Totmianina and Marinin

Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin capped a very successful career that included three Russian National titles, five European titles, and two World titles with an Olympic gold medal in Torino, Italy, in February 2006. The duo has been skating together since 1996 but retired from eligible competition after their Olympic win. The couple returned home to Russia and appeared in a Russian reality television series with celebrity partners. Unfortunately, Tatiana’s partner was forced to withdraw due to injury before the first show was broadcast. Both plan to return to their training town near Chicago, IL to become assistant coaches with the 1984 Olympic pair champion Oleg Vasiliev. They will continue to perform with Champions On Ice in the United States, Europe and Asia where they routinely bring audiences to its feet with their consistently elegant performances.

Vital Statistics:
Name: Tatiana Totmianina
Born: November 2 Perm, Russia
Residence: St. Petersburg, Russia
Interests:
Representing: Russia

Name: Maxim Marinin
Born: March 23 Volgograd, Russia
Residence: St. Petersburg, Russia
Interests:
Representing: Russia

Coach: Oleg Vasiliev

Petrova and Tikhonov

Alexei started skating in 1976 at age 4. In 1992, he was unable to find a partner and was sent to Japan to skate with Yukiko Kawasaki (pictured right @ 1993 NHK Trophy) in a deal between the Russian and Japanese skating federations. The highlights of this pairing were a third place finish at the 1993 NHK Trophy in Japan and fifteenth at the 1994 World Championships.

In 1994, the pair split up and Alexei was invited to join Tatiana Tarasova’s Russian All-Stars ice theater. He was paired with Inna Volyanskaya and skated in productions including Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. Performances were skated on 10 by 10 meter ice surfaces. Alexei has great respect for Tatiana Tarasova. He felt that when he first started with the tour he was a good technical skater, but Tarasova helped bring out his artistic potential. Although he enjoyed skating in the shows and found it a great learning experience, he found that he missed competing immensely.

94worlds-2bw.jpg (8228 bytes)Maria Petrova (picture right w/Anton Sikharulidze @ the 1994 World Championships) started skating in 1986 at age 7. Although this was considered late by some standards, Maria proved she was able to handle this responsibility and became a reliable partner.

While Alexei was on tour, Maria Petrova was having a successful partnership with Anton Sikharulidze. In 1994 and 1995, Maria and Anton won the World Junior Championships. Yet, after the 1996 season, Masha and Anton made the decision to end their partnership.

At the same time, the Russian All-Stars were starting to wind down as Tatiana Tarasova was devoting more time to training her new student, Ilia Kulik.

Ludmila Velikova arranged for Alexei to skate a tryout with Maria. It was after one month of skating, that Alexei Tikhonov all but disappeared without a word to Maria. A choice he admits was a mistake. He then returned to 97nationscupbw.jpg (7658 bytes)show skating, this time with Torvill and Dean’s tour. After realizing his mistake, he called Velikova and was turned away since Maria had teamed with Teimuraz Pulin (pictured left at 1997 Nations Cup) and was loyal to her new partner.

After the 1998 season, Alexei had a tryout with Marina Eltsova, who had decided not to continue with partner, Andrei Bushkov. Alexei debated this partnership and decided not to pursue it. After hearing that Teimuraz Pulin decided to quit skating, Alexei called Velikova immediately. He apologized for his earlier behavior and expressed his interest in skating with Maria. She left this decision to Masha who said no. She said no several times over a two week period. Eventually, Alexei’s persistence was rewarded when she agreed to skate with him.

Kawaguchi and Smirnov

Yuko Kawaguchi's biography would actually be enough for three skaters. She first competed as a single skater for Japan at the international junior level before teaming up with Russian skater Alexander Markuntsov. Kawaguchi and Markuntsov represented Japan and won silver at the 2001 Junior World Figure Skating Championships. They were the first Japanese pair team to ever medal at an ISU championships.

