Spencer Howe: From Army Barracks to Olympic Ice, a Testament to Resilience
The path to the Olympic Games is rarely a straight line, and for U.S. Army soldier Spencer Howe, it's been a journey marked by significant detours, physical challenges, and unwavering determination. Alongside his pairs skating partner, Emily Chan, Howe is set to represent the United States at the Winter Olympics, a remarkable achievement considering the hurdles he's had to overcome.
A Detour Through Military Service
Just a year before the Milan Olympics, Spencer Howe was trading the polished ice of a figure skating rink for the dusty grounds of Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. As part of his commitment to the U.S. Army's World Class Athlete Program (WCAP), Howe underwent basic training. For ten weeks, his skates remained untouched, replaced by fatigues and the rigorous demands of military life. This hiatus, so close to the Olympic qualification period, was a significant risk, leading many in the figure skating community to doubt his and Chan's Olympic prospects.
“It’s still a little bit unreal for us,” Howe expressed, reflecting on their journey. The WCAP program, which enables active duty, National Guard, and reserve soldiers to train and compete at elite levels, provided Howe with the unique opportunity to balance his military career with his athletic aspirations. He is now the first member of the Army's WCAP to make an Olympic team in figure skating, a pioneering achievement.
Battling Persistent Injuries
The narrative of Howe and Chan's partnership is also one defined by Howe's chronic shoulder injuries. It's a common ailment in pairs skating due to the demanding nature of lifts and throws, but for Howe, it has been a near-constant companion throughout their seven-year collaboration.
The Burden of Shoulder Pain
“When we first got together, I was teetering between even continuing my skating career just because the shoulder injuries were continuing to be a burden to the success of my skating and my career,” Howe admitted. He recalled their initial tryout, where his shoulder was in such poor condition that they couldn't even perform standard pair elements.
Emily Chan, who transitioned from a successful singles career, recognized the challenge but was willing to commit to the partnership. “In Season 1, the main mission was to try to get myself to a healthy place where we can even train to do lifts,” Howe said, highlighting the foundational work required to build their competitive arsenal.
A Rise to Prominence and Setbacks
Under the guidance of coaches Aleksey Letov and Olga Ganicheva, whom they joined when they relocated to The Skating Club of Boston in 2020, Chan and Howe began to see significant progress. Their 2022-23 season was particularly strong, marked by a second-place finish at the Four Continents Championships, podium placements at two Grand Prix events, a berth in the Grand Prix Final, a silver medal at the 2023 U.S. Championships, and a fifth-place finish at the World Championships.
The Impact of Surgery
However, this peak performance came at a cost. Howe sustained a torn right labrum, necessitating surgery in May 2023 at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. The recovery period kept him off the ice for two months. Even after the surgery, discomfort lingered, and the pair missed competition until the 2024 U.S. Championships. While they completed their short program, they were forced to withdraw.
Despite these setbacks, their previous season's success earned them a spot on the World Championships team, where they ultimately finished 12th. The fall of 2024 saw less impressive international results, and at the subsequent U.S. Championships, they placed fourth, watching their Norwood training mates Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov claim the national title.
The Olympic Dream Realized
Throughout his various treatments and recovery periods in Colorado Springs, Howe forged a connection with Jonah Koech, a track and field athlete also part of the Army World Class Athlete Program. This program proved instrumental, allowing Howe to continue his elite training while fulfilling his military obligations.
The journey of Spencer Howe and Emily Chan is a powerful narrative of pushing past physical limitations and external pressures. Their path to the Olympics is not just a story of athletic achievement, but a profound testament to perseverance, the unique demands of military-athlete life, and the enduring power of a shared dream.
