MILAN — Representing Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics carries a little more weight for Spencer Akira Howe.
The pairs figure skater makes his Olympic debut in Milano Cortina, completing what has been a whirlwind past year for the California native. As he and partner Emily Chan fought for their spot on Team USA, it all came with Howe’s not typical job for a current athlete: a U.S. Army soldier.
It was always something Howe envisioned doing, but it seemed like it would have to go on the backburner.
‘From a very young age, had that thought in me, and I guess that drive to want to serve my country in that kind of capacity as a soldier,” Howe told USA TODAY Sports. “As I grew up and moved up in the ranks of skating, you could say that became less and less of a reality.”
That all changed in 2024.
Howe met a track and field runner who was in the U.S. Army’s World Class Athlete Program (WCAP), which “allows top-ranked Soldier-athletes to perform at the international level while also serving their nation in the military,” according to the U.S. Army. Active duty, National Guard and reserve soldiers can join while competing in national and international events.
“A spark lit up in me,” Howe said. ‘It was a win-win.”
The skater enlisted in the U.S. Army in October 2024 and four months later, basic training began, becoming the first figure skater to be part of WCAP. Based in Fort Carson, Colorado, Howe was getting to do something he always wanted, going through all of the rigors new soldiers endure.
However, his problems switched. After being the primary focus for so long, figure skating was now in the back seat. Not ideal when an Olympic season is on the horizon.
“I wasn’t able to skate for the four months that I was gone during those trainings. I think that was definitely one of the most difficult things, logistically,” he said. “Being off of the ice for that long, it’s definitely not ideal. There was no way around it.”
Howe didn’t skate for nearly five months, returning to the ice in late June. It took a month for him to get reacclimated with the sport. However, he feels like it was a blessing in disguise; he was refreshed and learned to approach things differently after going through basic training.
“I come with more of a soldier mindset, and I look at things as tasks that as a soldier I need to complete,” he said. “Everything was so different, but for good reason.”
The 2025-26 season showed potential. Howe and Chan won bronze at the 2025 Trialeti Trophy and were fourth at 2025 Skate America. It all led to the 2026 U.S. figure skating championships, where Olympic spots were on the line.
It was a rocky start. The pair struggled in their short program with several falls, standings in eighth place out of 10 teams. Chan called it her worst nightmare and began to spiral. Then Howe remembered despite it all, there still was a job to do – and they got it done.
The duo responded emphatically with a stellar free skate. It was the third best scored one of the group, and it pushed them to a fourth place finish, the second straight pewter medal in nationals.
With champions Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, as well as third-place finishers Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman, not eligible for the Olympics due to Efimova and Parkman not having U.S. citizenship, it paved the way for Howe and Chan to get the second pairs Olympic spot.
Uncertain if they’d be selected, Howe and Chan got the news: they’d be going to their first Winter Olympics.
“It was definitely just a crazy journey for us,” Howe said.
Howe and Chan will compete in the pairs portion on Feb. 15-16, and during his time in the Olympic village, the soldier continues to have remote check-ins with his platoon sergeant. He won’t be the only one with this experience, as he’s one of nine Team USA members who are also part of the WCAP.
When the Games are over, he’ll go back to his duties. A motor transport operator, Howe has the goal of becoming a military chaplain. He is currently going through his education requirements.
But first, Howe will soak up the Olympic experience. It’s not often you get to serve and represent the U.S. in more ways than one, making for a thrilling time in Milano Cortina.
“It was a door of opportunity that I ended up taking,’Howe said, ‘and I have no regrets.’