# Rachel Parsons (figure skater)

Rachel Marie Parsons (born November 19, 1997) is an American former competitive ice dancer. With her brother Michael Parsons, she is the 2018 NHK Trophy bronze medalist and a four-time silver medalist on the ISU Challenger Series (2018 CS Asian Open, 2018 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, 2018 CS Lombardia Trophy, 2017 CS Ondrej Nepela Memorial). Earlier in their career together, the Parsons won gold at the 2017 World Junior Championships, the 2016–17 Junior Grand Prix Final and in the junior event at the 2017 U.S. Championships. They placed 4th at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics.

## Personal life

Rachel Parsons was born November 19, 1997, in Rockville, Maryland. She has two siblings – Michael and Katie. In 2016, she graduated from Magruder High School in Rockville, Maryland and currently attends Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida. In August 2019, she came out as bisexual.
Parsons participated in the June 1, 2020 protests in Lafayette Square, after concluding that "sitting at home and being angry wasn’t doing enough. I wanted to protest. I wanted to physically be there." She was hit by a rubber bullet when federal security services opened fire. A photograph of Parsons was featured on the June 2, 2020, edition of The Washington Post.
Parsons now goes to Flagler College and works as a bartender at St. Augustine Fish Camp.

## Career
### Early years

Rachel Parsons started skating at age six because she wanted to learn how to stand up on the ice. After joining the Wheaton Ice Skating Academy in June 2006, she started focusing solely on ice dance. With Kyle MacMillan, she won gold on the juvenile level at the 2009 U.S. Championships and then gold on the intermediate level at the 2010 U.S. Championships.
She teamed up with her older brother, Michael, in February 2010. They won gold on the novice level at the 2011 U.S. Championships and debuted on the Junior Grand Prix (JGP) series in September 2011, placing 9th in Gdańsk, Poland. After taking the junior pewter medal at the 2012 U.S. Championships, they represented the United States at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics, placing 4th. They were also selected for the 2012 World Junior Championships in Minsk, Belarus, where they finished 15th.
Competing in the 2012–13 JGP series, the Parsons placed 6th in Linz, Austria, before taking bronze in Zagreb, Croatia.

### 2013–14 season

The Parsons obtained silver at both of their 2013–14 JGP assignments, which took place in Košice, Slovakia, and Ostrava, Czech Republic. They qualified for the JGP Final in Fukuoka, Japan, where they placed sixth. The duo won bronze at the junior level at the 2014 U.S. Championships and capped off their season with an 8th-place finish at the 2014 World Junior Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.

### 2014–15 season

The Parsons medaled at both their 2014–15 JGP assignments, receiving bronze in Aichi, Japan, and silver in Zagreb, Croatia. They finished as the first alternates for the JGP Final and won silver on the junior level at the 2015 U.S. Championships. Concluding their season, they placed fourth at the 2015 World Junior Championships in Tallinn, Estonia.

### 2015–16 season: World Junior silver and Junior Grand Prix Final bronze

During the 2015–16 JGP series, the Parsons were awarded gold in Bratislava, Slovakia, and Zagreb, Croatia. Competing in Barcelona, Spain, at their second JGP Final, the siblings took the bronze medal behind Lorraine McNamara / Quinn Carpenter and Alla Loboda / Pavel Drozd, having placed second in the short dance and fifth in the free. At the 2016 World Junior Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, they placed first in the short and second in the free, winning the silver medal behind McNamara/Carpenter.

### 2016–17 season: World Junior champion and Junior Grand Prix Final gold

Competing in their sixth JGP season, the Parsons were awarded gold in Yokohama, Japan, and Dresden, Germany, both times ahead of Russia's Anastasia Shpilevaya / Grigory Smirnov. In December 2016, they competed at the JGP Final in Marseille, France; ranked second in the short and first in the free, they won the title by a margin of 0.63 over Loboda/Drozd.
The following month, the Parsons would win their first junior national title at the 2017 U.S. Championships, over 11 points clear of the field. The siblings would cap off their undefeated season by winning the 2017 World Junior Championships; similar to the 2016–17 JGP Final, the Parsons won the event overall after placing second in the short and first in the free, earning an even narrower victory of 0.56 ahead of Loboda/Drozd. The Parsons earned personal bests in their combined total and free dance scores at their fifth trip to the Junior Championships.

