2026-27 U.S. Ice Dance

[dancelion21]

Last Season's Thread

ASSIGNMENTS

Championship Events
​

	Four Continents	Junior World Championships	World Championships
Subs

Grand Prix Events​

Grand Prix de France​	Skate Canada​	Cup of China​	Skate America​	Finlandia Trophy​	NHK Trophy​	Grand Prix Final​
Carreira/Ponomarenko Neset/Markelov Pate/Bye	Brown/Brown Green/Parsons Wolfkostin/Tsarevski	Bratti/Somerville Pate/Bye	Zingas/Kolesnik TBD TBD	Bratti/Somerville Brown/Brown Green/Parsons	Carreira/Ponomarenko Zingas/Kolesnik

Challenger Events​

Kinoshita Group Cup​	Lombardia Trophy​	Nebelhorn Trophy​	Nepela Memorial​	Trialeti Trophy​	Denis Ten Memorial​	Budapest Trophy​	Tallinn Trophy​	Warsaw Cup​	Golden Spin​

Junior Grand Prix Events​

JGP China​	JGP Latvia​	JGP Thailand​	JGP Turkey​	JGP Georgia​	JGP Slovenia​	JGP Poland​	JGP Final​

International Selection Pool
Senior

• Emily Bratti and Ian Somerville
• Oona Brown and Gage Brown
• Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko
• Madison Chock and Evan Bates
• Amy Cui and Jonathan Rogers
• Isabella Flores and Linus Jepsen
• Caroline Green and Michael Parsons
• Raffaella Koncius and Alexey Shchepetov
• Caroline Mullen and Brendan Mullen
• Leah Neset and Artem Markelov
• Eva Pate and Logan Bye
• Elliana Peal and Ethan Peal
• Vanessa Pham and Anton Spiridonov
• Katarina Wolfkostin and Dimitry Tsarevski
• Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik

Junior

• Hana Maria Aboian and Daniil Veselukhin
• Marian Carhart and Denis Bledsoe
• Jane Calhoun and Mark Zheltyshev
• Effie Chen and Gordei Chitipakhovian
• Sophia Feige and Wiles Middlekauff
• Grace Fischer and Luke Fischer
• Clara Fugate and Warren Fugate
• Anaelle Kouevi and Yann Homawoo
• Rylen Lukanin and Patrick O’Brien
• Jasmine Robertson and Chase Rohner
• Annelise Stapert and Maxim Korotcov
• Aneta Vaclavikova and William Lissauer

Thoughts for the Season

1. Will Zingas/Kolesnik continue their momentum from last season and cement their spot as US no. 1? How will they fare against other international teams as a non-IAM team? Can CPom, Green/Parsons, or some other team challenge them?
2. Will any teams try a coaching change to IAM, now that Chock/Bates are unofficially retired?
3. Will any teams leave MIDA after the coaching upheaval from last season?
4. The Browns had a breakthrough program last season, will they continue that momentum?
5. Who will receive the two TBD Skate America spots? Wolfkostin/Tsarevski and Neset/Markelov both only have one assignment, but teams like Cui/Rogers and the Peals had good showings at Nationals and could earn a GP debut.
6. Will Aboian/Veselukhin continue their dominance in juniors?

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Will Zingas/Kolesnik continue their momentum from last season and cement their spot as US no. 1? How will they fare against other international teams as a non-IAM team? Can CPom, Green/Parsons, or some other team challenge them?

Lots of hard to determine questions, but I'll give it a try:

I think Z/K will cement what they built last season. They are very talented and driven to succeed, clearly. It is not a drawback for them to not be an IAM team. Shpilband knows his way around in ice dance, eh! He's very savvy and connected. He waited patiently and observed carefully far and wide prior to finding Emilia as a new partner for Vadym, post the Avonley Nguyen split.

