Evan Bates

Olympic ice dancer Evan Bates was born in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Feb. 23, 1989. He was inspired to get out on the ice after watching his older sister practice figure skating. Starting at the age of 4, Bates learned how to be an ice dancer. Originally, he trained as a single skater, until one of his coaches paired him with Emily Samuelson in 2000. They competed together as ice dancers beginning at the juvenile level. They won the intermediate national title in the 2001-02 U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships and continued working their way up. In 2005, they won the novice title at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Reaching the junior level, they won the silver in 2006 and the gold in 2007. They reached the senior level in 2008 and won first place in ice dancing at the 2008 Nebelhorn Trophy. They competed together at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. During a practice in September 2010, the blade from Samuelson's skate sliced the Achilles tendon on Bates' left leg, abruptly halting their careers. Bates recovered, but the following year, he and Samuelson decided to end their partnership. In July 2011, Bates teamed with ice dancer Madison Chock, who had been looking for a new partner after her former partner retired. Their performance at the 2013 ISU World Team Trophy helped lead the U.S. team to victory. Bates and Chock danced at the 2014 Winter Olympics, where they finished in eighth place in both the short and free dances. The pair later qualified for the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. Aside from ice dancing, Bates enjoys playing the guitar and golfing.