# Thomas Williams (figure skater)

Thomas Williams (born April 20, 1991) is a Canadian former ice dancer. He competed at three Four Continents Championships with his skating partners, Nicole Orford and Sarah Arnold.

## Personal life

Thomas Williams was born on April 20, 1991, in Calgary, Alberta. He is the nephew of Canadian speed skater Michelle Morton. He has a car detailing business and has also worked for a financial services company.

## Skating career
### Early years

Williams began learning to skate in 1995. He skated with Alicia Williams in the 2007–2008 season. During the following two seasons, he competed with Olga Lioudvinevitch, placing ninth on the junior level at the 2010 Canadian Championships.

### Partnership with Orford

Williams began training with Nicole Orford in May 2010. Competing on the 2010–11 ISU Junior Grand Prix series, they took the bronze medal in England and placed fifth in the Czech Republic. After becoming junior national champions, they were sent to the 2011 World Junior Championships and finished eighth.
During the 2011–12 ISU Junior Grand Prix, Orford/Williams won gold in Brisbane, Australia, and finished sixth in Austria. Due to Skate Canada rules, they competed on the senior level at the 2012 Canadian Championships and came in sixth. They also placed sixth at the 2012 World Junior Championships.
Orford/Williams made their senior international debut in the 2012–13 season. Competing on the Grand Prix series for the first time, they placed eighth at the 2012 Rostelecom Cup and fourth at the 2012 NHK Trophy. After winning the bronze medal at the 2013 Canadian Championships, they were assigned to the 2013 Four Continents Championships and finished sixth.
In the summer of 2013, Williams injured both ankles due to boot problems, causing the team to reduce their training to 20 minutes at a time. They won bronze at the U.S. Classic and placed eighth at the 2013 Trophée Éric Bompard. Fifth at the 2014 Canadian Championships, Orford/Williams were not named in Canada's Olympic team but were sent to the 2014 Four Continents Championships, where they placed fifth. Their final competition together was the 2015 Canadian Championships.

### Partnership with Arnold

Following a tryout with Sarah Arnold in February 2015, Williams took a year off due to an Achilles injury and financial reasons. They continued to skate together occasionally (around eight times) and began a formal partnership in March 2016. They placed 5th at the 2018 Canadian Championships and 8th at the 2018 Four Continents Championships. They are coached by Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe in Burnaby, British Columbia.

## Programs
### With Arnold

| Season | Short dance | Free dance |
| 2017–2018 | Rhumba: Bésame Mucho performed by Nana Mouskouri Samba: Samba de Brasil performed by Casa Music and the Latin Drums | Fall For You by Leela James If I Ain't Got You by Alicia Keys ft. Usher |
| 2016–2017 | Blues: As Time Goes By by Vera Lynn Swing: A String of Pearls choreo. by Megan Wing, Aaron Lowe | Downton Abbey by John Lunn choreo. by Mark Pillay |

### With Orford

| Season | Short dance | Free dance |
| 2014–2015 | España cañí by Pascual Marquina Narro Noche Flamenca (Bulerias) | Titanic by James Horner Titanic Suite Jack Dawson's Luck The Portrait |
| 2013–2014 | Quickstep: Cheek to Cheek by Frank Sinatra Foxtrot: Fly Me To The Moon by Bart Howard | Love Never Dies by Andrew Lloyd Webber Prologue Beneath The Moonless Sky Coney Island Waltz Heaven By The Sea Til I Hear You Sing |
| 2012–2013 | Polka: Sold by John Michael Montgomery Waltz: Tennessee Waltz by Anne Murray Polka: Sold by John Michael Montgomery | High Society Overture Now You Have Jazz by Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong High Society Overture |
| 2011–2012 | Senior-level: Mariposa en Havana Baila Baila Conmigo Junior-level: Dance With Me by Debelah Morgan Baila Baila Conmigo by Domino | Gone with the Wind by Max Steiner Tara's Theme War is Declared/The Death of Charles |
| 2010–2011 | Waltz: Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) Quickstep: Help! by The Beatles | How You Remind Me This Love Dare You To Move by Vitamin String Quartet |

## Competitive highlights

GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

### With Arnold

International :
| Event | 16–17 | 17–18 |
| Four Continents | | 8th |
| CS Warsaw Cup | | 8th |
| Lake Placid IDI | 10th | 9th |
| National |||
| Canadian Champ. | 6th | 5th |
| SC Challenge | 4th | 2nd |
| BC/YK Sectionals | 2nd | 2nd |

### With Orford

International :
| Event | 10–11 | 11–12 | 12–13 | 13–14 | 14–15 |
| Four Continents | | | 6th | 5th | |
| GP Bompard | | | | 8th | |
| GP NHK Trophy | | | 4th | | |
| GP Rostelecom Cup | | | 8th | | |
| GP Skate America | | | | | 8th |
| CS Autumn Classic | | | | | 6th |
| CS U.S. Classic | | | | | 2nd |
| U.S. Classic | | | | 3rd | |
| International: Junior ||||||
| Junior Worlds | 8th | 6th | | | |
| JGP Australia | | 1st | | | |
| JGP Austria | | 6th | | | |
| JGP Czech Republic | 5th | | | | |
| JGP U.K. | 3rd | | | | |
| National ||||||
| Canadian Champ. | 1st J | 6th | 3rd | 5th | 4th |
| J = Junior level ||||||

### Early partnerships

National :
| Event | 07–08$^1$ | 08–09$^2$ | 09–10$^2$ |
| Canadian Championships | 17th J | 14th J | 9th J |
| $^1$ With Alicia Williams $^2$ With Olga Lioudvinevitch J = Junior level ||||