Yes, of course, C-Pom and Green/ Parsons, as well as the Browns, and Bratti/ Somerville will challenge Z/K, and even Wolf/ Tsar, will be challenging for the U.S. podium, and to establish international cred. The key is, as always, developing the right material. Music choices and choreo are everything. It all needs to fit right. Plus, improving weaknesses and enhancing strengths is important, but not easy to accomplish. None of this is easy, obviously.

I personally hope to see Neset/ Markelov find their mojo as adults and continue to blossom as a talented young team, worthy of respect, rewards, and continued opportunities. I also like Cui/ Rogers, and I'm eager to see their progress. It will be interesting to find out if Flores' partnership with Jepsen can get stronger under the tutelage of Moir/ Hubbell. Will the Peals continue to improve from their notable senior debut last season under Moir/ Hubbell?

BTW, Cui/ Rogers were recently interviewed by icedance.com.

All-in-all, I think Zingas/ Kolesnik will continue to hold a strong advantage in the U.S., and continue to be competitive at the top internationally due to their solid, stellar showing last season. I'm not sure about their Bolero FD choice. But, if well-finessed, it may be worth the risk. C/Pom would have to really come up with strong material to viably challenge them. As partners, I think C/Pom have kinda reached their peak. I think Christina could evolve more with a taller partner with strong skills. After his surgery, Anthony has come back well to the best of his ability, and he and Christina are very close. However, she's now the stronger partner after Scott Moir tutored and elevated her to diva stature. Of course, C/Pom could prove me wrong. A lot depends upon how well-chosen material elevates and enhances a partnership. I loved C/Pom's Perfume FD.

I'll have more reflections later re other teams and the remaining questions.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Here's a link to the recent icedance.com Cui/ Rogers article/ interview:

Cui & Rogers: The Journey Continues – Ice-dance.com

www.ice-dance.com

Jonathan is open about his difficult financial struggles. He recently launched a Gofundme. I will post a link in their fanfest.

I created a fanfest for Amy & Jonathan. Kinda surprised they didn't already have one. They are a very talented and interesting team to watch.

Amy & Jonathan will be skating to Sinners film soundtrack for their new season FD, with choreo by the brilliant Kaitlyn Weaver. I'm excited to see this program.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Will any teams try a coaching change to IAM, now that Chock/Bates are unofficially retired?

Flores/Jepsen already switched to the Moir/ Hubbell IAM branch training camp in London, Ontario. And, of course C/Pom and the Peals are also training there. In Montreal, the Browns, and Pham/ Spiridonov are being coached. I am not sure there are other U.S. teams who might want to switch to IAM Montreal. If there are, the question is whether or not IAM is willing to accept them.

Will any teams leave MIDA after the coaching upheaval from last season?

I am not certain that Charlie White's departure from MIDA would be a reason why any of the teams there would seek to switch coaching environments. Seemingly, Gr/Par are comfortable and committed to the remaining MIDA coaches. Ian Somerville has a long-term coaching relationship with Greg Zuerlein, thus Ian and Emily Bratti are unlikely candidates to leave either. Probably, Wolf/Tsar are also settled and happy in Michigan. But if one of these teams were to leave, I could see Wolf/ Tsar departing for IAM moreso than Gr/Par.

The Browns had a breakthrough program last season, will they continue that momentum?

Hopefully, they will. The Browns were brilliant last season, and too often robbed in the scoring.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Who will receive the two TBD Skate America spots? Wolfkostin/Tsarevski and Neset/Markelov both only have one assignment, but teams like Cui/Rogers and the Peals had good showings at Nationals and could earn a GP debut.

Probably, if they have a good start to the season, Wolf/Tsar would get a second GP at Skate America. Ditto for Neset/ Markelov. So, possibly these two teams will vy for one spot, and hopefully Cui/ Rogers will get the other spot (their new Sinners FD could be a crowd-pleaser).

Will Aboian/Veselukhin continue their dominance in juniors?