After their partnership dissolved in 2003, coach Tamara Moskvina returned to her home in St. Petersburg, Russia to teach and Kawaguchi followed behind. She teamed up with two American skaters for a brief stint and was eventually paired up with Alexander Smirnov during the spring of last year. Full of determination and ambition, it is not surprising that the new team saw success quickly.

Kawaguchi and Smirnov were selected to compete at the 2006 Cup of Russia where they captured the bronze medal. They seemed poised for a medal at Russian Nationals, but suffered a setback when Kawaguchi broke her ankle on Christmas while practicing a throw triple loop. The team also missed Europeans due to the injury, but later earned a berth to Worlds and were healthy enough to compete.

"I wanted to compete at Worlds so much and travel home, to Japan!" Kawaguchi recalled. "Worlds were in Tokyo, close to my home, and I wanted to be there, no matter what."

Kawaguchi became the first foreigner to represent Russia for figure skating at a World Championship. The couple surprised everyone with a fourth place finish after the short program which included many level four elements.

"I was very pleased with our personal best score that night," recalled Kawaguchi, adding that she was proud to have been able to represent Russia. Smirnov agreed. "Our presentation was good that night and the audience was great."

Going into the free skate, the team suddenly found themselves in the last warm up group. Smirnov had never even competed at a European or World championship before. The biggest event he had gone to was Junior Worlds in 2006.

"I have very positive impressions from Worlds," said Smirnov, "and the strongest one was obviously to skate in the last warm up group and to perform right after Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao. It was hard to skate after them, but we tried our best. Actually we were not ready yet mentally for skating in the last warm up group."

The couple made a few mistakes and finished in 9th place overall, but was still the top ranked Russian pair team. Maria Petrova and Alexei Tikhonov, who were 11th after the short, withdrew due to injury. Maria Mukhortova and Maxim Trankov were 11th overall.

"It was amazing," said Kawaguchi of their first Worlds experience. "We learned a lot there."

Kawaguchi, Smirnov, and Moskvina are hoping for better results this season and have worked hard for it all summer while training in St. Petersburg. "Our goals are to make the Grand Prix Final, to fight for first or second place at Europeans, and to fight for a spot on the podium at Worlds," Kawaguchi summarized.

They kicked their season off at a national competition in Samara at the end of September and won, but there was not much competition there. They are currently slated to compete at Coupe de Nice later this week, and then are scheduled for Skate Canada and Cup of Russia.

With the help Russian-born former U.S. Ice Dancing Champion Peter Tchernyshev, Moskvina and her skaters have put together a new free program to music from the Love Story soundtrack. Moskvina expects the Canadian press to 'jump' at them as the music was made famous by Canadian sweethearts Jamie Sale and David Pelletier - rivals of her students Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikhuralidze. Most will recall that both teams ended up with an Olympic gold medal at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City when a judging scandal erupted.

Kawaguchi and Smirnov also got a new short program to a Greek Sirtaki, but felt it wouldn't work and have decided to stay with last year's Rondo Capriccioso by Camille Saint-Saens.

But how did a Japanese girl end up in St. Petersburg skating with a Russian partner for Russia? This story started almost ten years ago in Japan, when Kawaguchi watched the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano. She was fascinated by pair skating.

"I wanted to skate like Elena Berezhnaya," Kawaguchi said later. Never being half-hearted about what she wants to do, the then 16-year-old decided she needed to train with the same coach as Berezhnaya in order to achieve her goals and sent a fax to Moskvina. The prominent coach wasn't too excited at first as her hands were already full, but Kawaguchi persisted. She participated in Moskvina's training camps and kept asking for a partner.

Finally, Moskvina suggested Russian Alexander Markuntsov. They teamed up in March 1999 and competed for Japan. Exactly two years later, the young couple took the silver medal at Junior Worlds in Bulgaria. They continued at the senior level, but their results weren't as good. In 2003, they split up and Markuntsov went on to perform at a skating show and Kawaguchi followed Moskvina to Russia.

