By Gina Capellazzi, Team FSO website administrator
Photos by Robin Ritoss and Elizabeth Hansen and Hudson Lewis
Figure Skaters Online has started a new series to introduce fans to the new pair teams who will be making their debut during the 2025-26 season. For this series, we recently chatted with Elizabeth Hansen and Hudson Lewis, who are a new novice team. They teamed up in June and recently made their debut at the 99th Middle Atlantic Figure Skating Championships. Prior to teaming up, Elizabeth finished 6th in the junior event at the 2025 U.S. Championships and 3rd at Challenge Cup with her former partner, William Church. They also had two Junior Grand Prix assignments last season. Meanwhile, Hudson’s skating journey only began two years ago.
Tell us about your individual skating journeys, including any early special memories.
Elizabeth: I started skating at around 8, but I really wasn’t competitive until 10 years old. That is when I made the decision to switch from my recreational rink to Twin Rinks (Buffalo Grove, Illinois). The environment at Twin taught me patience, discipline and how to prepare for competitions in the best way possible.
Hudson: My very first time on ice was in rentals just 2.5 years ago, so it’s safe to say my journey is quite unique. In fact, my first and only “singles competition” was Pre-Preliminary Excel in February 2023 and I passed Pre-Preliminary Skating Skills several months later!
I haven’t taken my foot off the gas pedal since. In my first season after moving to Colorado Springs last April, I passed 10 skills & singles tests, retooled all my (mostly self-taught) jumps, and learned the pairs discipline from scratch. A concussion and fractured heel made the climb even steeper, but I still managed to attend National Development Camp and develop core fundamentals that will serve me for years to come.
What drew you to pairs? Did either of you compete in singles before and if so, how long did you skate and compete as a single skater, and are you still doing singles?
Elizabeth: I think what drew me to pairs was the fact that I felt like I wasn’t progressing or I wasn’t able to get any farther than competing at Sectionals. I actually competed in singles for five years before I switched to pairs. I am a two-time Sectional competitor for singles, Midwestern silver medalist and Midwestern pewter medalist. Nationals Development team member 2022. I also am an National Qualifying Series (NQS) silver, gold and two-time pewter medalist. One of the main reasons I wanted to switch to pairs was that I thought it would be very cool to do lifts!! When I had my first pairs lesson, I fell in love with the feeling of being lifted! It felt like I was flying.
Hudson: When I was invited to a tryout last spring, I was honestly more excited about receiving some formal training in Colorado than I was about pairs. After a week here, however, I knew pairs was what I wanted to do … the culture, the quality of coaching, and the opportunity to compete with the best even after such a late start was so compelling. I had planned on competing singles for the first time this year, but fate would have it that Elizabeth showed up!
Tell us how your partnership started.
Elizabeth: Our partnership started after I agreed we would relocate to Colorado to begin training! We had a very successful tryout and the coaches suggested we should partner up.
Elizabeth, if you are willing to share, can you tell us what happened with your previous partner, William Church?
Elizabeth: I am endlessly grateful for my partnership with William as he was my first partner and we had many successful competitions — two Junior Grand Prix events (JGP) , two-time NQS gold medalist, Midwestern Champion and Pairs Final Champion, Challenge Cup 3rd place. As many people noticed, as we progressed into the season, I grew a lot. Things were starting to become very difficult because of my height. I was 13 when we started and obviously, I grew a lot when I turned 14 in October. I am always supporting him through everything though! Always wishing him the best.
What is it that you already like most about skating with your new partner?
Elizabeth: I like how supportive and kind he is to me. I was so nervous to move away from home and leave my dad, my grandparents and dog as I’m very close with both of them. Hudson makes training really fun and I think we have a great friendship together! We are usually laughing in training or making jokes. We both get along really well and I’m so happy about that!
Hudson: Elizabeth is a competitor. I love that she wants to excel. We’re also able to be our authentic selves which creates an open, honest, and refreshing partnership. She’s extremely insightful and sees things for what they are. Plus she laughs at my jokes.
What experiences do each of you bring to the partnership? (International competitions, training, etc.)
