OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – Making the Olympics isn’t everything for this Oakland County married couple.
How climbing the summit of a sport makes athletes feel, and who they get to do it with—that’s everything.
“It’s just made us better people,” Eva Pate said of training with her ice dance partner, Logan Bye. “We have a good relationship.”
Pursuing greatness on the ice since 2019, their relationship off the ice has flourished even longer.
Pate and Bye, University of Michigan alumni, began dating in December 2018 and married in May 2024.
“[Skating] is what we enjoy doing, not just alone, but we get to do together and with a person that we love,” Bye said.
“It’s extremely special,” Pate added. “We spend almost 24-7 together.”
Teammates 24-7-365, dancing at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis this weekend with dreams of the Winter Olympics in Milan, an opportunity shaped by a sharp physical edge and relentless pursuit.
“We definitely spend a lot of time at the ice rink,” Bye explained between sessions at Novi Ice Arena. “Both of us do some coaching. We’re training at least three to four hours every day—not including off-ice—then we’re off ice for about an hour in the middle of the day. We both are here until essentially six o’clock.”
Pate and Bye’s coaches include figure skating legend Igor Shpilband, Adrienne Lenda, Pasquale Camerlango, and Natalia Deller, training at the same facility as Team USA hopefuls Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik.
“It’s rinse and repeat the next day,” Bye quips. “It’s gruesome, but we enjoy doing it.”
Like any successful marriage, their program is refined through compromise and commitment.
“You have to pick music that everyone likes,” Pate said. “We all have to agree, and then we start choreographing. It can take anywhere from two to four months to really finalize your program.”
Music, including selections from “The Lion King,” is only part of the process leading up to a major event.
“I really think Ava excels at costuming and designing. I can certainly say that it’s not my expertise,” Bye said with a laugh. “When they say it takes a village, it does take a village. It’s all of us working together.”
Pate and Bye worked towards the Lombardia Trophy, first place at the Ice Challenge in Austria, and eighth place at the U.S. Nationals in 2025. They’re loving the process and each other non-stop on the journey, wherever it takes them next.
“We’ve had a really successful season so far for us, so we’re happy to be where we’re at,” Pate said. “We’re happy to skate, excited for nationals, and just ready to enjoy it.”
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