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Spencer Howe

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Spencer Howe
Emily Chan and Spencer Howe at the 2024 World Championships
Full nameSpencer Akira Howe
Born (1996-09-11) September 11, 1996 (age 28)
Burbank, California,
United States
HometownMontreal, Quebec, Canada
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Figure skating career
Country United States
(since 2017)
 Japan (2016–17)
 United States (2013–15)
DisciplinePair skating (since 2016)
Men's singles (2013–15)
PartnerEmily Chan (since 2020)
Nadine Wang (2017–18)
Ami Koga (2016–17)
CoachAlexei Letov
Began skating2006
Medal record
Four Continents Championships
Silver medal – second place 2022 Tallinn Pairs
Silver medal – second place 2023 Colorado Springs Pairs
U.S. Championships
Silver medal – second place 2023 San Jose Pairs

Spencer Akira Howe (born September 11, 1996) is an American pair skater. With his skating partner, Emily Chan, he is a two-time Four Continents silver medalist (2022 and 2023) silver medalist, a two-time Grand Prix silver medalist (2022 Skate America; 2022 NHK Trophy), and a two-time U.S. national medalist (silver in 2023; pewter in 2022).

Personal life

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Howe was born on September 11, 1996, in Burbank, California.[1] He was born to a white American father and Japanese mother.[2]

As of 2022, Howe coaches both figure skating and hockey at The Skating Club of Boston, where he trains.

He previously dated fellow pair skater, Gabriella Izzo.[3]

Career

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Early years

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Howe began figure skating in 2006 at the age of nine after following his sister, who later became an ice dancer, into the sport.[3]

Early in his pairs career, Howe competed in partnership with Ami Koga for Japan. They were coached by Richard Gauthier, Bruno Marcotte, Sylvie Fullum, and Cynthia Lemaire in Saint-Leonard, Quebec, Canada, and appeared at two ISU Junior Grand Prix events in 2016.[4]

Competing with Nadine Wang, Howe finished fourth in junior pairs at the 2018 U.S. Championships. Their partnership dissolved shortly after.

Following the end of his partnership with Wang, Howe moved from Saint-Leonard, Quebec to his hometown of Los Angeles, California, considering retirement due to a recurring shoulder injury that he was struggling with at the time. However, he was contacted by the president of U.S. Figure Skating, asking if he would try out with Emily Chan, who was looking for a partner at the time and he agreed.[3]

Partnership with Chan

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Early years

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Howe teamed up with Chan in 2019, and the two decided to train at the Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Massachusetts, coached by Aleksey Letov and Olga Ganicheva.[5] In their second season together, Chan/Howe placed seventh at the 2020 Skate America and fifth at the 2021 U.S. Championships.

2021–22 season: Four Continents silver

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Chan/Howe finished ninth at the 2021 CS Warsaw Cup. In January, they won pewter for fourth place at the 2022 U.S. Championships and were sent to the 2022 Four Continents Championships in Tallinn, Estonia. Ranked third in the short and second in the free, they moved ahead of Canada's Walsh/Michaud to take the silver medal behind fellow Americans Lu/Mitrofanov.[6]

2022–23 season: Second Four Continents silver

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Chan and Howe performing a lift at the 2023 Four Continents Championships

The international pairs scene going into the 2022–23 season was greatly altered by the International Skating Union banning all Russian skaters in response to their country's invasion of Ukraine.[7] With more podium opportunities for pairs outside of Russia, Chan/Howe began with a silver medal win at the 2022 CS U.S. Classic. Howe said that they were pleased with the outcome in light of injury troubles that had hindered their preparations.[8]

Given two Grand Prix assignments for the first time, they won the silver medal at the 2022 Skate Canada International.[9] They won a second silver medal weeks later at the 2022 NHK Trophy, qualifying for the Grand Prix Final.[10][11] Despite a jump error in the free skate, Chan said they were "very happy with our skate."[12] Chan/Howe struggled at the Final, finishing sixth of six teams.[13]

