MARYLAND HEIGHTS, MO — While Figure Skaters Online‘s Gina Capellazzi and Maura Sullivan Hill were traveling to St. Louis for Nationals, Ice-Dance.com Anne Calder caught up with the junior and novice skaters following their free skates at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Mo. Here are what the medalists in the junior pairs’ event about their skates at Nationals.
Reagan Moss and Jakub Galbavy, two-time U.S. champions
Ages: 17/20
Coaches: Trudy Oltmanns and Emily Oltmanns
Training Town: Bloomington, Minnesota
About: Reagan and Jakub teamed up in 2023. They finished fourth at both their Junior Grand Prix events this season and made their senior international debut at Ice Challenge in November.
Thoughts on their first skate
Reagan: “It felt really great. Really proud again. We are putting things out that we like to put out and there, of course, was a mistake.”
Jakub: “Honestly, that was our biggest goal, just to present and make everybody believe that we can have the senior performance. We are really glad we achieved that, at least, I think that we did.”
On becoming the first U.S. pairs team to win consecutive U.S. junior championships
Jakub: “I didn’t even know that.”
Reagan: “It’s very exciting. I feel like making history is very exciting. Nobody has ever done that and we are the first.
Jakub: “It’s so cool.”
On the U.S. Championships as a whole
Reagan: “It felt very calm. We were very prepared going in and we felt like we had good confidence in ourselves, in our elements and in our practice that made us be able to just have fun and enjoy it rather than stress out or anything.”
On what they learned from this competition
Reagan: “We want to take how prepared we were and we want to keep it going throughout the rest of the season, hopefully, and then start that way next season and continue it on. I just want to have the calmness that we have.”
Jakub: “We know that it can still get better and better so that’s our next goal. (We need to) find another mountain and reach that, reach the top and then plan for another one. Keeping climbing. The sky is the limit.”
Sofia Jarmoc and Luke Witkowski, U.S. silver medalists
Ages: 16/19
Coaches: Simon Shnapir, Marissa Castelli and Carrie Wall
Training Town: Norwood, Mass.
About: Sofia and Luke teamed up in 2023; they won the 2026 U.S. Pairs Final. They won gold at the U.S. Championships on the novice level in 2024 and were fourth at the 2025 U.S. Championships on the junior level. They won bronze at the Junior Grand Prix in Thailand this season.
Thoughts on their free skate
Sofia: It was really gratifying to get through the full thing. We have definitely faced a lot of adversity within the last two weeks with illness and even a minor injury. So we have been dealing with a lot so I’m really proud of how we did today. We are really excited to keep pushing for more this season and keep improving on what we have.”
Luke: “We knew going in that it was going to be a war. You (Sofia) had the flu or something, and we were very sick going into the competition. That should not be the metric by which we measure our performance because at the end of the day, rain or shine, you show up, you work. We are grateful for those programs where you really have to fight for it because that really teaches you a lot, so we are very grateful for it. All things considered, we feel we did a good job. It was a personal best so no complaints there.”
On being on the podium for the second year in a row
Sofia: “I think it is really exciting. I mean it is some familiar faces and some not, but overall, I think all the competitors this year, in general, have really great attitudes, are super positive and kind. So being out there with not only competitors but friends is one of the best feelings.”
Luke: “It is just an honor. We have to thank God everyday for putting us in this position. We are so lucky. There are so many people in this world that don’t know where their next meal is coming from, and we have these massive systems of support for our lives and for our training to help us get there, so we have to be so grateful.”
On what they learned from this competition
Luke: “At every competition, I learn more and more. I’m getting closer and closer to the optimal preparation, which you’ll never reach. You’ll never have your perfect pre-competition warm-up, meal, whatever, but each time you learn something that didn’t go well and maybe something that helped you out. We are heading in the right direction, and today and yesterday, I have felt like I have learned a little more about what works for me when it comes to what I need to eat, how I need to prepare, how much sleep I need, all that good stuff.”
