By Brad Brown

Citizen Staff

Warning: For the good of Canadian figure skating Jim Lawrence is advised not to read this article.

Furthermore, if your name is Rudi Swiegers you may want to run.

“When we very first started skating (my dad Jim) said to Rudi if he ever drops me he’d put Rudi on a bull,” said a laughing Paige Lawrence while reflecting on her early days in pairs figure skating with Swiegers.

The dangers of bull riding considered, it could have been a dire proposition.

Of course Paige is quick to note that Papa Lawrence was only kidding. Either that, or he just doesn’t know Swiegers’ little secret.

“He’s dropped me a few times, but it wasn’t on purpose so I guess dad can’t do anything about it,” Lawrence said, laughing again.

Maybe not even if he wanted to now, with Moosomin’s Rudi Swiegers and Kennedy’s Paige Lawrence virtually household names in figure skating circles after a second place junior pairs finish at the BMO Canadian Figure Skating Championships in Vancouver last month.

With a combined (short program and free skate) score of 129.07, Lawrence and Swiegers fell just .06 points shy of being named the best junior pairs team in Canada. That honour went to Monica Pisotta and Michael Stewart of Ontario.

“There’s always that initial disappointment thinking ‘Oh, If I could have done this or that’ but we tried not to think of that,” said Lawrence of coming so close to the gold. “Getting second was such a big accomplishment for us that missing the gold wasn’t that big a deal.

“It was awesome, that’s basically all you can say. We were just so excited and happy with each other for skating so well.”

The local duo, skating out Wawota with coach Patty Hole, had finished 14th in 2007.

“Between last year and this year we just went back to Wawota and kind of revamped (our program),” said Lawrence. “We’re working with a sports nutritionist now, and we were able to find some of our weak points and try to make them stronger.

“And we’re just more confident with each other and ourselves too. We had more experience.”

With a big showing has come big attention. Over the past month Lawrence and Swiegers have been featured in the Regina Leader-Post, Winnipeg Free Press, and Globe and Mail.

Thanks to their placement at nationals they are also alternates for junior worlds should Pisotta and Stewart be unable to go, and will be taking their test to join the senior ranks in the coming months.

But all the fanfare doesn’t appear to be going to their heads. Wawota is still home base for them, and on top of an appearance at the Kennedy ice show last weekend they are scheduled to attend Kipling’s ice show this weekend as well.

“We just want to thank our coach and our families,” said Lawrence. “It’s really important to us that they’re behind us and giving us the support we need.”