Winter Olympics 2026: Army Soldier Spencer Howe’s Rise to Figure Skating Fame

Spencer Akira Howe, a 27-year-old U.S. Army transportation logistics specialist, is preparing to step onto one of figure skating’s grandest stages as he and partner Emily Chan represent Team USA in pairs at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Howe’s path to Italy has been anything but conventional. After enlisting in 2025, he balanced basic training at Fort Leonard Wood with on-ice conditioning, often rising before dawn to squeeze in strength sessions before his duty day. When he returned to the rink last June, Chan—who had been waiting patiently in Boston—helped reignite the duo’s explosive triple twists and side-by-side triple toe loops. Their perseverance paid off with a silver medal at the U.S. Championships, locking in the lone Olympic pairs berth for the United States. Military discipline, Howe says, sharpened his focus on technical quality. “Drills on the base translate to drills on the ice,” he noted after a recent practice at the Milano Ice Arena. That mindset shows in the pair’s base-value upgrades: their newly ratified Level 4 reverse lasso lift now ranks among the most difficult elements slated for the Olympic short program. Chan and Howe’s free skate, set to Ennio Morricone’s “Cinema Paradiso,” has become a crowd favorite for its sweeping choreography and emotional crescendo. Coaches Dalilah Sappenfield and Bobby Martin believe the program can break 140 points if executed cleanly, a score that would place the Americans in striking distance of perennial powerhouses from China and Canada. Off the ice, Howe’s dual identity as soldier-skater has drawn attention across the Armed Forces. The World Class Athlete Program (WCAP) granted him a promotion to private first class during a surprise ceremony broadcast on military social channels last week. WCAP officials say the visibility could boost recruitment among athletes seeking to continue elite training while serving. With opening competitions just days away, Howe remains grounded: “Whether I’m in uniform or in sequins, my mission is the same—represent my country with honor.” For Team USA fans searching for a breakout Olympic storyline, the fusion of military grit and artistic precision makes Spencer Howe a name to watch in Milano Cortina 2026.