It's Valentine's Day Eve! Here are my good wishes for quality time with those you love the most and those who most love you. Friday is also the end of the first week of the 25th Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy. While the Games have lost much of their magic thanks to woke politics, snotty judges, and other nonsense, figure skating is always worth the watch.
That's in no small part due to the lovely Team USA duo of Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who were able to cap off their storied, 15-year partnership with a Silver medal in ice dance at Milan Cortina.
This judgment needs to be contested. Evan Bates and Madison Chock know they won the gold. So does everyone who watched. #iceskating #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/KiujCQMgN2
— "He has made everything beautiful in its time." (@DarleneHBrook) February 12, 2026
Frankly, I think they should have won Gold. But even with this understandable disappointment, these two continued to shine, showing dignity, grace, and gratitude.
"It's definitely a bittersweet feeling at the moment," Chock said. "We have so much to be proud of. We've had the most incredible career, 15 years on the ice together. It's our first Olympics as a married couple, and we delivered four of our best performances this week.
"We are proud of how we have handled ourselves and what we've accomplished here. We are grateful to our coaches and our families, who have come all this way and have supported us through it all. It means so much to us to be a part of the sport and to have contributed years of work and creativity to inspire the next generation of skaters to be the best they can be and be creative and love what they do."
Chock and Bates are a shining example of true partnership, on and off the ice, and they represented Team USA and their country quite well.
Loving partnership is the subject of this week's Feel-Good Friday.
The type of strength and athleticism required for the modern figure skater is the reason the sport is dominated by younger skaters; so, for this couple to remain on top over this wide span of years is a huge achievement. Chock is 33 and Bates is 36, and it is this duo's maturity, coupled with their chemistry and artistry, which sets them apart. If this should be their last Olympic competition, the fact that they have ended it on this high note is also quite remarkable.
Though Evan Bates began his career as a singles skater, in 2000, he linked up with skater Emily Samuelson and worked with her until 2010, when an Achilles injury temporarily sidelined his career. Bates and Chock knew each other from the local skating scene and even briefly dated before splitting when school and skating got to be too much to juggle, but by 2011, the stars aligned once again and Bates began working alongside Chock.
“We’d still see each other when a skater threw a party, or we’d grab ice cream,” Bates explained to Bustle about the time after they had broken up. “Then in 2010, I moved to her rink and started training under the same coach. I had a really rough injury that summer and had to take a year off to recover. When I got back in 2011, Maddie’s partner had unexpectedly retired. It was just ‘right place, right time’ and the rest is history.” Over the course of their career as a pair, the duo have won three world championships and have aided Team USA in taking home two gold medals!
But the two share more than career accomplishments. They have been romantic partners since 2017, and have recently married. So, theirs is an Olympic story that not only ends well, but is a prelude to a new beginning.
Though their on-ice partnership began in 2011, it wasn’t until 2016 when things turned truly romantic, and in 2017 they went public with their relationship. The couple got engaged in 2022 and in 2024, they made things official when they tied the knot.
Before this year's Olympic Games, the couple reflected on their different perspective on competition, particularly since they became a married couple.
“Obviously we're a married couple now, but just the perspective has shifted. Skating was always the main focus, but as we've gotten older, I think the relationship has become the main focus,” explains Bates, sitting side-by-side with his wife. “Skating obviously is still the main focus, but skating is kind of like our means of strengthening ourselves and our relationship and going through all the experiences of life together, and so the appreciation for the partnership has grown.”
That's insight that some couples who have been married for decades haven't acquired. They are already deepening their relationship and cultivating their partnership in a new way: a podcast called, "Unlaced with Chock and Bates." Chock is also an accomplished costume designer, crafting her own signature looks, as well as those of three other ice dancing teams: Spain, Australia, and Georgia,
Chock and Bates embody the beauty and grace of a loving, committed partnership on many levels. Their wealth of talent, accomplishments, and contributions to their sport and to our nation bring hope, dignity, and uplift back to this competition. But we also can look forward to what these two will continue to accomplish off the ice.
If you did not see Chock and Bates' final Olympic performance, it was hypnotic and thrilling.
Happy Valentine's Day, readers!
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Editor's Note: At RedState, it's not all about politics and policy. We like to bring attention to what's good in the world, with columns like "Feel-Good Friday," "Start Your Weekend Right," and "Hoge's Heroes."
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