Ben Miller Switches from Singles to Ice Dancing

Ben Miller at the 2004 State Farm U.S. Championships Photo by Paul Harvath

(1/7/05) - In the last two years, Ben Miller emerged as a promising young men's singles skater for the U.S. team. He even earned a senior Grand Prix spot at the NHK Trophy in 2002 and later, finished second at the 2004 Upper Great Lakes Regional Championships and the Midwestern Sectional Championships. However, Miller's lingering shin problems and a history of stress fractures were hampering his path toward further success.

So in November, the determined skater decided to take a different path.

Miller was told he would no longer be able to perform jumps with his injury. He would be forced to quit singles skating. But Miller wasn't yet ready to give up skating altogether, so he set his sights on a different goal - ice dancing.

“My options were limited after many visits to the doctor's office with no solutions,” Miller said. “I've always enjoyed, respected and watched dance events. It piqued my interest and seemed like the logical option.”

Ice dancing is an entirely new discipline for the 21-year-old Miller, who has been skating since he was 5-years-old.

“Going into it, I knew it would be difficult, challenging, and very different; so far, it has been all those things,” Miller said. “It's overwhelming and a big adjustment mentally. In singles, I knew what I was doing and I knew when I did something right or wrong, but this is entirely different.”

What better way to start an ice dancing career than training alongside one of dancing's best teams, Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, at the Arctic Edge Arena in Canton, Mich. A bright future lies ahead for Miller, who is currently training with renowned ice dancing coach Igor Shpilband, who also trains Belbin and Agosto.

Currently Miller, who is from St. Paul, Minn., trains almost four hours a day, but his time on the ice will increase once he finds a partner.

“I'm looking for a partner who has the same goals and outlook as I do,” Miller said.

As for future plans, the enthusiastic athlete says he is open to any challenges that come his way.

“It's difficult to pinpoint what you want when you haven't been immersed in dancing,” Miller said. “Right now, I'm in the best environment in the country to train, so I'm just here to enjoy what I'm doing and see where it takes me.”