2025-26 U.S. Pairs Figure Skating

[DemTuppesSeine]

It's official

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Yep, finally! Thanks for a formal announcement, Emily. Though, I imagine that she coordinated with Spencer. Perhaps he will post something soon. The next step is, revealing their obvious new partnerships. Will we get official reveals soon?

Meanwhile, I will pause to say thanks to Emily & Spencer for the beauty they wrought together on the ice against tough odds. They took risks and believed in themselves, in the face of numerous challenges. What they accomplished together in their 7-year partnership, will be fondly remembered by skating fans.

Best of luck in your new chapters. May you soar with your new partners ever farther.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Is Danil’s citizenship pending or will it be in limbo forever?

Who knows? Probably not even his immigration attorneys. Someone would have to ask Daniil directly. But even then, with the convoluted legal-bound process, he might not even be sure of the exact timing. Still, he might be able to say where he is in the process.

Does he have his green card yet? Did his father become a U.S. citizen years ago on an employment visa, or no?

 

[Arriba627]

So sorry they've split, but hopefully it is as amicable as it seems. I remember watching them during the Covid Nationals and "liking the guy with the pony tail". Best of luck to both of them.

 

[MsLayback]

Yep, finally! Thanks for a formal announcement, Emily. Though, I imagine that she coordinated with Spencer. Perhaps he will post something soon. The next step is, revealing their obvious new partnerships. Will we get official reveals soon?

Meanwhile, I will pause to say thanks to Emily & Spencer for the beauty they wrought together on the ice against tough odds. They took risks and believed in themselves, in the face of numerous challenges. What they accomplished together in their 7-year partnership, will be fondly remembered by skating fans.

Best of luck in your new chapters. May you soar with your new partners ever farther.

It was nice too that they did an announcement... I kind of Wonder too if the timing with the Thailand event held off making that announcement

 

[ramurphy2005]

Does he have his green card yet?

Daniil Parkman does have his green card, but I don't know exactly when he got it. The few quotes I saw about it around Nationals and the Olympics was that he had gotten it recently. So, I'm still keeping him in 2030 citizenship limbo until there's paperwork that says otherwise.

 

[DemTuppesSeine]

Still no official word from Katie or Balazs but there's that...

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

^^ Yeah, I saw this post on IG. We also had the Irvine rink group photo evidence, plus Katie & Balazs added to the ISP list. Seeing this post, I hope it means that Kerr is also working on program(s) for Team Starrman. Kerr was pictured with Starr & Daniil, too, at the recent U.S. pairs camp.

ETA:
At least, Katie looks happy, and the physicality appears to work well! Plus, John Kerr seems pleased about working with them.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Daniil Parkman does have his green card, but I don't know exactly when he got it. The few quotes I saw about it around Nationals and the Olympics was that he had gotten it recently. So, I'm still keeping him in 2030 citizenship limbo until there's paperwork that says otherwise.

I did some checking online. Per reports, Daniil got his green card in May 2026 around the time he and Katie split. Since he arrived back in the U.S. in Spring 2023 to compete in pairs, it took him 3 years to get the green card. He is most likely on an employer-sponsored EB2 or EB3 athlete visa (with sponsorship by USfigsk). I say this based on the fact it took him 3 years to obtain the green card. There are some other types of athlete visas that can take between 8 months up to 3 years for the green card, depending on various factors.

Now that Daniil has his green card, unfortunately, it can take five years before he can apply for naturalization. That means around March of 2031, Daniil can apply for U.S. citizenship. Thus, he would miss qualifying for 2030 Olympics by one year.

It's too bad Daniil could not shorten the time it has taken to get his green card. He lived in the U.S. as a child for just over 10 years, and he learned to skate in Seattle, WA in 2003 when he was around 4 years old! There should be some special consideration given to him for having lived in the U.S. non-consecutively for a total of about 13 years! His family returned to Russia in 2011, so I would guess it was circa 911, when he was 12-years-old.