### 2017–18 season: International senior debut

Moving to the senior level, the Parsons debuted at the Lake Placid Ice Dance International, winning the silver medal behind longtime rivals McNamara/Carpenter, who were also making their senior debut. They then took the silver medal at the 2017 CS Ondrej Nepela Trophy, their debut on the ISU Challenger series. Assigned to two Grand Prix events, they finished ninth at Skate America and seventh at the Rostelecom Cup. They then competed at a second Challenger event, the Golden Spin of Zagreb, where they finished eighth.
Competing at the senior level at the 2018 U.S. Championships, they placed fifth, and thus did not qualify for the U.S. Olympic team. They were instead sent to the 2018 Four Continents Championships, where they finished sixth.

### 2018–19 season: Final season

   "Skating has given me so much. I was able to travel all over the world, make so many unforgettable memories, meet the most incredible people, and compete proudly for my country. To experience all of this with my big brother by my side has been the best part. This sport has made me who I am today. I couldn’t be more grateful to everyone who has supported Michael and me through the years. I want to say a huge thank you to our friends, family, coaches, everyone at US Figure Skating, our sponsors who have made this dream possible and everyone else who helped us along the way, I feel so blessed. I’m not sure what this new chapter of my life will bring, but I’m excited about the future. I’ll continue to cheer Michael on as he continues on this incredible journey for the both of us, I’ll just be rooting for him from the stands."
After a second straight silver medal at Lake Placid's summer ice dance event, the siblings competed in three straight Challenger events, winning consecutive silver medals at the Asian Open, Nebelhorn Trophy and Nepela Trophy. At their first Grand Prix event in Japan, the 2018 NHK Trophy, they won their first and only Grand Prix medal, a bronze. At the 2018 Internationaux de France, their second Grand Prix, they finished fifth. At the 2019 U.S. Championships, the Parsons placed sixth.
On April 2, 2019, Rachel announced on Instagram that she was retiring from figure skating following a lengthy struggle with an eating disorder. Her brother Michael intended to continue skating, and subsequently formed a new partnership with Caroline Green.

## Programs
### Ice dance with Michael Parsons

| Season | Short dance | Free dance | Exhibition |
| 2010–2011 | | The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky | |
| 2011–2012 | Psychedelic Sally by Eddie Jefferson | To Glory by Thomas J. Bergersen Enigmatic Soul by Thomas J. Bergersen | |
| 2012–2013 | Hip hop: 4 Minutes by Justin Timberlake, Madonna Blues: Cyber Shanty Town Blues by Christian HipHop Factory Hip hop: 4 Minutes by Justin Timberlake, Madonna | Faust by Charles Gounod Walpurgis Night Three Nymphs | |
| 2013–2014 | Quickstep: Funny Girl Overture by Jule Styne Foxtrot: Funny Girl Overture Quickstep: Funny Girl Overture | New Moon by Alexandre Desplat Time Back by Bad Style | |
| 2014–2015 | Rhumba: Fruta Fresca (Club remix) by Carlos Vives Samba: Heart of the Wind by Robert Tree Cody | Notre-Dame de Paris by Riccardo Cocciante, Bruno Pelletier | Rhumba Samba |
| 2015–2016 | Waltz: Cinderella's Departure for the Ball (from Cinderella) by Sergei Prokofiev | La Malamada Palabras y Vientoby by Medialuna Tango Project | Elevation by U2 |
| 2016–2017 | Hip hop: A Little Party Never Killed Nobody by Fergie, Q-Tip, GoonRock Blues: Born to Die by Lana Del Rey Hip hop | Singing in the Rain arranged by Sophia Sin, Alexander Goldstein | Knockin' On Heaven's Door by Selig Disco Inferno by The Trammps with McNamara/Carpenter |
| 2017–2018 | Rhumba: Mambo Molly by Mambo Molly Slow rhumba: Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime by Zucchero Mambo: Congo Crazed by Mambo Molly | Ghost Dances La Partida by Victor Jara Sikuriadas by Inti Illimani Quiaquenpita by Inti Illimani | |
| | Rhythm dance | Free dance | Exhibition |
| 2018–2019 | Tango: Vuelvo al Sur by Medialuna Tango Project Tango: Tango Cha by Sergio Belem | To Build a Home by The Cinematic Orchestra & Patrick Watson Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen | |

