Team USA ice dancing duo Madison Chock and Evan Bates announce their engagement
Apparently it wasn't good enough just to be one of the most accomplished ice dance teams, Madison Chock and Evan Bates also had to get engaged.
The couple, known for their partnership through three Olympic Winter Games and several other competitions, announced on social media their plans to be married after vacationing in Thailand. Chock made the announcement on Instagram on Thursday, linking to a story in People that provided more detail about the engagement.
"Left home with my boyfriend, coming back with my fiancé!" Chock wrote in the post.
Chock, 29, is from Redondo Beach, California, and Bates, 33, is from Ann Arbor, Michigan. They have been skating together since 2011.
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The two have won three U.S. titles, three World Championships and a team silver medal at the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games. At the most recent Winter Olympics, the duo's long program had an outer space theme, with Chock portraying an alien and Bates an astronaut, set to music from Daft Punk.
Bates told People that he proposed on June 11 (6/11) because the two had been dating for six years and have been skating for 11. It was raining at the start of the day, however, so Bates said he was "stressed" about finding the right moment when the rain subsided.
"I found a stick and began doodling in the sand," Chock told People. "Evan suggested I write the date. As I finished writing the date, he pointed out the significance of the numbers of the date.
"Then he knelt down and asked me to marry him! I was carrying a bunch of stuff and had my hands full, but when I realized what was happening, I tossed everything down on the sand and answered with a resounding yes. We were engaged!"
"We were on vacation with friends and they all knew I was going to do it so they stayed out of the way until afterward, then they joined us for champagne and Thai food on the beach," Bates told People. "It was a perfect day, rain included!"
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Team USA ice dancers Evan Bates, Madison Chock get engaged
