For Coloradans Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea, who are headed to Italy in February for the biggest competition of their lives, the costumes symbolize a remarkable journey! Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea started skating together in 2022. They were an unlikely duo since they had a big age and experience gap. But “Team KamO,” as they are known, forged a great connection that is obvious in their athleticism and artistry on the ice.
Ellie & Daniel Olympic Skaters
Photo courtesy of Dr. Benjamin Kam
At 34, Danny is a veteran figure skater, both in singles and in pairs, and he’s a pro at complex throws, jumps and navigating global competitions. But Danny happened to be
scrolling online while recovering from an injury one day last year when he came across posts about a special type of Japanese pottery called kintsugi.
Both Ellie and Danny had faced health challenges, including literal broken bones for him and tough concussions for her. They were an unlikely duo, and yet, they were succeeding with beautiful athleticism and artistry on ice. Plus, Ellie, now 21, has deep ties to Japan. Her mother grew up in Japan, and Ellie was born there while her dad, Dr. Benjamin Kam, served as a surgeon for the U.S. Air Force.
Just like Danny knew kintsugi was a perfect metaphor for the duo, he also had a powerful feeling four years earlier when he skated with Ellie for the first time at Colorado Springs’ famous Broadmoor World Arena.
In pairs figure skating, commentators talk about the woman being “a rose,” and the man being “a stem” because the male skater does so many lifts that showcase the woman high in the air, Ellie Kam says Danny O’Shea is far more than a strong “stem.” She says he’s one of the world’s best pairs skaters and makes her feel beautiful and powerful.
And as soon as the duo took to the ice in 2022, Danny felt a jolt of something special. Danny didn’t want to overwhelm Ellie at the time, so he didn’t tell her about a strong premonition he felt. But a four-year plan took hold in Danny’s mind. He pictured the two of them getting stronger year after year and making it to Italy this year. Since then, the duo has brought that exact arc to life.
Ellie and Danny now have ascended to the highest levels of competition in figure skating and are headed to Italy to represent Team USA. Then they’ll compete in the World Championships in the Czech Republic in March.
Ellie Kam started ice skating at age 4 and soon was competing as a singles skater. She transitioned to pairs skating when she was a teen and now is ranked seventh in the world with her partner, Danny O’Shea.
Danny was an early standout in figure skating and became the novice men’s national champion in singles in 2008. Danny and his former partner became U.S. champions in 2016. In 2018, they endured a painful narrow miss when they were first alternates for to compete on the world stage in South Korea. Danny kept skating with his former partner until the COVID-19 pandemic sent them in different directions. He wasn’t sure whether he wanted to keep competing.
Pairs figure skating involves huge throws and jumps. For that reason, the risk of injury can be higher than in singles skating. Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea both have faced injuries over
the years, including broken bones and concussions. But their trust and support for one another have made their partnership and their skating even better!
“We were not initially sold on the idea of doing pairs skating because it’s the most dangerous of all of the skating disciplines,” Dr. Benjamin Kam said.
In pairs, men throw their partners as high as eight or nine feet in the air, and Ellie’s dad worried about the impact that the landings would have on his daughter’s feet and legs.
“Over the years, they’ve developed a mutual respect for each other, despite the age difference, and I really credit them both for that. And Danny is really a stand-up gentleman,” Der. Benjamin Kam said.
By September of 2022, Ellie and Danny decided to go all in as a new pairs team. Danny instantly knew that Ellie had very special qualities. He envisioned their future success. They’re now ranked seventh in the world and hope to medal at figure skating’s biggest competitions in February and March. And for Team KamO, as they soon came to be known, the successes racked up quickly:
· Just four months after joining forces, Ellie and Danny won a medal at the U.S. Nationals and earned a spot on the World team.
· During their second season, the duo won the U.S. National Championship in pairs skating and made their second consecutive World Championship appearance.
· During their third season, Danny and Ellie medaled at all four of the early competitions and ranked in the top 6 in the world for the first half of the season. Then Danny suffered injuries and battled through World Championships on a broken foot. Despite the challenges, Team KamO finished the season ranked fifth in the world.
· This year, Ellie and Danny won medals at both Grand Prix competitions, silver medals at the 2026 U.S. Championships and are focused on competing next on the world’s biggest stage. Currently, they are ranked seventh in the world.
For Ellie, the biggest adjustment after switching from singles to pairs was learning to fly higher than she ever could on her own. “I had a lot of injuries as a singles skater. That was part of the reason why I switched to pairs,” Ellie said. “It was a new opportunity for me, and I ended up loving it.
Danny O’Shea brought years of skating experience in both singles and pairs to his partnership with Ellie Kam. Their talents and strong partnership have put them in contention to win medals in Milan, Italy, this year, then at the World Championships in March. And now, they’ve achieved the biggest goal of their career: heading to Italy for the pinnacle of international competitions.
Fourteen members of the Kam family are preparing to support Ellie and Danny in Italy, and Dr. Kam’s co-workers in Pueblo have been decorating his office and their Pueblo clinic as the excitement builds.
“I have the greatest coworkers,” Dr. Kam said of the thoughtful supporters who are rooting for Ellie and Danny’s success in Milan.
Many UCHealth co-workers and supporters gathered with Ellie and Danny for a sendoff celebration on Jan. 24 at the United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs. UCHealth is designated as a national medical center within the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Medical Network. 50 Plus will update the Olympic medal awards on a weekly basis for the top 10 countries on our website! Article courtesy of Joanna Bean & Katie Kerwin McCrimmon with UCHealth.
Watch the 2026 Winter Olympics on February 6-22 on NBC-TV and support our USA athletes!