Starr is currently 24 (25 at the end of June); she'll be 28 during the 2030 Olympics. Daniil turned 27 in April, so he'll be 30 during 2030 Olympics, and turn 31 two months later. Unless, Daniil gets married soon, shortening his wait time for citizenship to 3 years, he would have to wait till 2034 for U.S. Olympics eligibility. As athletes, Starr & Daniil are surely focusing on the present and giving their all to develop a strong and successful partnership right now, without being overly stressed about how the future will unfold.

 

[MsLayback]

Looks like it's finally official!!!

Audrey Shin 신수민 on Instagram: "Though this may come as no surprise to many… ;) We are delighted to officially announce our partnership!!! We are incredibly grateful for this opportunity, for the many people who have supported us along the way,

1,396 likes, 50 comments - audreyshin.skater on June 13, 2026: "Though this may come as no surprise to many… ;) We are delighted to officially announce our partnership!!! We are incredibly grateful for this opportunity, for the many people who have supported us along the way, and for the...

www.instagram.com

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

^^ Yes, finally. The Monument rink photo clearly 'jumped the gun.' I like how Audrey acknowledges that their partnership news may not be a surprise for some fans.

They look really good together, and happy, without us even seeing them skate yet.

Announcing their programs already, too! Those are tried and true warhorse selections. (Clair de Lune sp, choreographer not mentioned; Romeo & Juliet fp, choreo by coach Olga Ganicheva) What versions of these classics will they use? Let's see what they and their coaches/ choreographers bring to these choices.

I am not surprised to see Spencer remaining in Boston, and Audrey joining him there. They were probably training at Monument rink briefly because Audrey was previously based in Colorado.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

I love pairs, so I'm really excited to see how these partner switches in the U.S. pairs discipline will turn out. It's going to be an interesting season, especially with the ISU-proposed changes to competition event scheduling.

I think the skaters need more tuneups pre-season than they currently are allotted. Having numerous chances to experience competition pressure together is invaluable for newly-partnered teams.

Somehow these new match-ups feel very intriguing. What came over everyone suddenly (particularly in North America) in pairs and ice dance? Is it something in the atmosphere or written in the stars; the idea of a new quad inspiring everyone to make fresh changes? I'm sure that skaters, coaches, and USfigsk were all involved in these changes, with seemingly everyone exercising remarkable patience, restraint, and willingness to bend and try something new.

'Change partners & dance!'

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

 

[Budapest2006]

^^ Yes, finally. The Monument rink photo clearly 'jumped the gun.' I like how Audrey acknowledges that their partnership news may not be a surprise for some fans.

They look really good together, and happy, without us even seeing them skate yet.

Announcing their programs already, too! Those are tried and true warhorse selections. (Clair de Lune sp, choreographer not mentioned; Romeo & Juliet fp, choreo by coach Olga Ganicheva) What versions of these classics will they use? Let's see what they and their coaches/ choreographers bring to these choices.

I am not surprised to see Spencer remaining in Boston, and Audrey joining him there. They were probably training at Monument rink briefly because Audrey was previously based in Colorado.

It must have taken them a huge amount of time and thinking to come up with these choices of programs....... One warhorse, why not, but TWO of the biggest warhorses ? ... Quite annoying tbh even if I like both of them and can be very good programs

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

It's early yet, and we still need to hear about Emily Chan, Timmy Chapman, Olivia Flores, Mark Sadusky, Luke Wang, Daniil Siianytsia, and confirmation of what Milada Kovar & Jared McPike are doing if they split.

Of the new teams confirmed, I'm looking forward to seeing how Andrews/Parkman; Shin/Howe; and McBeath/Nagy will progress. For returning teams, I am hopeful for Liu/Bedard continuing to show how good they are (cross fingers that Chels has figured out jump landing issues -- she's such a lovely pairs skater) And maybe Efimova/ Mitrofanov can up their partnership to a new gear. Will Plazas/ Fernandez be in good form? Can Williams/Lewer add maturity and sophistication to their bubbly aesthetic? At this point, I am skeptical of Kam/O'Shea deciding to return. Perhaps they will continue to tour and take advantage of lucrative off-ice opportunities.

