By Lois Elfman
Amsterdam News
The ice will be hot at the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, as the results of the senior events will significantly factor into the selection of the U.S. team that will compete at the Olympic Winter Games in February. When the senior men take to the ice on Jan. 7, Emmanuel Savary will look to make his mark in what will likely be his final U.S. nationals.
This will be Savary’s sixth appearance in the senior men’s event. The 2025 nationals marked his return to the U.S. Championships after six years. An ankle injury slowed his training over the summer, but by autumn, he felt better, allowing him to skate in shows and even do an international competition in Scotland. In November, Savary, 27, won his second consecutive Eastern Sectional Singles Final.
“I personally feel [show skating] has helped me so much,” said Savary, who has become a regular performer with Ice Theatre of New York, recently skating at the Christmas tree lighting ceremonies at Bryant Park and Riverbank State Park. “I’m naturally very introverted, so it has helped me be comfortable in front of an audience. Making eye contact, smiling, and engaging the audience, things like that have elevated since I’ve been doing a lot more shows.”
The weeks leading up to the sectional competition, Savary was feeling good and gaining confidence. “I skated pretty much how I expected to skate, and I’m hoping to carry that momentum with me to nationals,” he said.
Savary has kept his free skating program from last season, set to the music “Saturn.” His new short program is a tango fusion with some Latin accents. He does his own choreography, which is his favorite part of skating. “I find something I’m relating to music wise,” he said. “I’m very particular about how I want certain things to look.”
Long-term, Savary hopes to do more choreography for other skaters. He currently does some choreographic work with the young skaters that he coaches at the Skating Club of Wilmington (Delaware). Shortly after the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Savary will return to his studies at the University of Delaware. He’s on schedule to graduate next spring with his degree in astrophysics. While graduate school is still on his radar, it will probably be several years in the future.
“While my body still can, I want to do more things in skating,” he said. “I would love to see the world.”
This article was originally published by the Amsterdam News.