by Anne Calder | Pictures by Daphne Backman
The 2026 U.S. Determine Skating Championships have been held in St. Louis, MO from January 4-11. The primary occasion, which included the choice of the 2026 Olympic Group was held downtown on the Enterprise Centre.
Rhythm Dance
The Rhythm Dance was skated Thursday, January 8, the second day of the senior occasion. Fifteen groups competed. Ten earned byes and 5 certified on the 2026 Ice Dance Remaining in Henderson, NV.
The dancers skated to excessive vitality and attention-grabbing “Music, Dance Kinds and Emotions of the 1990’s.” Any music was potential so long as it was launched initially or as a canopy model within the 1990’s. Additionally allowed was remixed and/or remastered music, together with cowl variations and music created by way of AI within the Fashion of 1990’s.
On the finish, the world leaderboard confirmed: (1) Madison Chock & Evan Bates, (2) Emilea Zingas & Vadym Kolesnik, (3) Christina Carreira & Anthony Pononarenko (4) Caroline Inexperienced & Michael Parsons, (5) Emily Bratti & Ian Somerville.
Madison Chock & Evan Bates scored a season greatest 91.70 factors for his or her efficiency to “American Lady”, “Fly Away”, “All the time On the Run” and “Are You Gonna Go My Manner” by Lenny Kravitz. The married couple trains at I.AM in Montreal, Canada.
Emilea Zingas & Vadym Kolesnik have been second with a dance to “Poison” and “One thing In Your Eyes” by Bell Biv DeVoe. This system scored a season greatest 85.98 factors. The 2025 Finlandia Trophy bronze medalists practice in Novi, MI with Igor Shpilband’s group.
Christina Carrera & Anthony Ponomarenko’s danced to “Candy Desires” by La Bouche and “100% Pure Love” by Crystal Waters, Basement Boys and scored 83.29. The workforce trains in London, Ontario, CAN with Coaches Madison Hubbell and Scott Moir and Adrian Diaz.
Caroline Inexperienced & Michael Parsons scored 80.55 with their dance to “Groove Is within the Coronary heart” by Dee-lite, “I’m Too Attractive” by Proper Stated Fred and “Groove Is within the Coronary heart (Scotty 2025 Remix) by Dee-lite. The workforce trains in Canton, MI with Coaches Tanith Belbin and Greg Zuerlein.
Emily Bratti & Ian Somerville (pictured, under) earned a 79.43 rating with their efficiency to “Vogue” by Madonna and “Stroll 4 Me” by Tronco TraxxFree Dance. In addition they practice in Canton, MI with Coaches, Greg Zuerlein, Tanith White and Brooke O’Keefe.
Free Dance
The Free Dance was competed on Saturday after the groups have been divided into three teams decided by the reverse end order of the Rhythm Dance. Every group of dancers was launched individually by skating order previous to its 5 minute warmup.
Group 1 opened the afternoon session with the groups that had positioned 11-15 competing their Rhythm Dances.
Within the night, the ultimate ten groups competed, starting with the dancers who had completed 6-10 on Thursday. The occasion closed with the 5 highest scoring groups from the Rhythm Dance. The dancers carried out in reverse order starting with the fifth place workforce.
The order of the highest 4 groups remained the identical after the Free Dance. A number of modifications occurred with the groups 5 to fifteen. Dance medals have been later awarded on the ice to the 4 highest scoring groups.
Madison Chock & Evan Bates (gold) claimed their seventh Nationwide Championship title, breaking the report held by Meryl Davis & Charlie White. The World Champions opted for reverse roles whereas dancing to “Paint it Black” by Ramin Djawadi with Chock because the male conventional matador and Bates because the bull. The workforce tapped the experience of Spanish dancer and determine skating choreographer, Antonio Najarro to assist create a singular marriage of Paso Doble and Flamenco. This system scored 137.17 and a complete 228.87.
The workforce was requested about their plan to get on the Milan Olympic podium.
“It’s going to be extra of what it has been,” Chock mentioned. “We all know what to do. Now we have a plan, and we’re executing it, and we don’t plan on deviating from it. We’re going to belief ourselves and belief our workforce.”
“I believe our efficiency was positively one of the best we’ve skated the free dance all yr,” added Bates. “It reveals our plan is working. We wish to construct momentum via the season. It’s an ideal feeing going into an enormous occasion realizing that you just’ve skated properly within the earlier competitors, so we’re going to roll with that momentum.”
Emilea Zingas & Vadym Kolesnik’s (silver) interpretation of Sergei Prokofiev’s traditional ballet, Romeo & Juliet emphasised the darker gothic sides of the teenage characters with their alternative of music items – “Dance of the Knights” and “Juliet’s Loss of life” – and the tragically dramatic drop-dead faceless ending. Choreographed by Benoit Richaud, this system scored 127.67 factors and a 213.65 competitors complete.
“That is an especially particular occasion for us,” Zingas famous. “Final yr, right now, we skilled some disappointment on the US Nationals and truthfully, I really feel grateful for that second, as a result of it taught me to know what I would like, and taught me how I don’t wish to really feel after a nationwide championships. I believe that was just a little little bit of a blessing in disguise, as a result of we have been capable of come collectively within the off season, and know precisely what our aim was, and precisely what we wanted to do to get right here.”
Carreira & Ponomarenko (bronze) danced to “The Woman with the Plums,” “Fragrance – Distilled” and “Assembly Laura” from Fragrance – the Story of a Assassin and “The Huge Smoke,” “Strictly Taboo” and “Deceit and Betrayal” by Audiomachine. After battling inconsistency and lacking the rostrum at their two 2025 Grand Prix occasions, the workforce deserted the Notre Dame de Paris soundtrack. In November the workforce returned to the extra profitable 2023-24 program. The music and theme remained the identical whereas the choreography was up to date. This system scored 123.66 with a 3rd place 206.95 complete.
