Deanna Stellato-Dudek (born June 22, 1983) is an American pair skater who currently competes with Maxime Deschamps for Canada. With Deschamps, she is the 2023 Four Continents bronze medalist, a two-time ISU Grand Prix gold medalist, a two-time ISU Challenger Series gold medalist, and 2023 Canadian national champion.
Competing for the United States with her former skating partner, Nathan Bartholomay, she is the 2018 CS Ondrej Nepela Trophy silver medalist, the 2018 CS Nebelhorn Trophy bronze medalist, the 2018 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb bronze medalist, and a two-time U.S. national bronze medalist (2018–2019).
Stellato-Dudek originally competed in ladies' singles and won one senior international medal – silver at the 2000 Karl Schäfer Memorial. Earlier in her career, she won silver at the 2000 World Junior Championships and gold at the 1999–20 Junior Grand Prix Final.
Personal life
Stellato was born June 22, 1983, in Park Ridge, Illinois. She is a licensed aesthetician and permanent cosmetic professional. She has worked as the director of aesthetics at the Geldner Center in Chicago. She married a consultant, Michael Dudek, in 2013.
Single skating
Stellato began learning to skate as a five-year-old. In the 1999–2000 season, she won the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final and went on to win the silver medal at the 2000 World Junior Championships. A member of Wagon Wheel FSC, she was coached by Cindy Watson-Caprel and Philip Mills in Northbrook and Buffalo Grove, Illinois.
Stellato began the following season at a U.S.-only team event, the 2000 Keri Lotion Classic, where she was partnered with Michael Weiss. She received a 6.0 for presentation. Making her senior international debut, she won silver at the 2000 Karl Schäfer Memorial in October. In November, she finished fifth at a Grand Prix event, the 2000 Skate Canada International, where she injured her right hip before the free skate. After returning to training two weeks later, Stellato sustained a pulled hip flexor in the same hip, which led to her withdrawal from the 2001 U.S. Championships. She later decided to retire from competition. Due to four different hip injuries, she had skated for approximately 24 months in four years. Other injuries in her career included a torn ligament in her right ankle and a fractured left ankle.
Pair skating
Partnership with Bartholomay
Following her retirement from competitive skating, Stellato studied and began a career as an aesthetician. While attending a work retreat, a team-building exercise prompt, "what is something you'd do if you knew you couldn't fail?" inspired her to revive her interest in skating. She resumed skating in March 2016, in the Chicago area, before visiting her former coach, Cindy Watson-Caprel, who had moved to a rink in Ellenton, Florida. In Florida, U.S. Figure Skating's high-performance director, Mitch Moyer, suggested a tryout with Nathan Bartholomay, a pair skater who was working at the same rink. In July 2016, Stellato and Bartholomay announced that they had formed a partnership and were based at the Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex. Coached by Jim Peterson, they trained on ice three hours a day, five days a week.
2016–17 season
Making their international debut together, the Stellato/Bartholomay placed sixth at the 2016 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb. After taking the gold medal at the Eastern Sectional Championships, they qualified for the 2017 U.S. Championships where they finished in fourth place, earning the pewter medal.
2017–18 season
Stellato/Bartholomay began the season with two Challenger assignments, finishing sixth at both the 2017 CS U.S. Classic and the 2017 CS Finlandia Trophy. They were then invited to make their Grand Prix debut as a team, finishing eighth of eight teams at the 2017 Skate America.
Stellato and Bartholomay won the bronze medal at the 2018 U.S. Championships. This earned them an assignment to the 2018 Four Continents Championships, where they finished fifth. Upon the withdrawal of national silver medalists Kayne/O'Shea from the 2018 World Championships, Stellato/Bartholomay were called up to replace them on the team. They finished seventeenth in the short program, missing the cut from the free skate segment. Stellato said that she hoped to compete until at least the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, remarking, "I've had a 16-year vacation; I can go another four."