Like flashes of lightning, gold threads shimmer on the champion ice skaters’ purple costumes.

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.

Danny doesn’t usually weigh in on wardrobe matters. At 34, he’s 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.

For centuries, artists in Japan have gathered pieces of broken pots and melded them back together with shiny lacquer and powdered gold dust. Fired in hot ovens, the kintsugi creations emerge even more beautiful than the original pots, with seams of shiny gold jutting around the pots in unexpected, dramatic patterns — a little like an amazing pairs figure skating program.

Danny knew instantly that the kintsugi theme would be perfect for the team’s debut on the world stage in Milan this year.

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 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.

“She had that ‘it factor,’ an intangible ability to perform and light up the ice,” Danny said. “I saw that she was a very hard worker.”

Back in 2022, Danny had retired from competitive skating and was working as a part-time coach for some young skaters at the World Arena. He didn’t know Ellie but had seen her skate. Some people even had suggested Ellie as a partner for Danny, but she was competing with a different person at the time, and Danny was pretty sure that his competitive skating career was over.

Then Ellie’s coach asked Danny for a favor. She had just gone through an amicable breakup with her previous pairs partner. Could Danny skate with Ellie for a couple of days, just to lift her spirits and help her get through a tough time?

Danny agreed.

And as soon as the duo took to the ice, Danny felt a jolt of something special. He started to envision a professional future with Ellie, and after just three days of skating with her, Danny canceled a planned vacation, and the two kept working together. 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.

Strong roots: Ellie’s dad served in the Air Force, and her mom was an athlete

From Danny’s years of skating and coaching, he knew that Ellie’s charisma, fearlessness and determination were extraordinary. She also came from a strong, supportive family.

Her dad, Dr. Benjamin Kam, is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy who went on to earn his medical degree and a master’s in public health before serving for more than 23 years around the world in the Air Force as a combat flight surgeon and an orthopedic surgeon. Kam now cares for patients at UCHealth Orthopedics Clinic-Park West in Pueblo.

Ellie’s mom, Mako Kam, is from Japan. A decision to come to Colorado as an exchange student set her on a path to meet her future husband.

While Benjamin Kam was a cadet at the Air Force Academy in the early 1990s, Mako Kam was a student at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, studying applied math.

Friends wanted to set the two up. Mako was best friends with a captain’s wife from the Academy. Mako first had come to Colorado Springs as a foreign exchange student in high school. She always loved fitness and was a runner. She’s from the region of Japan near Colorado Springs’ sister city, Fujiyoshida. Much like Colorado Springs, which sits at the base of beautiful Pikes Peak, Fujiyoshida lies at the foot of Mount Fuji. After high school, Mako decided to stay in Colorado for college. Benjamin Kam’s ancestors come from both Japan and China. He was born and raised in Hawaii.

At first, he and Mako were friends, then they started dating. He graduated from the Academy in 1991 and attended medical school and completed his master’s degree at Tulane University in New Orleans. Mako stayed behind in Colorado Springs to finish her college degree, then joined him in New Orleans. The couple married in 1995. Benjamin Kam then became an Air Force surgeon, a role that would take the Kams around the U.S. and the world.

He still marvels that his first assignment as an orthopedic surgeon happened to be in Japan, which enabled him to get to know his wife’s family. Ellie was born on Yokota Air Base during their tour of duty in Japan. Her brothers, Zane, 25, and Kai, 23, followed in their dad’s footsteps and both earned appointments to the U.S. Air Force Academy. Both are on active duty with the Air Force.

Discipline clearly was part of the Kam family’s DNA.

Just four months after launching their partnership, ‘Team KamO’ medals at Nationals

While skating with Danny always was easy and felt right, Ellie had zero expectations at first. She wasn’t looking for a new partner as she pondered her next steps. And frankly, she wasn’t sure if she and Danny were the right match. Then just 17, Ellie wondered if the duo’s 14-year age gap and her relative lack of experience would be dealbreakers.

“I had just started pairs, and Danny had so many years under his belt,” Ellie said.

Her parents had their doubts too.

“We were not initially sold on the idea of doing pairs skating because it’s the most dangerous of all of the skating disciplines,” 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.

And when she and Danny began skating together, he was already 31. She was still in high school.

“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,” Benjamin Kam said.

Danny’s perspective, experience and maturity proved to be a great benefit to the duo. And in Danny, Ellie found an equally dedicated partner.