## Competitive highlights

* GP – Event of the ISU Grand Prix Series
* CS – Event of the ISU Challenger Series
* JGP – Event of the ISU Junior Grand Prix Series

### Ice dance with Michael Parsons

Competition placements at senior level :
| Season | 2017–18 | 2018–19 |
| Four Continents Championships | 6th | |
| U.S. Championships | 5th | 6th |
| GP France | | 5th |
| GP NHK Trophy | | 3rd |
| GP Rostelecom Cup | 7th | |
| GP Skate America | 9th | |
| CS Asian Open Trophy | | 2nd |
| CS Golden Spin of Zagreb | 8th | |
| CS Lombardia Trophy | | 2nd |
| CS Nebelhorn Trophy | | 2nd |
| CS Ondrej Nepela Trophy | 2nd | |
| Lake Placid Ice Dance | 2nd | 2nd |
Competition placements at junior level :
| Season | 2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 | 2014–15 | 2015–16 | 2016–17 |
| Winter Youth Olympics | 4th | | | | | |
| World Junior Championships | 15th | | 8th | 4th | 2nd | 1st |
| Junior Grand Prix Final | | | 6th | | 3rd | 1st |
| U.S. Championships | 4th | | 3rd | 2nd | 2nd | 1st |
| JGP Austria | | 6th | | | | |
| JGP Croatia | | 3rd | | 2nd | 1st | |
| JGP Czech Republic | | | 2nd | | | |
| JGP Germany | | | | | | 1st |
| JGP Japan | | | | 3rd | | 1st |
| JGP Poland | 9th | | | | | |
| JGP Slovakia | | | 2nd | | 1st | |
| Lake Placid Ice Dance | | | | | 1st | 1st |
| Toruń Cup | | | | 2nd | | |

## Detailed results
### Ice dance with Michael Parsons
#### Senior level

Results in the 2017–18 season :
| Date | Event | SD | SD | FD | FD | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Jul 28–29, 2017 | 2017 Lake Placid IDI | 3 | 61.25 | 2 | 95.57 | 2 | 156.82 |
| Sep 21–23, 2017 | 2017 CS Ondrej Nepela Trophy | 2 | 67.48 | 3 | 95.66 | 2 | 163.14 |
| Oct 20–22, 2017 | 2017 Rostelecom Cup | 7 | 59.41 | 8 | 89.34 | 7 | 148.75 |
| Nov 24–26, 2017 | 2017 Skate America | 8 | 58.36 | 9 | 87.18 | 9 | 145.54 |
| Dec 6–9, 2017 | 2017 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb | 9 | 60.18 | 8 | 92.20 | 8 | 152.38 |
| Dec 29, 2017–Jan 8, 2018 | 2018 U.S. Championships | 5 | 72.69 | 6 | 103.38 | 5 | 176.07 |
| Jan 22–28, 2018 | 2018 Four Continents Championships | 6 | 60.18 | 6 | 95.12 | 6 | 155.30 |
Results in the 2018–19 season :
| Date | Event | RD | RD | FD | FD | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Jul 24–27, 2018 | 2018 Lake Placid IDI | 2 | — | 2 | — | 2 | 164.74 |
| Aug 1–5, 2018 | 2018 CS Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy | 1 | 64.47 | 3 | 92.66 | 2 | 157.13 |
| Sep 12–16, 2018 | 2018 CS Lombardia Trophy | 2 | 68.20 | 3 | 102.48 | 2 | 170.68 |
| Sep 26–29, 2018 | 2018 CS Nebelhorn Trophy | 2 | 70.02 | 2 | 110.93 | 2 | 180.95 |
| Nov 9–11, 2018 | 2018 NHK Trophy | 3 | 69.07 | 3 | 109.57 | 3 | 178.64 |
| Nov 23–25, 2018 | 2018 Internationaux de France | 6 | 68.14 | 6 | 103.03 | 5 | 171.17 |
| Jan 19–27, 2019 | 2019 U.S. Championships | 6 | 72.52 | 7 | 97.74 | 6 | 170.26 |

