Team we're fewer but still good!

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Joti Polizoakis will be skating for the Czech Republic with his new partner Denisa Cimlova 

 

 

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New article on Sofiia Holichenko and Artem Darenskyi 

 

Holichenko and Darenskyi push forward with nerves of steel
Golden Skate
23 June 2022

 

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The team left Ukraine to compete at the 2022 World Junior Figure Skating Championships where they ultimately withdrew. They then went to Poland for a bit to train before returning to Dnieper in May to resume training under their coach, Liliia Batutina.

 

“The war has affected all those who live in Ukraine,” noted Darenskyi. “Life has become more difficult and unexpected. Sirens buzz and missiles explode every day. It’s hard to see that people and children die every day and it’s hard to see that people who live in Russia see it and are silent or support it.”

 

“Many people left,” added Holichenko. “Friends, relatives, and there is no opportunity to see both friends and parents. I have not seen my father for a very long time, the last time in February. It breaks my heart for what the Russians did to Mariupol, Kharkov, Bucha, Gostomel, and many more cities. We all hope that this will end soon. We will also work hard to adequately represent Ukraine in competitions. To prove that we are fighting, we are strong and Ukrainians will cope with everything!”

 

Holichenko’s father is serving with the territorial defense in the city of Kyiv, while Darenskyi’s father is in the Ukrainian armed forces.

 

“What is happening now in Ukraine should not happen anywhere else,” said Darenskyi. “People should realize that war has not changed, it will always be tragic and bloody. Civilians and children will always die. People in Ukraine are not thinking about vacation on the beach. They are wondering if they will be alive tomorrow or if their relatives are alive. Each day rockets and bombs arrive in many cities and no one knows where they will fall.”

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The 2022 National Champions are hoping to compete this upcoming season and are currently working on new elements and programs.

 

“City Hall has given us ice for free and this helps very much!” said Darenskyi. “Our goal is to show that there is figure skating in Ukraine and it will develop despite the war. We also want our people to see that athletes are also fighting. We want people to know what is happening in Ukraine.”

 

Holichenko and Darenskyi will use the short program from last season set to “Alive” by the Ukrainian group The Hardkiss, while the free skate will be to a cover compilation of compositions from Nirvana.

 

“It was a gift from Hugo Chouinard,” Holichenko said of the short program music. “He arranged this music for us and we performed it at the 2022 World Championships. We liked it very much and we decided to leave it for the next season.

 

“For the free skate, we thought about this music for a long time,” she added. “We liked it and we wanted to put a free program under it. We were offered more options and we put together several compositions.”

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They are now currently working to improve various elements for next season, including jumps, spins, and transitions.

 

“We are working on a new lift for the free skate and want to improve the levels on the twist,” said Darenskyi. “We are also learning side-by-side triple flips.”

 

“And learning the back-inside death spiral,” added Holichenko. “We are trying to improve the level in the forward-inside as well.”

 

Despite living and training in a war-torn country, the team, along with many other Ukrainian athletes, are pushing forward with nerves of steel.

 

“I am motivated and pushed by my friends, relatives and those people who are dear to me,” said Darenskyi. “They really want to see me at competitions and I want to represent my country at many competitions.”

 

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Ukrainian Skaters trying to continue their life and career at home and abroad 

ISU

28 June 2022

 

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In May, Nazarova/Nikitin, who are originating from Kharkiv, were invited to the Japanese event tour “Fantasy on Ice”, where they performed alongside stars such as Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN) until the end of June.

 

“We are really happy that we got this opportunity, because the atmosphere is great and there are a lot of interesting things. We were in four different cities and had three shows a day on three days. Japan is a very important country for each Skater,” Nikitin explained. The two Ukrainian Skaters felt much support during the shows. “There were a lot of people with Ukrainian flags and with each show there were more and more. A lot of people are writing to us on Instagram and there were even fans who did not get tickets, but came nevertheless to the venue to distribute Ukrainian flags. There were as well a lot of banners, which was very nice. We felt a strong support. Even when we went to shopping malls we heard Ukrainian music including those that we had skated to at Worlds.” The fellow in the show were very supportive as well. “They offered to help and they asked what they can do. There is probably not a single person in the world now that is not ready to help or at least to show compassion, because everyone knows very well what is happening,” Maksym Nikitin said. Nazarova/Nikitin are now planning to return to Europe but have not yet decided where to go and what to do exactly.

