Training Town: Los Angeles, California
Coaches: Peter Oppegard
Choreographer: Peter Oppegard

They made history of the U.S. Championships by completing a throw triple Axel and made Olympic history with the same throw. No pairs team has ever completed the move before.

Even his parents came down from the upper seats to hug both of them at rinkside, moments after Baldwin, 32, gave Inoue, 29, a passionate kiss.

"I've kissed her before," Baldwin joked. The pair are a team on and off the ice.

"I wasn't worried directly about the throw triple Axel," Inoue said. "I just wanted to make sure each position beforehand was right. Once I took off in the air, I try to pull back, keep myself straight. I just have to trust myself that it's going to be there. "It was. So was a trip to Turin.

Rena (pronounced “Renna” and Inoue is pronounced “in-KNOW-we”) is a two-time Olympian for Japan in singles and pairs.

John has been on the U.S. National team as a singles skater since 1986. His accomplishments include a U.S. National Senior Figures (1995) and U.S. National Novice Championship. John was also a World Junior Bronze Medalist.

Rena started skating when she was four. As a child, Rena suffered from severe asthma and her doctor suggested that her parents enroll her in figure skating and swimming. The figure skating took hold and by the age of 15 Rena was skating in her first Olympics for Japan in 1992.

In the 1994 Olympic games, Rena competed both in pairs and singles for Japan.

When asked why she skates Rena’s response is simply because she loves it. Her goal is not to fulfill some dream or expectation but simply to do what she loves to do -- skate.

Before deciding to focus exclusively on skating, Rena was attending medical school and working at Japanese Medical in Los Angeles.

John grew up at the ice rink first watching his parents skate and coach and then learning from them as he took to the ice for the first time at age two.

As a toddler living in Dallas, John’s parents had no choice but to bring their young child to the rink while they trained and coached (John’s father was World Professional Champion, Junior National and Pairs Champion, and an alternate for the 1972 Olympics and John’s mother coached John and his two siblings).

Not surprisingly, John started skating about the same time he learned to walk and has been a U.S. team member since 1986.

John turned to pair skating after coming to the realization that he could not compete with the quad jumps the Senior Men were mastering. Not ready to end his competitive career, John and his father began the search for a partner.

John’s search for a partner ended when he saw Rena on a practice session. Until Rena, John did not try out with another skater. John knew that Rena was unique in that she was the only skater with the strong jumps and prior experience necessary in order for the pair to develop into a competitive team.

When asked about his goals for skating John responds that his goal is the day-by-day satisfaction of training. He feels good at the end of a hard practice and he recognizes that it is his respect for Rena and their hard work that has allowed them to come together as a team.

Worth Noting: In spring 2004, Rena and John donated all of the fees they earned while touring with the Champions on Ice Tour to the U.S. Figure Skating Memorial Fund.