Australian Ice Dancers Chase Olympic Dream with Poodle Pal

When Holly Harris moved to Canada at 16 to chase her Olympic dreams, she left behind everything familiar except one thing: a connection to home that would eventually come in the form of a tiny toy poodle named Piper.

The young Australian arrived in Montreal with plans to skate with a partner who backed out at the last minute. Suddenly alone in a foreign country, Harris felt her world crumbling, but she refused to give up.

That's when fate stepped in. Jason Chan was also searching for a partner in Montreal, and after a two-week trial, they decided to team up. The chemistry clicked immediately.

Seven years later, Harris and Chan just earned their spot at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. They're Australia's first ice dancing team to compete at the Games since 2014, and they secured the position by finishing second at an international competition in Georgia.

Chan became an Australian citizen in 2021 specifically to compete with Harris, showing the depth of their partnership. The two describe finding a dance partner as similar to dating, requiring the right mix of personality, skating style, and timing.

Ice dancing differs from pairs figure skating in its focus on storytelling over acrobatics. While pairs skaters perform dramatic overhead lifts and synchronized jumps, ice dancers emphasize skating skills, composition, and performance to create a complete narrative on ice.

Why This Inspires

Harris and Chan's journey shows what's possible when you refuse to let setbacks define you. When Harris's original partner abandoned their plans, she could have returned home defeated. Instead, she stayed, trained alone, and found an even better match.

Their partnership also highlights the sacrifices Australian winter athletes make to compete. With limited facilities at home, they travel constantly, spending weeks at a time away from their Montreal base. That's where Piper, the toy poodle named after Sydney's Point Piper suburb, comes in as a sweet reminder of the home Harris left behind to follow her passion.

Chan and Chan have learned to finish each other's sentences, a fitting habit for two people whose entire sport depends on moving as one. The trust they've built extends beyond the ice into a friendship that makes their performances feel genuine and complete.

Now, after years of training in Canadian winters and competing across multiple continents, they're finally getting their Olympic moment. Their story proves that sometimes the best partnerships form when your original plans fall apart.