Tag: Bates

Photo Credit Danielle Earl/U.S. Figure Skating
By Troy Schwindt

Madison Chock and Evan Bates notched their record-tying sixth ice dance title Saturday at the 2025 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

Their fourth consecutive U.S. gold, their sixth total title matches Meryl Davis and Charlie White.

In the pairs competition, Alisha Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov claimed their first pairs crown. Defending champion Ilia Malinin cruised to a big lead after the men’s short program.

Chock and Bates Make History with Sixth Ice Dance Title
Ten years after winning their first U.S. title, Chock and Bates added another layer to their legacy in U.S. ice dance, tying the record for the most-ever U.S. titles in ice dance – sharing the top with 2014 Olympic champions Davis and White.

Bates, who trained alongside Davis and White earlier in his career, said it’s an honor to be part of the U.S. ice dancing legacy and credited the 2014 Olympic champions with showing younger ice dancers what is possible.

“They were the ones who showed us what it takes to become the best team in the world – how hard they trained on the ice, how dedicated they were off the ice, how graceful they were whether they won or lost. Every time, they were so classy,” Bates said. “It’s hard not to understand the gravity of, yeah we won our sixth one today and it’s incredible to tie their record. To know the legacy of U.S. ice dance and what this group of skaters has accomplished over the last 25 years, it’s crazy.”

In their 14th U.S. Championships together, cool assurance and sophistication marked Chock and Bates’ free dance to the Dave Brubeck-penned jazz classic “Take Five,” as did two spectacular closing lifts.

They put up a winning free dance score of 131.36 and an overall total of 223.52 points, which is the fifth-highest score in ice dance in U.S. Championships history. They led the field by nearly 13 points more than the silver medalists. 

“It means the world,” he said of standing on the podium. “The U.S. Championships is an event we hold near and dear to our hearts and I think it’s because it’s the competition we grew up coming to every January and watching as kids and I think it’s why we grew up loving the sport. There’s something magical about this event and we hold it in very high regard.”

Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko repeated as silver medalists.

They chose selections from Bizet’s Carmen for their free dance, and did not disappoint, executing their twizzles and lifts with a flourish and building to a passionate closing pose. 

The London, Ontario-based team produced personal best scores of 127.93 and 210.79 for their free dance and overall, respectively.

“This is such a special event and it’s always fun to perform at home,” Carreira said. “This dance field is so strong, and we are proud to be on podium and to be part of the competition.”

Caroline Green and Michael Parsons captivated the crowd with a subtle free dance to a medley including Douglas Dave’s “Dance with Me to the End of Love,” highlighted by a smooth one-foot step sequence and a sweeping curve lift that covered a third of the ice surface. They placed third in the free dance with 123.24 and took the bronze medal with 205.37 total.

“This national championships is the culmination of a huge amount of work that Caroline and I and our entire team have put in,” Parsons said. “It was a really hard year last year and this year has been difficult as well. This is confirmation that the work we put in and the dedication we have to ourselves and to each other is paying off.”

Green and Parsons arrived in Wichita having dealt with injuries and surgery for Parsons in the past year.

Emilia Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik’s haunting free dance to Olafur Arnalds’ “Epiloque” and “Lost It to Trying” began in understated fashion, with angular moves and a refined spin, and then added intensity for a fast-paced finish. 

They claimed the pewter medal with 204.17 points, setting a new personal best and  eclipsing the 200-point mark for the first time.   

Efimova and Mitrofanov Deliver Magical Performance to Take Pairs Title
Efimova and Mitrofanov lifted the audience out of their seats with a spell-binding free skate that sent the pairs team to the top of the podium.

Performing to Forestella’s rendition of “Je Sui Malade,” choreographed by Renee Roca, Efimova and Mitrofanov took the crowd on a roller coaster ride of emotions — by turns soft and tender, then fiercely passionate. Their performance quality never dipped, from an opening Level 4 triple twist to two soaring triple throws and daring lifts. 

The Boston-based duo jumped from third after the short program into the lead with a personal record free skate of 142.87 and an overall record total of 211.90.

“While growing up, I’ve watched pairs and when I was skating singles I never thought I would do pairs,” Mitrofanov said. “But when I switched, I would watch all the big names, and it was always a dream of mine to stand on the podium. It’s very surreal.”

Efimova and Mitrofanov teamed up in June of 2023 and have enjoyed immediate success, earning the U.S. silver medal last season.

Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman rose to the silver medal with a dynamic and powerful performance to a medley including Josh Groban’s “Per Te (For You),” that featured exciting lifts and an elegant death spiral.

The California-based team delivered personal best performances in the free skate, 127.65, and overall, 190.57. The podium finish meant a lot to both skaters, especially McBeath. They started skating together in May 2023.

