JESSICA CALALANG & BRIAN JOHNSON MAKE A BOLD LEAP
Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson both found themselves adrift and without a pairs partner at almost the same time in 2018. Though they each auditioned multiple prospects, neither found the right fit.
It was a partnership that was meant to be, though neither knew it at the time. When her pairs partner of eight years decided to retire in 2018, Jessica Calalang had no idea what lay in store for her.
On the other side of the rink, Brian Johnson was also dealing with the end of a four-year pairs partnership. Both wanted to continue competing so the search for new partners began.
However, their respective situations took an unexpected turn a couple of months later when Jenni Meno, who had coached both former teams, recommended that Calalang and Johnson have a tryout to see if anything would come of it.
“Jenni said that as we are both here, why don’t we just try out. He wasn’t my first thought, and I wasn’t his. But when we had our official try out, it just sort of clicked,” Calalang recalled.
In their first season as a team, the duo found moderate success, finishing fourth at 2018 Autumn Classic International and third at Tallinn
