Team we're fewer but still good!

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On 8/17/2022 at 9:13 AM, turquoiseblue said:

 

 

Ivan's SP 

Ivan Shmuratko (UKR) Short Program 22/23 "Біля Тополі" | German National Team Test Skates 19.08.2022

 

 

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Ivan's FS with impressive choreography 

Ivan Shmuratko (UKR) Free Program 22/23 "Find me" | German National Team Test Skates 20.08.2022

 

 

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From Anastasiia's Instagram stories: 

 

More destroyed russian military equipment 💪

 

Spoiler

 

 

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A must-read article 🙏🙏🙏💙💛

 

As New Figure Skating Season Begins, We Must Not Forget About Ukraine
By Hiro Yoshida from Europe on Ice
22 August 2022

 

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This might be an obvious thing to say, but I am strongly anti-war and imperialism. Growing up in Japan, I learned about the horrors that my own country perpetrated on its neighbouring countries and other nations in Asia. I have also visited Hiroshima a number of times and learned about the cruel destruction caused by the atomic bomb dropped on that city in 1945. I could never have imagined there would be a country that would threaten to use even more devastating weapons in 2022.

 

Following the invasion of Ukraine, the ISU and other sporting bodies barred Russian athletes from competing internationally. This ban remains in place as I write this article. I know there are those who find this unfair and say sport and politics should be kept separate. In normal circumstances, I would agree. However, these are not normal circumstances. A country invading another sovereign country with the express purpose of overthrowing a democratically elected government is not politics. It is a violation of international law.

 

A small number of Russians have publicly criticised their government’s actions. On the other hand, some Russians, including a number of individuals within the Russian figure skating community, have openly supported what the Russian army is doing in Ukraine. It is unconscionable for anyone involved in sport to advocate for values that run contrary to its fundamental principles of peace and friendship. While the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, I believe there is no place in our sport for representatives of organisations or governments that do not publicly oppose war and destruction.

 

It is sad that Russian figure skaters cannot currently compete on the international stage. It is sad that they will lose out on championship titles, prize money and performing in shows overseas. There will be those who argue that Russian figure skaters are not responsible for what their government is doing in Ukraine. However, if you follow that train of thought, the same could be said for many ordinary Russian citizens who are now feeling the pinch of economic sanctions. It is actually quite a disturbing thing to say that Russians have no control over what Vladimir Putin or his government does when you think about it. In democracies, we have the ability to use our voices to change our government if they do things of which we do not approve. No country can wage a large-scale war like we are seeing in Ukraine without the cooperation of a large amount of its population. If Russians, whoever they may be, are not responsible for what their government is doing in Ukraine, then who is?

 

Ultimately, we all have a duty of care to the Ukrainians in our figure skating community who have seen their country and rink facilities destroyed and friends and families killed in an unprovoked assault by Russia. They have dealt with enough trauma over the past six months. The very least we can do is provide a safe environment where the symbols of those responsible for their trauma are not displayed. Let us not forget that they are in a fight for the very survival of their country.

 

I want to conclude by wishing Nazarova and Nikitin great success and good health in whatever path they choose to follow and thank them for all they have taught us. After the horrible months they and all of Ukraine have endured with such courage, I know there will be a bright future ahead for them. Their determination in the face of such unspeakable tragedy has moved so many of us and has been such an inspiration.

 

I sincerely hope this awful war that has been waged on Ukraine will end soon. Until then my thoughts inside and outside of figure skating will be solely with the Ukrainian people. I stand with them in solidarity.

 

Thank you, Mr Yoshida 

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Happy Independence Day!! 🥳🙏💙💛

 

 

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Kyrylo Marsak finds ‘the force’ in Finland 
Golden Skate
25 August 2022

 

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Ukrainian National bronze medalist in figure skating, Kyrylo Marsak, was asleep at home in Kyiv when the invasion started and he woke to hear his parent loudly speaking.

 

“They said war had started, but I really didn’t believe them,” Marsak recalled, “because who can believe that in 2022 a war would start? But after a few minutes, another bomb was dropped near Kyiv and I was shocked! At first I panicked, but afterwards I stayed calm. After the first day, I stayed in Kyiv for three weeks and not one day went by where there were no explosions.”

