Ellie Kam, of Thunderbirds FSC, and Danny O'Shea, of SC of New York, compete in the pairs short program during the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the Enterprise Center on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in St. Louis' Downtown West neighborhood. The pair would go on to win the silver medal in the final.
I'll admit it: this past week was my first real foray into competitive figure skating.
Only later did it dawn on me — much to my regret — that I'd been blissfully unaware I was rubbing elbows with figure-skating luminaries like Olympian-turned-commentator Adam Rippon and Cordero Zuckerman, better known to fans as Denali Foxx of RuPaul's Drag Race, whose breakout persona fuses drag and figure skating.
As with any assignment that drops me into an unfamiliar world — including an entirely unrelated stop at a national pigeon show this weekend — I approach my assignment with a deep sense of curiosity. When I meet someone new, I tend to pepper them with the same questions: What should a newcomer know? How long have you been doing this? What do you love most about it?
The skaters, staff, volunteers and fans were generous in indulging me. What I found was a community that is fiercely competitive — and deeply loving.
I watched Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito crack jokes about keeping one another on their toes. I spoke with young St. Louis-area skaters who volunteered to haul away hundreds of pounds of stuffed animals tossed onto the ice after routines. I saw the entire figure-skating world rally behind Maxim Naumov, who competed — and medaled — at his first nationals since his parents were killed last year when an American Airlines regional jet collided with a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter over the Potomac River.
Brian Munoz / St. Louis Public Radio
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St. Louis Public Radio
Amber Glenn, of Dallas FSC, competes in the women's short program during the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. Glenn nabbed the event's top score that night and went on to win the gold medal.
Brian Munoz / St. Louis Public Radio
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St. Louis Public Radio
Maxim Naumov (right) holds a photo of his parents while he waits for his scores after competing in the men's short program competition during the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the Enterprise Center on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in St. Louis. It was his first nationals since his parents were killed last year when an American Airlines regional jet collided with a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter over the Potomac River. Maxim would go on to win the bronze medal in the men's finals.
Brian Munoz / St. Louis Public Radio
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St. Louis Public Radio
Alysa Liu, of St. Moritz ISC, competes in the women's short program during the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the Enterprise Center on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in St. Louis. Liu would go on to win the silver medal in the final.
Brian Munoz / St. Louis Public Radio
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St. Louis Public Radio
Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko compete in the ice dance free skate during the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the Enterprise Center on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in St. Louis. The pair would go on to win the bronze medal in the final.
Despite being a big hockey fan, when I lace up skates I look more like a newborn giraffe attempting its first steps. These athletes operate on an entirely different level.
There were moments that stopped me cold: Sonja Hilmer's women's short program, choreographed to the sound of her blades slicing the ice; the undeniable personality Starr Andrews brought to every movement in her Beyoncé-laden program; and watching Ilia Malinin — the "Quad God" — in person, a skater truly in a league of his own.
But there was a job to do, so I fell back on what I know best: hunting for emotion, color, light and fleeting moments.
Brian Munoz / St. Louis Public Radio
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St. Louis Public Radio
Ilia Malinin competes in the men's short program competition during the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the Enterprise Center on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in St. Louis' Downtown West neighborhood. Malinin went on to win the gold medal in the final.
Brian Munoz / St. Louis Public Radio
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St. Louis Public Radio
Starr Andrews competes in the women's short program during the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the Enterprise Center on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026.
Brian Munoz / St. Louis Public Radio
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St. Louis Public Radio
Alyse Ralph, 13, of Ann Arbor, Mich., cheers on Eva Pate and her skating coach Logan Bye as they compete in the ice dance competition during the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the Enterprise Center on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in St. Louis.
Brian Munoz / St. Louis Public Radio
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St. Louis Public Radio
A stuffed orange sits on the ice following a women's short program performance during the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the Enterprise Center on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in St. Louis.
Brian Munoz / St. Louis Public Radio
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St. Louis Public Radio
Several pounds of stuffed animals collected from figure skating fans are packed ready to be donated to local charities after the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis.
Brian Munoz / St. Louis Public Radio
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St. Louis Public Radio
Caroline Green and Michael Parsons compete in the ice dance competition during the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the Enterprise Center on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in St. Louis.
Brian Munoz / St. Louis Public Radio
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St. Louis Public Radio
Isabeau Levito, of SC of Southern New Jersey, waves to thousands after performing in the women's short program during the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the Enterprise Center on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in St. Louis. Levito would go on to win the silver medal in the women's final.
Though figure skating was new to me, it paralleled something I know intimately — the marching arts. I marched euphonium from middle school through college and played cymbals in my high school's winter drumline. Like those activities, figure skating unfolds within a confined stage, bound by precision, pageantry and jaw-dropping costumes.
High-profile sporting events come with strict restrictions, which forces creativity. I squatted low by the ice. I hiked to the top of the stands. I waited for shapes to emerge as skaters flew through their routines and bobbed my head to Madonna as the rhythmic dance competition this year was set to a 90's theme.
Brian Munoz / St. Louis Public Radio
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St. Louis Public Radio
Tomoki Hiwatashi competes in the men's short program during the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the Enterprise Center on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in St. Louis.
Brian Munoz / St. Louis Public Radio
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St. Louis Public Radio
Emilia Nemirovsky competes in the women's short program during the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the Enterprise Center on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in St. Louis.
Brian Munoz / St. Louis Public Radio
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St. Louis Public Radio
Emily Bratti and Ian Somerville compete in the ice dance competition during the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the Enterprise Center on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in St. Louis.
Brian Munoz / St. Louis Public Radio
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St. Louis Public Radio
Kai Kovar competes in the men's short program during the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the Enterprise Center on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in St. Louis.
Brian Munoz / St. Louis Public Radio
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St. Louis Public Radio
Will Annis competes in the men's short program competition during the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the Enterprise Center on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in St. Louis.
Brian Munoz / St. Louis Public Radio
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St. Louis Public Radio
Bradie Tennell goes through her program in the ice dance free skate during the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the Enterprise Center on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in St. Louis.
Brian Munoz / St. Louis Public Radio
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St. Louis Public Radio
Jacob Sanchez embraces fans and family after competing in the men's free skate during the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the Enterprise Center on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in St. Louis' Downtown West neighborhood. Sanchez took the pewter medal in the contest.
Brian Munoz / St. Louis Public Radio
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St. Louis Public Radio
Madison Chock and Evan Bates celebrate winning gold in ice dance at the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis.
This may be a humble offering from the week's festivities, but I left with a genuine appreciation — and love — for the sport. I'll definitely be watching this Olympic team take the ice in Milan at the 2026 Winter Olympics next month.
And, as it turns out, New York-based skater Oona Brown also plays snare drum in an Irish marching band — proof that sometimes worlds collide in unexpected ways.
