Spencer Howe’s unusual path from Army barracks to Olympic ice with partner Emily Chan
Spencer Howe and Emily Chan will take to the ice in the pairs short program on Sunday, February 15, 2026 (ET), capping a turbulent build-up that included shoulder surgery, a season of withdrawals and an unlikely enlistment. Howe’s enlistment in the U. S. Army World Class Athlete Program and a stretch of basic training that kept him off skates for 10 weeks made their Olympic berth one of the more unexpected stories of the team.
From military barracks to the Milano Ice Skating Arena
Howe’s decision to enlist set him on a course few elite skaters have taken. He entered basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, on Feb. 18, 2025 (ET), living in the barracks and training in transportation logistics. For roughly 10 weeks he didn’t touch his skates, a risky choice with an Olympic year looming. The move was partly practical — the World Class Athlete Program offers active duty personnel additional resources and a potential post-athletics pathway — and partly personal, as Howe weighed long-term options beyond competition.
Chan waited for Howe to return to the ice in June and the pair resumed their campaign with a renewed focus on securing a Games slot. The qualification story that followed had its own twists: a national championships result that left them just outside the top two, combined with a teammate’s citizenship issue, opened the second pairs spot for the country and put Chan and Howe on the Olympic roster.
Injury, surgery and repeated comebacks
Shoulder trouble has shadowed Howe throughout his seven-year partnership with Chan. Men in pairs skating commonly face shoulder wear from repeated throws and lifts, and Howe says there was never a stretch in which the shoulder was entirely free from concern. A torn right labrum forced surgery in May 2023 at the national training center in Colorado Springs, and Howe was off the ice for two months. Even after the operation the shoulder was not consistently pain-free.
The pair’s trajectory since their move to The Skating Club of Boston in 2020 has been a study in highs and setbacks. They surged in 2022–23, earning podium placements on the Grand Prix circuit, qualifying for the Grand Prix Final, finishing second at the 2023 U. S. Championships and placing fifth at the World Championships. But the post-surgery period brought fresh difficulties: the team withdrew from the 2024 U. S. Championships after the short program, struggled through uneven international assignments, and finished 12th at the World Championships that followed.
Howe has been open about the toll those ups and downs took on his career planning. “Our first tryout together, we didn’t even do any real pair elements because my shoulder was still not in good condition, ” he said, recalling the early days of the partnership. He has called the Olympic selection “still a little bit unreal for us. ”
What the Olympics mean next
The Milan Games present both a reward and a test. For Chan and Howe, Olympic participation validates seasons of hard work, rehabilitation and strategic decisions that included a leap into military service. Howe’s place on the team also marks a milestone: he is the first member of the U. S. Army World Class Athlete Program to make an Olympic team in figure skating.
Competitive form remains the immediate challenge. The pairs short program on Sunday, February 15, 2026 (ET), will be their first major free-skate opportunity on the Olympic stage, and the performance will shape expectations for the remainder of the competition. Beyond results, the story of Chan and Howe is likely to resonate for its blend of perseverance, medical recovery and an unconventional route to the peak of their sport.
Regardless of placement, their presence in the field highlights the narrow margins that determine Olympic rosters and the multiple paths athletes now navigate to reach elite competition.