 

“I can’t express in words exactly how the war affected me, but something in me has clearly changed,” the 17-year-old added. “In many ways, I was disappointed in the world order and due to the fact that people in the government, in particular in Russia, can influence, and, roughly speaking, ruin my life, the lives of my family, and millions of people in my country.”

 

After three weeks, Marsak left for Poland with his 23-year-old sister. The trip took nearly two days without any sleep. Airspace has been restricted for flights and the trip would normally have taken approximately 12 hours by car.

 

“We went from Kyiv to Lviv (city near the border of Poland) by train,” he said. “There were a lot of people on the train and we couldn’t sit. We stood for 12 hours in the aisle between the exit and the toilet. Once we arrived in Lviv, we had to wait about 10 more hours for a train to Poland. This was between 8PM and 6AM and we were waiting there on the platform with many other people. It was very cold and there were a lot of  dubious people. Once we were on the train, we rode for two or three hours and then stopped in the middle of a field. There was nothing there, but thank God there were volunteers who fed people and gave warm clothes so that people could warm up. We stood in this place for nearly seven hours as there were problems with the previous train and it took a very long time to check it.”

 

“Аfter this waiting in this place for another two hours and another stop, we reached the border of Poland,” Marsak continued. “There we also stood for more than two hours and then another 40 minutes on the road and we finally arrived at the border town of Przemysl at 9PM. We couldn’t leave until 6AM because it turned out that all trains to the city we needed to go to would only be in the morning. But at that train station we met Jason, a volunteer from the UK. We are very grateful to him as he helped us find bus tickets and took us to Krakow by car. After that, we traveled all night by bus from Krakow to Torun.”

 

However, Marsak’s parents are still in Kyiv and the skater also has many relatives in Kherson-a city in south Ukraine-which is currently occupied by Russian forces.

 

“I talk to my parents by phone every day,” he said, “but in Kherson, Russian occupants turned off the connection to the Internet and it is really hard to contact relatives there.”

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In June, Marsak attended a training camp in Perunka, Finland, with Team Mayer-Virtanen under coach Alina Mayer-Virtanen. He still works with his main coach, Dmitry Shkidchenko, via Viber since Shkidchenko is still in Kyiv. Like many other skaters in his position, he is crowd-funding in order to raise funds to pay for his training and competitions.

 

“I plan to stay here to train next season,” he revealed. “I have good conditions here and there is an opportunity to prepare well for the next season. I have free ice time and I am very grateful to Valtter Virtanen and Alina Mayer-Virtanen for the opportunity and help! This is very important for me, because I am alone in Finland and cannot pay for my own training as my studies at Kiev University online will resume in September.”

 

This season, Adam Solya choreographed a new free skate for Marsak to music from the Star Wars soundtrack: “Across the stars”, “Imperial March (Anakin’s Suffering)” and “Duel of the Fates ” by John Williams and Samuel Kim.

 

“I have been wanting to do this program for several seasons!” said Marsak. “In the first half of this program, I portray Anakin Skywalker, who is still on the light side of the force. In the second half of the program, Darth Vader has already turned to the dark side of the force. In the first half of the program (both parts are performed on the piano), Anakin finally reunited with his love Padme, so in this half of program, the music is calmer and all movements are soft. But the ‘Imperial March’ highlights Anakin’s imminent fall to the dark side. In the second half of the program, the composition ‘Duel of the Fates’ is taken as the basis where aggressiveness and the ‘dark side of the force’ are clearly audible and all movements are sharper. I will try to show Darth Vader, since, according to the canon of Star Wars in episode 6, he has returned to the light side at the end of the program. I will try to convey the fact that he returned to the light side of the force and the last movements will be that I, as it were, ‘taking off the mask.'”

 

“I like everything in this program,” he said . “From beginning to end, all the transitions, the arrangement of elements and movements…I think that this is my best program of all. Initially, I really was not ready to show the whole idea that I had before. Secondly, the idea to create a program for Star Wars was a long time ago, a couple of seasons ago, because I am a very big fan of Star Wars and it is the compositions from this film that I can feel best. But I found these parts of the melody under which the program is now set only in last season.”

 

 

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I like the fact he’s taking responsibility for the decision to move which I can’t imagine being v popular in Italy - bit like YH going to Canada.  Sometimes one just needs a new perspective.

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