Meryl Davis and Charlie White in both the short dance and free dance, edging out Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani for the silver medal. T ey took bronze behind Davis and White, and Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, at 2013 Four Continents, and then placed an impressive seventh at their fi rst World Cham- pionships. “T ey made tremendous improvements
in their skating last season,” Shpilband said. “As a team, they look big on the ice. T ey have good speed and power. T is season, I think they will take command and improve even more.” Next to Shpilband’s coaching, the skat- ers count their comfortable friendship as their biggest advantage. “You know, I like Madi,” Bates said.
“Even if I didn’t skate with her, I would still want to hang out with her.” “Aww ... thanks,” Chock said. “Yeah, we
really get along well. It makes the work so much easier.” To help turn their off -ice aff ection into
on-ice spark, Shpilband turned to improvisa- tion, the time-tested Actor’s Studio technique to stimulate spontaneous collaboration be- tween performers. For the last 10 minutes of their fi nal session of the day, they free-form to whatever music is handy. “We’ve done T e Great Gatsby
soundtrack, Cirque du Soleil, classical — Ig- or’s got a lot of music on his laptop,” Bates said. “We’re right in the middle of the ice, dancing like fools. Sometimes we get weird looks from the other skaters. “I’ve done some pretty outrageous moves;
it’s become one of our favorite things. I guess we’re both pretty lighthearted in nature.” It isn’t just comic relief. Shpilband be-
lieves it improves his skaters’ fl uidity, especial- ly through their upper bodies, as well as their interpretive skills. “When you skate for four hours a day, it
helps you relax,” Chock said. “We leave the rink in a good mood.”
Keeping the romance on ice Choosing a free dance for their Olym- pic season was surprisingly easy. While still in Japan for the World Team Trophy, they announced they would skate to music from Les Misérables, the epic tale of downtrodden people living in 18th century Paris. By the end of May, initial work on the program was complete. “It’s just beautiful music,” Chock said.
“We saw the [2012 Hugh Jackman–Anne Hathaway] movie and it just hit us: ‘T is is what we want to do.’” “T e movie kind of made the musical rel-
evant for a younger generation,” Bates said. “I wasn’t totally aware of it, and then the movie came out, and I felt like I’d been sleeping. We want to do something people can connect with, and that’s what really inspired us to pick it.” T e two play Marius and Cosette, the
young lovers caught in the maelstrom of rev- olutionary France. It’s the second time they’ve put sweeping romance on the ice; last season they interpreted Dr. Zhivago. “Our style is still growing, as we grow as
skaters every year,” Chock said. “For now, we like to have a story to play. We have a good connection and it’s great to showcase that. We’ll probably venture out of our comfort zone down the road, but the Olympic season isn’t the time.” “We’re on the same page more than ever,”
Bates said. “Maybe romance is our thing right now. We’re comfortable with theatrical pro- grams.” Have all of those love scenes on the ice,
lead to romance off of it? “I like that question, because it
shows we’re doing our job out there,” Bates said. “But no, we’re not dating. It’s safe to say our interests in that area lie elsewhere.”
Next stop: Sochi? Shpilband’s sterling reputa-
tion, as well as his success with Chock and Bates last season, keeps Novi Ice Arena humming with ac- tivity. Visit any weekday during the off -season and you’ll fi nd up to 20 couples,
including former Euro-
pean champions Nathalie Pécha- lat and Fabian Bourzat of France, sharpening their twizzles and pol- ishing their lifts from seven in the morning until seven at night. T ere is also a smattering of
younger teams, including U.S. novice champions Chloe Lewis and Logan Bye, who spent part of the summer in Novi. “T e younger skaters look up
to Madison and Evan and the re- lationship they have,” Shpilband said. “How hard they work on an everyday basis sets a good example for the younger kids.” In addition to Shpilband, the
skaters work with Shpilband’s wife, Adrienne Lenda, who specializes in lifts; former Italian World ice dance champion Barbara Fusar-Poli; and Russian coach Alexei Gorshkov. Chock’s for- mer partner, Zuerlein, helps train several of Shpilband’s younger teams. “Igor has built a great program here,”
Chock and Bates took a huge step forward last season, winning the U.S. silver medal in their second year together.
rado Springs this August, he had jitters about showing Les Miz to judges and offi cials. “I had butterfl ies,” he admitted. “I got
Bates said. “Sometimes I look around and we’re on the ice with maybe fi ve other teams, and all of them have been to Worlds. It’s like a Worlds practice, every single day. But Igor never cheats us for time, or his focus. He is really invested in our success.” “We’ll do a piece of our program, and then someone else will do a piece; we’re all waiting in line for music,” Chock said. “Sometimes the line gets kind of long, but it’s worth it.”
really quiet, and not talking is abnormal for me. Usually Madi is the quieter one.” Bates nervously jogged up and down the corridor leading to the ice at the World Arena. Each time he passed his gear, something was missing: Gatorade, gone. iPhone missing in action. Keys slung over a water fountain. “Madi was hiding my things like a
5-year-old,” Bates said. “I said, ‘Hey, grow up!’ But she was trying to get me to be me out there. And you know something? It worked.”
The photo shoot with Chock and Bates fi nished up in the luxurious lobby of The Mining Exchange Grand Hotel in downtown Colorado Springs. The couple blended in seamlessly with their exquisite surroundings. Bates will graduate from the University of Michigan this fall with a B.A. in organizational behavior. Chock, who plans a career in fashion, designs many of the team’s costumes, including those for this season’s free dance to Les Misérables .
SKATING 25
On everyone’s mind: the Sochi Olym-
pics, just a few months away. In the compet- itive U.S. ice dance ranks, there is no guar- antee Chock and Bates will win one of the three coveted team spots. Assuming they do, Bates thinks his experience in Vancouver will be helpful.
“I can visualize us there, I can see us
skating well, and I know we can handle it,” Bates said. “It’s a normal skating competition in an abnormal environment. You have to be focused enough to block out the distractions; that’s really all it is. If my experience can help Madi, then that’s great.” “Help me, help me,” Chock said with a
laugh. Sometimes, though, it’s Bates who needs the help. At Champs Camp in Colo-
PHOTO BY FENG LI/GETTY IMAGES
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76