We’re used to our hockey players making skating headlines, but when we heard that figure-skater Peter Biver ’98 and his pairs partner had made it to nationals, we paid attention. And when, just a few weeks later, we met Megan Bania ’15, who had won a national title with her synchronized skating team, we knew we had a double profile on our hands.
With Peter based in St. Paul and Megan on campus here in De Pere, we interviewed them separately for the piece. But a few weeks later, we realized we had an unexpected photo op on our hands when Peter accompanied some of his students to the Upper Great Lakes Regional Figure Skating Championships at Cornerstone Ice center here in De Pere.
I drove Megan over between classes to meet Peter at the rink. For sheer charm, it was a toss-up between the two and, as a duo, they couldn’t have hit it off better as they compared notes on their competitive and coaching experiences at these different stages in their careers. Of course, performers to their core, they were naturals in front of the camera, too. The only problem was finding a location for our shoot in the busy ice center filled with young competitors, coaches, chaperones and officials.
Photographer Mike Roemer and I were at a bit of a loss, but Peter and Megan know their way around an ice arena. Peter suggested we find a spot in the skaters lounge where he might give Megan an impromptu lesson in pairs. We laid our hands on some credentials and headed upstairs.
Now, Megan is an ice dancer and if there is one feature that seprates pairs from ice dance, it’s lifts. So Peter fell automatically into coaching mode, Megan pointed one toe, extended her arm and – woah – up she went, light as a feather!
Enjoy our photos. You would never know this was Megan’s first serious pairs experience, would you? And take a look at the final piece, too: ‟Skating Rings Around the Rest of Us.”