“I think Danny’s the hardest worker I’ve ever met,” she said.

The two have always skated and gotten along well — except for occasional, funny Gen Z-Millennial misfires. Their chemistry and camaraderie on and off the ice were solid.

So, soon after that initial three-day tryout, Ellie and Danny had a business meeting, of sorts. They met at a Starbucks to sketch out a plan with Ellie’s parents and their coach, Drew Meekins.

By September of 2022, Ellie and Danny decided to go all in as a new pairs team.

“The timing was right. That’s something that I truly believe in,” Ellie said.

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 fifth in the world.

Feeling at home on skating rinks around the world while her dad served as a U.S. Air Force doctor

Ellie and Danny each started skating at age 4, she in Colorado Springs, and he in Pontiac, Michigan, where he was born.

Ellie followed her big brothers onto the ice after they participated in “learn to skate” programs. The boys soon moved on to other interests. But Ellie kept skating as her dad was stationed in far-flung places around the world from Japan to Alaska and back home to Colorado Springs.

A video of Ellie as a young girl shows her spinning and jumping on tiles in the family’s home. On the ice, Ellie said she wasn’t as daring, at first, but kept at it.

“I wasn’t the kid who was landing everything early, but I kept showing up. I was stubborn in the best way. I never stopped chasing progress. My spins and my jumps eventually came,” Ellie said.

She had the grit and determination to stick with years of tough early morning practices and the inevitable falls and injuries along the way.

Ellie’s mom instilled a strong work ethic in all three of her children.

“Show up” was the family mantra.

“If you’re going to commit to something, do the best you can every day,” Mako Kam would tell her children.

As Ellie’s skating career advanced, Benjamin Kam began to think about skating opportunities for Ellie as he considered moves that the Air Force required every three to four years.

“We’re very blessed that it worked out, even going to Alaska from Colorado, and then back to Colorado again,” he said.

In Alaska, Ellie trained at the same rink as famed Canadian skater Keegan Messing.

Early success, then learning to rebound from health challenges

For Danny, success on skates came early.

His parents are Don and Judi O’Shea. They now live in Divide, near Colorado Springs, and Danny has an older brother.

Danny was always athletic, and as a kid, he played everything from football to soccer and basketball. He also ran track and learned karate.

He was an early standout in figure skating and became the novice men’s national champion in singles in 2008.

Danny described the next few years as rough in a video about his skating career.

“Life is never a straight path, is it?” Danny said. “I battled disordered eating and I lost a coach.”

Danny said his challenges with disordered eating began when he was 16.

It was a time when few people talked about eating disorders, especially in boys.

Danny said he was obsessed with staying slim.

“I would count my calories religiously, then after each meal, I’d try to burn off the full number of calories that I’d just eaten,” he said.

Danny had very little energy and spiraled into a routine of training too much and eating too little. Thankfully, his parents noticed that something was wrong and helped Danny connect with a nutritionist. He soon recovered and encourages anyone who is suffering from an eating disorder to get help.

Danny shifted to pairs skating at age 19. At first, he struggled to find the right partner. But eventually, he achieved great success. 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.

Then he met Ellie.

Learning to fly high and recovering from injuries

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.

“But when you’re in the process of learning pairs, it’s a lot of big jumps. You get chucked in the air by another person,” Ellie said.

The big lifts and throws can lead to bigger injuries for each skater.

Both Danny and Ellie, like all elite athletes, have had their share of injuries.

Danny suffered a bad one days before the 2025 World Championships in Boston. He broke his foot. But having been on the cusp of the biggest competition of his life and narrowly missing his chance to compete in South Korea back in 2018, Danny knew he wanted to compete at Worlds no matter what.

“I had this moment, and I was like, ‘Put me in coach,’” Danny said. “If it’s physically possible for me to do this, I’m going to do it.”

Next, he had to convince Ellie that he was making the right choice.

“He said he wanted to compete, and I said, ‘OK. As long as you’re safe, and I’m safe, I’m going to trust you. This is what we’ve been training for.’”

The duo did well and helped their team score three berths in pairs for the most elite competitions this year.

Danny said the pain of skating on a broken foot was wrenching, of course.

“It was in pieces by the time I was done,” Danny said of his foot.

But competing was worth it. And the energy and joy Danny and Ellie felt from the home crowd in Boston was electric.

Danny went on to have two surgeries last year to repair his foot and repair another injury.

