Drew Meekins is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 pairs skater. With former partner Julia Vlassov

Julia Vlassov

Julia Vlassov is an American pair skater. She and former partner Drew Meekins are the 2006 World Junior Champions.-Personal life:...

, he is the 2006 World Junior Champion

World Junior Figure Skating Championships

The World Junior Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which younger figure skaters compete for the title of World Junior Champion...

.

Early life

Drew Meekins was born in Juneau, Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

 to Edward Russell "Russ" Meekins, Jr. and Nancy Harvey. His father, aunt and grandfather all served in the Alaska House of Representatives

Alaska House of Representatives

The Alaska House of Representatives is the lower house in the Alaska Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. The House is composed of 40 members, each of whom represents a district of about 15,673 people . Members serve two-year terms without term limits...

 as Democrats

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 representing Anchorage, and as such traveled to Juneau (Alaska's capital) for legislative sessions. His father, the only one of the three to serve more than one term, played a key role in his final term during the 12th Alaska State Legislature (1981-1983) in two events which rank amongst the most significant in the history of the Alaska Legislature

Alaska Legislature

The Alaska Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is a bicameral institution, consisting of the lower Alaska House of Representatives, with 40 members, and the upper house Alaska Senate, with 20 members...

: the mid-session overthrow of the Democratic House leadership and its replacement with a multi-party coalition; and the bribery conviction and subsequent expulsion of a member of the Alaska Senate

Alaska Senate

The Alaska Senate is the upper house in the Alaska Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. The Senate consists of twenty members, each of whom represents an equal amount of districts with populations of about 31,347 people . Senators serve four-year terms, without term...

. Russ Meekins, Jr. retired from elected office following that term, but remained in Juneau and worked as a lobbyist. The family moved from Alaska to Massachusetts ca. 1990. His brother, Cam Meekins, is a rapper. He also has an older half-brother named Rodney.

Career

Meekins began skating at age twelve because his sister was already skating. He started out as a single skater, but he switched to pair skating

Pair skating

Pair skating is a figure skating discipline. International Skating Union regulations describe pair teams as consisting of "one lady and one man." The sport is distinguished from ice dancing and single skating by elements unique to pair skating, including overhead lifts, twist lifts, death spirals,...

 when he was sixteen.

Meekins and Vlassov won the 2006 World Junior Championships

World Junior Figure Skating Championships

The World Junior Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which younger figure skaters compete for the title of World Junior Champion...

. In their first season of senior international competition, they won the silver at the Nebelhorn Trophy

Nebelhorn Trophy

The Nebelhorn Trophy is an international senior-level figure skating competition organized by the Deutsche Eislauf-Union and held annually in Oberstdorf, Germany. The competition is named after the Nebelhorn, a nearby mountain....

, placed sixth at the 2006 Cup of China

2006 Cup of China

The Cup of China, or ISU Grand Prix Cup of China was the third event of six in the 2006–2007 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Elite figure skaters compete in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing....

, and placed 5th at the 2006 NHK Trophy

2006 NHK Trophy

The NHK Trophy is an international, senior-level invitation-only figure skating competition. Elite figure skaters compete in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. The location changes yearly...

. Vlassov and Meekins finished in 7th place in their senior debut at the 2007 U.S. Championships

2007 United States Figure Skating Championships

The U.S. Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition organized by the United States Figure Skating Association. In addition to determining the national champions, the event is used to determine the U.S. teams for the World Figure Skating Championships, World Junior Figure...

. They were fifth in the free program.

Vlassov and Meekins were assigned to two Grand Prix events for the 2007-2008 season; however, they were forced to withdraw from the 2007 Skate Canada International

2007 Skate Canada International

The Skate Canada International is an international, senior-level invitation-only figure skating competition. It is part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating...

 before the event began due to an injury to Meekins's shoulder which occurred during an attempted lift in practice. Vlassov and Meekins announced the end of their partnership on November 8, 2007.

U.S. Figure Skating announced on July 14, 2008 that Meekins had teamed up with Jessica Rose Paetsch

Jessica Rose Paetsch

Jessica Rose Paetsch is an American pair skater. With former partner Jon Nuss, she is the 2008 U.S. Junior Champion and a two-time bronze medalist at the Junior Grand Prix Final.-Biography:...

