US Olympic Ice Duo Shows What Love, True Partnership Are All About This Valentine’s Day – RedState

It’s Valentine’s Eve! Here are my best wishes for spending quality time with those you love most and those who love you most. Friday also marks the end of the first week of the 25th Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy. Even though the Games have lost much of their magic due to woke politics, arrogant judges and other nonsense, figure skating is still worth watching.

Much of that was due to Team USA’s delightful duo of Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who were able to cap off their storied 15-year partnership with a silver medal in ice dancing at Milan Cortina.

This judgment must be contested. Evan Bates and Madison Chock know they won the gold medal. So is everyone who watched. #ice skating #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/KiujCQMgN2

— “He made everything beautiful in its time.” (@DarleneHBrook) February 12, 2026

Honestly, I think they should have won gold. But even with this understandable disappointment, these two continued to shine, showing dignity, grace and gratitude.

“It’s definitely a bittersweet feeling right now,” Chock said. “We have so much to be proud of. We’ve had the most incredible career, 15 years on the ice together. This is our first Olympics as a married couple, and we had four of our best performances this week.

“We are proud of how we performed and what we accomplished here. We are grateful to our coaches and our families, who have come this far and supported us through it all. It means so much to us to be a part of the sport and to have contributed years of work and creativity to inspire the next generation of skaters to be the best they can be, to be creative and to love what they do.”

Chock and Bates are a shining example of true partnership, on and off the ice, and they have represented Team USA and their country very well.

Romantic partnership is the topic of this week’s Feel-Good Friday.

The type of strength and athleticism required of the modern figure skater is why the sport is dominated by younger skaters; so, for this couple to stay at the top for this long period of years is a huge achievement. Chock is 33 and Bates is 36, and it’s the maturity of this duo, coupled with their chemistry and artistry, that sets them apart. If this is their last Olympic competition, the fact that they ended it on such a high note is also quite remarkable.

Although Evan Bates began his career as a singles skater, in 2000 he teamed up with skater Emily Samuelson and worked with her until 2010, when an Achilles tendon injury temporarily sidelined his career. Bates and Chock knew each other from the local skating scene and even dated briefly before splitting when school and skating became too much to juggle, but in 2011 the stars aligned again and Bates began working alongside Chock.

“We still saw each other when a skater was having a party, or we were having ice cream,” Bates told Bustle of the time after their breakup. “Then, in 2010, I moved to her rink and started training under the same coach. I had a very serious injury that summer and had to take a year off to recover. When I returned in 2011, Maddie’s partner had retired unexpectedly. It was just ‘right place, right time’ and the rest is history.” won three world championships and helped Team USA win two gold medals!

But the two share much more than professional achievements. They have been romantic partners since 2017 and recently got married. It is therefore an Olympic story which not only ends well, but which is also the prelude to a new beginning.

Although their on-ice partnership began in 2011, it wasn’t until 2016 that things got truly romantic, and in 2017 they took their relationship public. The couple got engaged in 2022 and in 2024, they made things official by getting married.

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Ahead of this year’s Olympics, the couple reflected on their different views of competition, especially since becoming married.

“Obviously we’re a married couple now, but the perspective has changed. Skating has always been the main focus, but as we’ve gotten older, I think the relationship has become the main focus,” says Bates, sitting side by side with his wife. “Skating is obviously still the main focus, but skating is kind of like our way of strengthening ourselves and our relationship and experiencing all of life’s experiences together, and so the appreciation of the partnership has increased.”

It’s a vision that some couples married for decades have not acquired. They’re already deepening their relationship and cultivating their partnership in a new way: a podcast called “Unlaced with Chock and Bates.” Chock is also an accomplished costume designer, creating her own looks, as well as those of three other ice dance teams: Spain, Australia and Georgia,

Chock and Bates embody the beauty and grace of a loving, committed partnership on many levels. Their wealth of talent, achievements and contributions to their sport and our nation bring hope, dignity and enthusiasm to this competition. But we can also expect what these two will continue to accomplish off the ice.

If you haven’t seen Chock and Bates’ final Olympic performance, it was hypnotic and thrilling.

Happy Valentine’s Day, readers!

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Editor’s Note: At RedState, it’s not just about politics and politics. We love to bring attention to what’s good in the world, with features like “Feel-Good Friday,” “Start Your Weekend Right” and “Hoge’s Heroes.”

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