Oona and Gage Brown have their skates sharpened for 2030 Olympics

Like many Americans, Oona and Gage Brown are watching the Winter Olympics on TV.

They also have dreams of competing in it someday.

“We’d love to be in the next Olympics,” Oona said. “That’s definitely a goal looking forward.”

The siblings came close to qualifying for the Milan Cortina Games, finishing sixth in ice dancing at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and becoming alternates.

They have roots in Greenport. Oona, 21, was born there on Sept. 10, 2004. Gage, 23, who was born in Bay Shore on Oct. 20, 2002, lived there for two years. Their parents, Zhon Brown and Louis DeVirgilio, owned the Front Street Cafe on Main Street for a decade, Gage said.

Today, they call Bay Shore home.

At the U.S. nationals in St. Louis on Jan. 10, the Browns finished sixth with a score of 194.31. The top three pairs qualified for Milan. The next three were named alternates.

“We were very satisfied with our skate in St. Louis,” Gage said. “That was one of the best skates that we’ve had this entire season. We felt like we really left it all out on the ice that night. It was received well by the crowd. That moment was probably one of the most memorable moments in our career. How we took in the cheering, it was a great feeling for both of us.”

Becoming one of the top three Americans among some world-class pairs is not an easy task. The USA’s Madison Chock and Evan Bates won their second Olympic gold medal in the event on Monday, Feb. 9.

It would have taken injuries to all three teams for the Browns to be called over to Italy.

“The chances of Olympic teammates getting injured or having to withdraw are pretty low,” Gage said. “We’re on call in case something happens. All alternates should be ready, and we still are. We’re still training five days a week, with lower intensity.”

The next Winter Olympics are set for the French Alps in 2030.

“That’s the ultimate goal, because we were pretty close this season,” Gage said. “We definitely think that we are capable of qualifying for the next one. We just have to work our absolute hardest in order to get there.”

The Browns will never be criticized for not working hard. They train five days a week at The Rinks in Hauppauge. 

“Our season has concluded, so training is a little bit lighter,” Gage said. “We’re skating just three hours or 2 1/2 hours a day. We never skate on Saturday or Sunday. Those are always the best times to rest, or to soccer referee.”

The Browns know each other so well that they can finish each other’s sentences.

When asked about her feelings on representing Long Island, Oona replied, “We’re very proud … to represent Long Island, because I don’t hear or see many other skaters that represent Long Island.”

Gage chimed in: “We’re on Long Island, born and raised. We’re very proud of saying that.”

They began as an ice dance team as teenagers in 2016. Two years later, they made their international debut in the advanced novice competition at the Bavarian Open, finishing third.

The Browns get along well but, as with many brothers and sisters, there can be some down times.

“We’ve skated with each other so long that we can ignore each other on the ice and still do our program,” Oona said. “It doesn’t get in the way.”

Gage agreed. “We have a lot of fun when we’re skating, even when we’re competing,” he said. “We try to laugh as much as possible. I feel like we do a good job of that. We balance out the skating relationship and the at-home relationship. We like the fact that we have so many other siblings to interact with when we’re at home, because we’re with each other so often, that when we get home, we need to decompress.” Oona and Gage have five siblings.

“Even if we have a disagreement,” Gage added, “we know that we’re on the ice. We’re doing a job. We can’t really get deterred from what the job is. We push all of our disagreements to the side. We don’t let that affect us.”

At the U.S. nationals, the Browns danced to the theme from “The Godfather.”

“We mostly pick our own music,” Oona said.

Added Gage: “We’re very passionate about what we will be skating to for an entire season, which lasts for seven to eight months. ‘The Godfather’ that we skated to was a piece of music that we really enjoyed listening to. We’re really happy with how it shaped up.”

Their choreography is a collaboration between the Browns and their coaches in Montreal.

After the nationals, the Browns finished third in the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Beijing, China, on Jan. 22-23.

“It was pretty cool,” Oona said.

While it had nothing to do with these Olympics, it will help the Browns in future competitions.

“We’re very honored to be top three, and that’s a pretty big accomplishment for us,” Gage said. “We have moved up the world rankings because of that.”

The Browns are the third alternates for the World Championships in Boston, March 25-30.

“We’ll be ready. We’ll be on call,” Gage said.

That’s because Oona and Gage Brown have learned that opportunity knocks at the most surprising times, as they continue their quest for a spot in the 2030 Olympics.