by Anne Calder | Photos by Daphne Backman

The 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships were held in the greater St. Louis, MO area from January 4-11. The main event, which included the selection of the 2026 Olympic Team was held at the downtown Enterprise Centre. The qualifying novice and junior teams competed at the Maryland Heights suburb Centene Community Ice Center from January 4-6.

The five highest scoring novice teams at the Ice Dance Final qualified to compete at the National event. The Starlight Waltz and Quickstep patterns were skated on Monday, followed by the free dance the next day.

Rylen Lukanin & Patrick O’Brien placed first in both Novice Pattern Dances, while earning a perfect total six of six ‘Y’ (YES) positive key point marks. The NJ trained team topped the first day leader board with a 54.92 score. They were followed by Sophia Kartashov & Nicholas Kartashov (49.10), Natalie Leitan & Nathan Leitan (45.28), Katherine Li & James Zhu (44.20),  Anna Waugh & Matthew Jacoby (38.23).

The Novice Free Dance scores: Katherine Li & James Zhu (69.53), Rylen Lukanin (64.72), Sophia Kartashov & Nicholas Kartashov (60.22), Natalie Leitan & Nathan Leitan (59.51), Anna Waugh & Matthew Jacoby (50.44)

The 2026 Novice podium: Rylen Lukanin & Patrick O’Brien (gold), Katherine Li & James Zhu (silver), Sophia Kartashov & Nicholas Kartashov (bronze), Natalie Leitan & Nathan Leitan (pewter).

IDC spoke with the teams after the Free Dance:

Rylen Lukanin and Patrick O’Brien were very happy about their skate and are excited for next season.

“I’m very proud of how we skated throughout the entire year and happy the hard work paid off,” O’Brien said.

Katherine Li & James Zhu, “We are happy. We tried our best.  We know we can push harder and do better.”             

Coach McManus added, “I keep reminding them they are 11 and 14 years old. This is about a marathon. It’s not about a sprint.”

Sophia Kartashov & Nicholas Kartashov thought they handled the nerves good and did a best performance.

Sophia: “I was half nervous trying to do my best and half excited to show what I got.”

Nicholas: “I was mostly excited because this is just the beginning. It’s just a learning stage. This is all a new experience, so I went out there giving it my all.”

Natalie Leitan & Nathan Leitan overcame previous issues and were very proud of their skate.

Natalie: “I’ve been struggling with my twizzles for a very long time. Sometimes it works. It’s very inconsistent. I’m glad we did this competition because today it was very consistent.”

Nathan: “Normally on the rotation lift I’m kind of rushing because my music is almost over. This time I was listening. We did a proper exit. We made a nice bow out. I’m proud of it.”

Anna Waugh & Matthew Jacoby shared their thoughts.

Anna: “It’s been one of my dreams to be at Nationals. We’ve been skating together for only seven months, so it’s an amazing opportunity to be here.I t was fun. I’m happy we did really great this season and then came here.”

Matthew: The free dance was a little tough, but I thought the patterns were pretty good. I’m just so happy to be here. It’s such an honor.”

Novice Ice Chips:

The inaugural Bolero Cup was held in Sheffield, GBR, September 5-6, 2025. The U.S. Advanced Novice teams included Katherine Li and James Zhu and Rylen Lukanin and Patrick O’Brien.

Katherine Li:  “It was an amazing experience for us since it was our very first international event representing Team USA. We were so proud to receive the gold medal from legendary figure skating champions Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean for which the competitions was named to honor their 1984 Olympic performance.”

Patrick O’Brien: “It was my first time ever visiting Great Britain, so everything felt new and exciting. One of the coolest parts was getting to meet Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean in person. I felt proud and honored to be chosen to represent the U.S. at the first-ever Bolero Cup. It was an experience I’ll never forget.”

Natalie Leitan and Nathan Leitan earned the gold medal at their first International event, the Santa Claus Cup in Budapest, HUN, November 26-30, 2025.

Natalie Leitan: Competing in Budapest was such an incredible experience and something I will cherish in my heart forever. We were so grateful for the chance to represent Team USA and be part of the competition. Meeting skaters from all over the world was very inspiring, and being able to skate in another country made the whole experience amazing! It gave us a new perspective on our own skating and how far we’ve come.        

Nathan Leitan: We are so thankful for the great opportunity.  It was a great experience and my first time in Europe. Meeting and talking with so many different teams was very invigorating while also representing the USA for the first time felt so valuable. It gave me a new view on international competitions because now instead of watching them I get to compete in them! It was our first gold internationally and ever!

Sophia Kartashov and Nicholas Kartashov are also international ballroom dancers. The twins shared how ballroom dancing helps with ice dancing.             

Sophia Kartashov:  Ballroom taught us musicality and expression. On ice, we think to perform, not just skate.

Nicholas Kartashov: Leading, timing, and partnering —- ballroom gave us all of that before we ever stepped on the rink.

Anna Waugh & Matthew Jacoby skate at America’s first skating club – The Philadelphia Skating Club and Humane Society in Ardmore, PA. An original purpose of the club was to patrol outdoor skating areas around the City of Philadelphia in order to rescue skaters who had fallen through the ice.

Matthew Jacoby: “One of the funniest things about the [current] club is all the old rules left over from the 1800s that are still part of the member agreement. We have to carry rope and an ice pick when we go skate on the Schuylkill River that flows through Philadelphia. I’ve never seen ice, let alone skateable ice on the river.”