What is up with Katia Gordeeva's two daughters, Daria and Liza? | Golden Skate

What is up with Katia Gordeeva's two daughters, Daria and Liza?

wordsworthgirl

Medalist
Joined
Sep 12, 2013
I haven't heard anything about Daria in a few years and she wasn't in the Family skating event last year. I searched for her on Twitter and found this, which worried me- sounds like she's doing lots of drugs and drinking:



I so want her to turn out happy and healthy. LOVED Sergei and Katia and have always had a tender spot in my heart for Daria.

And I heard that Liza is an upcoming skater? has anyone seen her skate recently? Is she considered a contender for national novice yet? With Ilia and Katia as her parents, she certainly has both great jumping and artistry genes.

Thanks in advance for any info you can provide on either of the girls.
 
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dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
It's very hard to tell whether a twitter account really belongs to one person or another in real life. I edited out the twitter you linked, because it's unlikely that it is Daria Gordeeva-Grinkova's
The wiki gives the last name as Gordeeva-Grinkova, and I've seen articles in which her last name is Grinkova.
 

Jaana

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Country
Finland
I doubt very much, that the account would be Daria´s. About her name though, she has used Gordeeva-Grinkova because of travel arrangements. The family had too many different last names: Ilia Kulik, Ekaterina Gordeeva, Daria Grinkova and Elizaveta Kulik.
 

iluvtodd

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 5, 2004
Country
United-States
Isn't Daria in college now? Liza skated during the pre-show warm-up of SOI in Hershey, PA on New Year's Eve (12/31/12).
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
When I read this, I got a horrible sinking feeling in my stomach. I hope that this report is inaccurate and has nothing at all to do with one of our favorite skating families.

I found a facebook account of Daria Grinkova, but since I'm not on facebook, I can't access it.
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Liza did look good but I am not sure how old she is? If she is under 11 she looks really good if she is 12 or older she is better than average but her hardest jump is a doublelutz. Still great presence on ice and speed and decent spins already. Looks like her dad is coaching. As for big sister yes, we all hope Daria has not fallen from grace.
 
Joined
Feb 15, 2007
Liza did look good but I am not sure how old she is? If she is under 11 she looks really good if she is 12 or older she is better than average but her hardest jump is a doublelutz. Still great presence on ice and speed and decent spins already. Looks like her dad is coaching. As for big sister yes, we all hope Daria has not fallen from grace.

According to Wikipedia (her dad's entry) she was born June 15, 2002 which means she is 11 years old now. At the time of the video (2013 Southwest Pacific Regional Championships) she was 10 years old.
 

BlackPack

Medalist
Joined
Mar 20, 2013
When Liza was smaller, she was interviewed and said that her skating was "better than mom's and dad's"! :laugh: Gordeeva said Liza was talented and had real potential. I don't know if they're skating just for fun or are considering seriously in going elite. Daria was taught well in her skating, but alas, she didn't ooze natural talent. That was when she was in her teens. She is an adult now, born in '92.
 

Chemistry66

Mmmmm, tacos.
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 16, 2010
In the 2013 Southwest Pacific regionals, Liza placed 5th in her Juvenile QR with 46.46 points. Only the top 4 girls went on to the CR and she missed out by 2.10 points (next highest girl had 48.56). Looks like her QR was tough. Two of the girls placed at Nationals (Gold and Bronze)
 

Icey

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 28, 2012
Daria gave up skating when the family moved to Californina, which was her freshman year in HS. Daria did go to college and might still be there. She played Lacrosse.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
When Liza was smaller, she was interviewed and said that her skating was "better than mom's and dad's"! :laugh: Gordeeva said Liza was talented and had real potential. I don't know if they're skating just for fun or are considering seriously in going elite. Daria was taught well in her skating, but alas, she didn't ooze natural talent. That was when she was in her teens. She is an adult now, born in '92.

