Heading into the Olympic season, the biggest question surrounding two of the top U.S. ice dance teams wasn't levels, scores, or medals. It was paperwork.

In the months leading up to the most critical season of the quadrennium, Christina Carreira and Vadym Kolesnik both became U.S. citizens, officially making their respective teams eligible for the Olympic Winter Games Milan 2026. This milestone in both skaters' lives removed years of uncertainty and cleared the way for a defining moment at the upcoming 2026 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis.

For Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko, and Emilea Zingas and Kolesnik, the U.S. Championships are no longer clouded by what happens off the ice. Now, it only comes down to how they perform on it.

For Zingas and Kolesnik, the season has already been a breakthrough. The 2025 U.S. pewter medalists earned medals at both of their Grand Prix events, punching their ticket to the team's first-ever Grand Prix Final.

Kolesnik said the moment carried more weight than the result itself. Competing in the Grand Prix Final alongside the world's top teams only reinforced their confidence that they belonged.

"We earned our place. We deserved to be there with the top six teams," Zingas said.

Zingas added that focusing on power made competitions more enjoyable by showing what they do in practice every day, rather than feeling like they needed to reach a specific score or placement.

"Right now, we're just focusing on drilling the program, getting ourselves in the best physical shape we can, and mastering everything," Zingas said.

For Kolesnik, that confidence is also tied to a major moment off the ice: after nine years of waiting, the 24-year-old became a U.S. citizen in August. While the moment itself was stressful and emotional, the impact was immediate.

"It was surreal for me," he said. "The interview itself was nerve-wracking. I'm on my sixth question and need to get one more right, and I'm like, 'Don't mess it up.' And I answered my last question and could finally breathe out."

Kolesnik joked, "I could probably beat the world record for not breathing for 20, 25 minutes."

Zingas, who joined him for his interview and passport application, added, "We feel grateful for everybody who helped us achieve his citizenship, just because it was a collaborative effort between my parents, his parents, and there's a lot of time, money, energy, everything spent into getting it. And I think he feels happy to be an American now."

Without the worry of eligibility hanging over him, Kolesnik said he feels lighter on the ice, more confident, and more present. Olympic dreams that may have felt distant are now fully real and in the team's control.

"I definitely feel more confident that nothing is holding me back anymore," Kolesnik said. "There's just me and the ice out there."

"It really helped us let go of anything that was weighing on us and just focus on our training," Zingas added.

Carreira and Ponomarenko arrive in St. Louis with a different story, shaped more by adjustment than momentum. Their early season didn't go quite as planned, but instead of pushing forward unchanged, they took a step back. After Skate America, they decided to bring back their Perfume free dance from two seasons ago, a program they believed still had more to give.
 
"I feel like bringing Perfume back brought back a spark and confidence in us, and it's been working super well," Carreira said. "We made some changes, but the essence of the program is still the same."

Ponomarenko said that the adaptability has become a strength of theirs.

"We're very comfortable with changes on the spot and making changes look competition-ready quickly."

For Carreira, the season also carried the weight of her own citizenship process, a journey she began at 18. Now, the 25-year-old has a weight lifted off her shoulders. After years of waiting, everything came together in a single day.

"It was definitely weighing on me," she said. "It was something completely out of my control."

As the Olympics loomed closer, Carreira was struggling to secure an appointment. On the evening of Nov. 19, she got a date: the next morning.

"I went in, did my exam, my interview, and then 30 minutes later I was sworn in as a citizen," she said. "By three o'clock, I had my passport with me.

"Before, it was a big thing that was standing in our way. Even if we did everything right, we could still not go because I don't have a passport. Now, it's on us to do our job on the ice."

With that settled, Carreira and Ponomarenko have shifted their focus entirely to prepare for St. Louis. Their approach is simple: skate to the best of their ability and leave the ice proud of what they put out there. Ponomarenko emphasized staying focused amid Olympic noise.

"There's going to be a lot of extra stuff surrounding the Games," he said. "So, we just want to stay in our own bubble and focus on the task at hand."

Despite their different paths, both teams share a similar outlook heading into St. Louis.

"If we show up at Nationals and we're the best version of ourselves, then we'll achieve our goals," Zingas said.

Carreira echoed the sentiment: "If we leave the ice proud of what we put out there, that's success."

With citizenship secured and preparation underway, there are no more unknowns. For Carreira and Ponomarenko, and Zingas and Kolesnik, the Olympic dream no longer includes waiting in government buildings or uncertainty over appointments. In St. Louis, one thing will determine their fate: how they skate when it matters most.