There, they found found a new partner for her, American Josh Martin. In May of 2004, Martin was hit by a car while rollerblading to a training session in St. Petersburg, suffering cuts to the legs and a broken elbow. He later decided to return home to the U.S.

Kawaguchi's next partner, Devin Patrick, was an American as well.

"He taught me the quad throw (Salchow)," Kawaguchi explained. "He did really good throws, but some of the other elements didn't work as well."

The team competed at the 2006 U.S. National Figure Skating Championships where they finished 15th, and split up shortly afterwards.

"Life in Russia was hard for Devin," recalled Kawaguchi. "He wanted to live in the U.S., but I didn't want to leave Tamara Nikolaevna (Moskvina). I just couldn't give up my studies, leave my coach, and go to America."

So Kawaguchi stayed in St. Petersburg, and once again, began looking for a new partner. Thoughts that her skating career was over were constantly in her head.

"When it didn't work out with Devin, I thought that continuing didn't make sense," the 25-year-old explained. "However, I had to finish my studies at the university (in St. Petersburg), and I couldn't just go home. How could I have stopped skating and studying? I would have returned home (to Japan) with empty hands. If it doesn't work out with my skating career, I had to at least finish my studies."

The pair skating coaches in St. Petersburg then suggested that Kawaguchi should try out with Smirnov. He had just split up with partner Ekaterina Vassileva after finishing 6th at Junior Worlds in March 2006.

"The try-out didn't feel special," Kawaguchi admitted. "Until then, I always thought that I needed a partner with a certain height, a certain character, and certain abilities. Tamara Nikolaevna works at a very high level and has high demands. But then I didn't have much of a choice after Devin. So I told myself that I can skate with anybody and I didn't really judge Sasha (Smirnov) and his skating."

Smirnov was also skeptical at first. "I had mixed feelings," the 23-year-old confessed. "We were able to do some difficult elements right away, like triples, but we felt really uncomfortable with some of the other elements. My biggest concern was that the girl wasn't Russian."

Although Kawaguchi speaks fluent Russian by now and successfully finished her studies in "International Relationships" this summer in St. Petersburg, there is still a cultural barrier. "The mentality is different," Smirnov acknowledged. "She is very modest and secretive. She doesn't just come and give you the news. Even when she passed her exams successfully, she didn't come and tell me about it. Maybe it's just modesty, but maybe this is the mentality of Japanese girls."

Kawaguchi on the other hand, feels the language barrier. "I am not such a quiet person. Sasha thinks that I am, but that's not true. I just can't talk the way I'd like to!" Kawaguchi pointed out. "Sasha is joking a lot and I don't understand all of these jokes."

Nevertheless, they get along well and support each other, but they are not a couple off the ice.

The ambitious team wants to include the quad throw Salchow in their free program, and Kawaguchi is not afraid at all of this high risk element - despite taking a lot of falls in practice. Smirnov is impressed by her working ethics.

"I don't want to say anything bad about my previous partners, but in comparison to her, they were much weaker," stated Smirnov. "Usually you have to push our Russian girls in practice, but here it's the opposite. Sometimes I am tired and she is pushing me," he laughed.

For both, studying plays an important role. After finishing her studies with the university this June, Kawaguchi is now thinking of studying another language. Smirnov finished his studies of "municipality management" in November 2006 and started to study at a sports university this year.

"Actually I am not so fond of studying and I prefer physical work to intellectual work," admitted Smirnov. "But if I want to continue working in the sphere of figure skating and if I want to be able to work at a higher position, which is possible thanks to my first diploma, I'll need to have an education in sport theory as well."

Kawaguchi and Smirnov are one of the hopes of the Russian Skating Federation. Russian skating is far from previous success and glory since the stars of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games retired. For the first time in decades, Russia didn't win a single medal at the 2006 World Championships.

Pair skating, which was once the stronghold of Russians, is in disarray. Currently there are only two competitive senior pair teams left – Kawaguchi and Smirnov and Mukhortova and Trankov. The other teams have retired, split up, and/or are taking a break or are not eligible to represent Russia in international competition.

