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When it quickly became clear that both Eva and Pavel had a natural talent for skating, their father became a regular presence at the rink and took a strong interest in their development. Although Frantisek had no background in skating, he studied skating literature, observed other coaches, and eventually took on the role of coach, training Eva and Pavel three days a week. Because the rink was primarily used for hockey, many of their practices took place early in the morning before school.
In 1952, Frantisek was transferred to Prague for work. He continued coaching his children for a few more years, but it soon became clear they needed more advanced instruction than he could provide. He approached coach Mila Novaková, who agreed to train Eva and Pavel at Stadion Praha.
The siblings initially competed as a pairs team, winning medals at the Czechoslovakian Championships in 1957 and 1958. During the 1959/1960 season, they competed in both pairs and ice dance. At that year’s national championships, they placed second in pairs and won the first Czechoslovakian ice dance title. At just thirteen, Eva became the youngest woman ever to win a national title in her country.
At the European Championships in Davos, Switzerland, they finished twelfth in pairs but seventh in ice dance. That result helped the talented young brother and sister decide where to focus their efforts. By the following season, they had committed entirely to ice dancing.
In 1960, Eva and Pavel again placed seventh at the European Championships, but the following year they moved up to fifth. The cancellation of the 1961 World Championships - scheduled to be held in their home city, due to the Sabena Crash that killed the entire U.S. figure skating team, delayed their World debut.
Alongside their skating careers, both pursued post-secondary education. Eva earned a degree in Decorative Arts from an art-industrial school while working as a window dresser at a department store. Pavel attended the industrial school Střední průmyslová škola na Proseku, where he studied machining and engineering. In their spare time, Eva enjoyed drawing, while Pavel took an interest in building sports cars. He would often ride Jawa motorcycles to "break them in" for new buyers.
In 1962, Eva and Pavel showed remarkable improvement, finishing third at the European Championships in Geneva, Switzerland, behind France's Christiane and Jean Paul Guhel and Britain’s Linda Shearman and Michael Phillips. In the May 1962 issue of "Skating World", British skating historian Dennis L. Bird wrote that in Geneva they had the best free dance, but that their performance "looked like pair skating without the jumps."
"To me, they were amazing," recalled the late World Ice Dancing Champion Bernard Ford, in Steve Milton's book "Figure Skating's Greatest Stars". "It wasn't dance-y, like things had been. They skated to the music, but they attacked it. They had a lot of speed." Believe it or not - at the time, some actually criticized their speed, but their athletic style, which contrasted sharply with the British ice dancing style of the time, proved immensely popular when the World Championships finally took place in Prague from March 14 to 17, 1962, drawing enthusiastic crowds to the Sportovní hala.
During the off-season, Eva and Pavel traveled overseas to train in Colorado Springs, where they also performed in the Broadmoor Ice Revue for two weeks. At the 1963 European Championships in Budapest, they won the free dance with first-place ordinals from eight of the nine judges. However, losses in the Foxtrot, Westminster Waltz, Kilian, and Argentine Tango to Britain’s Linda Shearman and Michael Phillips - who had finished fourth at the previous year’s World Championships - left them second overall in a result so close that it took more than an hour to tabulate the marks.
Eva and Pavel received numerous offers to skate in shows and even signed with the Ice Capades, but Czechoslovakian officials voided the contract. In May 1965, they competed in the World Professional Championships in England, winning the Starlight Waltz, Blues, Quickstep, and their free dance to take the title over four British teams. They later joined the Holiday on Ice tour in Cologne, Germany.
To receive permission to tour with the show, they had to give the Czechoslovakian government ten percent of their earnings and agree to renew their visas each year.
While on tour, both Eva and Pavel found love. Eva married British ice comedian Jackie Graham, who bred Arabian horses in Devon, England. Pavel met his wife Sonia Grand, a singer and Holiday on Ice skater who was the goddaughter of skating historian Nigel Brown, in Switzerland. They celebrated with two wedding ceremonies - one in Switzerland and another at Karlštejn Castle, southwest of Prague.
Eva and Pavel toured with Holiday on Ice until 1971, when Pavel and Sonia took jobs in Tennessee at the Kingdom of Camelot inn. Pavel served as recreation director and planned engineering projects, while Sonia entertained guests with her singing. Meanwhile, Eva continued to tour with Holiday on Ice alone in Johannesburg, South Africa, before moving to England.
Pavel's half-brother Zdeněk published a book about Eva and Pavel's skating career. The book claimed that their father had been "a strict disciplinarian to the point of abuse." In an interview at the 1962 World Championships, Eva disputed these claims. "He was much older than me and he wrote about all the funny things. I had a different view. Father taught me to the best I could be and that comes in handy in life. Our parents made sure we didn't tell tales. If we did, my father would punish us both. At school they would say, 'How can you skate with your brother?' Most brothers and sisters beat each other up, but we were best buddies. We skated for fun, not ambition."
Pavel’s words proved tragically prophetic just days after his twenty-ninth birthday, while he was driving guests to the Kingdom of Camelot. The February 3, 1972 edition of the "Rogersville Review" reported, "A one-car accident early Thursday morning on State Route 94, near the Kingdom of Camelot, snuffed out the life of former world figure skating champion, Pavel (Paul) [Roman], 29. [Roman], who had been serving as recreation director at the Kingdom of Camelot since last summer, was pronounced dead on arrival at Hawkins County Memorial Hospital. State Highway Trooper Russell Tipton, who investigated the accident, said [Roman] lost control of his car on a curve, left the road and went down an embankment, hitting several trees. The accident happened [within] the shadow of the Camelot Inn, near the athletic field. [Roman] was returning to the Inn when the accident happened."
Roman’s funeral was held at St. Henry's Catholic Church. Although he was originally to be buried at Highland Cemetery, he was ultimately interred in Olšanské hřbitovy Cemetery in Prague.
Life continued for Eva, but it was never easy. In a 2006 interview, she said, "Not a day [went by] that I did not remember him. For me, [he did] not age, he is still twenty-nine." She skated for a time with her husband, performing a comedy act with chimpanzees. She also tried teaching ice dancing in England, but when it proved unprofitable, she ran a retirement home for a decade before moving to the United States.
After teaching skating in Dallas for four years, she retired to a farm in Texas, caring for ducks and geese. In the 1990s, Eva and her husband sold the farm, bought a caravan, and traveled across America for five years before returning to Europe, spending time in England and Spain before settling at a farm in Lipnice, near Rokycany, in the Czech Republic in 2001. Now a widow, Eva lives in Lytham St. Annes, a seaside town near Blackpool, England.
Eva and Pavel Roman's story is one of extraordinary talent, dedication, and trailblazing achievement. As the first Czech team to win a World title in ice dancing, they achieved success internationally at a time when the sport was dominated almost entirely by British teams. From their early days skating together in Olomouc to becoming four-time World Champions, they brought speed and athleticism to ice dancing. While Pavel's life was tragically cut short, Eva continued to embrace life with determination, pursuing teaching, performing, and later farming and travel, all while keeping the memory of her brother and skating partner alive. Their legacy stands as a testament to their talent and the lasting impact they made on the world of ice dance.