Emily Samuelson (born May 14, 1990) is an American former competitive ice dancer. With former partner Evan Bates, she is the 2009 Four Continents bronze medalist, the 2008 World Junior champion, and the 2009 U.S. national silver medalist. The duo competed at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Samuelson later skated with Todd Gilles.
Personal life
Emily Samuelson was born in Southfield, Michigan. Due to her father's job, she also lived in Europe as a child. She was selected for the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Scholastics Honors Team and graduated from Novi High School in spring 2008. In 2013, she received a degree in international studies, with a focus on political economy and development, from the University of Michigan. As of 2016, she is a financial advisor at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in Michigan.
Early years
Emily Samuelson began skating in autumn 1995 after being inspired by a skater she saw while vacationing with her family in Switzerland. She competed in single skating through the intermediate level and tested up to the novice level in the USFSA testing structure. At the age of nine, she began learning ice dancing at the suggestion of her coach, Karen Lingenfelter, who paired Samuelson with her son, Kurt. The two skated together for a few months.
Partnership with Bates
Juvenile to novice
Samuelson teamed up with Evan Bates in May 2000 following the suggestion of their coach, Gary Clark. In the 2000–01 season, competing on the juvenile level, they won the pewter medal at their regional championship. This qualified them for the 2000–01 U.S. Junior Championships, where they won the bronze medal. Moving up to the intermediate level in the 2001–02 season, they won the silver medal at their regional championship. At the 2001–02 U.S. Junior Championships, they won the intermediate national title.
In the 2002–03 season, Samuelson/Bates moved up to the novice level. They competed internationally for the first time through the North American Challenge Skate program. They placed 10th on the novice level at the event in Thunder Bay, Ontario. They won the pewter medal at their regional championship to qualify for their sectional championship. At their sectional championship, they placed 6th and did not qualify for the 2003 U.S. Championships. Remaining as novices in the 2003–04 season, Samuelson/Bates won their regional championship to qualify for their sectional championship, where they won the silver medal. This qualified them for the 2004 U.S. Championships on the novice level. At nationals, they won the bronze medal. Their placement at nationals earned them a trip to the Estonia International Ice Dancing Championships on the novice level, where they won the silver medal. In the 2004–05 season, competing in their third season as novices, Samuelson/Bates won the silver medal at their regional championship and won their sectional championship to qualify for the 2005 U.S. Championships. At nationals, they won the novice title.
Junior career
In the 2005–06 season, Samuelson/Bates moved up to the junior level. Their made their debut on the ISU Junior Grand Prix. At the 2005–06 ISU Junior Grand Prix event in Slovakia, they placed 6th in the compulsory dance, 10th in the original dance, and 6th in the free dance to place 8th overall. At the event in Sofia, Bulgaria, they placed 5th in all three segments of the competition and overall. They won their sectional championship to qualify for the 2006 U.S. Championships, where they won the silver medal on the junior level. This medal qualified them for a trip to the 2006 Junior Worlds, where they placed 10th.