“We had a little bit of a rocky begin to this season, however I’m completely happy that we acquired our act collectively after the Grand Prix, and we have been capable of ship efficiency right here,” Carreira mentioned. “I used to be actually completely happy to be skating with Maddie and Evan. They’ve been with us since we teamed up, and we’ve all the time appeared as much as them.”
Caroline Inexperienced & Michael Parson’s (pewter) carried out their dance to “Escalate” by Tsar B and “Son of Nyx” by Hozier that scored 121.50. The workforce medaled at three 2025-2026 worldwide occasions. Sadly on the Cup of China, the duo was compelled to withdraw after Parson’s fall within the Rhythm Dance resulted in a hip damage. The workforce completed in fourth place with a 202.05 complete.
“We left each single piece of ourselves on the market on the ice in the present day,” Parsons mentioned. “And it’s laborious to talk now. I simply really feel empty, however, I imply in the absolute best approach.”
Bratti & Somerville skated first within the closing group to the music of “Nureyev” from The White Crow by Ilan Eshkeri, Lisa Batiashvili and Dudana Mazmanishvili and scored 117.86. Their fifth place end totaled 197.29.
“We have been actually pleased with the way it went,” Bratti mentioned. “It was actually laborious. We gave it all the pieces all week in practices, and we felt very drained from early on greater than regular, so it felt like type of a combat to get via it. We’re actually completely happy we have been capable of skate clear and get all the pieces finished.”
It was enjoyable although,” added Somerville. “We made certain that we actually related principally with one another, probably not focusing an excessive amount of on the viewers this time. Very totally different than the rhythm dance.”
Senior Ice Chips:
- The 2026 U.S. Nationwide Championships had a complete attendance of 93,231 throughout the 9 senior classes on the Enterprise Middle and two junior and novice classes at Centene Neighborhood Ice Middle. The St. Louis Sports activities Fee estimates the occasion introduced 5,000 guests to the area.
- Congratulations to our new U.S. Residents. Christina Carreira was born in Montreal, Canada and moved to Novi, Michigan when she was 13 to proceed her ice dance coaching. Carreira turned a U.S. citizen in November 2025. Vadym Kolesnik was born in Ukraine. He was 15 when he additionally moved to Novi, Michigan to coach with Igor Shpilband. Kolesnik turned a U.S. citizen in the summertime of 2025.
- Maia Shibutani & Alex Shibutani returned to the U.S. Determine Skating Championships after a seven-year go away of absence. The siblings earned a number of nationwide and worldwide medals throughout their careers. Within the 2025-2026 season they competed on the ISU Grand Prix Collection NHK Trophy (sixth), Finlandia Trophy (fifth) and the usNational Championships (ninth).
- Oona Brown & Gage Brown honored their Italian-American heritage with a Free Dance story skated to the Godfather soundtrack.The mesmerizing efficiency earned a thunderous standing ovation from the captivated viewers. The choreography all the time had the concept of amplifying the ending, however with a potential fall deduction the workforce put it on maintain for a present or Nationals. Gage’s dying roll on the ice made its debut in St. Louis.
Gage Brown: “After we’re in our ending place, particularly with a skate like that, and the gang at such a
quantity, so enthusiastic, realizing what we simply did, to take advantage of the ending was only a cherry on prime, and it was actually satisfying to try this for each of us,”
- Elliana Peal & Ethan Peal superior to the senior degree after the 2025 Championships. In April, the siblings moved from Nashville, TN to London, Ontario Canada to coach with new coaches. Elliana: “I really feel like our skating has improved a ton since our transfer. We’re now going into every occasion with a totally different mindset than we had up to now. I really feel like yearly in junior we have been all the time making an attempt to get this one aim. Now we take it competitors by competitors. The aim is to do properly there after which the subsequent one and so on. We strategy every competitors as its personal factor, and what we will be taught from it?”Ethan: “Identical to in the present day, we’re going attempt to work out what we will be taught from this occasion. If I might sum it up in a single phrase, it will be transformative.”
- Katarina Wolfkostin & Dimitry Tsarevski skated to the music from the Kill Invoice soundtrack and “Malagueña” by Brian Setzer. For the second season their program ended with a dying scene. The duo was requested in the event that they needed to apply dying on the ice.
Wolfkostin: “Not precisely. This season we watched the film and tried to drag inspiration from the final scene the place his character, Invoice, will get struck with a five-point dying punch or one thing like that.
Tsarevski: “As we have been choreographing, we realized that we have been out of time, so we thought, let’s simply add a dying scene.”
2026 U.S. Olympic workforce:
Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko
Madison Chock and Evan Bates
Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik
Anthony Ponomarenko: “Unbelievable. I simply can’t wait. … We’re lastly in groove, so simply maintain working. We nonetheless have lots of little particulars to repair up and present the absolute best model of ourselves on the Video games.”
Madison Chock: “We’re so excited. The Olympics positively by no means loses its luster. I’m simply as excited as I used to be the primary we made the workforce. It’s such an honor to be part of Group USA and signify our nation and U.S. Determine Skating on the Olympics. I really feel so grateful to be a part of this workforce. The entire folks on the workforce are so unimaginable, so particular and so gifted.”
Vadym Kolesnik: “For me, it’s a dream of my life to signify the U.S. Ever since I moved right here on the age 15, I knew that I needed to signify the U.S. and go to the Olympics and do my very best, so it’s an honor for me.”
Alternate 1: Caroline Inexperienced and Michael Parsons
Alternate 2: Emily Bratti and Ian Somerville
Alternate 3: Oona Brown and Gage Brown
