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BY SHANNON BRANDENBURG Last week the Sun Valley Figure Skating Club sent 10 skaters to represent the club at the 2026 Denver Invitational competition. The athletes competed this season in either the Excel National Series or the National Solo Ice Dance Series. And several earned podium finishes. The Denver Invitational marked the season's first qualifying competition, as skaters begin working to earn points toward their respective national finals. The 2026 Excel National Festival will take place in Boston, Mass., in July, and the 2026 U.S. National Solo Ice Dance Final will be held in Kalamazoo, Mich., in September.
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Hannah McIntee, Kelly Kyle, Ashlyn Brown and Valentina Holman are all smiles.
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Seven of the Sun Valley skaters are participating in the Excel Series this season: Sasha Irvine, Hannah McEntee, Olivia Olson, Soleil Neeb, Teagan Shea, Valentina Holman and Zoe McEntee. These athletes competed in their respective Excel events in Denver and gained valuable early-season points toward the national series standings. In addition, eight Sun Valley skaters are competing in the National Solo Ice Dance Series this season: Sasha Irvine, Emmalyn Eggert, Hannah McEntee, Kelly Kyle, Olivia Olson, Soleil Neeb, Valentina Holman, and Zoe McEntee. Their performances in Denver provided an important opportunity to begin building scores and experience in this highly competitive national series. The Sun Valley Figure Skating Club is incredibly proud of the dedication, hard work, and sportsmanship our skaters demonstrated throughout the weekend. Competing early in the season is an important step toward building confidence, refining programs, and working toward qualification for the national finals. 2026 Denver Invitational Results
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Emmalyn Eggert and Sasha Irvine test their medals.
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Sasha Irvine Excel Preliminary Plus Free Skate – 3rd Juvenile Solo Free Dance – 1st Preliminary Solo Pattern Dance – 3rd overall
Preliminary Character Performance – 1st Preliminary Shadow Dance (with Valentina Holman) – 2nd Ashlyn Brown Novice Women Short Program – 2nd
Level 6 Spin Challenge – 1st Level 6 Jump Challenge – 1st Junior Lyrical Pop – 2nd Emmalyn Eggert
Preliminary Shadow Dance (with Zoe McEntee) – 4th overall Hannah McEntee Senior Combined Solo Dance – 4th overall Gold Pattern Solo Dance – 1st overall
Excel Junior Women Free Skate – 6th Kelly Kyle Novice Combined Solo Dance – 6th overall Intermediate Women Short Program – 12th
Olivia Olson Juvenile Combined Solo Dance – 1st overall Excel Intermediate Plus Women Free Skate – 1st Juvenile Girls Short Program – 2nd
Juvenile Emotional Performance – 2nd Soleil Neeb Juvenile Combined Solo Dance – 14th overall Excel Juvenile Girls Free Skate – 5th
Teagan Shea Excel Preliminary Plus Free Skate – 1st Preliminary Lyrical Pop – 3rd Preliminary Emotional Performance – 6th
Valentina Holman Juvenile Combined Solo Dance – 10th overall Pre-Bronze Pattern Dance – 8th overall Excel Juvenile Girls Free Skate – 4th
Preliminary Shadow Dance (with Sasha Irvine) – 2nd Zoe McEntee Pre-Bronze Pattern Dance – 3rd overall Excel Preliminary Plus Free Skate – 3rd
Preliminary Shadow Dance (with Emmalyn Eggert) – 3rd
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