I think Abo/Ves will remain a strong team in their third junior season. It isn't easy to maintain dominance over three seasons as a junior. But they didn't beat top teams at GPF and Worlds in their first junior season. They were strong and talented newcomers who won medals throughout their first junior season, but did not dominate until their second season. So, in their third season, they could very well continue to dominate.

Yet, I think France's Gianesini/ Klaperman will likely prove to be challenging contenders vs Abo/Ves. Judges seemed willing to reward Gia/Klap this past season, especially at 2026 junior Worlds. Gia/Klap ultimately were not strong enough to overtake Abo/Ves in that competition. Still, it's obvious that the judges love Gia/Klap's creativity and could favor them in tight matchups. Overall, I would still give Abo/Ves the edge.

 

[bckabck]

To me the big factor for US Ice Dance and ice dance in general, especially at international comps, will be the new technical committee and that the ISU is more focused on trying to curb some of the political judging nature. Now, like the ISU said they have always been aware of the politics, but they seemed to always let it slide a bit. Will IAM continue to dominate or will more skaters from other academies start to come up in the rankings due to this change? It will be interesting come the first international competitions how things will start to shake out.

Also, I think a contributing factor will be the Waltz for the RD this season. Some teams I believe will excel and some might fall behind due to a need for stronger skating skills. The Waltz has a ballroom feel and this past quad has favored a more contemporary dance style. Of course, if anyone has ever watched the show So You Think You Can Dance or even Dancing With The Stars, those with a contemporary dance background can succeed in ballroom dancing. The Waltzes have traditionally been a strong dance for the Soviet/Russian skaters. Yes, there have been other countries that have won in the waltz (Virture/Moir, Papadakis/Cizerone, etc.). I think those skating schools with more Soviet/Russian skating technique in their training might do better than those that don't. However, it will be interesting how this new ISU technical panel calls things.

 

[bckabck]

Going off of @dancelion21 thought questions for the Senior ice dance teams:

At this moment my feeling is the top spots in the US will be between Z/K, C/Pom, G/P, B/S and maybe the Browns. Z/K will continue their momentum. I do agree with @BlissfulSynergy that C/Pom may have hit thier peak. G/P, while have better skating skills, I think could have also hit their peak (though when they skate clean I do think they get underscored). The issue with the Browns is their overall packaging; however, their Godfather free dance was really good and entertaining. They haven't hit their peak yet so they could within the next quad move up.

Then we have the middle group that is chomping at the heels and I think could make a case to get in that top group. Those are N/M and W/T. The wildcards that could also shake up the US ice dance field are the Peals, C/R and F/J. N/M I think have the stigma of young marriage from the WASA camp. Having heard Ben Agosto's commentating remarks about this team during the 24/25 season it seems WASA left a bad taste in his mouth with that. I am guessing that other officials also felt the same way as him. Hopefully, that will not be the case this year as they are a very talented team. W/T is alright but feel like something is still lacking. I do think that the Peals, C/R and F/J are the wildcards and will all make cases to move up in the rankings this season.

The two SKAM spots could go a couple of ways. If the US fed wants to give N/M and/or W/T 2nd spots, or use those spots for some teams that didn't get any assignments. I doubt they'll give P/B a 2nd spot as it doesn't seem like the US Fed backs them that much. I could see the US Fed giving those spots to the Peals and/or F/J. Depending on Challenger competition results I think will help the US Fed decide. The US has till September to put names in those spots?

As for any teams moving to IAM or leaving MIDA? Of the ISP listed above 3 train at NOVI, 5 train at IAM, 4 train at MIDA, 1 at WASA and 1 part time MIDA with Ilin. I doubt anyone will leave MIDA or IAM as they seem pretty happy/content there. The Mullens attend college in the DC area so I doubt they will move full time anywhere else. Also, I don't think N/M will leave WASA but I do believe it could benefit them to move to a different academy (not sure about IAM though). I could see P/B possibly leave NOVI to IAM because they are getting passed over by the other teams.

