1. Personal Life
Rachel Parsons's personal life encompasses her formative years, academic pursuits, and her engagement with societal issues following her competitive skating career.
1.1. Early Life and Education
Rachel Parsons was born on November 19, 1997, in Rockville, Maryland. She grew up in Derwood, Maryland, and has two siblings, her brother Michael and a sister named Katie. She stands at approximately 5.3 ft (1.62 m). She completed her high school education, graduating from Colonel Zadok A. Magruder High School in Rockville, Maryland, in 2016. Following her graduation, she continued her studies at Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida.
1.2. Later Life and Public Engagement
After her retirement from competitive skating, Parsons became more publicly engaged with social issues. In August 2019, she publicly came out as bisexual. In June 2020, Parsons participated in the protests in Lafayette Square on June 1, explaining that she felt compelled to act rather than remain passive. During her participation, she was hit by a rubber bullet when federal security services dispersed the crowd. A photograph of Rachel Parsons from the protest was featured in The Washington Post on June 2, 2020. She continues to attend Flagler College and works as a bartender at St. Augustine Fish Camp.
2. Skating Career
Rachel Parsons's skating career began in early childhood, leading to significant success, especially in ice dance, where she formed a notable partnership with her brother.
2.1. Early Career
Rachel Parsons started skating at the age of six in 2003, motivated by a desire to learn to stand on the ice. In June 2006, she joined the Wheaton Ice Skating Academy, where she began to focus exclusively on ice dance. Her coaches included Alexei Kiliakov, Elena Novak, and Dmitri Ilin, with Elena Novak also serving as a choreographer. She trained in Wheaton, Maryland and Rockville, Maryland. In her early years, she partnered with Kyle MacMillan, with whom she achieved success at the national level. They won the gold medal in the juvenile division at the 2009 U.S. Figure Skating Championships and followed this with another gold medal in the intermediate division at the 2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
2.2. Junior Career (with Michael Parsons)
Rachel Parsons formed a partnership with her older brother, Michael Parsons, in February 2010. This collaboration would define the majority of her competitive career, especially during their highly successful junior years.
2.2.1. Early Junior Success and Milestones
Their partnership quickly yielded results, as they won the gold medal in the novice division at the 2011 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. In September 2011, the Parsons made their debut on the ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) series, placing 9th at the event in Gdańsk, Poland. They then earned the pewter medal (fourth place) in the junior division at the 2012 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. This led to their selection to represent the United States at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics in Innsbruck, where they finished 4th. Their first appearance at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships was in Minsk, Belarus, in 2012, where they placed 15th.
In the 2012-13 JGP series, they improved their standing, finishing 6th in Linz, Austria, and securing their first JGP podium with a bronze medal in Zagreb, Croatia. They were forced to withdraw from the 2013 U.S. Championships due to Michael's ankle injury. For the 2013-14 JGP season, the Parsons earned silver medals at both of their assignments in Košice, Slovakia, and Ostrava, Czech Republic, which qualified them for their first JGP Final in Fukuoka, Japan, where they placed 6th. They went on to win the bronze medal at the junior level at the 2014 U.S. Figure Skating Championships and finished 8th at the 2014 World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.
During the 2014-15 JGP season, they continued to medal, taking bronze in Aichi, Japan, and silver in Zagreb, Croatia, making them the first alternates for the JGP Final. They secured another silver medal in the junior division at the 2015 U.S. Figure Skating Championships and concluded their season with a 4th-place finish at the 2015 World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Tallinn, Estonia.
2.2.2. World Junior and Junior Grand Prix Final Triumphs
The 2015-16 JGP season marked a significant breakthrough for the Parsons siblings. They earned gold medals at both of their JGP assignments, winning in Bratislava, Slovakia, and again in Zagreb, Croatia. Their strong performances led them to their second JGP Final in Barcelona, Spain, where they claimed the bronze medal, placing behind fellow American rivals Lorraine McNamara / Quinn Carpenter and Russia's Alla Loboda / Pavel Drozd. At the 2016 World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, the Parsons placed first in the short dance and second in the free dance, earning their first World Junior medal-a silver-again behind McNamara/Carpenter.
