Emily Samuelson

Emily Samuelson (born May 14, 1990) is an American former competitive ice dancer. With former partner Evan Bates, she is the 2009 Four Continents bronze medalist, the 2008 World Junior champion, and the 2009 U.S. national silver medalist. The duo competed at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Samuelson later skated with Todd Gilles.

Emily Samuelson
Samuelson and Bates in 2008.
Born	(1990-05-14) May 14, 1990 (age 33) Southfield, Michigan
Height	5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Figure skating career
Country	United States
Partner	Todd Gilles, Evan Bates
Coach	Yuri Chesnichenko Yaroslava Nechaeva Igor Shpilband Marina Zueva Choreographers: Tom Dickson Christopher Dean Marina Zueva Yuri Chesnichenko Yaroslava Nechaeva
Skating club	Ann Arbor FSC (trained at Ann Arbor and Canton, Michigan)
Began skating	1995
Medal record Figure skating: Ice dancing Representing the  United States Four Continents Championships 2009 Vancouver Ice dancing World Junior Championships 2008 Sofia Ice dancing Junior Grand Prix Final 2007–08 Gdansk Ice dancing 2006–07 Sofia Ice dancing

Personal life

Emily Samuelson was born in Southfield, Michigan.^[1] Due to her father's job, she also lived in Europe as a child.^[2] She was selected for the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Scholastics Honors Team^[3] and graduated from Novi High School in spring 2008. In 2013, she received a degree in international studies, with a focus on political economy and development, from the University of Michigan.^[4] As of 2016, she is a financial advisor at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in Michigan.^[5]

Early years

Emily Samuelson began skating in autumn 1995 after being inspired by a skater she saw while vacationing with her family in Switzerland.^[2] She competed in single skating through the intermediate level and tested up to the novice level in the USFSA testing structure.^[6] At the age of nine, she began learning ice dancing at the suggestion of her coach, Karen Lingenfelter, who paired Samuelson with her son, Kurt.^[6] The two skated together for a few months.^[2]

Partnership with Bates

Juvenile to novice

Samuelson teamed up with Evan Bates in May 2000 following the suggestion of their coach, Gary Clark.^[6] In the 2000–01 season, competing on the juvenile level, they won the pewter medal at their regional championship. This qualified them for the 2000–01 U.S. Junior Championships, where they won the bronze medal. Moving up to the intermediate level in the 2001–02 season, they won the silver medal at their regional championship. At the 2001–02 U.S. Junior Championships, they won the intermediate national title.

In the 2002–03 season, Samuelson/Bates moved up to the novice level. They competed internationally for the first time through the North American Challenge Skate program. They placed 10th on the novice level at the event in Thunder Bay, Ontario. They won the pewter medal at their regional championship to qualify for their sectional championship. At their sectional championship, they placed 6th and did not qualify for the 2003 U.S. Championships. Remaining as novices in the 2003–04 season, Samuelson/Bates won their regional championship to qualify for their sectional championship, where they won the silver medal. This qualified them for the 2004 U.S. Championships on the novice level. At nationals, they won the bronze medal. Their placement at nationals earned them a trip to the Estonia International Ice Dancing Championships on the novice level, where they won the silver medal. In the 2004–05 season, competing in their third season as novices, Samuelson/Bates won the silver medal at their regional championship and won their sectional championship to qualify for the 2005 U.S. Championships. At nationals, they won the novice title.

Junior career

In the 2005–06 season, Samuelson/Bates moved up to the junior level. Their made their debut on the ISU Junior Grand Prix. At the 2005–06 ISU Junior Grand Prix event in Slovakia, they placed 6th in the compulsory dance, 10th in the original dance, and 6th in the free dance to place 8th overall. At the event in Sofia, Bulgaria, they placed 5th in all three segments of the competition and overall. They won their sectional championship to qualify for the 2006 U.S. Championships, where they won the silver medal on the junior level. This medal qualified them for a trip to the 2006 Junior Worlds, where they placed 10th.

In the 2006–07 season, Samuelson/Bates remained on the junior level. They competed on the 2006–07 ISU Junior Grand Prix. At their event in Mexico, they won all three segments of the competitions and won the gold medal overall. At their event in Taipei, they placed second in the compulsory dance and won the original and free dances to win the gold medal overall. These medals qualified them for the Junior Grand Prix Final. At the Junior Grand Prix Final, they placed second behind training mates Madison Hubbell / Keiffer Hubbell. Qualifying for the Junior Grand Prix Final had given them a bye to the 2007 U.S. Championships. Competing again against the Hubbells, Samuelson/Bates won the junior national title. They were placed on the team to the 2007 World Junior Championships. At Junior Worlds, they were in second place going into the free dance. However, they were forced to withdraw from the competition in the middle of their free dance due to injury. Samuelson fell shortly into the program, and Bates, in an effort to avoid colliding with her head, leaped over her and landed on Samuelson's left hand, and wound up severing the tendon in her middle finger.^[2][7] Their withdrawal, combined with the placement of the other American teams, meant the U.S. would only have two entries to the 2008 Junior Worlds.