Elizabeth: I have experience of competing at three international competitions and a lot of experience doing high level pairs elements.
Hudson: Having not grown up in the sport, I like to think that I see things from a different perspective. My whole journey has been about the process, not just fleeting success, which I hope keeps us grounded.
What has been the biggest adjustment for each of you so far in the partnership?
Elizabeth: Having a new training environment, new coaches, a new schedule, and a new partner; everything is very new to me!
Hudson: Every day we show up with unique energy levels, motivation, sleep quality, school load, circumstances outside the rink…even subtle mood changes can affect the other’s training. That dynamic might actually be the most difficult element in pairs! It’s also what makes it special.
Tell us about your training site in Colorado Springs. What is it like to train with a lot of great pairs teams?
Elizabeth: It’s so inspiring! Looking around on the ice you can see so much greatness and I believe it truly helps everyone improve!
Hudson: More than anything, the reason I moved here was the culture. It’s a true team mentality in every sense, and even though I’m still new to the sport, I’m treated like an equal.
Tell us about your coaches.
Hudson: I’m beyond grateful they believe in me, despite my late start. The depth and breadth of coaching here is unrivaled. Drew (Meekins), Natalia (Mishkutionok), Danny (O’Shea), Leif (Gislason), Sandy (Straub), Logan (Giulietti-Schmitt) and coaches I’ve never even taken a lesson from are so invested in my success!
Elizabeth: My coaching team has truly helped me so much, from rebuilding technique to teaching me new elements I haven’t learned yet. My team has always made sure it was done safely too!
Elizabeth, you relocated to Colorado. Can you tell us about the move for you? Hudson, you recently celebrated a year in Colorado. What has it been like for you living and training in Colorado?
Elizabeth: The relocation process was insanely quick. We got a call about the partnership, and in four days, we rented the apartment and moved there. Living in Colorado is great! The hardest thing is not seeing my dad or dog or my grandparents for months at a time, which is always hard, because I love them so much.
Hudson: Like Elizabeth, my entire family made a last minute decision to move from Texas last April. Four of us (and a dog) shared a one bedroom apartment for eight months, and I’ve attended four different schools since moving. Life has been hectic to say the least. But there’s snowboarding here, which is a huge plus!
Who choreographed your programs?
Elizabeth and Hudson: Drew Meekins, Natalia Mishkutenok and Logan Giulietti-Schmitt
What are you skating to this year?
Elizabeth and Hudson: Our short program is “Money” by Pink Floyd and “A Thousand Times Goodnight” from Romeo and Juliet is our free skate.
If you could have a lesson with any pair skater past/present, who would it be? Why?
Elizabeth: Aliona Savchenko! She’s so fearless and skates so clean! I actually have met her before!
Hudson: Danny O’Shea. He’s a resource to me every day, and an irreplaceable mentor as a skater and a man. He’s not too shabby of a skater, either. Haha.
What is each of you looking forward to most this skating season? What will be your biggest challenge(s)?
Elizabeth: I think the biggest challenge will be the fact that we partnered up late. We have been working really hard to get our elements, but it’s definitely more rushed since we partnered up in June.
Hudson: This is my first full season as a competitor. Up until now, I’ve only really known the process, so it’ll be fun to put a real product on the ice. That lack of experience is also my biggest challenge. Not to mention, I have a heavy workload outside of skating.
Tell us about your debut competition (Middle Atlantic Championships) this season. How did you think it went and what is next for you both?
Elizabeth: It wasn’t perfect. We had some mistakes, but it really wasn’t too bad for our first time out together! We haven’t had much time with our programs and some of the elements we debuted, we had just learned a few weeks ago. Our next competition is the Boston Open (NQS event Oct. 1-5 at the Skating Club of Boston)
Hudson: We went out there and gave it our all, which is all you can ask for. It was a huge monkey off the back, despite me taking a random tumble in front of the judges! I feel like we’re well positioned to put together some solid skates, and look forward to Boston and beyond.
What are your goals for this season?
Elizabeth: To work together as a team, and progress in consistency and confidence.
Hudson: We’re focused on growing as a team and setting a foundation for future seasons. Any success is a just byproduct of that effort.