Of course the season is just getting started so all of my opinions could and will probably change as I start to see them all skate at competitions and not just what they choose to share on social media.

 

[bckabck]

Now for my Junior thoughts:

A/V will continue to be at the top of the US junior ice dance field and possibly still of the international field. Aboian reminds me of Marina Anisinaw. This will probably be their last season in junior, but I am hoping that they both use this season to focus a bit more on control and deeper edges in preparation for when they move up to senior. Other than other international teams, I do think there are some other US junior teams that have the potential to challenge them for that top spot. R/R, C/Z and V/L all had a great first season together. I expect them all to improve this season.

I'm hoping Olivia Ilin has found another partner as she's such a beautiful skater. She was on IcePartnerSearch at one point, but she it was taken off. Not sure if that means she found someone or she just decided not to partner this season. We haven't heard from Deych and Hu on if they have also found new partners or not.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

N/M I think have the stigma of young marriage from the WASA camp. Having heard Ben Agosto's commentating remarks about this team during the 24/25 season it seems WASA left a bad taste in his mouth with that. I am guessing that other officials also felt the same way as him.

Huh? Why so? Because of jealousy and ice dance vindictiveness bts? IMO, I feel less respect for Ben Agosto for the way he commented in such a snubby, negative fashion at 2025 U.S. Nationals when Neset/ Markelov were in the kiss 'n cry. It's not Agosto's business nor anyone else's business when two young people personally unknown and unrelated to us decide to get married. Neset's parents fully approved her getting married at 17. And from all evidence, Leah & Artem are very much in love. Frankly, it makes me very suspicious of Ben's motivations. While Ben himself is based at WASA in Colorado, he was formerly Tanith Belbin's ice dance partner. Thus, his gossipy comment targeting Leah & Artem while they sat in the kiss n' cry, IMO smacks of trying to cast aspersions on talented N/M for the purposes of harming them in the judges' minds, while hoping to give further advantage to their rivals in the MIDA camp. If this was not Ben's intention, he still comes off as a snobby, feckless gossip, and not a good or fair commentator.

I recall that when they were juniors, Leah & Artem were interviewed by GS. Artem spoke about having moved in with Leah and her family when he first came to the U.S. He said he fully had plans to move out on his own when he could. But, as it turned out, they all got along so well that he was embraced by her family and they all felt comfortable and happy about him continuing to live with them. His family later met her family, too, and they all get along well. I think that's wonderful. Family love and support means a lot.

Clearly, Artem & Leah ended up falling in love, which is surely the main reason why they married so young. The fact it also helps to gain U.S. citizenship faster probably had some bearing on why they married sooner than later. But I don't think they decided to marry just for citizenship reasons. I'm sure they married because they are in love and want to be together forever. Is there a 'taint' or 'stigma' on other teams like Efimova/ Mitrofanov and Lauriault/ Le Gac because getting married helped one of the partners to gain citizenship faster? There shouldn't be. I believe both of those couples fell in love, too, which was surely their main reason for getting married. Anyone fixated on Leah's age has a problem with being negative and judgmental. Such attitudes do not bode well for judgemental people's personal karma.

A career partnership in figure skating will not last as long as a committed, sincere marriage union. Bystander fans and figure skating officials need to concern themselves with their own personal affairs and try to avoid being holier-than-thou to the point of sitting in judgement on a talented and accomplished young, married ice dance team. Fortunately, I doubt that Neset/ Markelov are worrying themselves about petty gossip and nasty gossipers. They are clearly working hard, having fun, and seem fully and positively engaged in building their promising career.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Aboian reminds me of Marina Anisinaw.

You mean Marina Annisina, the Russian ice dancer who repped France with Gwendal Peizarat. I loved Annisina/ Peizarat. They were bold, exciting, and inventive.