 

Samuelson and Bates perform the Viennese Waltz compulsory dance at the 2007–08 Junior Grand Prix event in Lake Placid, New York

In 2007–08, Samuelson/Bates remained juniors internationally, but moved up to seniors nationally. They began their season on the 2007–08 ISU Junior Grand Prix. Skating with a minor knee injury at their first Junior Grand Prix event, in Lake Placid, Samuelson/Bates won all three segments of the competition to win the gold medal overall. At their second event, they won both the compulsory and original dances, but placed second in the free dance, to win the gold medal overall. These medals qualified them for the 2007–08 Junior Grand Prix Final and also earned them a bye to the 2008 U.S. Championships. At the Junior Grand Prix Final, they placed third in the compulsory dance and second in the original and free dances to win the silver medal overall. At the U.S. Championships, Samuelson/Bates made their senior national debut. They placed fourth in the compulsory and original dances. In the free dance, Samuelson/Bates fell during a lift that had been inserted into the program for the senior program due to the different requirements between junior and senior level free dances. They placed 6th in the free dance and won the pewter medal, continuing their medal streak at the U.S. Championships. Their placement at the U.S. Championships earned them a trip to the 2008 World Junior Championships. At Junior Worlds, they won all three segments of the competition and won the title overall.^{[8][9][10][11]}

Senior career

In the 2008–09 season, Samuelson/Bates moved up to the senior level internationally. Their first international competition of the season was the 2008 Nebelhorn Trophy. They placed second in the compulsory dance and won both the original and free dances to win the title overall. They made their senior Grand Prix debut at the 2008 Skate America, where they placed 5th in the compulsory dance, fourth in the original dance, and third in the free dance, to place fourth overall. At their second Grand Prix event, the 2008 NHK Trophy, they placed third in the compulsory dance and fourth in the original and free dances to win the bronze medal. At the 2009 U.S. Championships, they placed second in all three segments of the competition, and won the silver medal overall.^[12] It was their sixth consecutive medal at the U.S. Championships. This medal qualified them for the teams to the 2009 Four Continents and the 2009 World Championships.^[13] At the Four Continents, they placed fourth in the compulsory dance and then third in the original and free dances to win the bronze medal overall.^[14] At the World Championships, they placed 13th in the compulsory dance, 11th in the original dance, and 9th in the free dance to place 11th overall.^[15]

Samuelson/Bates had an up and down season in 2009–10, failing to medal in their two Grand Prix appearances but finishing 11th at their first Olympics and 9th at Worlds. On April 28, 2010, they announced that they would be leaving long-time coaches Yuri Chesnichenko and Yaroslava Nechaeva to train with Igor Shpilband and Marina Zueva in Canton, Michigan.^[16] In September 2010, Bates suffered a complete laceration of his Achilles tendon after Samuelson hit him with her skate blade as she came down from a lift.^[17] They missed the entire 2010–11 season as a result. In June 2011, it was reported that they had ended their partnership.^[18] On June 28, 2011, Samuelson and Bates confirmed that they had split and said that they were both looking for new partners.^[19]

Partnership with Gilles

On August 22, 2011, Samuelson announced that she would be skating with Todd Gilles.^[20] In September, they revealed they would train in Ann Arbor, Michigan, coached by Nechaeva and Chesnichenko with choreography by Tom Dickson and Christopher Dean.^[21][22] In November 2011, they competed in their first event together, the 2011 Cup of China, where they finished 8th. At the time, they had been skating together for approximately two months, and had had their programs choreographed one month earlier.^[23] Samuelson and Gilles confirmed the end of their partnership in June 2012.^[24]

Programs

With Gilles

 

Emily Samuelson / Todd Gilles in 2011.

Season	Short dance	Free dance
2011–12 ^[25]^[26]	Como Golondrinas by Angela Carrasco Goldfinger by Perez Prado and his Orchestra choreo. by Tom Dickson	Stairway to Heaven by Mary J. Blige choreo. by Christopher Dean

With Bates

 

Samuelson and Bates perform their Let Yourself Go original dance at the 2008 Skate America

Season	Original dance	Free dance	Exhibition
2010–11 ^[1]	Desde el Alma	An American in Paris by George Gershwin
2009–10 ^[27]^[28]	Dixie Chicks medley	Canto Della Terra by Francesco Sartori performed by Sarah Brightman, Andrea Bocelli	You Should Be Dancing by the Bee Gees
2008–09 ^[29]^[30]	Let Yourself Go by Irving Berlin	Amazonic by Tonči Huljić performed by Maksim Mrvica	You Should Be Dancing by the Bee Gees Bittersweet by Apocalyptica
2007–08 ^[30]^[31]	Kalinka Russkie Napievi by Balalaika	Luna by Alessandro Safina	Bittersweet by Apocalyptica
2006–07 ^[30]^[32]	Quejas de Bandoneom	Thalia's Hits Remixed
2005–06 ^[30]^[33]	Besame by Andres Ballinas Perfidia by Alberto Dominguez	Jingi by Toskiaki Tsushima Battle Without Honor or Humanity (from Kill Bill) by Tomoyasu Hotei
2004–05 ^[30]^[34]		Amore Maria by Ricky Martin
2003–04 ^[30]^[34]		Canned Heat Disco by Jamiroquai
2002–03 ^[30]^[34]		Russian medley
2001–02 ^[30]^[34]		Let's Face the Music and Dance