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Teammate Ivan Shmuratko meanwhile is based in the ISU Center of Excellence in Oberstdorf, Germany, since May and training for the new season.

 

Right after the ISU World Figure Skating Championships, he stayed for some time in France with Ukrainian-born and now French Pair Skater Denis Strekalin in the Paris region. However, since Ivan’s mother and brother relocated to Bavaria, he decided to move to Germany as well to be closer to them. “I am working with Michael Huth and Robert Dierking and I am happy to be here,” he noted. But it is not easy to finance the training abroad. The Ukrainian Skating Federation cannot offer much funding. “Of course, the sport is not the thing to prioritize right now. I have a Polish foundation that is helping me throughout the season. Now I am looking for sponsors to maintain my training process,” the athlete shared.

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Despite the war still continuing and air raids not only on the eastern parts of Ukraine, but also on Kyiv and Lviv for example, Pair Skaters Sofiia Holichenko/Artem Darenskyi and their coach Lilia Batutina have returned to their home city of Dnipro on May 24th 2022 after staying in Torun, Poland following the World Championships.

 

“Our region is close to the front. Some parts of our region are permanently under fire and in the city we often have air alerts. A few days ago a rocket hit a suburb of our city,” Artem said. “Training helps us to distract ourselves from negative thoughts. Just to sit around not knowing what comes next and to do nothing is not the best way. Our families, coach, friends are constantly around us to help so that we have the possibility to train and feel relatively safe,” he added and pointed out the support they get from their club, their ice rink administration and their families. “We have big plans for the upcoming season. We continue to train and we will continue to represent our country.”

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“Unfortunately, the news from Ukraine are not very good, the war is continuing,” Nikitin said. “Our families are still there and since the World Championships, two ice rinks as well as two arenas where we trained, have been bombed in our city. There is no ice now in Kharkiv and even if the war stops tomorrow, our Skaters in Kharkiv cannot train in their beloved city anymore. But again, we are not discouraged, we know that Ukraine will win.

 

All together we will win and return home and rebuild everything and continue to train. Even though it is very, very, very hard to read the news all the time and when you call home your first question is, ‘how is the situation, where there any air raids?’ However, in spite of the long time that this war is going on, we still do not despair and we know very well that good always defeats evil and Ukraine will definitely win and return all its territories, and not a single victim or destroyed building will be all for nothing,” he concluded.

 

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Ukraine’s Anastasia Gozhva adapts in Tallinn 
Golden Skate
28 June 2022

 

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At the time of the invasion, Anastasia Gozhva was at home in Kyiv when the first explosion woke her mother and sister.

 

“I woke up myself two hours later from a very loud explosion,” said Gozhva. “My first reaction was shock and misunderstanding of what was happening. I started watching the news and I saw that my city of Kyiv, Kharkov, and other cities in Ukraine were being bombed.  A house was bombed on the next street from me. For me, the situation was also very frightening due to the fact that my dad was in Poltava working, and in order to get home, he had to go under fire. Luckily, he arrived unharmed.”

 

Gozhva stayed at her home until March 5 as Kyiv was surrounded by troops. Relatives approximately 10 kilometers away in Bucha called to say their goodbyes as Russian tanks were driving along their street.

 

“Fortunately, my relatives were able to get out alive, unlike my friends, who were shot by Russian soldiers in their own car,” said Gozhva. “These events did not go unnoticed in animals as my dog turned gray from the explosions.”

 

Gozhva, along with her family, except for her father and grandmother, managed to leave by car.

 

“My grandmother is 85-years-old and survived WWII,” said Gozhva. “She is ill and cannot travel. Since my dad is of military age, he cannot leave the country.”

 

“The road was hard and scary,” the 20-year-old recalled. “One day we did not have time to arrive at the hotel before curfew and spent the night in a monastery. We are extremely grateful to these people for letting us spend the night. At that time, it was not about convenience, but about the fear of being shot in your car.”

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The skater and family took refuge in Tallinn, Estonia, where she is currently training at the Tallinna Iluuisutamiskool club along with her coach, Marina Amirkhanova.

 

“Marina insisted that I leave Ukraine, but I did not want to at first and was afraid to do it until the very end,” said Gozhva. “Now my family and I are renting an apartment in Tallinn. I am so thankful to the skating club for their help and am using this time wisely to prepare for the new season.”