I personally do not see much, if any, similarity between Hana Maria Aboian and Marina Annisina, in terms of looks or style. Hana is very unique, precocious, balletic, and extremely confident for her young age. I didn't see Marina when she was a very young skater, but in her career with Gwendal, I do not see many parallels with Hana and Daniil at all. Maybe the speed that both teams had/ have across the ice can be compared. And perhaps the confidence that Hana exudes, Marina also had, at least on the surface.

I find that Evgeniia Lopareva (Russian ice dancer repping France with Geoffrey Brissaud) seems to consciously pattern herself after Annisina, with the dyed bright red hair and the innovative skating style created with Brissaud. Albeit, that L/B are not exactly like A/P. I think it's more that A/P's innovative brilliance has inspired L/B in their approach to carving out a unique presence on the ice.

Aboian/ Veselukhin are still young, still growing and developing their style. Aboian has grown so much taller in the past two years. She's lucky to have a very tall, equally matched partner in Daniil. A/V's partnership is one of those rare, magical connections that flourish rapidly. I wish them continued success and steady improvement. Navigating a career after early success in juniors is obviously not easy. And that's an understatement. Hopefully, they will be able to find more smooth sailing than rough in this daunting sport.

 

[bckabck]

Huh? Why so? Because of jealousy and ice dance vindictiveness bts? IMO, I feel less respect for Ben Agosto for the way he commented in such a snubby, negative fashion at 2025 U.S. Nationals when Neset/ Markelov were in the kiss 'n cry. It's not Agosto's business nor anyone else's business when two young people personally unknown and unrelated to us decide to get married. Neset's parents fully approved her getting married at 17. And from all evidence, Leah & Artem are very much in love. Frankly, it makes me very suspicious of Ben's motivations. While Ben himself is based at WASA in Colorado, he was formerly Tanith Belbin's ice dance partner. Thus, his gossipy comment targeting Leah & Artem while they sat in the kiss n' cry, IMO smacks of trying to cast aspersions on talented N/M for the purposes of harming them in the judges' minds, while hoping to give further advantage to their rivals in the MIDA camp. If this was not Ben's intention, he still comes off as a snobby, feckless gossip, and not a good or fair commentator.

I recall that when they were juniors, Leah & Artem were interviewed by GS. Artem spoke about having moved in with Leah and her family when he first came to the U.S. He said he fully had plans to move out on his own when he could. But, as it turned out, they all got along so well that he was embraced by her family and they all felt comfortable and happy about him continuing to live with them. His family later met her family, too, and they all get along well. I think that's wonderful. Family love and support means a lot.

Clearly, Artem & Leah ended up falling in love, which is surely the main reason why they married so young. The fact it also helps to gain U.S. citizenship faster is probably why they married sooner than later. But I don't think they decided to marry just for citizenship reasons. I'm sure they married because they are in love and want to be together forever. Is there a 'taint' or 'stigma' on other teams like Efimova/ Mitrofanov and Lauriault/ Le Gac because getting married helped one of the partners to gain citizenship faster? There shouldn't be. I believe both of those couples fell in love, which is their main reason for getting married. Anyone fixated on Leah's age has a problem with being negative and judgmental. Such attitudes do not bode well for judgemental people's personal karma.

A career partnership in figure skating will not last as long as a committed, sincere marriage union. Bystander fans and figure skating officials need to concern themselves with their own personal affairs and try to avoid being holier-than-thou to the point of sitting in judgement on a talented and accomplished young, married ice dance team. Fortunately, I doubt that Neset/ Markelov are worrying themselves about petty gossip and nasty gossipers. They are clearly working hard, having fun, and seem fully and positively engaged in building their promising career.