“I currently have two plates and 11 screws in my foot. That’s what it took to fix it,” Danny said.

Just as Danny was recovering from his foot surgery and was ready to get back on the ice, Ellie suffered the worst concussion of her career and had to rest and recover before the duo could resume training together.

“We had to find our flow again,” Ellie said.

That’s where the “kintsugi” of it all comes in.

“There are moments when you have serious doubts, when you’re dealing with a large injury, and you don’t know how you’re going to get to the other side,” Danny said. “That’s very relatable to most people. The only way to get past something bad is to get through it.

“I think we did a great job of dealing with the intense emotions that come along with physical injuries, then figuring out how mentally to help each other through it,” Danny said.

Enduring an injury in pairs is especially tough, Ellie said. On top of worrying about your own recovery, fears bubble up that you’re letting your partner down.

“You don’t want to feel like you’re the weaker link,” Ellie said.

Both she and Danny have learned to try to stay positive and active, even during challenging periods of recovery.

“It’s not just injuries. We’ve had fights. It’s not an easy path. But you work through it. And that makes all of the good moments so much sweeter, even a good day at practice. There are these little nuggets,” Ellie said. “I think we’re even stronger as a team now.”

And now, they’ve achieved the biggest goal of their career: heading to Italy for the pinnacle of international competitions.

A send-off gathering with coworkers and supporters

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.

Children presented homemade cards to Ellie and Danny, who, in turn, signed Team KamO flags. Then Danny hoisted Ellie up high in the air as the duo posed for a photo with their fans.

Among their most dedicated supporters is Dylan Ryder, an operating room nurse who works with Ellie’s dad.

Like many figure skating super fans, Dylan has loved the sport since she was a little girl. She grew up in Louisiana, far from any skating rinks, but that didn’t stop her.

“I ‘figure skated’ in socks down the hallway,” Dylan recalled with a laugh. “If I got good grades, I got to take trips to skate in Houston.”

When Kam started working for UCHealth in Pueblo, Dylan began talking to him about Ellie and Danny. Dylan keeps coworkers informed about the skaters’ competitions so everyone can tune in. She recently created a photo collage of Ellie and Danny’s big moments and shared it on the operating room screen.

Like many others, Dylan drove from Pueblo for the sendoff gathering at the museum. She posed for photos with Danny and Ellie and wished them luck in Italy.

Another UCHealth doctor also has connections to elite figure skating. Dr. Daniel Lee, who grew up in Pueblo, trained as a men’s figure skater in the late 1990s and early 2000s, before injuries forced him to retire. He then became a doctor and returned to his hometown to work at UCHealth Parkview Medical Center. (Read about Dr. Daniel Lee.)

Lee has known Danny for more than 15 years. When Lee was in medical school, he would occasionally visit some of his skating friends in Chicago and give lessons to their skating students there. One of those students happened to be Danny. Lee is among many UCHealth fans who will be cheering for Team KamO in the coming weeks.

During the sendoff gathering, Ellie’s dad beamed with pride.

He later commented on the excitement of Ellie’s accomplishments.

“We’re thrilled and overjoyed that their journey has led them here,” Benjamin Kam said.

Ellie’s mom hopes that the duo will be able to pause for a moment while they skate in Italy so they can soak up the joy of all of their accomplishments.

Now, Ellie and Danny are geared up to succeed. They are excited both for the regular pairs events and team competitions and would, of course, love to bring medals home.

“We have done amazingly well over the past two years,” Danny said. “We have the opportunity to put together great performances that will put us on that podium.”

The duo’s strong partnership and respect for one another has set Ellie and Danny up for great success.

Ellie says there’s a common saying in pairs skating. Since the male skaters spend much of their time lifting their partner and making her look good, commentators say the woman is like a beautiful rose blooming in the air, while her partner is like the stem of the flower, holding her up.

“While Danny is a great stem, he’s also amazing at what he does,” Ellie told supporters during a pre-competition event. “He’s one of the best pair guys in the whole world.”

And yes, he makes her feel like a beautiful flower, but thanks to him, she also feels strong and powerful, just like Danny.

The duo’s free skate program is set to a medley of songs with auspicious titles: “Sweet Dreams” and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.”

As they head to Italy, Danny and Ellie are feeling great.

“We feel strong,” Ellie said. “We want to rule the world.”

Joanna Bean contributed to this story.