Currently, the Japanese-Russian duo is not eligible to compete at the Olympic Winter Games as Kawaguchi would first need to obtain Russian citizenship. It will be a tough decision to make for the athlete as she has to renounce her Japanese citizenship. Japan does not tolerate double citizenship.

"Before, I didn't think so much about Olympic Games. It was enough for me to be able to compete at Worlds," Kawaguchi said. "If Sasha and I are having good results maybe I'll do it. The Olympics is something you get to participate in once or twice in your life. The Japanese authorities told me that I can reapply for Japanese citizenship after giving it up, but only after ten years. The laws are very strict. If I have Russian citizenship, I'll need a visa in order to travel home. My parents will have to send me an invitation."

Understandably, Kawaguchi doesn't like this prospect. On the other hand however, she has already gone far to pursue her dream of becoming a great pair skater. Time will only tell.

Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze

SALT LAKE CITY -- Yelena Berezhnaya doesn't look back. Not at the glory or misfortunes that have filled her figure skating career. Not at the success Russian or Soviet pairs have had in the Olympics.

So when Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze won the short program Saturday night at the Winter Games, edging Canadian world champions Jamie Sale and David Pelletier, Berezhnaya ignored history.

Jamie Sale
Canadians Jamie Sale and David Pelletier are able to laugh, because they waited until taking their bows to fall to the ice.

"I didn't count how many years everybody had won," she said, referring to her nation's pairs gold-medal streak that dates to the 1964 Games. "We have to compete here like we aren't like anybody else. I don't think about 1,000 years ago. We just have to do what we have to do."

Seven of the nine judges gave them the highest marks for their display of precision skating typical of the Russians.

"It's dedication, it's enthusiasm, tradition and art in sport, education in theater, psychology and the quality to adjust to any circumstance," said Russian coach Tamara Moskvina, who has trained three Olympic champion pairs. "That is the history of our country."

Sale and Pelletier have their own victory string, nine, three times over Berezhnaya-Sikharulidze. To make it 10 in a row, they'll have to overtake the Russians in the free skate Monday night, worth two-thirds of the total score.

"We're not trying to beat the Russians," Pelletier said. "We are competing for Jamie and David. If I am going out to beat the Russians, I am going to kill myself. That is not how competition works."

China's Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo were third. Americans Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman were fifth after a slightly flawed program.

The other American pair, Tiffany Scott and Philip Dulebohn, were 11th after she fell twice.

The Russians' program flowed from beginning to end, and their side-by-side triple toe loops were smooth and in complete unison. Their split double twist was so strong he placed his arms by his side while she was airborne, then had time to reach up and catch her.
They pumped their fists and hugged warmly before he kissed her on the head at the end of their short program.

Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze won two world titles after a second-place finish at the 1998 Games. Still, they have had their problems since Nagano.

In 2000, Berezhnaya failed a drug test, blaming an over-the-counter cold medicine. They withdrew from the world championships, then were suspended for three months by the International Skating Union and stripped of their European crown.

The Russians also skipped the European championships last month because of his leg injury. And Berezhnaya's face swelled after going to a tanning salon earlier this week.

That hardly was the worst to happen to Berezhnaya, who missed much of 1996 after her former partner, Oleg Shliakov, accidentally sliced her head with his skate while they practiced a spin. Berezhnaya barely escaped injuries to her brain, and after teaming with Sikharulidze, the pair has been among the world's best.

"Many things happened in the last four years, good and bad," Sikharulidze said. "To be here and skate well is just great."

The leaders are training partners in Hackensack, N.J., with three-time U.S. champions Ina and Zimmerman, who took the ice to hundreds of waving flags.

Zimmerman, in his Olympic debut, and Ina, in her third games, skated well, but not perfectly. He added a side hop to his triple jump and he momentarily lost his balance on a camel spin, despite not falling out of sync with Ina.