It does feel that way, that they wanted to ding them because of the young marriages. Agreed, that it shouldn't matter about the personal lives when it comes to figure skating, and the scores should reflect more of the skating. In references to marriages it is sad that more focus was on the youngsters vs when those a little older do it for same reasons. In the case of N/M, I also totally agree that they did it because they loved each other, and talked it over with their parents so to me it was all up and up. Ben did at the time train out of the CO area (or used to if he doesn't anymore), and was more aware of the happenings that occurred at the time than us. That being said, I don't think he should have commented on it during a live broadcast, and should just respect other peoples' relationship decisions. While I don't agree with the gossiping, I do actually like Ben's commentating as I have mentioned in other threads before because he does usually focus on the skating quality and pinpoints areas/elements for good and bad.

 

[bckabck]

You mean Marina Annisina, the Russian ice dancer who repped France with Gwendal Peizarat. I loved Annisina/ Peizarat. They were bold, exciting, and inventive.

I personally do not see much, if any, similarity between Hana Maria Aboian and Marina Annisina, in terms of looks or style. Hana is very unique, precocious, balletic, and extremely confident for her young age. I didn't see Marina when she was a very young skater, but in her career with Gwendal, I do not see many parallels with Hana and Daniil at all. Maybe the speed that both teams had/ have across the ice can be compared. And perhaps the confidence that Hana exudes, Marina also had, at least on the surface.

I find that Evgeniia Lopareva (Russian ice dancer repping France with Geoffrey Brissaud) seems to consciously pattern herself after Annisina, with the dyed bright red hair and the innovative skating style created with Brissaud. Albeit, that L/B are not exactly like A/P. I think it's more that A/P's innovative brilliance has inspired L/B in their approach to carving out a unique presence on the ice.

Aboian/ Veselukhin are still young, still growing and developing their style. Aboian has grown so much taller in the past two years. She's lucky to have a very tall, equally matched partner in Daniil. A/V's partnership is one of those rare, magical connections that flourish rapidly. I wish them continued success and steady improvement. Navigating a career after early success in juniors is obviously not easy. And that's an understatement. Hopefully, they will be able to find more smooth sailing than rough in this daunting sport.

Yes, Marina Annisina is who I see when I watch Aboian. I haven't seen Marina when she was young either (might be able to find a clip somewhere on the internet of things). It is like you said more the confidence and speed, but it's also to me her dedication to the program she is portraying. That's just my personal opinion.

When they do move up to seniors it is going to be an even deeper US ice dance field.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

I don't think N/M will leave WASA but I do believe it could benefit them to move to a different academy (not sure about IAM though). I could see P/B possibly leave NOVI to IAM because they are getting passed over by the other teams.

I think there is a feeling among fans that N/M would do better moving on from WASA. But I believe they are happy and bonded with their coach, Elena Dostatni. She's a very good coach, too, even if she doesn't seem to have a lot of political clout and connections bts. There's an excellent support staff of ice dance coaches and off-ice trainers at WASA, too. And Dostatni brings in outside consultants, choreographers, and coaches to assist. Plus, Colorado is an excellent location, with the Olympic Training Center situated nearby WASA's Broadmoor facility.

Who knows what will happen down the line. I actually think IAM coaches would likely love to work with Neset/ Markelov. They are young, talented, and have a classically trained aesthetic, with much room to continue growing, developing, and evolving their career. It remains to be seen, though, if N/M will want to ever make a move. Never say never.

OTOH, it seems to me that Pate/Bye are on the downside of their career. I have enjoyed a number of P/B's fun, creative programs, but comparatively their SS still need work and their style continues to be rough around the edges. They are very pleasant to watch, affable, entertaining, and competitive. While no one can or should tell athletes when to stop pursuing their passion, an issue in U.S. ice dance is the extraordinary depth and thus limited chances to compete. Yet, P/B are well-liked by U.S. fed, and have been given many competitive opportunities as a result. Still, the plentiful, above-average talent in U.S. ice dance leaves little room to advance or to sustain a position at the top or mid-tier without exceptional abilities.

