Picture by Daphne Backman
For the subsequent entry in our New Crew Sequence, we meet Sylvie Kotch & Archie Schuster, intermediate ice dancers from the US who completed fifth on the juvenile degree on the 2026 U.S. Ice Dance Remaining.
Tell us about your particular person skating journeys, together with any early particular recollections.
Sylvie: I discovered find out how to skate on my yard rink, once I was 3 years outdated. At age 6, once I began to attempt to bounce alone, my mother referred to as a figure skating membership for me to take classes, however as a result of it was throughout covid, my first classes with a coach have been on my yard rink. I began competing singles at age 8.
Archie: I began skating at 8 in Be taught to Skate. I actually favored it, so I saved going, and I particularly favored doing spirals down the ice. My first competitors was at age 10.
Sylvie: I began ice dance as a result of I wished to see what it will really feel like. I actually loved it and wished to maintain ice dancing as a result of it was enjoyable and I spotted I wished to skate with a companion.
Inform us how your partnership began?
Sylvie: I met Archie on the 2023 Excel Nationwide Competition in Austin TX, and we have been each from MN. We saved seeing one another at competitions all through that yr and acquired to know one another, and our mothers each knew we wished to skate with a companion in some unspecified time in the future. Someday, we realized our ice dance classes have been back-to-back, so we requested the coach to attempt us out as companions in ice dance. Our tryout went nicely, and it felt good skating collectively.
Archie: I met Sylvie in Austin, TX on the Excel collection and we each ended up being from MN, and we began skating collectively a yr later and it labored!
What’s it that you simply like most about dancing with new companion?
Sylvie: What I like most about skating with Archie is that he works exhausting, and I belief him.
Archie: What I like most about skating with my companion is that she is at all times a shiny presence on and off the ice and has an unbelievable lightness to her skating.
What experiences do every of you carry to the partnership?
Sylvie: I skated with Northernettes synchronized skating for 3 years and produce expertise skating “in-synch” with teammates, that is the place I spotted I actually wished to skate with a companion. I competed on the 2025 Synchronized Skating Nationwide Championships on the juvenile degree. I’ve handed my Silver Expertise and my bronze free skate.
Archie: I’ve handed my gold abilities, and pre-gold freestyle exams however most essential, I at all times come to the rink with a very good perspective and a development mindset.
What has been the largest adjustment for every of you thus far within the partnership?
Sylvie: The largest adjustment for us has been scheduling our coaching time at each of our rinks and with all our coaches.
Archie: The largest adjustment has been studying to work with one another on creating our packages, such because the music and costumes.
Inform us about your coaching website.
We prepare at St. Paul FSC and at Braemar Metropolis of Lakes FSC. We each take ballet and Pilates at our residence membership, Braemar.
Inform us about your coaches.
Our main dance coach is Madeline Moore, and our supportng coaches are Ari Lieb, Molly Oberstar & Kelly Corcoran-Smith. Our off-ice Pilates and Dance coach is Lisa Zamarripa.
Who’s choreographing your packages. Is another person arranging your music? In that case, please share these experiences.
Sylvie: Greg Zuerlein and Tanith Belbin collaborated for this season’s choreography. Hugo Chouinard lower the free dance music. I actually get pleasure from working with Greg & Tanith at MIDA and sit up for our journeys there.
Archie: It’s a pleasure to work with them and have enjoyable as we work exhausting.
If you happen to might have a lesson with any ice dancer previous/current, who wouldn’t it be? Why?
Sylvie: I wish to have a lesson with Madison Chock as a result of she is so enjoyable to look at, and I really like her costumes.
Guillaume Cizeron, as a result of I like his skill to regulate the ice with laser targeted precision as his physique melds with the music embodying it fully!
What’s every of you wanting ahead to most this skating season? What might be your greatest problem(s)?
Sylvie: I’m wanting ahead to competing, as a result of it’s what I get pleasure from essentially the most. Our greatest problem might be qualifying for nationals, being new to the intermediate degree.
Archie: I’m wanting ahead to: NQS, qualifying for Nationals at intermediate is our long-term objective this yr and our greatest problem.
Please share something you want to our readers to learn about you as a workforce?
Sylvie: We’re an incredible workforce as a result of we each actually get pleasure from studying new abilities and rising collectively.
Archie: As a workforce: we each love having one another as companion and the progress we make on a regular basis, particularly when our technical parts come collectively the week earlier than competitors.
Observe Sylvie and Archie on their workforce Instagram account @Sylvie.Archie.icedanceteam.
