© Mark Bialek

Olympic Dreams

Ice dancers pointed toward Vancouver.

by Eve Silberman

posted 1/31/2010

When Nancy Bates told her nine-year-old son, Evan, that she wanted him to learn ice dancing, his first reaction was yuck: "I don't want to hold hands with a girl," Nancy recalls him protesting. But she insisted he give it a try. After all, the lessons--from two top Russian skaters--were free. Nancy's sister Susan, a lawyer, had helped the Russians get the green

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