Skating photos by Yoriko Suzuki

For the next entry in our New Team Series, we meet Iris Lahti & Oskari Liedenpohja, junior ice dancers who represent Finland and teamed up for the 2025-26 season. They are coached by Neil Brown. You can follow them on their team Instagram @team_lahti.liedenpohja.

Tell us about your individual skating journeys, including any early special memories.

Iris: I started skating when I was 6 years old. I really fell in love with it at the first trial with my childhood best friend. After skating school our paths separated as she continued in synchro, and I started learning jumps and spins in single skating. After a back injury as 11 years old I decided to switch to ice dance and fell immediately in love with it. I really love dancing and being able to interpret on the ice. I skated for three years in solo dance and switched after that to ice dance.

Oskari: I also started skating at age 6. I started with single skating – my mother was also a single skater and a skating teacher in her younger years. However, I noticed quite early that single skating was quite not for me, and I decided to try ice dance instead and have stayed on that path since.

What drew you to ice dance?

Iris: After the Springs A season and the first 2 competitions in Debutants I got injured, which kept me off ice for several months. During the break I had time to think about what I really wanted to do and strive for. As it was also found out later that the injury was not caused by any single accident but it’s rather a feature, we found it healthier for my body to try another art of skating instead of singles. This is how I found solo ice dance at first and 3 years later ice dance, when I started dancing with Oskari in March 2025.

Oskari: At the age of nine I decided to become an ice dancer with the dreams of reaching a high level in international competitions and in the Olympics. Ever since I became a part of this beautiful sport, I’ve been working to become the best ice dancer I could be. I danced together with my previous partner Enna Kesti for 10 years. With Iris, we started dancing together last March and just started our 2nd year together. And the dream is still alive!

Tell us how your partnership started. Describe the tryout.

As Oskari’s previous partner decided to end her career, our coach suggested a tryout for us. This tryout session took place in the same week just before Iris’s ISU Solo Dance Competition in Atlanta, US. As we know each other already previously, it didn’t require that much time to decide. Our tryout was a nice experience for both of us with a lot of speed, etc. When Iris returned, we started to practice together.

What’s something that surprised you about your partner when you first started training together?

Iris: Even though Oskari is almost 5 years older than I am and we didn’t know each other that well before our partnership, it was surprising how easy it was still to get along, from the very beginning of the partnership.

Oskari: Starting skating with a new person is like difference between day and night. I was surprised by how motivated and fearless my partner is.

What experiences do each of you bring to the partnership? (International competitions, training, etc.)

Oskari possesses 10 years’ experience on ice dancing with a partner. He has competed both nationally and internationally in all Novice categories and 2 yrs in Juniors before the partnership. With his previous partner they reached gold medal as A Novice in ISU Olomouc in 2022. Oskari is very strong in lifts, and his spread eagle is fantastic.

With her background in single skating and solo ice dance, Iris brings strong skating skills and high quality of steps to this partnership. As a trainer she is very determined and goal-oriented and thus they have adopted plenty of new training practices as a couple. Iris has also competed both in national and international level both in singles and solo dance. Before the partnership her category was Junior Solo Ice Dance where she reached bronze medal in ISU Edge Cup in 2025.

What has been the biggest adjustment for each of you so far in the partnership?

Iris: For me definite to start practicing with somebody else. I have been an athlete for the past 9 years, of which 8 years as part of an individual sport (first singles and after that as a solo ice dancer). Sharing your practices with somebody else, communication and making compromises has required extra effort from me.

Oskari: Learning to skate with a new partner has been a new experience. Doing similar edges and movements.

What is it that you already like most about dancing with your new partner?

Iris: We share the same goals and ambitions for this sport. We are ready to work hard to reach our targets.

Oskari: I gained more motivation which has made me train harder.

Where are you currently training (location, facilities, classes), and what does a typical training day look like for you?

We are training with the other Finnish junior couples in the skating club’s group sessions at various ice rinks in Helsinki. We typically have 2 morning ice sessions and 5 afternoon/evening ice sessions during the week. In addition, we do off-ice training, ballet, dance, and ballroom dance.

On a typical training day, we have morning practice from 7-8:30am. After school we continue with afternoon/evening practice from approx. 4pm to 7:30pm which typically includes one on-ice session (1.5 hours) and one off-ice training (1 hour).

Who are your coaches?  Did either or both have to relocate? If so, tell us about the move(s).

Neil Brown is our head coach. He is supported by Henna Lindholm and other coaches from our skating club Helsingin Luistelijat. Already before our partnership started, we already practiced in the same skating club in Helsinki, so none of us needed to relocate.

Who choreographed your programs. Did someone else arrange your music? If so, please share those experiences.

Our programs are choreographed by our head coach Neil Brown, supported by our fantastic dance teacher Sini Parkkinen. We decide on music together with Neil, who is also arranging it and finalizes together with the Skating Music Guy Rob Colling.

Tell us about your programs last season. Who/what inspired your music choices and overall themes?

The themes and music were selected together with our head coach Neil Brown. In RD the rhythms were Quickstep and Rumba and the theme 90’s. Thus, we ended up with Rhythm Is a Dancer by SNAP! and Mr. Vain by Culture Beat. In the FD we wanted to show another side of us and ended up with Teddy Swims’s Some Things I’ll Never Know, Lose Control and I’m Not Your Man.

Tell us about your competitions so last season.

We did total of 11 competitions during the season 2025-2026 including both national and international ones. We started already in July with a virtual competition based on which the winner was selected to the 1st ISU JGP in Riga. We managed to reach that spot and competed in our 1st ISU JGP only after 5 months from starting practicing together. During the autumn we also did ISU Mezzaluna Cup, ISU NWR Trophy, ISU Tallinn Trophy, as well as national Summer Competition, 1st qualifier and Finnish Nationals. After the new year we competed in ISU Challenge Cup, ISU Finnish Ice Dance Open and in ISU Skate Berlin International. For the JWC we were nominated for the 1st reserve spot.

Is there a competition performance that stands out as a breakthrough moment for you as a team (so far)?

In our last competition of the season in ISU Skater Berlin Internationals, we were able to perform very nice free dance and we reached our best total and technical scores from an international competition this season. It was also a great experience to get invited to perform in the exhibition gala at the end of the competition.

There was no single competition where both programs would have been perfect, but we did good job in individual dances and definitely learned a lot from each and every experience and now we are better skaters because of them. We also improved our performance consistently throughout the season.

What have been some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned from competing last season?

You cannot plan everything in advance and there might be surprises around the corner, both positive and negative. From the failures and hard experiences, you typically learn the most.

What is each of you looking forward to most this skating season? What will be your biggest challenge(s)?

We are very much looking forward to start presenting our new programs, which are currently in progress. Our rhythm dance is something totally different compared to the previous season 2025-2026 and in free dance we can present Oskari’s long time wish what comes to the music and the theme. We are also looking forward to the opportunities to participate in JGP competitions and hopefully also in the JWC this season.

Our biggest challenge is to reach the consistency and skills required for moving to the Senior category after this season, as this will be our last season in Juniors.

If you could have a lesson with any ice dancer past/present, who would it be? Why?

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier. They are both incredible artists and fantastic skaters with many talents and success in the internation arenas. They have their unique style combining strong presence in the performance as well as awesome footwork and challenging transition. They have also been capable of bringing something new to the sport in each of their programs every year throughout their long career. 

What’s one word that best describes your partnership?

Dedication

Please share anything you would like our readers to know about you as a team.

Oskari spends his leisure time doing crossword puzzles and listening to podcasts. Iris loves knitting, reading and playing piano.