P/B dropping in the standings at 2026 U.S. Nats was not a surprise. In part, they dropped due to errors, but still, unless they bring something extra special and show more refined improvement, I do not see them holding their own with all the hungry, talented young teams on-the-rise in U.S. ice dance. At this stage of their career, I would be shocked if P/B left Shpilband and even more speechless if they were embraced and accepted to train at IAM. Coaches at IAM already have U.S.'s Pham/Spirodonov, a good, very nice-looking young team, who currently are not showing any distinctive, remarkable capabilities. Why would they add older, less than exciting P/B to the mix? If P/B are finally "getting passed over" as you call it, that's happening for solid reasons.

IMO, P/B did not deserve to place third at 2024 Lake Placid Ice Dance International comp. But then, I thought the Browns should have won in 2024 over long-time Canadian veterans, Lauriault/ Le Gac (who had boring, same-old programs that season). Finally, the Browns were given their due at 2025 LPID, winning with exceptional programs over a surprisingly renewed looking Lauriault/ Le Gac, who had switched to train under Moir/Hubbell.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

It does feel that way, that they wanted to ding them because of the young marriages. Agreed, that it shouldn't matter about the personal lives when it comes to figure skating, and the scores should reflect more of the skating. In references to marriages it is sad that more focus was on the youngsters vs when those a little older do it for same reasons. In the case of N/M, I also totally agree that they did it because they loved each other, and talked it over with their parents so to me it was all up and up. Ben did at the time train out of the CO area (or used to if he doesn't anymore), and was more aware of the happenings that occurred at the time than us. That being said, I don't think he should have commented on it during a live broadcast, and should just respect other peoples' relationship decisions. While I don't agree with the gossiping, I do actually like Ben's commentating as I have mentioned in other threads before because he does usually focus on the skating quality and pinpoints areas/elements for good and bad.

I used to enjoy Ben's ice dance commentating, but he's awkward and less knowledgeable when covering the other disciplines. The fact that Ben has been based at WASA does not mean he knew anything about N/M's initial private marriage. That information was publicly and salaciously revealed by Dave Lease after he was maliciously fed private info about another team's marriage. He went sleuthing through public records to find confirmation in order to spread vile and misleading gossip. BTW, all three young married teams in question (who formerly trained at WASA) clearly got married because they actually love each other, and are still married, because they didn't just marry to fast-track obtaining U.S. citizenship.

I'm not sure if Ben is still located full-time at WASA since he's been foraying into commentating. He has coached at WASA (not in Elena Dostatni's group, though) with his wife, Katherine Hill, a choreographer and movement specialist.

 

[bckabck]

I think there is a feeling among fans that N/M would do better moving on from WASA. But I believe they are happy and bonded with their coach, Elena Dostatni. She's a very good coach, too, even if she doesn't seem to have a lot of political clout and connections bts. There's an excellent support staff of ice dance coaches and off-ice trainers at WASA, too. And Dostatni brings in outside consultants, choreographers, and coaches to assist. Plus, Colorado is an excellent location, with the Olympic Training Center situated nearby WASA's Broadmoor facility.

Who knows what will happen down the line. I actually think IAM coaches would likely love to work with Neset/ Markelov. They are young, talented, and have a classically trained aesthetic, with much room to continue growing, developing, and evolving their career. It remains to be seen, though, if N/M will want to ever make a move. Never say never.

OTOH, it seems to me that Pate/Bye are on the downside of their career. I have enjoyed a number of P/B's fun, creative programs, but comparatively their SS still need work and their style continues to be rough around the edges. They are very pleasant to watch, affable, entertaining, and competitive. While no one can or should tell athletes when to stop pursuing their passion, an issue in U.S. ice dance is the extraordinary depth and thus limited chances to compete. Yet, P/B are well-liked by U.S. fed, and have been given many competitive opportunities as a result. Still, the plentiful, above-average talent in U.S. ice dance leaves little room to advance or to sustain a position at the top or mid-tier without exceptional abilities.

