Ben Agosto said that if someone had told him 10 years ago that the best chance for the Americans to win a gold medal in figure skating was in ice dancing, he would have told them, “Wait, are pigs flying?” Agosto, a silver medalist in the sport back in 2006, added, “I think if figure skating fans had been stuck in a time capsule and stepped out today they would think that is crazy.”

But crazier things have happened and now Team USA has its six-member ice dance team in Sochi and its best shot for a gold medal comes from ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White.

Should the two-time world champions win they will be the first U.S. team to win a gold medal. Team USA won a bronze medal when ice dancing made its Olympic debut in 1976 and then captured a silver medal 30 years later when Agosto and his partner, Tanith Belbin, did so in Torino. Davis and White followed up with a silver medal in Vancouver.

Davis and White, who happen to be coached by a Russian (Marina Zoueva), hope all the cards fall in their favor. Agosto, who trained with Davis and White in suburban Detroit during his competitive days, will be tuning in to the ice dancing competition in Sochi. “I’m continually surprised by them,” Agosto said. “They keep me on the edge of my seat.”