#### Junior level

Results in the 2011–12 season :
| Date | Event | SD | SD | FD | FD | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Sep 14–17, 2011 | 2011 JGP Poland | 10 | 43.03 | 9 | 64.94 | 9 | 107.97 |
| Jan 15–17, 2012 | 2012 Winter Youth Olympics | 4 | 44.69 | 4 | 69.53 | 4 | 114.22 |
| Jan 22–29, 2012 | 2012 U.S. Championships (Junior) | 3 | 50.80 | 4 | 72.46 | 4 | 123.26 |
| Feb 27–Mar 4, 2012 | 2012 World Junior Championships | 16 | 45.37 | 14 | 63.79 | 15 | 109.16 |
Results in the 2012–13 season :
| Date | Event | SD | SD | FD | FD | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Sep 12–15, 2012 | 2012 JGP Austria | 4 | 51.07 | 8 | 62.98 | 6 | 114.05 |
| Oct 3–6, 2012 | 2012 JGP Croatia | 2 | 56.35 | 3 | 77.74 | 3 | 134.09 |
Results in the 2013–14 season :
| Date | Event | SD | SD | FD | FD | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Sep 12–15, 2013 | 2013 JGP Slovakia | 2 | 52.09 | 2 | 79.01 | 2 | 131.10 |
| Oct 2–5, 2013 | 2013 JGP Czech Republic | 1 | 59.54 | 6 | 75.19 | 2 | 134.73 |
| Dec 5–8, 2013 | 2013–14 Junior Grand Prix Final | 6 | 46.11 | 6 | 70.49 | 6 | 116.60 |
| Jan 5–12, 2014 | 2014 U.S. Championships (Junior) | 3 | 59.32 | 2 | 86.46 | 3 | 145.78 |
| Mar 10–16, 2014 | 2014 World Junior Championships | 3 | 58.65 | 5 | 79.88 | 4 | 138.53 |
Results in the 2014–15 season :
| Date | Event | SD | SD | FD | FD | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Sep 11–14, 2014 | 2014 JGP Japan | 1 | 55.71 | 3 | 75.71 | 3 | 131.42 |
| Oct 8–11, 2014 | 2014 JGP Croatia | 2 | 56.28 | 2 | 84.05 | 2 | 140.33 |
| Jan 7–10, 2015 | Mentor Toruń Cup (Junior) | 2 | 58.58 | 2 | 84.60 | 2 | 143.18 |
| Jan 18–25, 2015 | 2015 U.S. Championships (Junior) | 2 | 60.61 | 2 | 84.37 | 2 | 144.98 |
| Mar 2–8, 2015 | 2015 World Junior Championships | 4 | 58.39 | 5 | 82.55 | 4 | 140.94 |
Results in the 2015–16 season :
| Date | Event | SD | SD | FD | FD | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Jul 27–30, 2015 | 2015 Lake Placid IDI (Junior) | 1 | | 1 | | 1 | 141.41 |
| Aug 19–22, 2015 | 2015 JGP Slovakia | 2 | 59.02 | 1 | 90.40 | 1 | 149.42 |
| Oct 7–10, 2015 | 2015 JGP Croatia | 1 | 66.49 | 1 | 94.30 | 1 | 160.79 |
| Dec 9–13, 2015 | 2015–16 Junior Grand Prix Final | 2 | 64.91 | 5 | 79.50 | 3 | 144.41 |
| Jan 15–24, 2016 | 2016 U.S. Championships (Junior) | 2 | 70.29 | 2 | 95.17 | 2 | 165.46 |
| Mar 14–20, 2016 | 2016 World Junior Championships | 1 | 67.88 | 2 | 94.86 | 2 | 162.74 |
Results in the 2016–17 season :
| Date | Event | SD | SD | FD | FD | Total | Total |
| Date | Event | P | Score | P | Score | P | Score |
| Jul 27–30, 2016 | 2016 Lake Placid IDI (Junior) | 1 | 66.15 | 1 | 90.02 | 1 | 156.17 |
| Sep 8–11, 2016 | 2016 JGP Japan | 1 | 66.76 | 1 | 93.66 | 1 | 160.42 |
| Oct 5–8, 2016 | 2016 JGP Germany | 1 | 65.93 | 1 | 91.70 | 1 | 157.63 |
| Dec 7–11, 2016 | 2016–17 Junior Grand Prix Final | 2 | 66.91 | 1 | 95.59 | 1 | 162.50 |
| Jan 14–22, 2017 | 2017 U.S. Championships (Junior) | 1 | 72.42 | 1 | 103.91 | 1 | 176.33 |
| Mar 15–19, 2017 | 2017 World Junior Championships | 2 | 67.29 | 1 | 97.54 | 1 | 164.83 |