Considering that Daria's parents had what amounts to magical powers on the ice, it's a hard legacy to live up to. Even today, Katia doesn't have to do jumps to hold viewers' attention on the ice. Just the way she drifts like gossamer and controls her blades can be hypnotic, and then add the musical interpretation....Daria skated nicely the few times I saw her, but nothing stood out to me. I know we're not supposed to speculate about skaters' lives or their families, but I cross fingers that she's living a good life and is all right.

As for Liza, what is it that one will spot at this age to give indication of her talent? (Though of course she's just three years younger than Tara's age when she won Worlds, I don't imagine every breathtaking skater has to be a child prodigy.) Or maybe I should ask, at what age might one spot potential? I'd love for her to be splendid, of course.
 

wordsworthgirl

Medalist
Joined
Sep 12, 2013
Considering that Daria's parents had what amounts to magical powers on the ice, it's a hard legacy to live up to. Even today, Katia doesn't have to do jumps to hold viewers' attention on the ice. Just the way she drifts like gossamer and controls her blades can be hypnotic, and then add the musical interpretation....Daria skated nicely the few times I saw her, but nothing stood out to me. I know we're not supposed to speculate about skaters' lives or their families, but I cross fingers that she's living a good life and is all right.

As for Liza, what is it that one will spot at this age to give indication of her talent? (Though of course she's just three years younger than Tara's age when she won Worlds, I don't imagine every breathtaking skater has to be a child prodigy.) Or maybe I should ask, at what age might one spot potential? I'd love for her to be splendid, of course.

The reason that Twitter feed seemed like Daria's is that it was a college student in Boston, from California, who visited Russia, and had a Mom and sister. I really hope it wasn't her, or if it was, that she was going through a rebellious phrase. The feed stopped over a year ago. I just hope Daria feels not only her mother and Ilia's love but also Sergei's enduring love blessing her and giving her confidence and strength. She was such a beautiful girl with so much spark and spunk and I know that she can make wonderful contributions to the world whether she skates or not!
 

drivingmissdaisy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
The reason that Twitter feed seemed like Daria's is that it was a college student in Boston, from California, who visited Russia, and had a Mom and sister. I really hope it wasn't her, or if it was, that she was going through a rebellious phrase. The feed stopped over a year ago. I just hope Daria feels not only her mother and Ilia's love but also Sergei's enduring love blessing her and giving her confidence and strength. She was such a beautiful girl with so much spark and spunk and I know that she can make wonderful contributions to the world whether she skates or not!

I kind of feel like Daria's personal life should be off limits here. She has shown no interest in being in the public eye and we should respect that.
 

wordsworthgirl

Medalist
Joined
Sep 12, 2013
I kind of feel like Daria's personal life should be off limits here. She has shown no interest in being in the public eye and we should respect that.

I agree to keeping personal life off limits, but a public twitter feed is another story- that puts you in the public eye. I hope it's not her. But I do want to know about whether or not either girl is skating. Liza really looks fantastic! and she is adorable. I am also so happy about Ilia and Katia's new rink in California. Those two can inspire and teach numerous skaters, not just their own daughters!
 

BlackPack

Medalist
Joined
Mar 20, 2013
Considering that Daria's parents had what amounts to magical powers on the ice, it's a hard legacy to live up to. Even today, Katia doesn't have to do jumps to hold viewers' attention on the ice. Just the way she drifts like gossamer and controls her blades can be hypnotic, and then add the musical interpretation....Daria skated nicely the few times I saw her, but nothing stood out to me. I know we're not supposed to speculate about skaters' lives or their families, but I cross fingers that she's living a good life and is all right.

As for Liza, what is it that one will spot at this age to give indication of her talent? (Though of course she's just three years younger than Tara's age when she won Worlds, I don't imagine every breathtaking skater has to be a child prodigy.) Or maybe I should ask, at what age might one spot potential? I'd love for her to be splendid, of course.

Identifying talent is a curious thing. Maria Butryskaya was told she had no talent and that she should quit. Frank Carroll said that Chris Bowman was the most physically talented skater he's ever worked with; he started coaching Bowman when he was 4.5 years old and was the cutest little doll - he didn't know his right foot from left, yet he was naturally skating like it was the easiest thing in the world.