Chan/Howe won the silver medal at the 2023 U.S. Championships, a new best podium placement at the national championships. Chan said they were both "really grateful" for the result.[14] With national champions Knierim/Frazier declining to attend the 2023 Four Continents Championships in favour of a paid appearance at Art on Ice, Chan/Howe became the highest-ranked American team in attendance at a home ISU championship.[15] In the short program, Howe fell on his triple toe attempt, but they still placed third in the segment.[16][17] In the free skate, they overtook Canadians Stellato/Deschamps for the silver medal, their second. Chan called it "a special moment for both of us."[18][19]

Chan/Howe concluded their season by making their World Championship debut, finishing fifth at the 2023 edition in Saitama.[20]

2023–24 season

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Chan and Howe performing their free skate at the 2024 World Championships

For most of the 2022–23 season, Howe had been dealing what was eventually revealed to be a torn labrum, which necessitated surgery in May of 2023. Chan and Howe resumed training together in July, and initially hoped to be ready to compete on the Grand Prix circuit in the fall.[21] However, they subsequently had to withdraw from their assignments, as Howe's return to readiness proved slower than they had hoped. He would later say that the process was about getting "to a place where it’s like, oh, wow, this is what it feels like to actually be able to skate and not always be dealing and managing with pain."[22]

Chan/Howe announced that they would return to competition at the 2024 U.S. Championships in Columbus.[22] Despite Chan putting a hand down on the pair's throw loop in the short program, they won the segment by 1.29 points over Kam/O'Shea. Afterward, they announced their withdrawal in advance of the free skate. Howe explained that the short program was "a big success for us, and a huge milestone to our comeback, but we feel we want to take this time to continue to get healthy and set ourselves up for success."[23]

Despite their withdrawal from the national championships, Chan/Howe were named to the American team from the 2024 World Championships in Montreal.[24] They came twelfth in the short program, having had issues on their throw and spins.[25] Thirteenth in the free skate, they finished twelfth overall. Chan viewed the result as "amazing for us," explaining that "last year we had a great debut. This year, we have a little bit different circumstances, but we're here and we're grateful."[26]

2024–25 season

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Although assigned to compete at the 2024 CS John Nicks International Pairs Competition and the 2024 CS Lombardia Trophy, the pair withdrew from both events.[27][28] Making their first appearance at the 2024 Shanghai Trophy, Chan/Howe finished fourth.[29]

Going on to compete on the 2024–25 Grand Prix series, Chan/Howe finished fifth at 2024 Skate Canada International and at the 2024 Finlandia Trophy.[30][29] They would follow these results up with a silver medal at the 2024 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb.[29]

Programs

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Pair skating with Emily Chan

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Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
2019–20
[5]
  • Je Crois Entendre Encore
    by Alison Moyet
    choreo. by Olga Ganicheva
  • On the Nature of Daylight
    by Max Richter
    choreo. by Olga Ganicheva
2020–21
[31]
2021–22
[32]
2022–23
[1]

Ghost: The Musical

2023–24
[33]
2024–25
[34]

Pair skating with Ami Koga

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Season Short program Free skating
2016–17
[4]
  • Yesterday
    by Paul McCartney
  • Yesterday
    (from André Rieu Celebrates ABBA – Music of the Night)
    choreo. by Julie Marcotte

Competitive highlights

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Pair skating with Emily Chan (for the United States)

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Competition placements at senior level [29]
Season 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
World Championships 5th 12th
Four Continents Championships 2nd 2nd
Grand Prix Final 6th
U.S. Championships 5th 4th 2nd WD TBD
GP Finland 5th
GP NHK Trophy 2nd
GP Skate America 7th
GP Skate Canada 2nd 5th
CS Golden Spin of Zagreb 2nd
CS U.S. Classic 2nd
CS Warsaw Cup 9th
Cranberry Cup 4th
John Nicks Pairs 6th 2nd
Shanghai Trophy 4th

Pair skating with Nadine Wang (for the United States)

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Competition placements at junior level [35]
Season 2017–18
U.S. Championships 4th
Mentor Cup 2nd

Pair skating with Ami Koga (for Japan)

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Competition placements at junior level [36]
Season 2016–17
JGP Czech Republic 9th
JGP Germany 8th

