LIPIDC Junior International Champions Elizabeth Tkachenko and Alexei Kiliakov (ISR) skate their free dance. (Provided photo — Daphne Backman /Ice-dance.com)

LAKE PLACID — The Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships and Ice Dance International were held in the Olympic Center from July 27 to 29, returning to this village after a two-year hiatus.

Last year, the event was relocated to Norwood, Massachusetts, due to construction in its home rink. The Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships is the oldest continuous ice dance competition in the world. The first event was held in 1933.

The three-day event boasted nearly 250 elite and future elite competitors aiming to earn valuable feedback and competitive experience. The championships are also part of the U.S. Figure Skating National Qualifying Series, in which juvenile through senior athletes can earn points to qualify for the 2023 U.S Figure Skating Championships, and the 2022 Solo Dance Series, in which skaters can also earn points to compete in the 2022 National Solo Dance Final in September.

Solo ice dance seems like something of a misnomer since many think of ice dance as a partnered affair. But solo ice dance has become popular, especially in the United States. There were 20 solo ice dance events at the championships, including solo compulsory dance, solo free dance and solo shadow dance, in which competitors skate side by side.

Perhaps the most popular events to watch are the junior and senior international events. Skaters compete in rhythm dance and free dance segments, vying for the prestigious title. Having a good result in these competitions early on in the season can be a confidence booster for elite skaters preparing for the Grand Prix and qualifying circuit.

LPIDC Senior International Champions Lorraine McNamara and Anton Spiridonov (USA) perform their free dance. (Provided photo — Daphne Backman /Ice-dance.com)

This year, the international event boasted 18 junior- and senior-level competitors from all over the world.

Israel’s Elizabeth Tkachenko and Alexei Kiliakov won the junior international title. Last season, they placed 13th in the ISU World Junior Championships and top three in junior international events.

In this competition, Tkachenko and Kiliakov placed second in the rhythm dance segment and first in the free dance to take the title. The rest of the podium was filled by U.S. teams. Americans Vanessa Pham and Jonathan Rogers took second place, and Helena Carhart and Volodymyr Horovyi finished in third.

The senior international event title was claimed by the relatively new team of Americans Lorraine McNamara and Anton Spiridonov. McNamara and Spiridonov teamed up in 2020.

McNamara is a dance veteran who won the 2016 World Junior title with her then-partner Quinn Carpenter. The pair have competed in the Lake Placid Ice Dance championships several times.

In last year’s Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships, McNamara and Spiridonov placed seventh, while finishing in the top 10 at the 2022 U.S. Championships. This year, they placed third in the rhythm dance and first in the free dance to win the title.

The rest of the podium was comprised of U.S. teams; Eva Pate and Logan Bye earned a silver, while Katarina Wolfkostin and Jeffrey Chen earned a bronze.

McNamara and Spiridonov were thrilled with their performance, and are using the momentum from their win to continue working toward the 2023 U.S. Championships, to be held in San Jose, California, in January.

“We felt so much joy in our skating this week and are very proud of what we are able to put out so early in the season. We feel we have so much more room and potential to grow into with these programs, and we cannot wait to continue pushing the boundaries,” McNamara said. “This victory gives us the reassurance we wanted for our goal this season — to be on the podium at nationals this year. We’re excited to get back and continue to push further.”

While the event was the last of the summer figure skating competition series, Lake Placid will host the 2022 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic from Sept. 12 to 15.

The International Figure Skating Classic will be the first event of this kind in Lake Placid and the first of 10 such Challenger Series events this season, in which skaters can compete at the senior level and earn ISU World Standing points.