The 2016-17 season was an exceptionally dominant one for the Parsons, who competed in their sixth JGP season. They secured gold medals at both of their JGP events, in Yokohama, Japan, and Dresden, Germany, consistently outperforming Russia's Anastasia Shpilevaya / Grigory Smirnov. In December 2016, they competed at the JGP Final in Marseille, France. There, they placed second in the short dance but won the free dance, ultimately securing the title by a narrow margin of 0.63 points over Loboda/Drozd. This victory marked their first JGP Final gold. The following month, at the 2017 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the Parsons claimed their first junior national title, finishing over 11 points ahead of the field. They capped off their undefeated season by winning the 2017 World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Taipei, securing the gold medal with a second-place finish in the short dance and a first-place finish in the free dance, narrowly defeating Loboda/Drozd by 0.56 points. This season, they also set personal bests in their combined total and free dance scores. Notably, they broke a losing streak against their training mates, McNamara/Carpenter, winning against them three consecutive times after previously not beating them since the 2013 JGP Final, making the entire season a gold-medal sweep across all competitions.
2.3. Senior Career (with Michael Parsons)
In the 2017-18 season, the Parsons transitioned to the senior level.
2.3.1. Senior Debut and Grand Prix Appearances
They made their senior debut at the Lake Placid Ice Dance International, where they earned a silver medal behind McNamara/Carpenter, who were also making their senior debut. This was their first podium finish at a senior international competition. They then secured another silver medal at the 2017 CS Ondrej Nepela Trophy, marking their debut on the ISU Challenger Series. Assigned to two Grand Prix events, they finished 9th at 2017 Skate America and 7th at the 2017 Rostelecom Cup. They also competed at the 2017 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb, placing 8th. At the 2018 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, they competed at the senior level for the first time, finishing 5th, which did not qualify them for the U.S. Olympic team. They were subsequently sent to the 2018 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, where they finished 6th.
2.3.2. Final Competitive Season and Retirement
The 2018-19 season proved to be Rachel Parsons's final competitive season. They earned a second consecutive silver medal at the Lake Placid summer ice dance event. The siblings then competed in three consecutive ISU Challenger Series events, winning silver medals at the Asian Open, Nebelhorn Trophy, and Ondrej Nepela Trophy. At their first Grand Prix event of the season, the 2018 NHK Trophy in Japan, they won their first and only Grand Prix medal, a bronze. At their second Grand Prix assignment, the 2018 Internationaux de France, they finished 5th. Their final competitive appearance was at the 2019 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, where they placed 6th, with Michael experiencing a fall during the synchronized twizzle in the free dance.
On April 2, 2019, Rachel Parsons officially announced her retirement from figure skating via Instagram. She cited a lengthy struggle with an eating disorder as the primary reason for her decision, prioritizing her health. Her brother, Michael, expressed his intention to continue skating and later formed a new partnership with Caroline Green. Rachel expressed deep gratitude for her skating career, stating it allowed her to travel the world, create unforgettable memories, meet incredible people, and proudly compete for her country, with the best part being the journey alongside her brother. She conveyed excitement for her future endeavors and her continued support for Michael.
3. Programs
Rachel Parsons and Michael Parsons used a variety of music and choreographic themes for their competitive and exhibition programs throughout their career.
3.1. Ice Dance with Michael Parsons
| Season | Short Dance / Rhythm Dance | Free Dance | Exhibition | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-2011 | * The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky | ||||
| 2011-2012 |
>* To Glory by Thomas J. Bergersen
| | ||||
| 2012-2013 |
>* Faust by Charles Gounod
| | ||||
| 2013-2014 |
>* New Moon by Alexandre Desplat
| | ||||
| 2014-2015 |
>* Notre-Dame de Paris by Riccardo Cocciante, Bruno Pelletier | * Music from the movie Get Smart by Trevor Rabin | |||
| 2015-2016 | * Waltz: Cinderella's Departure for the Ball (from Cinderella) by Sergei Prokofiev |
>* Elevation by U2 | |||
| 2016-2017 |
>* Singing in the Rain arranged by Sophia Sin, Alexander Goldstein |
>- | 2017-2018 | Rhythm Dance |
>* Ghost Dances
| |
| 2018-2019 | Rhythm Dance |
>* To Build a Home by The Cinematic Orchestra & Patrick Watson
| |
4. Competitive Highlights
Rachel Parsons and Michael Parsons achieved numerous notable results throughout their junior and senior competitive careers in ice dance.
| Competition | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior | |||||||||
| Four Continents C'ships | 6th | 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 | 2nd | |||||||
| Lake Placid IDI | 2nd | 2nd | |||||||
| U.S. Championships | 5th | 6th | |||||||
| Junior | |||||||||
| World Junior C'ships | 15th | 8th | 4th | 2nd | 1st | ||||
| JGP Final | 6th | 3rd | 1st | ||||||
| Youth Olympics | 4th | ||||||||
| U.S. Championships (Junior) | 1st N | 4th | WD | 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 IDI (Junior) | 1st | 1st | |||||||
| Toruń Cup (Junior) | 2nd | ||||||||