Evan Bates

Infobox Figure skater
title= Evan Bates


caption= Samuelson & Bates in 2007.
fullname= Evan Bates
altname=
country= USA
formercountry=
dateofbirth= birth date and age|1989|2|23
birthplace= Ann Arbor, Michigan
hometown=
residence=
height= height|ft=6|in=2
partner= Emily Samuelson
formerpartner=Arielle Chudnofsky
coach= Iouri Tchesnitchenko,
Yaroslava Nechaeva
formercoach=
choreographer= Iouri Tchesnitchenko,
Yaroslava Nechaeva
formerchoreographer=
skating club= Ann Arbor FSC
retired=
dance score= 181.66
dance date= 2008 World Juniors
CD score= 35.11
CD date= 2008 World Juniors
OD score= 57.84
OD date= 2008 World Juniors
FD score= 88.71
FD date= 2008 World Juniors

Evan Bates (born February 23, 1989 in Ann Arbor, Michigan) is an American ice dancer. He skates with Emily Samuelson. They are the 2008 World Junior Champions.

Personal life

Evan Bates was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he still lives and trains. He graduated from Huron High School and is currently enrolled in the class of 2011 at the University of Michigan.

Career

Evan Bates began skating at age four. He briefly competed with Arielle Chudnofsky. Gary Clark, his former coach, teamed him up with Samuelson in 2000 and they have been skating together ever since.

In their first year together, they won the bronze medal at the 2001 U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships in the Juvenile division. The following year, they won their first national title by winning the 2002 U.S. Junior Championships at the Intermediate level. They failed to qualify for Nationals at the novice level in the 2002-2003 season. The following season, they won their regional, placed second at their sectional, and won the bronze at Nationals. They stayed novice for one more season, winning the Novice national title in 2005.

They made their debut on the Junior Grand Prix circuit the following season competing in Slovakia and Bulgaria, but did not place at either of their two events. They won their sectional championships and won the silver medal at the 2006 Nationals as Juniors. This medal earned them a trip to the World Junior Figure Skating Championships, where they placed 10th.

Samuelson & Bates stayed Junior the following season. In 2006-2007, they won both their Junior Grand Prix events and placed second at the Junior Grand Prix Final. They won the Junior National Title and went to the Junior Worlds as favorites for a medal. However, after being second going into the free dance, they were forced to withdraw in the middle of the FD due to injury. Bates stepped on the back of Samuelson's hand after she fell shortly into the free dance, severing a tendon. [ [http://usfigureskating.org/Story.asp?id=37845 Welcome to U.S. Figure Skating ] ] Their withdrawal, combined with the placement of the other American teams, meant the US would only have two entries to the 2008 Junior Worlds.

In the 2007-2008 season, Samuelson & Bates came back strong, remaining junior internationally while moving up to seniors nationally. Skating with a minor knee injury at their first Junior Grand Prix event, in Lake Placid, Samuelson & Bates won convincingly. They won their second event as well, qualifying them for the Junior Grand Prix Final, where they went in as heavy favorites for a medal. They won the silver medal in a very close race for gold. They made their senior debut at the 2008 Nationals, where they won the pewter medal, continuing their medals streak at that event. This earned them a trip to the 2008 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, where they placed first in all three segments of the competition, winning the title overall. They are only the fifth American ice dance team to have won the World Junior title.

They started the 2008-2009 season by winning the 2008 Nebelhorn Trophy. It was their first senior international event.

Programs

Competitive highlights

(with Samuelson)

*N = Novice level; J = Junior level; WD = Withdrew

References

*

External links

* [http://emily-evan.ice-dance.com Official Site]
*
*