Battle of the Mind

Listening to the drops of rain.
Helplessly thinking of him again.

His intoxicating presence.
That genteel pristine essence.

Stare into those crystal spheres,
Pushing away all my doubts and fears.

Puts me in a daze
With a captivating gaze.

I tried with all my might.
This force too strong to fight.

Down with my last defense.
Comes a moment of intense.

Spell broke free and wild thoughts run.
When came a sudden ray of sun.

Figure Skaters—Rena Inoue and John Baldwin, Jr.

Figure Skating Facts, history, and trivia about the people, places and personalities that makes figure skating so cool.

Both Rena Inoue and John Baldwin, Jr., have a history as singles skaters, but in 2000 they joined together to become one of America's leading pair teams. Inoue placed fifth at the 1994 Junior Worlds. She represented Japan at the 1992 and 1994 Olympics. Baldwin was the 1987 U.S. novice champion and the 1991 national junior champion.

Inoue began skating at age 4. Doctors thought it might help her asthma. Before skating with Baldwin, she skated pairs for a few years with Tomoaki Koyama.

Baldwin comes from a family of skaters and was on the ice by his first birthday. He decided to try pairs after never finishing higher than ninth at the senior level at nationals.

Inoue and Baldwin stood on the podium at nationals in 2003 as bronze medalists. They won gold in 2004 but dropped to second in 2005. They placed in the top ten at the World Championships in both 2003 and 2004.

Inoue is 4'11" and Baldwin is 5'9". They are the first pair in the history of figure skating to complete the throw triple axel in competition (2006 Four Continents). Inoue received her U.S. citizenship in 2005, making the pair eligible to compete for the U.S. at the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Jill Watson coached the team for more than four years. Inoue and Baldwin followed her to Arizona when she took a job there, but they later decided they wanted to return to California. They are now coached by Peter Oppegard. Watson and Oppegard were the bronze medalists in the pairs event at the 1987 World Championships.

Inoue and Baldwin are both college graduates. He has been in the wholesale car business for more than 10 years. She may pursue a medical degree in the near future. The two donated their fees for appearing in the 2004 Champions on Ice Tour to the U.S. Figure Skating Memorial Fund.

—Beth Braccio Hering

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Battle of the Mind

Figure Skaters—Rena Inoue and John Baldwin, Jr.