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“I have been working on triple-triple combinations and want to show them,” said the 20-year-old. “There will also be new rotations in line with the new rules. I am also working a lot on the slide and my presentation right now. I want to compete at major international events and hope that I can represent my country well.”

 

In the meantime, the 2022 Ukrainian National silver medalist is adapting to her new surroundings.

 

“I am not working yet as I am also finishing my third year at the university and we are now taking exams,” she offered. “At the moment, funding comes from the accumulated funds before the war, but I understand that this is not forever.  I hope the new season will be even better than the previous one, and I will be able to show my clean skates and defend the honor of my country in competitions.”

 

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Ivan Shmuratko honors Ukraine with new tribute 
Golden Skate
13 July 2022

 

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With the help of Huth and Dierking, Shmuratko is launching two new programs for the upcoming season. His short program is a tribute to his country and will be set to the Ukrainian song “Біля Тополі” by SHUMEI. The title translates to ‘Near the Poplar’ and is about a mother who waits for a son who has gone to fight for freedom. The piece is still in progress as he works on the choreography via Zoom with Oleksii Oliinyk who is in Kyiv.

“I heard this music sometime in April, and after the first words, I knew this would be it,” said Shmuratko. “I didn’t know the name at the time, but the words drew me in immediately. In the song, there are lyrics, ‘For those, who far away at sea, and on the wings of stork will return alive.’ This encompasses the story that I tell in my program. I am very excited to show this piece! The artist, Oleh Shumei, is my age, just two months younger than me. This month I came in contact with him and he’s watching the process of the creation the program.”

 

The music to his free skate is a compilation to: “Find Me” by Forest Blakk, “On the Nature of Daylight” by Max Richter, and “This Place was a Shelter” by Ólafur Arnalds.

 

“Adam Solya is doing the choreography for my free skate,” the skater shared. “The lyrics of this piece really resonate with me and what I feel inside. It’s a story of mixed memories and feelings. The song ‘Find Me’ had been on my mind for a long time, but I knew that I needed more as this piece is just spoken words. I really like the piano and violin and this added music gave me the platform I needed. It was almost like a one-day idea. My goal is to be able to translate this to the audience on the ice.”

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The skater revealed that he is training a quad and said that it is a “work in progress.” He also is working to improve his transitions through elements, the quality of the step sequences, and the levels of his spins.

 

“It’s going to be hard to get the spins to level four due to the rule changes” he pointed out. “But rules are rules and they are challenging us as athletes. The coaches know the rules and our job is to play by the rules and work to be the best versions of ourselves. So that is the goal for this season. To do everything to deliver.”

 

“As for the choreography and performance, it’s an art that you work on all your life,” he stressed. “It’s work that never ends. It’s important for me to be able to make people ‘feel’ and reach them from inside.”

 

Shmuratko is currently preparing for his first competition of the season—the Challenger Series Nebelhorn Trophy—which is scheduled to be held in Oberstdorf, Germany, in September.

 

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Natalia Kaliszek and Maksym Spodyriev have announced their retirement:

 

DeepL:

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Dear Friends!

 

For many years, July has been a time for us to get back on the ice and a period of preparation for the next season starting. It was a time of "new" for us, a time when we made plans for the next competition, choreographed new programmes.

 

This July is also associated with something "new" and a change that will have a huge impact on our future lives.

 

After eight years together, we decided that the past Olympic season was our last.

 

We have both decided to end our careers as dance couple competitors.

 

We would like to thank you all very much for your support over the years which led us to compete in the Olympic Games twice! It is a great honour and happiness for us to have been able to represent our country and our fans at such great events!

 

The biggest thanks go to our coach Sylwia Nowak Trębacka, thanks to whom all this could happen and whose knowledge and experience allowed us to develop and achieve success for many years.

 

We would also like to thank our sponsor, the LOTOS Group, for their invaluable support in this beautiful but also difficult journey.

 

Our thanks go to the institutions supporting us: Mentor S.A., Mentor Foundation, the Ministry of Sport and Tourism, the Polish Olympic Committee, the Polish Figure Skating Association / Polish Figure Skating Association as well as My Torun and Kujawsko-Pomorskie. It is a matter of pride to represent your country and region.

 

Our lives will always be connected to figure skating, so we are not saying goodbye but 'see you later', keeping our fingers crossed for our colleagues who are now starting to prepare for another exciting season!