What Gordeeva saw in Liza was probably her natural ability to glide across the ice. She understood how to control edges. There was a special where Liza displayed this natural ability and she was just a few years old then.

There aren't that many skaters who make it to the top without some level of talent and natural ability. Lysacek wasn't really stellar in anything in particular but worked like a maniac to get there; his talent was really hard work and good mental game.
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Identifying talent is a curious thing. Maria Butryskaya was told she had no talent and that she should quit. Frank Carroll said that Chris Bowman was the most physically talented skater he's ever worked with; he started coaching Bowman when he was 4.5 years old and was the cutest little doll - he didn't know his right foot from left, yet he was naturally skating like it was the easiest thing in the world.

What Gordeeva saw in Liza was probably her natural ability to glide across the ice. She understood how to control edges. There was a special where Liza displayed this natural ability and she was just a few years old then.

There aren't that many skaters who make it to the top without some level of talent and natural ability. Lysacek wasn't really stellar in anything in particular but worked like a maniac to get there; his talent was really hard work and good mental game.

And a bit of luck or a lot of luck. Let's not forget that.
 

CaroLiza_fan

EZETTIE LATUASV IVAKMHA
Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 25, 2012
Country
Northern-Ireland
When I read this, I got a horrible sinking feeling in my stomach. I hope that this report is inaccurate and has nothing at all to do with one of our favorite skating families.

I found a facebook account of Daria Grinkova, but since I'm not on facebook, I can't access it.

This thread, and in particular Olympia’s comment, got me curious. So I just did a search for Daria on Facebook using various possible surnames.

The “Daria Grinkova” search came up with 3 results. The first result had her name written in Latin characters, but had no Profile Picture (or, at least, not a public one). In the list of her “Likes” were a couple of Kate Middleton Fan Pages, one for Ekaterina Gordeeva, and for Tessa Virtue.

For me, this result screamed “somebody pretending to be Sergei’s daughter”.

The other 2 had her name written in Cyrillic characters. One of them had only joined in January and had no profile picture. The other had a Profile Picture, but as I didn’t know what she looks like…

The “Daria Gordeeva” search came up with 56 results (22 in Latin and 34 in Cyrillic), and I couldn’t be bothered going through them! However, I did notice that I had 1 mutual friend with one of them (yes, the mutual friend is a skater!), so I went into it.

All the posts (or, at least, all the public posts) are in English, and were posted in various places in California. There were lots of photos but, again, I didn’t know what she looks like. But, I can re-assure you that this Daria looks nothing like any of the girls with the same name on Twitter! (I'm not on Twitter, so I was relying on Google to search for Twitter accounts)

I had no idea if this is the right Daria or not. But, I really hope it is! If this profile is her, it is very re-assuring – the posts are all the normal sort of stuff that a girl of her age would post. And after the worrying that this thread has caused, it would really set our minds at rest.

I also did a search for “Daria Kulikova”, just in case the family had decided to take on Ilia’s name for handiness (Jaana’s comment about travelling put this in mind). But, there were so many results that I stopped counting at 100. None of them jumped out at me, so I didn’t click into any of them.

Incidentally, I repeated my searches in vKontakt as well. “Daria Gordeeva” came up with 482 profiles and 7 groups; “Daria Grinkova” came up with 15 profiles (1 was in the US, but she was far too young!); and “Daria Kulikova” came up with 813 profiles. Suffice to say, I didn’t go into any!

However, there were also some videos amongst the vKontakt results. One of the results was a link (posted last week) to a YouTube video of Ekaterina and her daughters from 2007. And, from this, I can confirm that the Facebook profile I was talking about IS Ekaterina and Sergei’s daughter, and the Twitter profiles are NOT.

Hope this clears up the confusion, and re-assures everybody

CaroLiza_fan
 

Oreo

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 3, 2003
I tutored a student for several years who was in the same high school as Daria. All I will say is that my student told me she had made "some bad choices." I don't remember seeing her at the graduation either--for whatever reason, I don't know. This was two years ago. I do believe she went on to college.
 
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