WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
by LOIS ELFMAN W
hen senior lady Ashley Cain competes at the U.S. Champi- onships she may be alone on the ice, but she’s surrounded by a
loving family that not only appreciates her pas- sion for skating but understands it from personal experience.
Ashley is the daughter of Darlene Cain, a nationally ranked ice dancer from Canada, and Peter Cain, who with sister Elizabeth represented Australia at four World Championships and the 1980 Olympic Winter Games. Peter, 54, said he and Elizabeth, 50, got in-
volved with skating because their parents were skaters. Teir late father even met their mother at a skating rink in Sydney when he was on leave during World War II. Teir mother’s parents also skated. “It started as a social thing for us and kept
on,” Peter said. “I didn’t think I would be a skater. I was into all sorts of other sports as a young kid.” Eventually, he found his interest in skat-
ing growing and he and Liz began skating pairs. When they were about 14 and 10, they went to Great Britain and won the junior British Cham- pionships. Peter laughs at the thought that the coach who put them on the ice was the legendary Gladys Hogg, but they didn’t really know who she was. In the mid–1970s, an Australian
judge
asked coach John Nicks to work with the pair in the United States. “In those days, you didn’t have a DVD or
something over the Internet to show what you’re doing,” Peter said. “He asked questions. He said, ‘Let them come over and let me see them.’ So we came over and skated for him. I guess he saw some talent or something and said, ‘I’ll take you on.’” From 1975 to the conclusion of their ama-
teur career in 1980, the Cains trained about eight months a year in California. Tey returned to Australia four months of the year and during that time largely trained on their own. It made them pay careful attention to each lesson and never
waste time. It also fostered a love of coaching. “Tat shaped our mentality,” Peter said. “To
really pay attention and remember everything the coaches were showing us because we’d have to go home for a while.” Fond memories of their amateur careers focus on the incredible friendships they made and also on the exciting competitive atmosphere that was so vibrant in Southern California in the ’70s. He and Liz saved their costumes, pins, team uniforms and myriad other souvenirs from their competitive days. He has been able relive his Olympic memories throughout his life, as Lake Placid, N.Y., has been a place he and his family visit often. Darlene, 53, grew up in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and spent time training in Lake Placid. She free-skated for several years before develop- ing an interest in ice dancing. She and partner Wayne Hussey placed third in junior dance at the Canadian Championships and as high as sixth in seniors. When they moved to Toronto, they
Siblings Elizabeth and Peter Cain com- peted at four World Championships and at the 1980 Olympic Winter Games for Australia.
Peter Cain and his wife Darlene coach in the Dallas area. One of their pupils is daughter Ashley, who competed this year at the senior level.
8 APRIL 2013
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