New Zealand champions Ayesha Campbell (20) and Shane Speden (21) were not born during their days of triumph.
But the Torvill and Dean legacy has been a major influence in their five-year dance partnership and they have the potential to qualify for the 2018 Winter Olympics.
''It is our goal to be like them,'' Campbell said on Saturday.
''I was too young to see them in action but I've watched the tapes. I like their persona, the way they flow across the ice and the way they interact with each other.''
Speden was also impressed by the English stars.
''They were both so technically good,'' he said.
''They had amazing depth of edge and all their turns were clean. They had good flow and it looked really easy.''
Campbell and Speden came together five years ago when their first partners quit the sport. Speden had moved from Gore to Campbell's home town of Christchurch, so it was a perfect match.
''We get on well together and don't argue,'' Campbell said.
They are now based in Sydney and training with former Australian dance champion Monica McDonald and John Dunn.
They train five days a week for two hours on the ice in the morning and an hour of strength training in the gymnasium.
Campbell works part-time in a gymnasium and Speden in an office to pay their way.
The pair have not qualified for next year's Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, and are now targeting the 2018 Winter Olympics.
They travel overseas today to get experience on the European circuit and will be chasing qualifying points in Slovakia for the Four Continents championships in Taipei, in February.
Campbell started figure skating at the age of 12 when she was recovering from a Wilms' tumour, a childhood kidney cancer.
She was confined to a wheelchair for two years, had one of her kidneys removed and spent 17 weeks in hospital.
''I was very sick and could not do anything,'' Campbell recalled.
''One day Mum took me to the ice rink and I wanted to try it. I kept hounding my parents to let me do it.''
Campbell has passed the remission tests and has not had any problems since she started skating.
''I'm completely normal and can do anything,'' she said.
Speden, who started skating at the age of 7, enjoys ice dance because ''it gives me a feeling of freedom. There is nowhere else where you can move freely like you do on ice.''
He first had the dream of competing at the Olympics before he was 10.
''I have had that little hope at the back of my head,'' he said.
''It would be pretty incredible to get there.''
The hardest part of training for both skaters is the early start, at 6am each day.
The couple demonstrated their class when they won their fifth New Zealand dance title together at the Dunedin Ice Stadium at the weekend.
They displayed a touch of the magic associated with Torvill and Dean when they won the short dance with 15.83 points.
Maureen Forrester (Canterbury) won the adult gold 2 solo dance with 19.66 points from Canterbury Masters clubmate Jill Borland-Ward, who scored 16.87 points.
Kelly Hoebergen (Southland) won the adult gold 1 solo dance with 29.21 points from Caitlin Usmar (Canterbury), on 27.92 points.
Patrick Costley (Auckland) won the open solo dance with 18.98 points.
The championships continue at the Dunedin Ice Stadium today and conclude tomorrow.
