(Samantha Pell/Washington Post) Through the doors of Wheaton Ice Arena, laughter fills the cold air as Rachel Parsons and Lorraine McNamara skate side by side. Immersed in conversation, they move effortlessly around the rink, with McNamara’s brown hair whipping across her face and Parsons’s blonde ponytail swaying back and forth.
As they round the corner of the rink in their new free dance costumes, the two are joined by their respective ice dance partners, Michael Parsons and Quinn Carpenter. Michael, 21, makes up half of the Parsons brother-sister duo with 19-year-old Rachel. Carpenter, 21, has been partners with McNamara, 18, for 12 years.