Top Canadian pair believe age is an advantage at figure skating worlds

In an exacting sport where much of the competition hasn't yet turned 25, Canadian figure skating pair Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps aren't discouraged by their combined age of 72.

They say it's an advantage, because life experience, and not youth, is what's propelling this pair to medal contention on the world stage.

"As an adult, I feel that I come to the table with so much more as an athlete," Stellato-Dudek said.

Stellato-Dudek, a 40-year-old from Chicago, and the 32-year-old Deschamps of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., are two-time reigning Canadian champions who've won three Grand Prix gold medals in the last two seasons. They also placed first at the Four Continents Championships last month in Shanghai and rank second in the International Skating Union's pairs standings.

The self-described "least likely" partners are top Canadian podium hopes at this week's world championships in Montreal, which begins Wednesday with the pairs short program at the Bell Centre.

Stellato-Dudek says being older and smarter helps her make quicker corrections. Her maturity increases her discipline in taking care of her body. And despite the perceived notion that children have the best imaginations, she believes she's more creative than ever with the ideas she brings to their lifts, spins and twists.

The life experience comes into play with how the two connect as partners on an emotional level -- an essential element to skating in pairs.

WATCH | Stellato-Dudek, Deschamps win Four Continents title:

"I've been in love, I've had heartbreak, I've experienced life," Stellato-Dudek said. "It's easier when you've had it and experienced it in real life to bring it onto the ice."

"When we have to express the emotion on the ice, we