By Scott Mammoser, Team FSO contributing writer
Photos by Robin Ritoss; Headshot courtesy U.S. Figure Skating
Reagan Moss and Jakub Galbavy made their international debut this season by competing at two Junior Grand Prix events. Earlier this fall, the junior-level pairs team that is based in Minnesota placed sixth in the Riga Cup in Riga, Latvia and was ninth in the Solidarity Cup at Gdansk, Poland.
“This year is my first year of traveling for skating,” 17-year-old Reagan said. “I met a lot of new people, which I enjoy. Meeting all of these people from new countries is exciting. Skating there is really cool and exciting and fun, and we had a blast.”
The experience on the Junior Grand Prix was a different perspective for Jakub, who turns 19 on Nov. 23. He had already traveled for skating as he moved from Bratislava, Slovakia, to Minnesota to skate with Reagan.
“I am glad I could meet my old friends,” Jakub said of competing internationally. “Also, I really enjoy traveling, and it was great to be by my parents because I only see them a couple of times a year. It was neat that they came and supported us.”
Early beginnings
For Reagan, skating ran in her family. Her mother, Ann, took skating lessons until her senior year of high school herself. Shortly after the family moved to Minnesota from Arizona, she took Reagan skating at a young age. Although she wasn’t convinced at first, Reagan returned to the rink when she was six or seven more inclined.
“I went to one Nationals when I was little and saw all of the pairs skaters,” Reagan said. “I told my mom that was what I wanted to do, and she said ‘You’re crazy!’ We went home and found coach Trudy Oltmanns, and I started pairs skating when I was around 10.”
Jakub also began skating in his early childhood. While his father wasn’t involved in skating, he excelled in a variety of dance clubs and competitions.
“When I was in kindergarten, I was trying a lot of new sports,” Jakub added. “We had this program in our school, where we went every Monday to skate. In elementary school, they told me ‘Why don’t you join the club?’ I always liked dance, since my dad was a dancer, too. I started liking it more and more when I joined the club.”
The two brought their partnership into place on the site Ice Partner Search. Oltmanns contacted Jakub, who after skating singles for more than 10 years, was looking for a partner to skate pairs with. He made a profile after he wasn’t getting anywhere with European girls his coaches matched with him.
“As I made that profile,” he noted, “I was looking over all of the girls and was like ‘Oh, My God!’ Reagan looked amazing. That would be so great if I skated with her. At first I was shy, but during one of my skates in Europe, Trudy texted me. The answer had to be very quick, and I replied right away. I went to try out here [to Minnesota], and I enjoyed it so much. It was something out of my world. I learned so much new stuff.”
Reagan and Jakub formed their partnership in June 2023, and Jakub moved from Bratislava to Minnesota to train under Oltmanns. A few months later, in November 2023, the team finished 5th on the junior level at the U.S. Pairs Final to qualify for the U.S. Championships. The team placed sixth in juniors at U.S. Nationals last season in Columbus, Ohio.
Preparing for their sophomore season together, Reagan and Jakub said they were planning on using the same programs from their first season, but one day at practice, they decided they didn’t feel it anymore and changed mixed things up. In came ‘You Are The Reason’ by Calcum Scott and Leona Lewis for the short program, with a free skate of ‘The Greatest Showman.’ Jakub skated to ‘The Greatest Showman’ previously in his singles career, so he said he is highly familiar with it. The two even sing the music while they are skating.
The programs were choreographed by Oltmanns. According to both skaters, Oltmanns has also been a constant bright light.
“She is definitely really fun,” Reagan said of her coach. “She is enthusiastic all of the time and has a very loud personality. She always makes you smile, even if something is scary or hard.”
Reagan also noted that in one example, Oltmanns texted her in the middle of the night with enthusiastic ideas to change the program. While that might seem like an annoyance to most people, Reagan welcomes the occasion with laughter.
Company on the ice
A singles skater might seem like the loneliest person in the world after a fall or downgrade. For pairs skaters, having a teammate on the ice can be a huge mental boost.
“I don’t like skating alone,” Reagan proclaimed. “I am upset when he has to go home. I like having somebody next to me to hold my hand and take the ice with me. I like to jump next to him. It’s more fun and less lonely.”
Jakub also pleasures having someone with which to share experiences.
“You are there for the other person,” Jakub added. “For me, I want to be the best partner for Reagan that I can. It made me a better skater for sure. I really like the progress.
Both listed the death spiral as their favorite element, and Jakub also said he enjoys going to lift classes. If they had to choose another team they look up to, 2024 Skate America bronze medalists Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov are the first that com
e to their minds.
While both are seniors in high school, Jakub pointed out that he is actually in 13th grade as opposed to Reagan’s 12th. This is because in Slovakia, students go through 13 grades. College is on deck after graduation next spring, as well. Jakub said he is interested in a variety of subjects and noted architecture and aerospace mechanics as possible majors. For Reagan, she would like to enroll in pre-med and aspires to enter the medical field after her skating career.
This year, the team also won the John Nicks Pairs Competition in New York City and was fourth at the Tayside Trophy in Dundee, Scotland. Next will be the U.S. Pairs Final, coming up in mid-November at Norwood, Mass. They noted they will add triple Salchows and fine-tuning step work before they head to Massachusetts for the event that could qualify them for Nationals in Wichita, Kansas, this January.
“We want to put everything out there because it’s our last event before Nationals,” Reagan said. “It’s been a long time since we competed in a U.S. competition. Our goal is to have fun and hopefully, our elements will be there. We will just trust the process.”
