USA’s Reagan Moss and Jakub Galbavy: A Partnership in Motion
Reagan Moss and Jakub Galbavy
USA’s Reagan Moss and Jakub Galbavy, who teamed up in June 2023, have experienced a whirlwind of training, competition, and transformation, culminating in a U.S. Junior National title in their sophomore season. Their tryout in May 2023 was brief but powerful.
“He came for a week… and we clicked right away,” said Moss. Galbavy had another tryout planned in Europe but ultimately chose to return to the U.S. and skate with Moss. “I had to make a choice,” he recalled, “and I definitely made the right one.”
Galbavy, who moved from Bratislava, Slovakia, just two weeks after the tryout, faced the emotional difficulty of leaving family and school behind. It wasn’t something he had planned.
“It was kind of hard to relocate without my parents,” he admitted. “But I really have to be just thankful to Reagan’s parents, Reagan, my guest family, and coach. I’m really glad that it worked out!”
The pair debuted just 10 weeks later at the non-qualifying Mid-Atlantics event, part of the 2023 John Nicks Pairs Challenge.
“We won the short,” said Moss. “It was our first competition together and it was Jakob’s first ever pair competition. So, it was like this whole new experience for him, but I believe he had a lot of fun. I had a lot of fun, and it was just the start of our journey.”
Two months later, they went on to compete at the 2024 Pacific Coast Sectional Singles & U.S. Pairs Final, placing fourth, and then debuted at U.S. Nationals to finish sixth.
Their first year together wasn’t without challenges, but their coach, Trudy Oltmanns, credits their strong personalities and mutual respect for smoothing the path.
“They’re incredibly sweet to each other,” she said. “He would say he ‘won the lottery’ skating with her, and she felt the same. They’re so well matched—not just in skating, not just work ethic, which is the most important for us to match, but their personalities matched.”
“We were at the same level, and we wanted to grow together,” offered Moss. “So, we really wanted to push as hard as we could. And that was all like new to not just me, but both of us.”
2024-25 Season
Moss and Galbavy kicked of this past season with a second-place finish at the 2024 Glacier Falls Summer Classic, before debuting on the Junior Grand Prix (JGP) in Latvia where they were sixth. Then they took gold at the 2024 John Nicks Pairs Challenge before competing in their second JGP in Poland, finishing ninth.
After a fourth-place showing at 2024 Tayside Trophy in the UK in October, the team improved their standings at the 2025 Pairs Final, placing second the following month. This solidified their second qualification for the 2025 U.S. National Championships.
Looking back, the young team had hoped they would fare better on the JGP circuit.
“We wanted to compete how we practice,” said Moss. “Like we had all the elements in practice done well. And we really wanted to show that while we were competing. That was our goal.”
Galbavy agreed, adding they didn’t feel like they met their expectations.
“But it was a good learning lesson for us,” he said. “We really learned that we needed to kind of figure out how to compete together, how to deal with those nerves and how to show how calm we were in practice.”
Victory by a Narrow Margin in Wichita
Moss and Galbavy found themselves in first place after the short program at the 2025 U.S. National Championships. They were nearly tied with the more experienced team of Oliva Flores and Luje Wang.
“In our competition before, we had successfully done well against them in the short program,” said Moss. “Of course, it was exciting to go into the free skate like that, but we didn’t necessarily feel any pressure from them or really any pressure at all.”
“I was enjoying it,” said Galbavy. “The pressure is always there, you know, but it wasn’t any kind of pressure that like, ‘oh my god, we need to beat them’ or anything like that. We just really wanted to be on the podium and show our best. The main goal is just to enjoy it, really.”
And they won the junior title by just over two points.
“What was funny about that is when we were in the Kiss and Cry, we didn’t know what score we needed to get to win the title,” Moss recalled. “And so we were waiting for the first place afterwards. But Trudy, she knew what score we needed. So when we’re watching the video, she covered her mouth and let us enjoy it together. I was proud of us. And I was so happy that I got to celebrate it with Jakub and that we got to do it together.”
