| Steve was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan on January 6, 1978 to Georgia and Larry Hartsell. Two years later, on November 21, 1980, Danielle was born, also in Ann Arbor. |
| Baby Steve Baby Danielle |
| When Steve was 4 years old, Dad took him to the skating rink in Wayne, Michigan to teach him how to skate. He was quite proficient for a little tyke, eventually becoming Michigan State Mite Hockey Champion! |
| Not to be left out, when Danielle was 2 1/2, off to the rink she went with her dad. Now it was her turn to learn the finer points of ice skating. After holding onto daddy's hands for a while and watching everyone else have such a good time spinning and gliding, she begged him to let her hands go. Finally, he did, and boom, down on her backside she went. But not for long. |
| By the time Danielle was 5, she was getting private lessons from Kim Herbert, her first coach.The coach asked Steve to join them. Between his busy schedule with hockey and school, he added figure skating to his activities. Soon after, he asked his mom when HE was getting figure skates. Why? she asked him. Because I have a competition in two months! was his reply. |
| Now Steve has his new figure skates. But when he began practicing, the toe pick, which was not on his hockey skates, got in the way and he kept tripping, and tripping, and tripping. Before long he was covered with bruises over his entire body. He took the skates off and said he was never wearing those figure skates again! But he did. |
| Steve and Danielle continued to skate as singles as well as pairs. And Steve (not busy enough) also was involved in hockey. This made for very long days and some fancy footwork for Mom & Dad. |
| On one particular day, Steve and Danielle both skated in their singles competitions in the morning. Steve changed to his hockey uniform and Dad drove him to another rink, some 15 miles away, through a snowstorm for his hockey game. The game ran late; Dad rushed him back to the first rink, snow still falling. Steve had just enough time to change into his costume for his pairs competition with Danielle. Whew!! |
| Steve had to give up hockey in 1990. Danielle & Steve continued to skate singles as well as pairs until 1996. The decision was then made to skate solely as pairs. |
| Their first international competition outside North America was in Germany in 1994. They won the gold medal at the Pokal der Blauen Schwerter. |
| Danielle and Steve are the only pair to have won all three medals at Junior Worlds. Bronze in 1996, Silver in 1995, and Gold in 1997. |
| Steve graduated, with honors, from John Glenn High School in Westland, Michigan in June 1996. Danielle also graduated with honors from John Glenn High School in 1999. |
| In February 1999, when Steve, 21, and Danielle, 18, arrived in Salt Lake City for the United States Figure Skating Championships, they were not favored to win. But after winning both the short and long programs, it was clear that they were indeed champions worthy of their title. |
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