“Oh my gosh, I’m sorry I’m going crazy,” McBeath said. “I’ve been coming to nationals since 2015. I did four in senior ladies and this is my fifth in pairs. I’ve been close, just off the podium twice. I was fifth once with Nate [Bartholomay] and last year with Daniil, so this will be my first medal and I’m so happy we get to share it.”

Short program leaders Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea experienced a tough night.

The defending champions’ free skate to “Stand by Me” began well, with a high, well-landed triple twist, but falls or near falls on four elements — including side-by-side triple Salchows, both throws and their final lift — spelled disappointment.

The Colorado Springs, Colorado-based team finished fifth in the free skate with a score of 112.38 and an overall total of 189.57. This is their third-consecutive U.S. Championships medal.

 “Sometimes the ice is slippery and unfortunately it was for us tonight,” O’Shea said. “But to see the state of U.S. pairs continue to grow and push forward by some of these amazing athletes, we consider ourselves blessed to be on podium with them.”

Performing to Andrea Bocelli’s romantic “Lo Ci Saro,” Emily Chan and Spencer Howe, too, had a solid triple twist, but like Kam and O’Shea, had falls on side-by-side jumps and a throw.

“I was feeling pretty good going into today; the warmup and everything felt good. I think honestly the (fall on the) first Axel, I usually never make that mistake,” Chan said. “I was off my axis, and it was a pretty big shock to me. I think that with the next element coming up so quickly, I was still a little bit shaken going into the next jump. From there, I just tried to regain my focus, but I just felt a little bit shaky. I tried to work together with Spencer and sell the program as much as I could. I’m proud of Spencer, he really was a stable base for me throughout the program, so we were able to make it through safely.”

Malinin Simply Spectacular in Short Program Victory
Ilia Malinin loves the big stage – the bigger the better.

Two-time and reigning champion Malinin stopped the show in Wichita with a fiery short program to singer and rapper NF’s “Running,” choreographed by Shae-Lynn Bourne.

The World champion’s jumps — including an opening quadruple flip and quadruple Lutz-triple toe loop combination — were big and secure, and he capped off an expressive step sequence with his trademark flying “raspberry” twist.

The Virginia phenom once again chalked up amazing numbers with a personal best score of 114.08. It was the third-highest short program score ever posted by a man at the U.S. Championships and gives him a nearly 20-point advantage heading into Sunday’s free skate.

“I felt really good today,” Malinin said. “I felt like I was able to express myself and perform to my maximum capability. I think I still have a little bit of work to do with just the overall quality of my skating but overall I happy with my performance.”

Malinin’s two quads racked up more than 37 points, and he received Level 4s on his three spins and step sequence.

Andrew Torgashev continued his productive season by placing second with 94.94 points.

The California-based skater was in top form, with solid jumps including an opening quad toe and interesting spins. He shined in his inventive transition moves and in a highly detailed step sequence, complete with leaps and knee slides, also choreographed by Bourne.

“I just would like to continue training, skating at this level and continue improving,” Torgashev said.

In the past, injuries have prevented Torgashev from the kind of success he’s enjoying this season. He’s spent the current campaign training and competing “smart,” and “chipping away” one run-through at a time.

“I’m being strategic with my training, good with the recovery and just trying to be a mature athlete by taking care of the body and not getting ahead of myself,” he said.

Torgashev won the U.S. junior title in 2015 and was the 2023 U.S. bronze medalist.

Another veteran, Jimmy Ma, had a great time engaging with the fans in his short program to the flamenco “Mexican Phonk Eki,” choreographed by Nikolai Morozov.

Ma had one of his best-ever short programs, hitting a quad toe and cutting loose in a step sequence that had the crowd clapping along. He capped it off with an aerial cartwheel into a change sit-spin, posting a personal best score of 91.91.

“I had a lot of fun with it,” said Ma, who trains in Boston. “The legs were listening, mind was clear. I’m glad people had fun with it.”

Ma thinks he is well-positioned for Sunday’s free skate.

“I’ve been in this situation before and it hasn’t worked out for me,” Ma said. “I wasn’t as prepared back then as I am now. I’m going to trust myself, my coaches, my training and everybody who fought for me this season and we are going to have a lot of fun tomorrow.” 

After a few difficult competitions this fall, Camden Pulkinen roared back to form with a clean, sensitive short to the romantic ballad “Come What May,” a program he used during the 2021-22 season. His opening quad toe was judged under-rotated, but the rest of his elements were smooth and stylish. 

Pulkinen achieved a score of 88.76 and is in fourth place.

Competition wraps up Sunday with the men’s free skate.

To follow the competition, including live results, how to watch information and more, visit the 2025 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships Competition Central.