 British Championships at IceSheffield in Sheffield. They were ranked third overall in the 2009–2010 NISA National Rankings, based on the personal best scores achieved during the 2009–2010 season. They retired from competition at the end of the season.

Chitwood and Hanretty received funding from the Lloyds TSB Local Heroes initiative.

Programs

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(with Hanretty)

Season Original dance Free dance
2009–2010
[3]
Scottish folk:
2008–2009
[4]
2007–2008 Scottish folk:
2006–2007

Competitive highlights

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With Hanretty for the United Kingdom

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International[5]
Event 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10
World Championships 23rd
European Championships 18th
Mont Blanc Trophy 4th
NRW Trophy 3rd
Ice Challenge 4th
Pavel Roman Memorial 3rd
Nebelhorn Trophy 10th 8th
National[5]
British Championships 7th 3rd 4th 3rd
Scottish Championships 5th

With Chasman for the United States

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Event 2004–05
US Championships 7th J.
Midwestern Sectional Championships 3rd J.
J. = Junior level

Detailed competitive results

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(with Mark Hanretty)

Event Season Compulsory Dance (CD) Original Dance (OD) Free Dance (FD) Combined Total Score
European Figure Skating Championships 2008 – 2009 23.75 44.56 66.67 134.98
British Figure Skating Championships 2009 – 2010 27.14 48.87 76.38 152.39
British Figure Skating Championships 2008 – 2009 20.03 45.52 67.51 133.06
British Figure Skating Championships 2007 – 2008 23.83 48.25 73.05 145.13
British Figure Skating Championships 2006 – 2007 15.99 34.17 57.11 107.27
Mont Blanc Trophy 2009 – 2010 28.12 45.16 71.36 144.64
NRW Trophy 2009 – 2010 29.46 49.25 77.34 156.05
Ice Challenge 2009 – 2010 28.30 47.20 74.65 150.15
Pavel Roman Memorial 2008 – 2009 27.32 46.77 70.08 144.17
Nebelhorn Trophy 2009 – 2010 29.02 45.06 72.14 146.22
Nebelhorn Trophy 2008 – 2009 25.55 41.50 64.98 132.03

References

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  1. ^ Mittan, Barry (26 December 2005). "Fencer and Skier Turn to Pairs". Skate Today.
  2. ^ Frank, Karen (July 2007). "Christina Chitwood & Mark Hanretty". ice-dance.com. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007.
  3. ^ "Christina CHITWOOD / Mark HANRETTY: 2009/2010". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 30 June 2010.
  4. ^ "Christina CHITWOOD / Mark HANRETTY: 2008/2009". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 24 May 2009.
  5. ^ a b "Competition Results: Christina CHITWOOD / Mark HANRETTY". International Skating Union.
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