"If he would have two-footed it," a chuckling Ina said of the jump, "it would have looked a lot nicer."

With the crowd chanting "U-S-A, U-S-A," their lowest marks came from the American judge, which surprised them.

Ina also was surprised to be one of eight athletes chosen to meet President Bush before the opening ceremony Friday night.

"That was an extremely 'WOW' moment of my life," she said.

Sale and Pelletier's playful routine to "Jalousie" included a move where she places her hand atop his head and bounces him as if he were a basketball. Their combination lift featured an unusual cartwheel dismount.

Seconds after the music ended, Pelletier fell, bringing Sale down with him. Both laughed as they stood up, knowing that little miscue didn't count.

"I said, 'I cannot believe I came all the way here to do that,"' Pelletier said. "The WWF, we're sure, will like this. I hope nobody thought we did it on purpose. You don't want to end your program on your butt -- not here, anyway."

The Chinese, medalists at worlds the last three years after a fifth at Nagano, featured a huge throw triple loop in which she seemed headed for the cheap seats before landing in perfect form. But they lacked spark and when he made an extra turn on their side-by-side spins, it dropped them to third, where even the Chinese judge had them.

Gordeeva and Grinkov

Full name: Ekaterina Alexandrovna Gordeeva
Nick name: Katia, Katya, Katuuh, Katoosha
Born: May 28, 1971 (Gemini)
Place of birth: Moscow, Russia
Significant other: - married Sergei Grinkov on April 20, 1991 (state wedding), the church wedding was on April 28, 1991 in Moscow
- married Ilia Kulik on June 10, 2002 in San Francisco
Children: daughters Daria and Liza
Father: Alexander Alexeyevich Gordeev
Mother: Elena Levovna Gordeeva
Siblings: sister - Maria Alexandrovna Gordeeva
(4 years younger)
Height: approx. 156 cm (5"21)
Weight: approx. 40 - 45 kilo (90 lbs)
Hair colour: brown
Eye colour: blue-grey

The story of two- time Gold medalist, Ekaterina Gordeeva, is an example of strength, endurance, and hope. With a celebrated career in the world of pairs figure skating, she and Sergei Grinkov mesmerized audiences with their classic romantic style. Partners on and off of the ice, Gordeeva tragically became a widow and single mother at the tender age of twenty-four. With courage and support from the skating community and fans, she returned to the ice to become an award winning singles skater, Stars On Ice performer, and author of two books.

The daughter of Alexander Alexeyevich Gordeev (Folk Dancer) and Elena Levovna Gordeeva (TASS News Agency), she began skating with the Central Red Army Club in Moscow, Russia at the age of four. Despite her father's hopes that she and younger sister, Maria, would dance with the Bolshoi Ballet Company she instead showed great skating talent. Having problems with her jumps, however, a coach teamed her with fifteen year old Sergei Grinkov in 1982 feeling they would both excel in pairs skating. Together, they were a love story on ice, winning the 1988 and 1994 Winter Olympics and four World Championships. A favorite of the Stars On Ice cast, they enjoyed a successful professional career as well.

Tragedy struck in 1995 when Grinkov died of a heart attack while rehearsing for the upcoming Stars On Ice season. Depressed and facing life alone as a single mother, her love of skating and her daughter provided the purposes to carry on. In 1996 when many friends and figure skating associates organized a tribute for Grinkov, Gordeeva shocked them by announcing that she would skate in the tribute. Choreographer, Marina Zueva, created a breathtaking program for Gordeeva to the music of Mahler. She returned to the ice skating alone for the first time in her husband's tribute Sergei Grinkov: Celebration of a Life. Encouraged by the acceptance of her skating, she rejoined Stars On Ice and began touring with them as a singles skater.

