The pair ended their time in U.S. Figure Skating’s novice class ranked 10th in the nation. They recently entered the junior class, which means they potentially could be in the Olympics-eligible senior class in time for the 2018 Winter Games. But Anderson and LaChance try to see the Olympics as just one more international contest, they say, building their skills one practice at a time and one competition at a time.

Anderson says he chose to study engineering and physics because he loves math. He’s progressing through the first-year modules, trying to narrow down his field of study. He chose to stick with skating because it frees his mind.

“When I’m skating, I’m not thinking about school,” he says. “I’m not thinking about anything other than the skating I’m doing in that moment.”

Otherwise, there’s much to think about.

Anderson and LaChance in 2009. (Credit: Nashville Figure Skating Club)
Mondays through Thursdays, they skate at A-Game Sportsplex in Franklin for an hour before classes begin. Three times a week, he works out at Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gym. There’s more skating at the Centennial Sportsplex on breaks between afternoon classes, plus homework, plus a nutrition regimen that has each of them thinking about everything they consume.