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National pair champions Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea co-star at Vail Ice Spectacular

Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea will return to dazzle spectators at this year's Vail Ice Spectacular.
Ben Kam/Courtesy photo

Pair skaters Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea, who co-star in Vail Ice Spectacular Dec. 22-23, continue to make history.

First of all, they’re only the fourth U.S. team in the history of the Grand Prix to make the finals, where they placed fifth overall earlier this month.

The 2024 National champions also have an unusual history: In 2022, when they began skating together, O’Shea was technically retired, and Kam had never competed internationally.



And, the age difference is significant: Kam turns 20 years old on Dec. 20, while O’Shea is 33. Kam was born in Tokyo, Japan; her dad was serving in the U.S. Air Force as a surgeon, and her mom was representing Japan as a competitive runner, while O’Shea grew up skating in Alaska. Despite the differences, the World Team members skate seamlessly as a pair.

Neither Kam nor O’Shea foresaw a 2026 Olympic possibility in their future a few years ago, but these days, it’s looking bright.

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Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea’s chemistry shines through their synchronicity on ice.
Ben Kam/Courtesy photo

Before they teamed up, Kam and Ian Meyh had earned fourth in the 2022 U.S. Championships junior short program but withdrew from the free skate and split as a team later that year. Meanwhile, O’Shea — who had retired after winning the national title in 2016 and placing second in 2018 with his previous partner, Tarah Kayne, then skating with Chelsea Liu from 2021-22 — was assisting Kam’s coach, Drew Meekins, twice a week in Colorado Springs.

In the back of his mind, O’Shea wanted to come out of retirement, if the right partner came along. And once he practiced with Kam, the well-matched team became apparent. They placed third in their first U.S. Championships. Though an injury last season slowed them down for a competition or two, they’re now skyrocketing.

“It’s been a fun process,” O’Shea said. “I’m so grateful to be back in it and going around this time with Ellie at my side. I really feel like I get to experience the joy of the process. I was way more stressed the first time around. I had come to terms with being done and having general success, but we are more successful than I was ever. A ton of it has to do with Ellie — and some experience for me.”

Kam admits her confidence was a bit shaky at first, but said her coaching team and O’Shea’s experience has benefitted her greatly. Of course, scoring and ranking so high also have helped.

Rather than resting on their laurels, they continue to push their skills by traveling to Montreal, Canada to work with ice-dance coaches, despite being a pair team.

“Ice Academy of Montreal (attracts) a lot of the best ice dancers in the world,” O’Shea said. “We’re growing past our pair-skating roots to be able to incorporate dance-type lifts as entry and exits into (pairs’) moves and transitions. It’s a difficult process. Ice dancers are amazing athletes in their own right. It’s really pushed us outside of our boundary and is (one) reason for our success.”

Maintaining speed and control going into each pair element with fewer pushes and more transitions as they incorporate dance choreography is much more challenging than it looks.

“Our lifts are already so hard, but to have an entry (with dance elements) … adds a whole other layer of complexity,” Kam said.

Yet, they’re excited about how they can now beautifully integrate a lower dance lift with a high, soaring and turning pairs’ one — or pairs’ jumps — followed by even more dance lifts.

“We’ve worked really hard to be successful to be here, and it’s definitely something we’ve had to dig into and grow and force ourselves to step out into. Each competition, we are happy with the results overall, but we know there are some steps we need to take to improve,” O’Shea said, adding that the team still has more opportunities to grow and become even better.

In addition to ice-dance coaches, Meekins has pushed them to improve, he said.

“It’s a process, and we keep stepping up,” he said.

The more time they spend together, honing in on things like the same mindset, goals and timing, the more naturally they skate.

“‘Togetherness’ is the unison you see. It’s the hundreds of reps of elements. We move at the same timing, and there’s an understanding and a feeling of trust and security that you can give your partner and receive from your partner,” he said.

Kam adds that all comes with time — and from a genuine place, “otherwise, it can feel artificial and look artificial.”

When you watch the pair skate, it looks anything but artificial; true passion exudes from the team, who perform together at Vail Ice Spectacular for the third time this year. (Kam also has appeared in Vail twice as a single skater and once with her previous partner, while O’Shea skated twice with his previous partner at Dobson.)

“Vail is amazing. It’s a wonderful place to be, in general. You’ve got the winter wonderland, and Eddie (Shipstad) does a great job setting up the cast, with great lighting and seats on the ice (putting you) right there in the action. It’s amazing to step away from competition and feel so much of the joy of skating. It’s just about interacting with the crowd,” O’Shea said. “It’s high energy and exciting — something that keeps the crowd on the edge of their seats.”

And, as Kam points out, unlike in competition, skaters are allowed to pull off elements they otherwise couldn’t. “It’s acrobatic and high-energy,” she said.

If you go…

What: Vail Ice Spectacular

When: 6:30 p.m. Dec. 22-23

Where: Dobson Ice Arena

Tickets: $69.50-$99.50

More info: VailSkateFest.com


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