Denis Smirnov and Tess-Angelica Oldeliu: New Swedish ice dance team? | Golden Skate

Denis Smirnov and Tess-Angelica Oldeliu: New Swedish ice dance team?

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
Russia is not known to be generous when it comes to releasing their skaters to represent other countries.
 

alekzu

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 25, 2008
Wow! Nice! I really reallly really hope it works out for them. It would be so cool if we could have an icedance pair to compete in international competitions.
 

life684

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 8, 2007
Russia is not known to be generous when it comes to releasing their skaters to represent other countries.

They are tried of releasing their athletes to other country, look at example of Marina Anissina, she went to compete for France and deny Russian ice dancers gold at 2002 Olympics. looking at record of US and canada is not that great as well
 

Buttercup

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 25, 2008
They are tried of releasing their athletes to other country, look at example of Marina Anissina, she went to compete for France and deny Russian ice dancers gold at 2002 Olympics.
Of course, the male half of that Russian team did skate with Marina, and who knows - maybe they'd have won gold together for Russia had he not decided to dump her. But then again, there were personal reasons for his decision and I can understand why he did it. But it's not like Marina Anissina had too many options in Russia afterwards.
 

life684

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 8, 2007
Of course, the male half of that Russian team did skate with Marina, and who knows - maybe they'd have won gold together for Russia had he not decided to dump her. But then again, there were personal reasons for his decision and I can understand why he did it. But it's not like Marina Anissina had too many options in Russia afterwards.

I am for athletes being released and allowed to compete for which ever country they chose to represent, i was only critical of people complaining (not the specific blogger above) about Russia where ever and when ever they get a chance (and i am not russian or from any of her neighboring countries).

i think federation should let the skaters go if they find suitable partners outside
 

ing

Rinkside
Joined
Dec 17, 2008
Here is a translation of the article.


Russian gave chance to dance.

Tess-Angelica Oldelius had a choice to quit ice dancing, or to find a new partner.
She found him - in Moscow.
- We aim for Euros and Worlds together, "says Tess-Angelica.

It was make or break for Tess-Angelica Oldelius. One of Sweden's few icedancers on reasonable high level was without
a partner and the choice was simple: find a new partner - or quit.

- I put in my profile on icedance.com, it is a kind of dating online site for icedancers says Tess-Angelica.
I was very surprised when it came an email from Denis in Moscow. I had been looking for a partner of
substantially lower class, but I thought I will go to Moscow and try.

In Moscow waited 21-year-old Denis Smirnov, national team at junior high level, for the 20-year-old Swede.
Smirnov, with World Cup competitions on his merit list, has trained figure skating since the age of four and
ice dancing for ten years. Tess-Angelica has trained for 15 years, but only two years with icedance.
She had the opportunity to stay in Moscow in four weeks but thought honestly it wouldn't go so well
- Denis Smirnov is a skater of a much higher class - so the return journey was booked after only one week.

But ...

- We trained together for two days, by then Denis and his trainer had made up their minds. We worked great together, we have
the same movement pattern and the same basic technique. I have trained with a Russian coach (Vera Pukrovskaja)
and was known to the Russian technique, "says a cheerful Tess-Angelica.
Now, Tess-Angelica applied to, and been accepted to the Sport School in Moscow and will stay, if all goes as intended,
for five years. Then she will also develop the partnership with Denis Smirnov that took the couple on a temporary
visit to Stockholm this week.

Our trainer in Moscow is talking about Euros and Worlds. It would be really fun. And it will be for Sweden
, in that case. At Euros and Worlds, it is sufficient if one in the pair has the nationality that
the pair will compete for, "says Tess-Angelica.

The couple's training in Tyresö this week was supervised by skating sporting director Carina Skoog. Who was very satisfied:

- They have good chemistry and good basic technique. The chemistry is incredibly important in ice dancing, it should
strike sparks between the athletes, they should captivate the audience, "says Carina Skoog. Provided that the Russians
releases Denis, and I think they will, we have good contacts with them, so I consider it realistic that we can get a couple
to represent Sweden.

Much needed, in this case. And welcome: Sweden has only had about ten icedance pair , and none at the elite level.
The last pair to represent Sweden at a European Championship was Åsa Agblad and Christer Thorell. That was
24 years ago. And 27 years ago was the last time skated in Worlds: Ulla Örnmarker and Thomas Svedberg came in 20th place.

Tess-Angelica and Denis are aiming higher.
 

MissIzzy

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 26, 2006
For what it's worth, I was able to find Smirnov's JGP results with his previous partner; they never medaled, though they did finish fifth a couple of times. They haven't done well enough to be considered worthy of an ISU bio page. So the Russian federation might not mind letting him go.
 

chuckm

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 31, 2003
Country
United-States
They are tried of releasing their athletes to other country, look at example of Marina Anissina, she went to compete for France and deny Russian ice dancers gold at 2002 Olympics. looking at record of US and canada is not that great as well

Marina Anissina was first teamed with Sergei Sakhonovsky, who reportedly complained that she "wasn't good enough". Then she teamed with Ilya Averbukh, and they won the 1990 and 1992 Junior World Championship. But Ilya decided he'd rather skate with his sweetheart, Irina Lobacheva, so Marina was left on her own once again. That was Marina teamed up with Gwendal Peizerat and skated for France.

So if France won the 2002 Olympics and Russia was the runnerup, that could be blamed on Ilya Averbukh's bad judgment (and Ilya and Irina wound up divorcing anyway), not on Marina's lack of loyalty to her homeland.
 

Diva

On the Ice
Joined
Apr 21, 2009
Marina Anissina was first teamed with Sergei Sakhonovsky, who reportedly complained that she "wasn't good enough". Then she teamed with Ilya Averbukh, and they won the 1990 and 1992 Junior World Championship. But Ilya decided he'd rather skate with his sweetheart, Irina Lobacheva, so Marina was left on her own once again. That was Marina teamed up with Gwendal Peizerat and skated for France.

So if France won the 2002 Olympics and Russia was the runnerup, that could be blamed on Ilya Averbukh's bad judgment (and Ilya and Irina wound up divorcing anyway), not on Marina's lack of loyalty to her homeland.

No one is blaming Marina (neither Ilya nor someone else) that she won the gold medal. It's just that a federation considers if a skater is good enough to medal and when he/she is, they often don't release them like Morgan Matthews or Jérôme Blanchard (btw is he still skating with Vorobieva in Russia even if they aren't able to compete?).

Ilya Averbukh's bad judgment (and Ilya and Irina wound up divorcing anyway)

:think: alright...:banging: They weren't married for more than ten years, have a son and seemed to be pretty happy. It's not all about winning medals...
 

jacquelin

Spectator
Joined
Sep 19, 2009
Why do people try to make others dance? I've noticed from both an outside perspective and personal experience that if at a social gathering such as a school dance, people will do everything in their power to make you dance. Now I realize that is what the dance is for but I'm talking about more extreme cases. I've seen people literally FORCE others on the dance floor against their will. What makes people so adamant about everyone having to dance?
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Fashionista

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 23, 2008
QUOTE=chuckm;410112]Russia is not known to be generous when it comes to releasing their skaters to represent other countries.[/QUOTE]

:confused:
The bunch of Russians skaters are skating or skated for different countries including ex-USSR, France, Czech rep., Austria, Slovakia, Finland, the US and so on. Russia just released Dmitry Kiselev (ex-partner of Ekaterina Pushkash) to represent Czech Rep. and Olga Orlova to represent France.

I just don't get where you take this information.
 
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