by Anne Calder | Photos by Daphne Backman

IDC spoke with Karen Li, James Zhu and their parents at the Lake Placid Championships in late July 2025.

The Novice ice dance siblings train at the Ice Works in Ashton, PA with three-time British Olympians, Penny Coomes and Nick Buckland.

“We also train at the University of Delaware in Newark, DE. We have coaches there too,” Zhu explained.

Anastasia Cannuscio & Colin McManus, the team’s Delaware coaches accompanied them to Lake Placid. Coomes recently had a second child and Buckland had three senior teams to prepare for other competitions.

Li began skating synchro and freestyle four years ago. This season she qualified for the National Excel Final in Colorado Springs, but opted out due to an ice dance training conflict. 

Zhu also skated freestyle prior to partner dance. In addition to skating, he is also a tennis athlete. While he has sacrificed his tennis training for dance, he will play on his high school team in the fall.

The siblings attend different schools in the Philadelphia area. This semester, Li will begin sixth grade at the all-girls Baldwin School while Zhu moves up to ninth grade at the Friends’ Central School.

“Besides academics, we wanted them involved in all kinds of different things,” shared the dancers’ mother. “Both of them play the piano. James also plays the cello. Karen loves drawing, too”

The team spoke about their music. “Yesterday we skated to “Piano Man” by Billy Joel for our Starlight Waltz pattern and “Batman” for the Quickstep” said Zhu.

“Later today, our Free Dance is to Doctor Who,” Li added. “James is the Doctor, and I’m the Alien. Coach Nick Buckland choreographed the program. Penny helped.”

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The second day of the competition was July 29 – the six month anniversary of the AA 5342 crash that had taken the lives of 28 U.S. Figure Skating athletes, coaches and family members returning from a national development camp held in conjunction with the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.

Some in Lake Placid that Tuesday, had lost close friends, coaches, students, teammates, family. It was still too raw to fully grasp its reality. Some shared their thoughts; others could not.

Li and Zhu’s Delaware training mates and best friends, Angela Yang and Sean Kay were on the plane with their mothers.

“Sean was always so positive, and he made me laugh” Zhu remembered. “I always had fun with him. At the camp, the best time we had was watching all the good teams skate.”

“My friend Angela was always so supportive. She would always find a way to have fun,” Li added. “I have a picture she made for me. I framed it.”

Noticeable at the Olympic Arena that anniversary day in Lake Placid were the many athletes wearing the red team jackets that identified them as 2025 camp attendees.

During the Championships back in January, the “campers” had watched some of the events in their red jackets  from assigned seats directly in front of the media. The laughter and excitement of the young fans was contagious and ignited the cheering crowd. The jackets were a reminder of happier days.

“Karen and James wanted to do something to honor their teammates,” noted their mother. “I suggested we add words to the red jackets – ”Carry the Dream Forward”.

“This is very important. Angela and Sean worked so hard. They were very dedicated to ice dance. They spent hours on the ice because they had a big goal. They wanted to achieve a very high level.”

Angela and Sean are the 2024 Lake Placid Championship Juvenile Combined gold medalists. At the 2025 event, Sean’s younger brother, Skyler and partner Sophia Zhou representing the University of Delaware won the same top prize.

“Angela’s mother and I were also very, very close. We all trained together. We were together the whole time at the camp. Today we compete for them. We carry their dream.”

Two hours later Karen Li and James Zhu stood atop the Novice podium and received their gold medals.

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At Li and Zhu’s Ice Dance Final debut in 2024 in Bloomington, MN, the team was fourth in Juvenile.

Last year in Plano, TX, the siblings won gold in the 2025 Final Intermediate level competition.

To date In the 2025-2026 season Li & Zhu have won gold at three NQS events: Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships, Skate Detroit and Challenge Cup, the final NQS event of the season.

LI & Zhu competed at the inaugural 2025 Bolero Cup in Sheffield, GBR September 5-6. The team won the Advanced Novice gold medal.

The 2026 Ice Dance Final will be held in Henderson, NV November 3-9. The top five Novice teams will be invited to compete at the 2026 U.S. National Championships.