A model for widows and single women starting over, Gordeeva wrote My Sergei: A Love Story, chronicling her life with Grinkov. The book was made into a television special in which Gordeeva starred in 1998. She followed up her writing success with the book A Letter For Daria in 1998. She became a spokesperson for Target Stores in 1997 and launched two fragrance lines "Katia" and "Katia Sport". In 1999, she joined Scott Hamilton, Amy Grant, and Tiger Woods who participated in the opening of Target House in Memphis, Tennessee. Gordeeva dedicated "Sergei's Garden" at the house in memory of her late husband. She continues to be an inspiration to many, even outside the figure skating world.

Recently, Gordeeva started a new chapter of her life. Finding love again with Olympic Champion, Ilia Kulik, and welcoming daughter, Elizaveta Ilinichna, into the world on June 15, 2001. The couple were married in a private ceremony in San Francisco, California on June 10, 2002. Katia and Ilia work together whenever possible and fans are thrilled when they perform programs together. Many are truly amazed at the happiness in Katia's face watching her perform similar pairs moves to those that first captured the hearts of her skating fans. She truly is proof that life can go on after tragedy strikes and she continues to be an inspiration to many, on and off the ice.
Full name: Sergei Mikhailovich Grinkov
Nick name: Serioque
Born: Feb 4, 1967 (Aquarius)
died: Nov 20, 1995
Place of birth: Moscow, Russia
Significant other: - married Ekaterina Gordeeva on April 20, 1991 (state wedding), the church wedding was on April 28, 1991 in Moscow
Children: daughter Daria
Father: Mikhail Kondrateyevich Grinkov (died in 1990)
Mother: Anna Filipovna Grinkova (died in 2000)
Siblings: sister - Natalia Mikhailovna Grinkova
(7 years older)
Height: approx. 180 cm (5"11')
Weight: approx. 80 kilo (180 lbs)
Hair colour: brown (as child: blonde)
Eye colour: blue

When Sergei Grinkov's heart stopped in 1995, it left a hole in the hearts of fans, friends, and the figure skating community. Part of the legendary 1988 and 1994 Olympic champion pairs skating team with his wife Ekaterina Gordeeva, his artistry and power on the ice left an indelible mark on the sport.

The son of Soviet Police officers, Mikhail Kondrateyevich Grinkov and Anna Filipovna Grinkova he was inducted into the Central Red Army Sports Club at the age of five. His older sister, Natalia, has been quoted as saying, "That is when his crazy training sessions began." Ten years later he was paired with Gordeeva and groomed as a pairs skater. From the beginning the pair exhibited a special chemistry together and in 1984, they won the World Junior Championships after skating together for less than two years. They advanced quickly and won their first senior World Championship in 1987. Despite being very young, the team skated with a rare maturity and captured the Gold medal at the 1988 Olympics.

He teamed up with Gordeeva off of the ice by 1989 and in 1991 they married in Moscow, Russia. The pair turned professional that same year and began touring with Tom Collins' Champions On Ice. By fall they had joined Stars On Ice.. Before the tour, Grinkov had been experiencing problems with his right shoulder and underwent two surgeries to repair a torn rotator cuff and clean away scar tissue. Choreographer Marina Zueva, created beautiful routines for the pair designed to enhance their perfection on the ice with care not to stress Grinkov's shoulder.

In 1992, Gordeeva gave birth to their daughter, Daria. Grinkov was a natural and doting father; he bought his daughter's first pair of ice skates. Excellent athletes, the pair joined the cast of Stars On Ice for rehearsals a little over thirty days after the birth of their daughter. One year later many top professional athletes began petitioning the International Skating Union for reinstatement of their amateur status to participate in the 1994 Winter Olympics. Grinkov and Gordeeva were granted reinstatement. With their poetic routine to "Moonlight Sonata", the majestic pair won the Gold medal.

