Olympic Gold Medalists Join Stars on Ice Tour

When Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea teamed up in 2022, they couldn't have imagined how quickly their partnership would soar to Olympic glory.

The pair struck gold immediately, winning their very first international competition together. Within months, they placed second at their debut Challengers series event and third at the 2023 U.S. Championships.

Their momentum carried them all the way to the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. Kam and O'Shea placed fifth in the short program and fourth in the free skate, earning crucial points that helped Team USA claim gold in the figure skating team event.

Now the Olympic champions are skating with Stars on Ice, stopping at Spokane's Numerica Veterans Arena on Thursday. For Kam, joining the tour feels like a dream come true.

"Only the stars get to be a part of Stars on Ice, right?" she said. "I almost felt more excited to be invited to join the show than when I found out we were going to the Olympics."

The tour includes fellow Olympians like Ilia Malinin, Alysa Liu, and Madison Chock and Evan Bates. Since launching in April, most shows have sold out or come close, proving figure skating's enduring appeal.

Sunny's Take

O'Shea says performing on tour feels like being a rockstar every night. Without the competitive pressure of the Olympics, the skaters can truly enjoy the moment and connect with audiences.

"The energy you're getting from the crowd is amazing," O'Shea said. "It's been so cool to see how much joy people have in the audience."

Kam loves finally meeting the fans who supported them from home. While competitions limit interaction, the tour reaches new audiences across the country, from longtime skating enthusiasts to first-time viewers.

The pair performs three numbers each show, including moves not allowed in competition. They learned group routines with the entire cast in just two days, a stressful but fun challenge.

What makes their story remarkable is the timeline. Many pairs skaters work over a decade to achieve what Kam and O'Shea accomplished in four years.

"Four years can be either an eye blink or a marathon," O'Shea reflected. "There were moments that we trudged through the marathon and then looking back at it, it feels like an eye blink."

The whirlwind hasn't given them much time to process their success. After the tour wraps, they plan to take a vacation and let everything sink in.

For now, they're savoring the chance to share Olympic magic with fans in cities like Spokane, where both have competed before, spreading joy one performance at a time.