Single skating (for the United States)

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Competition placements at junior level [37]
Season 2013–14 2014–15
U.S. Championships 8th 6th
JGP Belarus 15th
JGP Estonia 12th

Detailed results

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Pair skating with Emily Chan

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ISU personal best scores in the +5/-5 GOE System [29]
Segment Type Score Event
Total TSS 201.11 2023 Four Continents Championships
Short program TSS 70.23 2023 World Championships
TES 37.79 2023 World Championships
PCS 32.44 2023 World Championships
Free skating TSS 134.15 2023 Four Continents Championships
TES 68.10 2023 Four Continents Championships
PCS 66.05 2023 Four Continents Championships
  • Small medals for the short program and free skating are only awarded at ISU Championships.
  • At national events in the United States, pewter medals are awarded for fourth place.
Results in the 2020–21 season [29]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Oct 23–24, 2020 United States 2020 Skate America 7 55.58 8 95.57 7 151.15
Jan 11–21, 2021 United States 2021 U.S. Championships 5 60.41 5 116.65 5 177.06
Results in the 2021–22 season [29]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Aug 11–15, 2021 United States 2021 Cranberry Cup International 4 63.61 4 118.83 4 182.44
Sep 9–10, 2021 United States 2021 John Nicks Pairs Challenge 6 59.77 6 110.31 6 170.08
Nov 17–20, 2021 Poland 2021 CS Warsaw Cup 12 56.94 8 106.45 9 163.39
Jan 3–9, 2022 United States 2022 U.S. Championships 4 61.94 5 115.31 4 177.25
Jan 18–23, 2022 Estonia 2022 Four Continents Championships 3 64.47 2 116.47 2 180.94
Results in the 2022–23 season [29]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Sep 8–10, 2022 United States 2022 John Nicks Pairs Challenge 2 60.45 2 113.64 2 174.09
Sep 12–16, 2022 United States 2022 CS U.S. International Classic 2 61.71 2 120.10 2 181.81
Oct 28–20, 2022 Canada 2022 Skate Canada International 2 67.39 3 119.09 2 186.48
Nov 18–20, 2022 Japan 2022 NHK Trophy 2 64.62 2 122.87 2 187.49
Dec 8–11, 2022 Italy 2022–23 Grand Prix Final 6 53.85 6 109.06 6 162.91
Jan 23–29, 2023 United States 2023 U.S. Championships 2 66.86 2 130.00 2 196.86
Feb 7–12, 2023 United States 2023 Four Continents Championships 3 66.96 2 134.15 2 201.11
Mar 20–26, 2023 Japan 2023 World Championships 5 70.23 8 124.50 5 194.73
Results in the 2023–24 season [29]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Jan 22–28, 2024 United States 2024 U.S. Championships 1 65.86 — — – WD
Mar 18–24, 2024 Canada 2024 World Championships 12 62.86 13 112.58 12 175.44
Results in the 2024–25 season [29]
Date Event SP FS Total
P Score P Score P Score
Oct 3–5, 2024 China 2024 Shanghai Trophy 4 50.50 3 105.14 4 155.64
Oct 25–27, 2024 Canada 2024 Skate Canada International 5 61.04 5 117.27 5 178.31
Nov 15–17, 2024 Finland 2024 Finlandia Trophy 5 58.93 5 115.47 5 174.40
Dec 5–7, 2024 Croatia 2024 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb 1 65.13 2 112.57 2 177.70

