VANCOUVER—One sister skates for the country of Georgia, the other sister and a brother skate for Japan. Both train in New Jersey and live in the United States.
In the international world of elite athletics, it is not unusual for an athlete to change countries so they can compete or get better training conditions. It’s just unusual to have three Olympic athletes in one family competing for two different countries while living in another.
Allison, Cathy, and Chris Reed are in Vancouver for the Winter Olympics competing in ice dancing, a type of ballroom dancing on ice without the leaps, spins, and overhead lifts of regular figure skating.
Though competitive on an international level, all three Reeds fell short of the elite ranks of U.S. ice dancing and got their ticket to the Olympics via international affiliation.
For Allison, a shortage of male ice dancing partners brought her to Georgia, or rather the Georgian Consulate in New Jersey. After competing solo for a time, she connected with Georgian ice dancer Otar Japaridze and she said the country rushed her citizenship and got her a passport.
In the international world of elite athletics, it is not unusual for an athlete to change countries so they can compete or get better training conditions. It’s just unusual to have three Olympic athletes in one family competing for two different countries while living in another.
Allison, Cathy, and Chris Reed are in Vancouver for the Winter Olympics competing in ice dancing, a type of ballroom dancing on ice without the leaps, spins, and overhead lifts of regular figure skating.
Though competitive on an international level, all three Reeds fell short of the elite ranks of U.S. ice dancing and got their ticket to the Olympics via international affiliation.
For Allison, a shortage of male ice dancing partners brought her to Georgia, or rather the Georgian Consulate in New Jersey. After competing solo for a time, she connected with Georgian ice dancer Otar Japaridze and she said the country rushed her citizenship and got her a passport.
Allison Reed says she has never been to Georgia but plans to go there soon.
“This summer, hopefully I will get out there to see the country I represent,” she said.
She said there have been articles about her in Georgia and she has even gathered a fan base that includes Georgians cheering for her in Canada.
Sister Cathy and brother Chris have a similarly different Olympic story.
They had the benefit of finding dance partners in each other, but like Allison did not see an opportunity to compete for the Stars and Stripes.
With a Japanese mother, it was a natural move for the pair to compete under the flag of the rising sun. Like their sister, they live in the U.S. and train in New Jersey, though Cathy said they have made it to Japan during competitions.
It is an unusual route to the Olympics, but here they are, getting the chance of a lifetime and giving two countries that wouldn’t have fielded dancers a place on the ice.
“This summer, hopefully I will get out there to see the country I represent,” she said.
She said there have been articles about her in Georgia and she has even gathered a fan base that includes Georgians cheering for her in Canada.
Sister Cathy and brother Chris have a similarly different Olympic story.
They had the benefit of finding dance partners in each other, but like Allison did not see an opportunity to compete for the Stars and Stripes.
With a Japanese mother, it was a natural move for the pair to compete under the flag of the rising sun. Like their sister, they live in the U.S. and train in New Jersey, though Cathy said they have made it to Japan during competitions.
It is an unusual route to the Olympics, but here they are, getting the chance of a lifetime and giving two countries that wouldn’t have fielded dancers a place on the ice.
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