Melissa Gregory

Personal life

Gregory was born in Highland Park, Illinois to a Catholic father, Joseph, and a Jewish mother, Dale. She has one older brother, Michael.

Gregory and Petukhov were married in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 2, 2001. The next month they flew to Kirov, Russia so that Petukhov's family could celebrate their marriage as well. The couple's son, Daxton Dale Petukhov, was born on November 21, 2014.

Career

Gregory began skating at age eight. She competed in novice ladies' singles before deciding to concentrate on ice dance.

Gregory was US junior ice dance champion in 1998 with James Shuford. She was without an ice dancing partner for nearly three years and told her coach that she would quit skating and go to college if she could not find one by September 1, 2000. She met Russian ice dancer Denis Petukhov on an online skating partner search. He spoke little English and so had a friend write his messages for him. He arrived in the United States on a tourist visa on August 31, 2000 to try skating with her and several other prospective partners. After skating with Gregory first, Petukhov canceled his other tryouts and never used his return plane ticket to Russia.

Gregory and Petukhov were originally coached by Oleg Epstein and Sandy Hess but made a change in 2003 to Nikolai Morozov and Shae-Lynn Bourne. Following the 2005-06 season, they switched again to Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karpanosov at the University of Delaware in Newark. On September 7, 2007, they announced another coaching change, this time to Priscilla Hill at The Pond Ice Arena, also in Newark.

Gregory and Petukhov won four silver medals and two bronze medals at the U.S. Championships and competed in the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Gregory and Petukhov both suffered injuries in a fall during the warmup before the free dance at 2007 Skate Canada International on November 4, 2007. Petukhov lost his footing while practicing a one-handed rotational lift and dropped Gregory onto the ice, injuring her ribs and hip and skidding into the boards himself, hurting his own knee and neck. Gregory was taken to a hospital following the fall but released that night. They were then forced to withdraw from competition for the rest of the season while they healed from their injuries.

Gregory and Petukhov did not return to competition. In 2008, they moved to Connecticut and began coaching and choreographing for other skaters and founded a nonprofit organization Proud Nation Inc. They also launched their own YouTube channel, OlympianUncut, focusing on a behind-the-scenes look at the skating world. Gregory and Petukhov are successful show skaters and also devote much of their time to EduSkating Fever on Ice, a program they founded in 2009 that combines learn-to-skate sessions with academics and is targeted at middle school students in Connecticut. EduSkating Fever on Ice was one of two "Rings of Gold" award winners for 2010, and Gregory was the first skater to receive the individual award for her contribution to the program. In 2014 EduSkating an official Community Olympic Development Program of The US Olympic Committee.

In 2016, Gregory & Petukhov opened a seasonal outdoor luxury ice rink by The World Trade Center in New York City named The Rink at Brookfield Place with Gregory & Petukhov. They also coach at various rinks in Connecticut.

Programs

(with Petukhov)

Competitive highlights

GP: Grand Prix; JGP: Junior Grand Prix