. Paetsch and Meekins placed 10th at the 2009 U.S. Championships

2009 United States Figure Skating Championships

The 2009 United States Figure Skating Championships were the United States Figure Skating Championships of the 2008-2009 figure skating season. They were a national championship to determine the national champions of the United States. In addition to determining the national champions, the event...

.

After qualifying for the 2010 U.S. Championships

2010 United States Figure Skating Championships

The 2010 United States Figure Skating Championships was the United States Figure Skating Championships of the 2009-2010 figure skating season. It was the national championship of the United States. In addition, the event was used to determine the U.S...

, Paetsch & Meekins announced the end of their partnership in December 2009. Meekins is now a figure skating coach at the Broadmoor skating club in Colorado Springs, CO, but hopes to find another partner so he can compete again.

Competitive highlights

(with Paetsch)

Event	2008–2009	2009–2010
U.S. Championships	10th
Midwestern Sectionals Midwestern Sectional Figure Skating Championships The Midwestern Sectional Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating.Skaters compete in three levels: Senior, Junior, and Novice. Medals are awarded in four disciplines: Ladies singles, Men's singles, Pairs, and Ice dance. Medals are...		3rd
Eastern Sectionals Eastern Sectional Figure Skating Championships The Eastern Sectional Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating which has been held since 1938....	3rd

(with Vlassov)

Event	2002–2003	2003–2004	2004–2005	2005–2006	2006–2007
World Junior Championships World Junior Figure Skating Championships The World Junior Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which younger figure skaters compete for the title of World Junior Champion...			9th	1st
U.S. Championships United States Figure Skating Championships The United States Figure Skating Championships is figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of the United States. The competition is sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating. In the U.S. skating community, the event is often referred to informally as "Nationals".Skaters...	4th N.	1st N.	2nd J.	3rd J.	7th
Cup of China Cup of China The Cup of China is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. The location changes yearly. Figure skaters compete in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.The Cup of China is...					6th
NHK Trophy NHK Trophy The NHK Trophy is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Figure skaters compete in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing....					5th
Nebelhorn Trophy Nebelhorn Trophy The Nebelhorn Trophy is an international senior-level figure skating competition organized by the Deutsche Eislauf-Union and held annually in Oberstdorf, Germany. The competition is named after the Nebelhorn, a nearby mountain....					2nd
Junior Grand Prix Final ISU Junior Grand Prix The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating is a series of international invitational junior level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Junior figure skaters compete in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing...			4th	2nd
Junior Grand Prix, Croatia 2005-2006 ISU Junior Grand Prix The 2005–2006 ISU Junior Grand Prix was the ninth season of the ISU Junior Grand Prix, a series of international junior level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. It was the junior-level complement to the Grand Prix of Figure Skating, which was for senior-level skaters....				3rd
Junior Grand Prix, Andorra 2005-2006 ISU Junior Grand Prix The 2005–2006 ISU Junior Grand Prix was the ninth season of the ISU Junior Grand Prix, a series of international junior level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. It was the junior-level complement to the Grand Prix of Figure Skating, which was for senior-level skaters....				2nd
Junior Grand Prix, Ukraine 2004-2005 ISU Junior Grand Prix The 2004–2005 ISU Junior Grand Prix was the eighth season of the ISU Junior Grand Prix, a series of international junior level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. It was the junior-level complement to the Grand Prix of Figure Skating, which was for senior-level skaters...			3rd
Junior Grand Prix, Belgrade 2004-2005 ISU Junior Grand Prix The 2004–2005 ISU Junior Grand Prix was the eighth season of the ISU Junior Grand Prix, a series of international junior level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. It was the junior-level complement to the Grand Prix of Figure Skating, which was for senior-level skaters...			1st
NACS Waterloo North American Challenge Skate The North American Challenge Skate was a series of annual summer figure skating competitions for American and Canadian figure skaters on the novice and junior levels. It was a developmental program rather than an elite competition series; the purpose of the program was to give young skaters a...			4th J.
NACS Ohio North American Challenge Skate The North American Challenge Skate was a series of annual summer figure skating competitions for American and Canadian figure skaters on the novice and junior levels. It was a developmental program rather than an elite competition series; the purpose of the program was to give young skaters a...		1st N.
Eastern Sectionals Eastern Sectional Figure Skating Championships The Eastern Sectional Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating which has been held since 1938....	2nd N.	1st N.
New England Regionals	1st N.	1st N.

• N = Novice level; J = Junior level

External links

• Vlassov & Meekins official site