A new partnership and a season full of steady progress paid off in a big way for Marty Haubrich and Rebecca Laiu, who skated to a third-place finish in the junior pairs competition at the Skate Canada National Championships.
For Haubrich, originally from Dubuc, Saskatchewan, the bronze medal marked another milestone in a long skating journey that began in a small-town rink. This year Marty Haubrich started a partnership with Rebecca Laiu. For Laiu, an Ontario-based skater competing in pairs for the first time, the podium finish was an unexpected but thrilling reward.
The duo wasted little time establishing themselves as contenders. Their campaign began in Anaheim, California, at the Glacier Falls competition, where they earned a third-place finish.
Momentum continued to build at their first sectional qualifying event in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, where they placed second. From there, Haubrich and Laiu captured gold at the Octoberfest Competition in Barrie, Ontario, and followed it up with another first-place finish at the Ontario Sectionals.
Their results earned them a trip to Calgary for the Skate Canada Challenge, the final step needed to qualify for nationals.
By the time they arrived at the national championships, the young pair had already proven they could compete with the country’s best.
Haubrich credits his start in skating to the Skate Esterhazy CanSkate program.
“I started figure skating through Skate Esterhazy,” he said. “My brother was skating at the time … I wanted to play hockey, so Mom’s rule was if you want to go, you’ve got to learn how to skate before you can play hockey.”
That simple rule set him on a different path. Haubrich moved into the StarSkate program and continued developing in both hockey and figure skating until age 17, when he committed fully to figure skating in 2018.
He worked with pair skating under coach Beverly Pangracs in Esterhazy and then trained in Virden, Manitoba with Patricia Hole, before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted training. A recommendation eventually brought him to Ontario in April 2021 to search for new opportunities.
Since then, Haubrich has competed with several partners and built valuable national and international experience, including a previous junior national silver medal and an appearance at the Bavarian Open in Germany.
For Laiu, the 2024–25 season marked a major shift. A lifelong singles skater from Ontario, she entered pairs for the first time after training alongside Haubrich at the same rink.
“This is my first year in pairs,” Laiu said. “Everyone was kind of talking about me doing pairs for a long time… Marty was available, I was available, and we tried out for a little bit for a month or two, and then it was official.”
The decision to compete at the junior level this season was strategic. With Laiu new to pairs and the year being highly competitive, the team chose development over immediate pressure in senior.
That choice quickly proved wise.
At nationals, the pair approached the event primarily as a learning opportunity.
“Being at the competition was super exciting,” Laiu said. “It was my first time at Canadian Nationals.”
After the short program left them outside the top three, the focus shifted fully to performance.
“At that point … just skate to the best of our ability,” she said. “It was more of an experience competition.”
A strong long program changed everything.
“It was like the cherry on top getting that medal,” Laiu added. “It was something so surreal.”
For Haubrich, now competing at his sixth or seventh nationals, the moment still carried special meaning.
“Every single time it’s always a cool experience,” he said. “Getting to be on the big ice… they always do a good job of creating a fun atmosphere.”
The pair trains in a highly competitive environment in Brantford and Milton, surrounded by elite skaters, including Olympic team members Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud, as well as Madeline Schizas.
Haubrich says that daily exposure raises their standards.
“The people we train with definitely motivate us a lot,” he said. “They’re always someone to look up to and kind of strive toward.”
Laiu echoed that sentiment, noting Pereira and Schizas have both been key role models.
With the competitive season now complete, Haubrich and Laiu are shifting focus back to development. Upcoming plans include participating in local shows in Brantford while refining new elements, lifts, and technical details.
Rebecca will also contest her national singles championship, balancing both disciplines as the team prepares for the next phase.
Looking ahead, the pair has clear ambitions.
“I think our goal is to go senior next year,” Laiu said. “We’re just really working and putting in all the work that we can so that we can… do the same thing next year.”
For Haubrich, the journey from a small Saskatchewan club to the national podium underscores what persistence, and the right partnership, can achieve.
If this season is any indication, the bronze medal may be only the beginning for this rising Canadian duo.