Belbin & Agosto turn Professional

The five time US Ice Dance champions who are touted as the team that changed the course of the sport for America, Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto, announced this week that they are retiring from the Amateur competitive circuit. The team's meteoric rise to the top of both national and international podiums turned the heads of many with their clever choreography as well as their youthful expression. They claimed Olympic silver during the 2006 Turin Games, and barely missed the podium in Vancouver.

The duo paired up in 1998 and began seeing early success in the junior ranks, which led to a lot of hope and hype following their jump to the senior level. Much ado was made, and they quickly saw positive returns, in just their first year they came second to the more mature and more polished Lang & Tchernychev. The next few years made for an exciting national competition with Belbin and Agosto continuing to close the gap. They easily took US Skating to the next level after taking their first senior title in 2004. They were also seeing a great amount of success in international competition, knocking down doors and barriers many believe could never be penetrated by a young North American team.

The team is now looking at professional pursuits. After spending the spring touring with Stars On Ice and a subsequent break from the ice, they announced on Thursday that they were ready for the next phase of a skater's life. Tours are in their future - no doubt they will be fixtures in Stars On Ice for some time to come - and with talk of Scott Hamilton bringing back the professional competitive circuit there are likely to be many opportunities for Tanith and Ben to continue to expand and grow with their skating.

They state on their website: "After 12 incredible years skating together, we have decided to announce our retirement from competition. We have accomplished and surpassed so many of our goals, from participating in two Olympic Games to pushing ourselves and developing our skills in this sport we love so much. With that, we feel we can move on from our competitive careers without regret. May our fans rest assured, we plan to continue skating together in the professional ranks for years to come."

US Ice Dance is now in the capable hands of the reigning Olympic and World silver medalists of Meryl Davis & Charlie White, but it will surely miss the excitement and spunk of Tanith and Ben.