I am truly hoping USfigsk will be equally supportive of all the teams; give everyone chances and reward on results, while continuing to support everyone's progress.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

It must have taken them a huge amount of time and thinking to come up with these choices of programs....... One warhorse, why not, but TWO of the biggest warhorses ? ... Quite annoying tbh even if I like both of them and can be very good programs

The question is, what versions of these classics have they chosen? We also have to remember that due to music rights complexities, skaters are trending back to classical music choices that are in the public domain. They do not have a lot of time to search for music and obtain the rights for more contemporary selections. It is also getting late into the season, so I get them choosing tried and true in order to pull programs together as soon as possible. I read that Balazs posted a clip with Carmen playing in the background. So, a lot of teams may debut warhorse music this season.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Regarding U.S. juniors. From current sources, here's a non-definitive list:

Elizabeth Hansen/ Damir Yakupov (newly announced; he's Russian)
Sofia Jarmoc/ Luke Witkowski
Elena Kerr/ Sam Herbert
Reagan Moss/ Jakub Galbavy
Kaitlyn Oh/ Michael Chapa [ETA: they have aged out of juniors]
Baylen Taich/ Nikolai Apter
Teryn Kim/ Laz Lune (new)
Elizabeth Yun/ Mitchell Castelletti
Olivia Jung/ Carter Griffin (new)
Gabriella Kaplan/ Matt Curtis
Juliet Meek/ Devin Meek
Genesis Lira/ Beck Strommer (new)
Tallulah Tanner/ Blake McGee (new)

Katie Shen/ Connor O'Grady (new, not sure if they are juniors or seniors)

Addyson MacDonald & Aaron Felberbaum -- split
Milada Kovar & Jared McPike (recently split?)

 

[bckabck]

So its been confirmed that Liu/Bedard have left the Meno/Sands coaching team. They are now being coached by Bruno Marcotte, Russ Scott, Chris Pottenger, and Anthony Evans. https://www.instagram.com/p/DZphGpHqvSM/?igsh=MWFuMmE4cHJtOHFyeA==

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

It was obvious to me that Liu/Bedard were no longer training at Irvine when they were not in the publicly shared rink photo for the new season. Chelsea later posted that she would have updates for fans. Then she posted the training clip with Ryan at Anaheim rink. Full confirmation is nice to hear.

Does this mean that Bruno Marcotte has found a new coaching home in Anaheim? Or, is he still based in Canada? Anthony Evans is also a Canadian-based coach AFAIK. I noticed that Meagan Duhamel had commented on Chelsea's Anaheim rink training clip and Chels responded in a way that seemed to indicate Meagan had either been working with them or offering advice.

I'm happy to see Chelsea & Ryan getting a lot of love and fresh input. I'm sure that TeamMenoSand are happy for Chels & Ryan, too, and wish them well.

 

[bckabck]

Regarding U.S. juniors. From current sources, here's a non-definitive list:

Elizabeth Hansen/ Damir Yakupov (newly announced; he's Russian)
Sofia Jarmoc/ Luke Witkowski
Elena Kerr/ Sam Herbert
Reagan Moss/ Jakub Galbavy
Kaitlyn Oh/ Michael Chapa
Baylen Taich/ Nikolai Apter
Teryn Kim/ Laz Lune (new)
Elizabeth Yun/ Mitchell Castelletti
Olivia Jung/ Carter Griffin (new)
Gabriella Kaplan/ Matt Curtis
Juliet Meek/ Devin Meek
Genesis Lira/ Beck Strommer (new)
Tallulah Tanner/ Blake McGee (new)

Katie Shen/ Connor O'Grady (new, not sure if they are juniors or seniors)

Addyson MacDonald & Aaron Felberbaum -- split
Milada Kovar & Jared McPike (recently split?)

In regards to Kaitlyn Oh/ Michael Chapa, according to Anything GOEs they have aged out of Junior. https://anythinggoe.com/agingout2526/

 

[bckabck]

Mark posted on IG teasing his partnership. Just a pic of holding hands....