References

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  1. ^ a b "Emily CHAN / Spencer HOWE: 2022/2023". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on November 1, 2022.
  2. ^ "Spencer Howe and Emily Chan Honor Asian American Heritages". U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone. May 23, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "GOEing into Detail with Emily Chan and Spencer Howe". YouTube. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Ami KOGA / Spencer Akira HOWE: 2016/2017". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 21, 2017.
  5. ^ a b
  6. ^ Slater, Paula (January 22, 2022). "USA's Lu and Mitrofanov: 'It means everything'". Golden Skate.
  7. ^ McCarvel, Nick (October 19, 2022). "Figure skating 2022/23 season preview: New Olympic quad begins with intrigue and plenty of familiar faces". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  8. ^ Sausa, Christie (September 15, 2022). "Ilia Malinin Rewrites the History Books with Quad Axel to Take Gold". U.S. Figure Skating.
  9. ^ Slater, Paula (October 29, 2022). "Miura and Kihara win historic pairs Gold for Japan". Golden Skate.
  10. ^ "'Confident' Miura/Kihara (JPN) delight home crowd to lead Pairs after Short Program at NHK Trophy". International Skating Union. November 18, 2022.
  11. ^ Slater, Paula (November 19, 2022). "Miura and Kihara take second Grand Prix title at NHK Trophy". Golden Skate.
  12. ^ "Miura/Kihara (JPN) take home Pairs gold in NHK Trophy to qualify for Grand Prix Final in style". International Skating Union. November 19, 2022.
  13. ^ Slater, Paula (December 9, 2022). "Miura and Kihara make history in Torino". Golden Skate.
  14. ^ Flett, Ted (January 29, 2023). "Knierim and Frazier reclaim US pairs title". Golden Skate.
  15. ^ McCarvel, Nick (February 6, 2023). "ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships 2023 preview: Levito, Miura/Kihara and Chock/Bates all aim for titles ahead of figure skating worlds". Olympic Channel.
  16. ^ "Miura/Kihara (JPN) capture Four Continents Pairs Short Program". International Skating Union. February 10, 2023.
  17. ^ Dombrowski, Judith (February 10, 2023). "Miura and Kihara 'achieve goal' in short program". Golden Skate.
  18. ^ Slater, Paula (February 11, 2023). "Miura and Kihara reign at Four Continents". Golden Skate.
  19. ^ "Miura/Kihara claim historic Four Continents Pairs title for Japan". International Skating Union. February 11, 2023.
  20. ^ Slater, Paula (March 23, 2023). "Miura and Kihara grand-slam their way into history". Golden Skate.
  21. ^ Kellar, Anna (August 24, 2023). "Chan and Howe: 'It's just the beginning'". Golden Skate. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  22. ^ a b Zaccardi, Nick (January 24, 2024). "Top U.S. pair Emily Chan, Spencer Howe signal return at figure skating nationals". NBC Sports. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  23. ^ "Pairs' leaders Emily Chan, Spencer Howe withdraw from figure skating nationals". NBC Sports. January 25, 2024. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  24. ^ Henneman, Kristen (March 18, 2024). "Seventeen of Team USA's Best to Compete on World Stage". U.S. Figure Skating. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  25. ^ Schwindt, Troy (March 20, 2024). "Levito shines in short program at Worlds, places second". U.S. Figure Skating. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  26. ^ Schwindt, Troy (March 21, 2024). "Malinin third after short program at Worlds, with Brown close behind". U.S. Figure Skating. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  27. ^ "🇺🇸 Emily Chan / Spencer Akira Howe have withdrawn from John Nicks Pairs International". X. Anything GOEs. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  28. ^ "🇭🇺 Aleksandr Vlasenko, 🇭🇺 Regina Schermann, and 🇺🇸 Emily Chan / Spencer Akira Howe have withdrawn from Lombardia Trophy". X. Anything GOEs. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  29. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "USA–Emily Chan/Spencer Howe". SkatingScores.
  30. ^ Slater, Paula (October 27, 2024). "Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps defend Skate Canada title". Golden Skate. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  31. ^ "Emily CHAN / Spencer HOWE: 2020/2021". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on March 16, 2021.
  32. ^ "Emily CHAN / Spencer HOWE: 2021/2022". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022.
  33. ^ "Emily CHAN / Spencer HOWE: 2023/2024". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on March 26, 2024.
  34. ^ "Emily CHAN / Spencer HOWE: 2024/2025". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on November 6, 2024.
  35. ^ "USA–Nadine Wang/Spencer Howe". SkatingScores.
  36. ^ "JPN–Ami Koga/Spencer Howe". SkatingScores.
  37. ^ "USA–Spencer Howe". SkatingScores.
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