Today’s beautiful thing was found on childhood friend AS’s Facebook feed.

This is the Long Island-based sister-and-brother skating team, Oona and Gage Brown, ages 16 and 18. They are ice dancers on Team USA, and their performance was filmed at some ungodly hour in NYC’s Bryant Park. in December 2020. Although most national and all international competitions have been cancelled until further notice, that didn’t stop the Browns from continuing their training. The pair is hoping to make it to Junior Worlds this year and possibly earn a spot at the Olympics.

I called this post “The Talented Three” because as I was watching the video for the first time, I realized it was greatly enhanced by the videographer. The cameraman turned out to be Jordan Cowan, a former member of Team USA, who became a professional ice skating videographer when he retired from competition. What an amazing way to evolve one’s skill and knowledge of a competitive sport into a new career! In this video, Cowan captures a unique perspective because as an experienced ice dancer, he is able to follow the skaters and capture the action in a much more intuitive and organic way than any skilled drone operator could have.

The pair have 5 more young siblings at home, and 2020 was a tough year. Since all competitions are currently on hold, the Browns are having to fund their training without any financial assistance. The performance featured below is meant as a fundraiser. If you’d like to learn more about Oona and Gage Brown, you can check out their GoFundMe page. You can also follow them on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Oona & Gage Brown (@thebrownsofficial_)