Milan-Cortina Memories

In Milan-Cortina, Chock and Bates led Team USA to its second-straight gold medal in the team event and clinched silver in the ice dance competition in their third Olympic appearance as a competitive pair. The latter’s results were controversial, with judging controversy overshadowing the medal-worthy performances.

However, Chock and Bates have made it clear: after three Olympic medals, three world titles, and countless records broken, only one judgment matters: their own.

Their assessment? They had done all that they could in Milan-Cortina. When they stepped off the ice after a near-faultless free dance, the verdict was in. Gold, silver, or bronze medal aside, Madison and Evan "felt totally complete."

That sentiment factored into their decision to withdraw from the U.S. contingent heading to the world championships in Prague. Scheduled just six weeks after the final skate in Milan-Cortina, the event served as the final act of the 2025-26 ISU figure skating season.

Instead of returning to the world championships in search of a fourth-straight title, Chock and Bates sharpened their blades for new opportunities.

Stars On (and off) the Ice

After clinching Olympic gold and silver, those engagements came in droves.

In the weeks that followed Milan-Cortina, the pair tallied star-studded appearances at The Academy Awards, a morning talk show segment on Live with Kelly and Mark, a cameo with the Rockettes, and red carpet movie premieres.

Their schedule then led them to Japan in early April, where they helped kick off the popular Stars on Ice tour alongside a handful of Olympic icons. The tour landed on U.S. soil a week later, and the reception was overwhelming. Fans far and wide were eager to celebrate Chock, Bates, and their fellow Olympians.

The pair performed nine shows in Japan and all nine were sold out. Days later in the United States, the first three shows in Florida sold out. Though skating interest predictably peaks during an Olympic year, the 2026 buzz felt different.

After the U.S. figure skating team won gold and the individual storylines of Chock and Bates, gold medalist Alysa Liu and “Quad God” Ilia Malinin made headlines, the team’s cultural impact became undeniable.

“It has honestly been the best feeling to just see how much hype and excitement there is around figure skating right now,” Chock adds, describing stop-after-stop of screaming fans. “The excitement that's in the arena when we perform is unlike anything we felt in recent memory.”

The tour visits a whopping 25+ cities in as many days, with the skaters making pit-stops for promotional appearances – and interviews like this one – in between their jam-packed schedules. Like many aspects of Olympic skating, the experience has been grueling, but worth it.

Unlike in previous years, interest in figure skating has not waned since Milan-Cortina. Concurrently, the skaters’ fame now follows them off-ice. “We’ll see people at the airport and they're watching skating, or they're talking about skating,” Madison recounts. “It's kind of surreal to see the impact that it has had on the worldwide audience and the general public.”

Midway through 2026, Madison Chock and Evan Bates are close to becoming household names, but four years earlier in Beijing, the pair could not have imagined the successes that would come in the next Olympic cycle. After finishing fourth at the 2022 Olympics, the duo nearly made the decision to end their ice dance career.

Conditions for a Comeback

Already with three joint Olympic appearances and two world championship medals in tow, Chock and Bates were “on the fence” regarding retirement after Beijing. Instead, they hopped back onto the ice.

In a sport that demands immeasurable time and commitment from its athletes, the duo vowed to return under one condition: bringing their dogs to the rink, to their training, and into their Olympic journey.

“Our impetus for going forward was, if we can bring the dogs with us to the rink every day, we’re going to keep training,” Evan says. The decision stemmed from a desire to manage competitive stress while “creating that little nucleus of a family." From the rink to the ballet studio and everything in between, Henry and Stella joined the ice dancers on their path to Milan-Cortina.

The decision paid off. After settling for silver and bronze in three world championship appearances, the duo rocketed into ice dancing stardom. Chock and Bates clinched three consecutive world titles from 2023 through 2025, culminating with team gold and their first ice dance Olympic medal in Milan-Cortina.

The mental aspect was undeniable for the Olympic athletes.

Their dogs’ presence “made everything brighter and better in those dark, long winter months,” Evan reflects. “It’s just one of the best things life has to offer.” Thus, when presented with the opportunity to partner with Nulo Pet Food, the Olympians’ decision was easy.

The decision made even more sense after tragedy struck in January 2025.

Therapy Dogs and Institutional Change

When American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with a United States Army helicopter on approach to Reagan International Airport, the figure skating community lost 28 athletes, coaches, and family members. In an effort to collectively grieve and honor the lives lost, many of the sport’s top skaters – including Chock and Bates – performed in a benefit event, “Legacy on Ice.”

With the tragedy came a shift in the sport’s organizational approach to competition, the pair recounts. Service animals flocked to the arena in Washington, D.C., dispatched to comfort those affected by the crash.

Months later, at the 2025 World Championships in Boston, the International Skating Union (ISU) introduced its first “calm zone," a space “where athletes can pause, breathe, and refocus during the intensity of competition week.”

A premier feature of the space? Therapy dogs. “Skaters could go any time of day to just go hang out with some service animals and de-stress,” Bates recounts. The feature was immensely popular with skaters. During the week of competition, the ISU reported that more than 125 athletes from 12 countries used the space.

Just months later, U.S. Figure Skating announced its official partnership with Nulo, joining Chock and Bates. As the first joint effort, organizers created a dedicated Pet Therapy Area for the 2026 U.S. Championships in St. Louis. The result was, indeed, therapeutic.

“There were so many smiles. It was just good vibes,” Bates recalls. Chock and Bates went on to win their fifth-straight U.S. title that week in Missouri. “That kind of magical, unspoken comfort in times of stress… is really welcomed.” Their pets will be part of Chock and Bates’ future, no matter where it heads.

What’s Next for Chock and Bates

In early April, figure skating fans erupted in shock at the sight of Chock and Bates’ names in the International Selection Pool, with many labeling the development as a sign of the duo’s planned return to competition.

However, when I spoke with the skaters a week after the development, they were blissfully unaware. “I think I didn’t know we got added into the international selection… but that makes sense,” Bates laughed, looking at Madison. “We've been in the pool for a long time.”

As of May 2026, their future plans remain on ice – and they will likely stay that way. After four grueling Olympic cycles, the pair is ready to “take a breath” from competition while remaining close to their sport. For Madison, the future could involve fashion. During Milan-Cortina, Chock drew widespread acclaim for her costume design skills.

In addition to designing her team’s competitive costumes, Chock helped design the Olympic costumes worn by a handful of top skaters worldwide – including those competing against her in ice dance. Competitors or not, “I just want to bring as much confidence as I can to those people that I designed for,” she says.

While they can’t definitively close the door on a competitive return, “for right now, our heads are more towards show performance and show skating,” Madison says. One thing’s for sure: “We don’t want to…step off the ice ever,” she insists.

“We just love it so much.”

For the first time in their 15-year shared career, the future is uncertain. But in Evan and Madison’s eyes, the change is welcomed. “You know exactly what your life is like for so many years, and then when things shift, it can be exhilarating and scary. We're excited for what's to come.”