In 1995, as Grinkov and Gordeeva rehearsed in Lake Placid, New York for the upcoming Stars On Ice season, Grinkov slumped to the ice as his heart stopped beating. An ambulance was called and he was rushed to a nearby hospital. Despite attempts to restart his heart, Grinkov died due to a blockage to his heart. The skating community mourned Grinkov at a wake and memorial service in Saranac Lake, New York. Grinkov's body was moved to Moscow, Russia and another memorial held at the Central Red Army Club ice rink. Grinkov is burried in the Vagankovskoy Cemetery in Russia.

Lobacheva and Averbukh

Ilia started skating because of his mother at the age of 5. Ilia rather wanted to be a tennis player and said that kids nowadays in Russia learn how to play tennis instead of skating. When Ilia was growing up Russia didn't have any famous tennis players but definitely excelled in skating (Pakhomova/Gorshkov, Rodnina /Saitzev). Irina started skating when she was 6 years old.

Irina and Iia were skating in one group until she was 10. Then she started singles skating and Ilia went into dance.

Ilia Averbukh had previously skated with Marina Anissina and together they won 2 Junior World Championships ( 1990, 1992). He then wanted to skate with Irina, to whom he was married on March 10, 1995.

Irina Lobacheva had skated with Alexei Pospelov finishing 1st in the Nebelhorn Trophy in 1991 and 6th in the Russian Nationals in 1992 before teaming up with Ilia. Together they skate for the club "Twizzl Moscow".

After the Goodwill Games in the summer of 1994 their trainer team moved to Delaware/USA with all of their students to train at the Universiy of Delaware. Irina and Ilia did not want to leave their families in Russia and decided to stay in Moscow. After one year they followed Linnichuk & Karpanossov to once again train with them because they just did not progress in the placements.
Their costumes are made in Russia and designed by a Russian costume designer. They have a tailor's dummy there and once the costumes are finished they are sent to them. Ilia's mother helps with the sewing.

With the busy schedule in Delaware they have a hard time finding friends. Therefore, they miss their families and friends back in Russia a lot. Both have a brother of which Ilia's is 17 years.

They train from 9 -11 am and 10 pm - midnight plus approximately 2 hours off ice with only Sunday off. Since they are wound up after their midnight practice, they divide their sleep between the two practice sessions. So they feel tired quite a bit.

Irina is a great housewife (this is what Ilia said) and likes to keep things in order. On her day off she prepares all the meals for the whole week while Ilia rather relaxes, watches TV and uses his computer. He also bought one for his family, so they can stay in contact easier with Email. He also likes to play tennis and soccer. She enjoys to read and do ballett. In the fairly small town of Newark they miss cultural events. They appreciate New York with its big variety of theaters, to give them new innovation and impulses. For their vacation they try to go to Russia, but also love sunshine and beach. In the summer of 99 for example they enjoyed a 2 week vacation in Egypt.

They only want to continue skating amateur till 2002 or 2004 and then return to Russia because they believe life cannot just be skating. Irina might seek a career in coaching while this will not be an option for Ilia. He would rather go into TV commentating or journalism and use his experience in this field.
Favourite Compulsory Dance: Golden Waltz

Least favourite Compulsory Dance: Paso Doble

Coaches: Natalia Linnichuk & Gennadi Karpanossov (Olympic champions 1980)

Former coaches: L. Kabanova, N. Dybinskaya

Choreographers: Sergei Fokin - Irina Butskova - Nikolay Androsov - Natalia Linnichuk

Navka and Kostomarov

Russia's Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomarov caused quite a stir last season when they finished third at the European Championships, jumping from seventh place the preceding year. The duo also won Russian Nationals, finished second at the ISU Grand Prix Final, and came fourth at the World Championships, a significant jump from their best prior finish, eighth in 2002. They also took silver medals at Skate America and the Cup of Russia.

Both skaters have been on the world scene for many years. Navka first competed at Worlds in 1995, finishing fifth with Samuel Gezoljan for Belarus, while Kostomarov won the World Junior Championships the following year with Ekaterina Davydova. In 1997 and 1998, Navka returned to Worlds with Nikolai Morozov, finishing tenth in 1998 before he retired to become a coach and choreographer. She teamed up with Kostomarov in 1999, finishing 12th at Worlds before taking off in 2000 to have a baby with her husband, Alexander Zhulin. Kostomarov skated with Anna Semenovitch that season, finishing 13th at Worlds, but after Navka's daughter Sasha was born in the summer of 2000, he called and asked her to compete with him again.