P/B dropping in the standings at 2026 U.S. Nats was not a surprise. In part, they dropped due to errors, but still, unless they bring something extra special and show more refined improvement, I do not see them holding their own with all the hungry, talented young teams on-the-rise in U.S. ice dance. At this stage of their career, I would be shocked if P/B left Shpilband and even more speechless if they were embraced and accepted to train at IAM. Coaches at IAM already have U.S.'s Pham/Spirodonov, a good, very nice-looking young team, who currently are not showing any distinctive, remarkable capabilities. Why would they add older, less than exciting P/B to the mix? If P/B are finally "getting passed over" as you call it, that's happening for solid reasons.

IMO, P/B did not deserve to place third at 2024 Lake Placid Ice Dance International comp. But then, I thought the Browns should have won in 2024 over long-time Canadian veterans, Lauriault/ Le Gac (who had boring, same-old programs that season). Finally, the Browns were given their due at 2025 LPID, winning with exceptional programs over a surprisingly renewed looking Lauriault/ Le Gac, who had switched to train under Moir/Hubbell.

I think the strong bond that N/M have with Dostani is one of the reasons that I doubt they would ever move. They're more like a family if that makes sense.

Yes, P/B to me are getting passed over and yes, it is for solid reasons. I haven't seen them improve in the past few seasons when other teams have been surpassing them. It does make me wonder if they're not getting the training to help them. They seemed to have stalled. I don't know if a move to IAM or another academy would help or not, or if they have any thought about it, or if they even feel like they have stalled. Who knows (haha)?

If teams are happy where they are that's all that really matters. Sometimes it can help to try training somewhere new and sometimes it can be a setback.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

It is like you said more the confidence and speed, but it's also to me her dedication to the program she is portraying. That's just my personal opinion.

I get it. You see something else beyond the confidence and speed. While I do see similarities between Aboian and Annisina in their speed and confidence, the rest I'm not seeing especially. Many skaters are dedicated in their own ways to the passion of their performances. But whatever Hana makes you feel, it's great to hear you express.

I also think Hana is very unique, and still growing, so right now I am not actually reminded of anyone else when I watch her. It's just a thrill to witness her amazing talent, and to see her growth each season. At this age, her promise is still evolving. I only hope we will be lucky enough to see her realize her full potential.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

They're more like a family if that makes sense

Yes, I agree that they seem like a bonded family. That's lovely to see. Sometimes a loyal bond and deep connection mean more than pursuing elevation elsewhere for political stakes reasons.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Yes, P/B to me are getting passed over

Probably, that's what it amounts to, but I look at it and would term it as dropping down in the standings organically due to having peaked and (so far) not showing ability to further improve on their weaknesses. U.S. ice dance is stocked and stacked with talent, so it doesn't get any easier for teams as their career progresses.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

I doubt they'll give P/B a 2nd spot as it doesn't seem like the US Fed backs them that much.

Oh no. Pate/ Bye have been very well-liked by U.S. fed, and they have received many opportunities, full backing, and judging help. For e.g., IMO, there's no way P/B deserved to place third at 2024 LPIDI, over Neset/Markelov, and over Flores/ Desyatov's groundbreaking FD!

It's just that in the long run, such backing and support will wane in the natural course of competitive ebb and flow. P/B are older; they've peaked; and they haven't so far shown any improved refinement in their skating. This doesn't mean they are no longer skilled, entertaining, or competitive. It's just that without bringing something more exceptional to the table, political support will move on to other clearly more talented teams, especially in the stacked, highly competitive U.S. ice dance discipline.

That said, I think you're right that it won't be P/B who get a second GP spot, unless there's other reasons, such as injuries, which might open things up.

 

[dancelion21]

That said, I think you're right that it won't be P/B who get a second GP spot, unless there's other reasons, such as injuries, which might open things up.

Pate Bye already have two Grand Prix assignments