World Champion Brother-Sister Ice Dance Team Recognized by County Council (VIDEO)

Rockville residents Rachel (19) and Michael (21) Parsons are the first brother-sister duo to win the ice dancing gold medal at the International World Junior Figure Skating Competition.

On Tuesday, the siblings were honored for their accomplishments by the Montgomery County Council.

Watch the ceremony in this MyMCMedia Extra video, below:

“It was great because we were born and raised in Montgomery County and we skated at the rinks everyday so to represent our country and our county overseas and to be honored for that is a huge honor again,” said Michael.

According to Rachel, they train regularly at the ice rinks in Wheaton and Cabin John.

“They are just great facilities, a lot of great skaters train there,” said Rachel.

So what is ice dancing?

“Ice dancing is more on the artistic side of figure skating,” explained Michael. “You have freestyle which is jumps and spins, pairs which is huge crazy lifts and throws with partners. Ice dance is more interpreting the music, edge quality, flow,” said Michael. “Intricate footwork,” added Rachel.

Michael noted that the sport it is a different side of figure skating, “a very beautiful side.”

They practice two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening, in addition to taking dance classes and working on strength training.

These days they are working on new programs as they prepare for the new season which begins in late July. Their goal is to earn a spot on the USA Olympic team in 2022.

Michael said local support has been important to their success.

“We wouldn’t be here without the support our friends and our community,” he said. “Skating is an incredibly expensive sport and incredibly demanding sport, not only for us but for our family. It means a huge amount to us that our community and friends have helped us this far.”

You can find out more about these local champions on their website, here.

.@MC_Council_Katz meets champion ice dancers Rachel & Michael Parsons @MoCoCouncilMD meeting. @mymcmedia pic.twitter.com/EQMGonVeSx

— Sonya Burke (@SonyaNBurke) April 25, 2017

About Sonya Burke

Sonya Burke is the Multimedia Manager at Montgomery Community Media (MCM). You can email story ideas at sburke@mymcmedia.org or reach her on Twitter @SonyaNBurke.

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