Kostomarov started skating when he was nine. "It was something to do," he said. "I tried swimming but I wasn't good at it so my mother took me to the rink. When I was eleven, a coach saw me and took me for dance." On the other hand, Navka begged to skate. "When I was five, I saw skating on television at the Olympics and from then on it was my dream to skate," Navka said. "Every day I talked about it. I begged my mother to buy me skates. She couldn't find blades but she bought me boots. I slept in my boots, dreaming about skating. Finally she found me a place to skate and blades and I started lessons." Navka skated singles in Odessa, training at the same club and with the same coach as Oksana Baiul, who arrived a few years later. After winning many city and regional competitions with a full array of double jumps, Navka hit a major growth spurt at twelve.

"I competed in singles for several years and did double axel and triple salchow," she said. "I got to the juniors in Ukraine. I was first in figures, second in the short and third in the long. I was a pretty good jumper," said Navka, "but suddenly my legs grew longer, my arms grew longer, and I couldn't do the triples. My coach told me I had to do the jumps or I could switch to dance. They told me I could wait a year but if I was not jumping I would have to go to dance. During the year, they taught me singing and dancing. And I learned to love to dance very much. I was dancing at the bus station. Then one of the dance coaches asked me to join his group." At 13, Navka's coach took several dance teams to Moscow to try out with the legendary Natalia Dubova. Only Navka was selected. Soon she was paired with Gezoljan, with whom she skated for six years and reached her first Worlds.

Navka and Kostomarov are coached by her husband, Sasha Zhulin, and Elena Tchaikovskaia. They train in Hackensack, New Jersey for one to two hours daily, five days a week during the summer, increasing to as many as four hours a day in the winter. In season, they take ballet classes, while in the summer, they run and work in the gym for conditioning. Kostomarov also cycles.

Tatiana Druchinina choreographed their dances for last season. They used a march and a waltz from the movie My Sweet and Affectionate Beast for their original dance and Peter Gabriel's The Feeling Begins for their free dance. "We all sit together to choose the music," Kostomarov said. "I like fierce music," Navka stated, "and sexy music." Off ice, she likes to listen to jazzy music and Russian pop music, while he likes hip-hop.

"We liked the free dance music because it had a lot of energy and passion. The first time I heard it I liked it and dreamed of skating to it. It was one of our best free programs." "I think the music we chose for the original dance was very dramatic," she said. "We were trying to tell a story, like War and Peace. At first, people are dancing, then they meet and fall in love, but war is coming." "It's very nice, very romantic," Kostomarov added.
Off ice, Kostomarov likes to play pool, soccer and tennis and go bowling. Navka played tennis when she was younger but is now learning how to play golf. "I'm just starting, but Sasha is a very good player," she said. She spends most of her time with Zhulin and her daughter. "My baby is my fun now," she said. "I spend every minute with her and miss her a lot when I'm gone. I've taken her skating a couple of times and I give her all the toys we get. We're also buying a new house, so I'm collecting dishes and china and things." Navka also likes to think up ideas for their costumes. "Sasha and I work together on the designs," she said.

They both enjoy travel. Kostomarov's favorite trip was to Australia, but Navka loved Italy. "It's very romantic. The food is unbelievable, the people are friendly, and there's lots of shopping and all kinds of things to see. Every part of the country is different with mountains and beaches."

The dancers' goal is to win an Olympic medal in 2006. "We won't go until 2010," Kostomarov said. "People might hate us if we stayed another four years." Both skaters have finished their studies at the Academy of Sport and may coach after they finish competing. Navka, who has a very exotic look, has also considered a career as a model.