Competitive highlights

Ice dance with Todd Gilles

• GP – Event of the ISU Grand Prix Series

Competition placements at senior level ^[35][26]

Season	2011–12
GP Cup of China	8th
U.S. Championships	8th

Ice dance with Evan Bates

 

Samuelson and Bates (center) at the 2008 2008 World Junior Championships

• GP – Event of the ISU Grand Prix Series
• JGP – Event of the ISU Junior Grand Prix Series
• CS – Event of the ISU Challenger Series
• WD – Withdrew from competition
• At national events in the United States, pewter medals are awarded for fourth place.

Competition placements at junior level ^[36]^[30] Season 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 World Junior Championships 10th WD 1st Junior Grand Prix Final 2nd 2nd U.S. Championships 2nd JGP Austria 1st JGP Bulgaria 5th JGP Chinese Taipei 1st JGP Mexico 1st JGP Slovakia 8th JGP United States 1st

Competition placements at senior level ^[36]^[30] Season 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 Winter Olympics 11th World Championships 11th 9th Four Continents Championships 3rd U.S. Championships 4th 2nd 3rd GP NHK Trophy 3rd GP Skate America 4th GP Skate Canada 5th GP Trophée Éric Bompard 4th CS Nebelhorn Trophy 1st

References

1. . International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 3, 2012.
2. Narens, Dana (October 24, 2011). . Her Campus. Archived from the original on November 15, 2011.
3. . U.S. Figure Skating. January 26, 2008. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
4. Elfman, Lois (August 25, 2016). "She's money: Samuelson finds passion in finance". IceNetwork.com.
5. Dilts, Elizabeth (August 22, 2016). "From the Olympics to Wall Street: The athletes who become brokers". Reuters.
6. Mittan, Barry (February 5, 2007). "Samuelson and Bates Win U.S. Junior Dance Crown". Skate Today. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
7. Zanca, Sal (March 3, 2007). . U.S. Figure Skating. Archived from the original on September 19, 2008. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
8. Kaye, Rosaleen (February 27, 2008). "Samuelson and Bates lead at Junior Worlds". GoldenSkate. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
9. Kaye, Rosaleen (February 29, 2008). "Samuelson and Bates maintain lead at Junior Worlds". GoldenSkate. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
10. Kaye, Rosaleen (March 1, 2008). "Samuelson and Bates capture gold in Sofia". GoldenSkate. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
11. (PDF). International Skating Union. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 October 2013.
12. . U.S. Figure Skating. January 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-02-01. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
13. . U.S. Figure Skating. January 25, 2009. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011.
14. "2009 Four Continents Championships Results". International Skating Union.
15. "2009 World Championships Results". International Skating Union.
16. . IceNetwork.com. April 28, 2010. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
17. Rosewater, Amy (September 29, 2010). . IceNetwork.com. Archived from the original on February 25, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
18. Ainsworth, Alexa (June 22, 2011). "Samuelson, Bates call it quits". Universal Sports. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
19. . U.S. Figure Skating. IceNetwork. June 28, 2011. Archived from the original on September 16, 2016. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
20. Rutherford, Lynn (August 22, 2011). . icenetwork.com. Archived from the original on December 29, 2011. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
21. Rutherford, Lynn (September 9, 2011). . icenetwork.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
22. Walker, Elvin (November 16, 2011). "Emily Samuelson and Todd Gilles: An Unexpected Pairing". IFS Magazine. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
23. Flade, Tatjana (November 4, 2011). "Bobrova and Soloviev secure strong lead at Cup of China". Golden Skate.
24. . Icenetwork. June 26, 2012. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
25. "Emily SAMUELSON / Todd GILLES: 2011/2012". International Skating Union. from the original on October 18, 2012.
26. . IceNetwork.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012.
27. Mittan, Barry (October 4, 2009). "Samuelson and Bates Well Prepared for Season". Golden Skate.
28. . International Skating Union. Archived from the original on March 28, 2010.
29. . International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 16, 2009.
30. . IceNetwork.com. Archived from the original on May 19, 2011.
31. . International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 14, 2008.
32. . International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 17, 2007.
33. . International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 25, 2006.
34. . ice-dance.com. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011.
35. "Competition Results: Emily SAMUELSON / Todd GILLES". International Skating Union. from the original on April 23, 2014.
36. "Competition Results: Emily SAMUELSON / Evan BATES". International Skating Union. from the original on October 13, 2012.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Emily Samuelson.

• Emily Samuelson / Todd Gilles at the International Skating Union
• Emily Samuelson / Evan Bates at the International Skating Union
• at the Wayback Machine (archived June 3, 2009)
• Emily Samuelson at Team USA ()
• Emily Samuelson at Olympics.com  
• Emily Samuelson at Olympedia