 

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Carolina Moscheni's retirement post:

 

 

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Interesting development- Jason won’t be able to do much about the jump technique but going to him at least indicates that Daniel (or someone in his team) sees the need to improve other aspects of his performance.  As he’s going to Sheffield I shall be interested to see whether Jason has been able to get him to move less like a crane fly.

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Ukraine’s Holubtsova and Bielobrov thrive in Montreal 
Golden Skate
28 July 2022

 

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“I woke up for my morning practice and the first thing I saw when I picked up my phone was that war had begun,” said Bielobrov. “I immediately wrote to my mum a message (she was upstairs) that the ‘War has started’. On this day we were constantly hearing the explosions. I was very scared and had never experienced that much of stress. I was checking the news every few minutes and was hoping that it will end in a few days, but of course it never happened.”

 

“After a few days, me and my family left our home to go in a safer place in the center of Ukraine,” he continued. “The path that usually take us about two hours took us about six because everyone was trying to leave the city and it caused a huge traffic. I think we spent about one month there until I got a permission to leave Ukraine as an athlete. It was very hard to leave my parents without knowing if I ever meet them again. From the place where we were staying to the border is about 400 km and it was a very scary drive. There was a lot of road blocks every few kilometers. The bus was stopping on every block post and the guards were checking our documents and what was inside the bus. In the end, I was able to leave Ukraine without major problems.”

 

Holubtsova was at home sleeping when she was awakened by the strong explosions. Although frightened, at first she didn’t give much importance to them, and reassured herself thinking they might be military exercises.

 

“But then I realized that something was wrong and went to the window and saw small flashes,” she said. “Only later did I realize how stupid and dangerous it was, since the window could burst in any of the explosions and injure me. At some point, I felt very anxious and went to my mother’s room to ask what was happening. She was also confused and did not understand what was happening. My dog was the most anxious. I had to catch her around the house and calm her down as she was shaking very badly. I’ve never seen her so scared. All this time there were explosions with different periodicity. After we talked for some time with my mother, the loudest explosion occurred. It was a kilometer away from us, and since there was a military base there, we realized and decided at that moment these were not exercises. The worst thing is that there were no men in the house. It was me, my mom, grandmother, and a dog.”

 

Holubtsova and her family stayed home for a while with the hopes that it would end soon. However, it only grew worse each day. Eventually they were forced to pack and leave as the explosions were getting closer and closer.

 

“We left the next morning in our car,” she recalled. “We had to get out of Ukraine before the curfew. It was very difficult to cross the border because we saw how men say goodbye to their families. It was a heartbreaking sight when women with children crossed the border on foot. We passed them with tears in our eyes. After we crossed the border, we made a stop in Moldova and spent the night in a monastery where we were very warmly received. The next morning we continued our journey to Germany. We drove there almost non-stop and it took us two days which exhausted us greatly.”

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On July 2, the ice dancers relocated to the Ice Academy of Montreal and are currently training under Romain Haguenauer, Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, and Pascal Denis until the end of the summer.

 

“This was our long-standing dream in the execution of which we did not believe,” said Holubtsova. “I remember how half a year ago I sat at night and watched the TV series ‘On Edge’. I then cried at the thought that we will probably never be able to experience what it is like to train in the best team in the world.”

 

While competing at the 2022 European Championships, Pascal Denis had invited the team to Montreal for a skating camp.

 

“We were very excited when we heard it!” recalled Holubtsova. “We understood that it probably wouldn’t happen because we didn’t have enough money, but the invitation meant a lot for us. After the war started, we were looking for a place to skate and we immediately thought about the invitation we had received in Tallinn.”

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Now the team is currently working on their new dances for this season. While both programs are still being worked, their Free Dance is set to “Don’t be so serious” and “Bones” by Low Roar.

 

“As soon as I start to immerse myself in music, memories pop up in my head about how it all started, how scared I was, but I could not show it,” Holubtsova explained. “I remember how hard it was for me to leave the house and how hard it was for us to travel. We passed a lot of toad blocks with armed people, at that moment anything could happen, but we were able to leave Ukraine safe and sound. Another difficult memory is the separation from Kyryl. Those days when he wrote that they had almost no food and those days when he himself got out of Ukraine. This is all I remember when I start to skate the program.”