“I felt really the same,” said Galbavy. “I was just so happy from the whole event, I enjoyed it so much. And when we won, it was just something crazy!”
This win earned the team a ticket to 2025 World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Debrecen, Hungary.
Debut on the World Stage
The junior national champs had a rough short program in Debrecen, taking a fall on a throw triple Salchow. As a result, they narrowly missed qualifying for the free skate with a 17th-place finish. Nevertheless, they left the event proud of their journey.
Incidentally, a week prior to Junior Worlds, Moss took a hard fall during a monitor session which resulted in a swollen knee. The teamed worked every day to get the swelling down prior to competition.
“Otherwise, we were really prepared,” Moss said. “But the fall set us back. My knee was so swollen when it happened that I couldn’t bend to jump. So I didn’t get a chance to practice the throw again until we arrived.”
“To be honest, our goal from Nationals was to get to Junior Worlds, which we did,” she added. “So that’s what we’re really proud of.”
Looking back on the entire season, both skaters felt they learned a lot.
“I feel like we did learn how to compete a lot better,” said Moss. “Like throughout our season, I feel like we got continuously better, even despite the fall at Junior Worlds. We we’re a lot calmer overall, and we really focused in on each other rather than the nerves. So that’s something that I feel like gained throughout the season.”
“I agree with Reagan,” said Galbavy. “We need to learn how to compete. We learned how to compete together. But we still are kind of working on that and just trying to push ourselves even more and just do our best all the time.”
A Look Ahead: New Music, New Goals
This offseason, the team has been focusing on performance and presentation.
“Last year we really worked on speed,” Moss explained. “This year, it’s about polish, unison, and looking more mature.”
“We want every extension, every fingertip to match,” added Galbavy. “Obviously, we are still working on the elements and presentation.”
For the 2025-26 season, the duo hopes to add a side-by-side triple Salchow in their free skate. Possibly even a triple toe combination by the time nationals comes around.
“We want to look more senior,” Moss noted. “The rest will come with hard work.”
Their short program is set to the “Fly Me to the Moon / Lucky” mashup performed by Rick Hale and Breea Guttery. Their coach selected the music to demonstrate their performance side in a way that the skaters feel comfortable and confident.
“Also, it’s a chance to showcase Galbavy’s strengths as a dancer and performer,” said Oltmanns. “His father was a dancer, and he is a very natural dancer, so it made this year’s choice of music quite fun.”
Their new free skate? A dynamic and clever routine set to “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen.
“It’s so fun,” Moss said with a smile. “Everything has a specific place and it’s so fun to do!”
“This program also pushes us to another level in terms of speed and edge quality,” Galbavy added.
Off-ice hobbies and education
Before they were teammates on the ice, had plenty in common off ice. Moss, a proud dog mom to two boxers—Gabby and Crosby—one of which sleeps with her every night. Galbavy, equally dog-devoted, has two shepherd mixes, Luke and Goja, in Bratislava.
Both athletes recently graduated from high school. Moss is planning a gap year to focus on skating before pursuing a career in medicine, while Galbavy hopes to study architecture once his visa status is resolved.
“I really like to study,” he said, humbly.
Galbavy, a skilled artist and self-proclaimed Star Wars fan, draws with the same intensity he brings to the rink. From annual Christmas portraits of friends and family to a massive poster featuring over 100 Marvel characters, his creativity knows few bounds. In fact, he is currently working on a comic book.
Moss, who enjoys making blankets and jewelry, is currently having fun shopping now that she has more free time.
“I still like going to the gym and taking long walks with my friends and stuff,” she shared.
Summer Training and What’s Next
Moss and Galbavy are currently training in the early hours of the morning at a hockey facility as their current ice rink is undergoing a $37 million renovation. They plan to compete at Glacier Falls in late July and hope to receive JGP assignments for this season.
They are still undecided as to whether they will compete at nationals as seniors this season.
Their journey may have only just begun, but with shared ambition and a bond both on and off the ice, Moss and Galbavy are proving that they’re not just building a partnership—they’re building something truly special.
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