Picture by Daphne Backman
For the subsequent entry in our New Staff 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 Ultimate.
Tell us about your particular person skating journeys, together with any early particular reminiscences.
Sylvie: I realized how one can skate on my yard rink, once I was 3 years previous. At age 6, once I began to attempt to soar 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 Study 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 could 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 Pageant in Austin TX, and we have been each from MN. We saved seeing one another at competitions all through that yr and obtained to know one another, and our mothers each knew we wished to skate with a companion in some unspecified time in the future. In the future, 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 effectively, and it felt good skating collectively.
Archie: I met Sylvie in Austin, TX on the Excel sequence and we each ended up being from MN, and we began skating collectively a yr later and it labored!
What’s it that you just like most about dancing with new companion?
Sylvie: What I like most about skating with Archie is that he works laborious, and I belief him.
Archie: What I like most about skating with my companion is that she is at all times a brilliant presence on and off the ice and has an unbelievable lightness to her skating.
What experiences do every of you convey 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 expertise, and pre-gold freestyle checks however most vital, I at all times come to the rink with angle and a progress mindset.
What has been the largest adjustment for every of you thus far within the partnership?
Sylvie: The most important adjustment for us has been scheduling our coaching time at each of our rinks and with all our coaches.
Archie: The most important adjustment has been studying to work with one another on creating our applications, such because the music and costumes.
Inform us about your coaching web site.
We practice at St. Paul FSC and at Braemar Metropolis of Lakes FSC. We each take ballet and Pilates at our dwelling 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 applications. Is another person arranging your music? If that’s the 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 look ahead to our journeys there.
Archie: It’s a pleasure to work with them and have enjoyable as we work laborious.
When you might have a lesson with any ice dancer previous/current, who wouldn’t it be? Why?
Sylvie: I want to have a lesson with Madison Chock as a result of she is so enjoyable to look at, and I like her costumes.
Guillaume Cizeron, as a result of I love his means to regulate the ice with laser centered precision as his physique melds with the music embodying it fully!
What’s every of you trying ahead to most this skating season? What will likely be your greatest problem(s)?
Sylvie: I’m trying ahead to competing, as a result of it’s what I get pleasure from essentially the most. Our greatest problem will likely be qualifying for nationals, being new to the intermediate degree.
Archie: I’m trying ahead to: NQS, qualifying for Nationals at intermediate is our long-term objective this yr and our greatest problem.
Please share something you desire to our readers to learn about you as a crew?
Sylvie: We’re an amazing crew as a result of we each actually get pleasure from studying new expertise and rising collectively.
Archie: As a crew: we each love having one another as companion and the progress we make on a regular basis, particularly when our technical components come collectively the week earlier than competitors.
Observe Sylvie and Archie on their crew Instagram account @Sylvie.Archie.icedanceteam.