On skating at the Skating Club of Boston
Sofia: “I would say that it is a very special place to be in, especially training every day because a lot of the time we get to train alongside some amazing athletes, like Misha (Mitrofanov) and Alisa (Efimova), and Emily Chan and Spencer Howe. They are some of the top senior teams right now and having them as a role model and also as a friend in a way gives you a whole different perspective on those higher level competitions, and I think it helped us become more level-headed going into some of these bigger competitions.
Luke: “The Skating Club of Boston, I think, is the best facility I have ever seen. There’s a great environment there. The people are really supportive. We get to look up to these teams. Personally, I see Spencer and Misha in the locker room everyday and those are guys I really look up to and they are role models for me. I wouldn’t be at any other rink. I love that place. I have been there since I was 4.”
Milada Kovar and Jared McPike, U.S. junior bronze medalists
Ages: 16/18
Coaches: Drew Meekins, Natalia Mishkutenok
Training Town: Colorado Springs, Co.
About: Milada and Jared teamed up in 2024; they were 2nd at the U.S. Pairs Final. This is their second U.S. Nationals as a team. They finished 9th at the 2025 U.S. Championships.
Thoughts on the free skate
Milada: “It felt really good.”
Jared: “I think it was a really good fight from beginning to end. We stayed with each other the whole time and I think that is what carried us through. No, we were not perfect today. We have done a lot better programs in practice and at other competitions, but we had that will power to go out and get what we wanted and that’s what we did.”
Milada: “I thought we fought through the program, no matter what we did.”
Thoughts on making the podium
Milada: “I’m so glad that both our programs turned out to be really well. We skated hard and we got what we worked for.
Jared: “One word, ‘unreal.’ Because we were here around this time last year at U.S. Nationals and it was the beginning of our partnership within a few months and we were really striving to make it here a year ago so it is just a blessing now to got out there in front of everyone, in front of my family and show them what we can do.”
Thoughts on the experience at Nationals overall
Milada: “I had a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to the other events that are coming to watch and I’m glad I got to experience it (Nationals).”
Jared: “The special thing about Nationals is all the pairs coming together. I love skating with all of them. There’s great camaraderie, especially in this discipline and that makes it the most enjoyable for me.”
On what they will take from this competition into next season
Milada: “Train hard and always stay in sync with each other through the program because you always have someone to rely on with your skating.”
Jared: “I think as much as we are gaining confidence with our elements and our programs, and competing, we are gaining experience with our confidence in working with each other through whatever task it is, so I think we will keep building on that.”
Alena Kerr and Sam Herbert, U.S. junior pewter medalists
Ages: 17/19
Coaches: Jim Peterson, Amanda Evora
Training Town: Colorado Springs, Co.
About: Alena and Sam teamed up in June 2025; they were sixth at the U.S. Pairs Final.
Thoughts on the free skate
Alena: “We are really proud. It was our second time competing a triple twist in this first competition.”
Sam: “Yeah, once we got that out of the way in the short program, it was make it look good, do what we know how to do. We trained really hard. We do a lot of simulations. We do full longs every day. Do what we normally do and we would be set.”
Thoughts on the experience at Nationals overall
Alena: “It feels great to come out here. Sam and I just partnered up like seven months go, so for us to be developing elements and getting to compete those elements is a really big, positive thing for us,”
Sam: “I’m just happy to be here. It’s always such a cool experience. It’s even cooler if you do well and skate clean, which is what we did. It’s all you can hope for.”
Favorite part of the week
Sam: “Seeing my friends and family.”
How did this partnership come together
Alena: “I went to Nationals in novice last year with my old partner and won that. However, I wanted to be closer to home, and it just happened that when I moved back home, Sam still wanted to keep training with Jim and Amanda, and became available. So we said, ‘let’s just try out.'”
Sam: “It was about as serendipitous as it gets. It was about a week turnaround. I became available, she moved back home and it worked out really well.”
On what they will take from this competition into next season
Alena: “I really want to focus on seeing what else we can do as a team, developing elements and to see what is next for us. ”
Sam: “We are going to work on a few more things and come back better than ever.”
