Shae-Lynn was born in Chatham and had a very early
introduction to skating because of her brother Chris's
involvement in the sport. In April of 1991, at the age of
15, she joined with Victor Kraatz and the ice dancing team
was an immediate success, winning the 1992 Junior Canadian
National Title. For the next 11 years they competed
successfully at the national and international levels,
culminating with a first place finish at the 2003 World
Championships.
- 1992
- 1999,
2001, 2003
- Four Continents Championships winning first
place all 3 times; did not compete in 2000
and 2002 Olympic Winter Games
- 1994
- 1998
- Nagano, Japan - 4th place
- 2002
- Salt Lake City, Utah - 4th place World
Championships
Competed in 10 championships from 1993 to 2003, missing
2000 due to an injury; 2 fourth place finishes, 4 thirds,
1 second in 2002, and 1 first in 2003 making Shae-Lynn and
Victor the first North American ice dance team to win a
world championship title.
Awards and Recognitions
- 2000 - received Meritorious Service Cross (Civil
Division) which is given to individuals who set an
exemplary standard of achievement and bring honour or
benefit to Canada
- 2003 - awarded the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal
given to Canadians for outstanding and exemplary
contributions to their communities or to Canada as a
whole
- 2007 - Shae-Lynn and Victor were inducted into Skate
Canada Hall of Fame
Shortly after the 2003 World Championships, Victor
retired from competitive skating, leaving Shae-Lynn on her
own. After a short search for a new partner Shae-Lynn made
the decision to skate as a solo dancer. She has been
busy ever since, touring with Stars on Ice, Champions on
Ice, and televised skating specials all over the
world.
Throughout their careers they were one of the top
ranked teams in the world and were viewed by many as one
of the most creative and innovative teams ever, pushing
their sport to new levels with the choice of
material presented on the world stage. Some of the most
memorable performances at Worlds included their 2000
breakthrough 'Riverdance' performance and their Michael
Jackson free dance in 2002.
They were the first skaters to incorporate the 'hydroblading'
technique into their performances. Their courageous public
stand against unfair judging practices focused attention
on the skating associations' rules and as a result,
changes were made to all dance rules to make them fairer
and more equitable for all competitors.
Shae-Lynn lives in Connecticut and Toronto where she
coaches and choreographs at International Level. Now, in
2008, she remains connected to Chatham especially in her
capacity as honourary chairwoman of the "Every Life
Counts, Chatham-Kent Physician Recruitment Campaign".
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