Avonley Nguyen & Vadym Kolesnik | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Avonley Nguyen & Vadym Kolesnik

charlotte14

Medalist
Joined
Aug 16, 2017
Holy moly! The girl only has skated for 3 years! :eeking: That is incredible! They are so talented! Igor give them great guidance!
 

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avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Holy moly! The girl only has skated for 3 years! :eeking: That is incredible! They are so talented! Igor give them great guidance!

Avonley is awesome regardless, but she has been skating since age seven, according to a 2014 article about solo ice dancers such as eleven-year-old national gold medalist Avonley (who looked very cute in the group photo, BTW, and gave some cute quotes).

In the ice-dance.com article, "I started ice dancing when I was 12 … " is apparently a reference to ice dancing with a partner.
"... and was drawn in by the lifts. At the time, I thought that one of the best things about skating with a partner was getting to do fun lifts …"


BTW, not only have Avonley and Vadym qualified for JGPF, but also they at present are #2 :cool: in the JGP standings.
(By virtue of the second tiebreaker, they are ahead of Shevchenko/Eremenko and Lajoie/Lagha.)

ETA (on Oct 13): Avonley/Vadym ended up as #3 in the final standings after Armenia (JGP #7).​

By qualifying for JGPF, Avonley and Vadym also have earned a bye to Nationals.
 

zebobes

Final Flight
Joined
Mar 29, 2012
As a friendly response to zebobes :ghug::

They already are so incredibly :agree: good after only approx. one-and-a-half years together, which is all the more remarkable.



Thanks for your thoughts, and I enjoyed the blog posts that you pulled up.

I vaguely remember watching them last year, and not being too impressed with what they did, and just skimming through their performance. I guess it goes to show that I don't have as good of an eye for potential in skaters.

One more interesting link about them is in TSL's interview with Igor Shpilband. Igor talks about a lot of topics, but on the topic of seeing potential in skaters, he first mentions about how he could see the potential in Virtue/Moir and Davis and White from the beginning. The way Charlie's blades approached the ice was very unique. Virtue and Moir came to him to choreograph Adios Nonino, and he thought it was too difficult of a piece, but they insisted, and he was amazed at how they could connect at such a young age, when Scott was only 14 or 15, you could see a man and a woman connection in little kids. He also said that Charlie and Scott were very talented when it comes to lifts, and not many people even now can match what Charlie and Scott could do.

Towards the end of the interview, Dave asks him about his younger partnerships, and Igor spends some time talking about his special young team, Avonley and Vadym.

https://youtu.be/sehESel9Z-A?t=5409

Interestingly, Igor thinks their talent and potential could match V/M and D/W, and that this year in particular, they are going to show a lot of progress and development. They completed in a number of competitions earlier in the year, and they were the first skaters to get plus 5 on two of their elements, the rotational lift and choreography lift.

Unfortunately, Dave Lease wasn't expecting Igor to give a juicy scoop about potential super stars, so he didn't ask more follow-up questions, so Igor didn't go in depth on why they were so special. Perhaps Dave was also trying to see if Igor was exaggerating or not, but the proof is in the pudding, and we can see that Igor was right about their potential, and he is going to do his best to help them develop it to the fullest.​
 

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avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Thanks for your thoughts, and I enjoyed the blog posts that you pulled up.

I vaguely remember watching them last year, and not being too impressed with what they did, and just skimming through their performance. I guess it goes to show that I don't have as good of an eye for potential in skaters.

One more interesting link about them is in TSL's interview with Igor Shpilband. ...

Thank you for writing out Igor's comments pertaining to Avonley and Vadym. :thank:

(Unrelated to Nguyen/Kolesnik, but BTW: respect to Igor :bow: for declining to answering Dave's question about Marina.)

Not trying to diminish the role of Igor (of whom I am a fan :)), but I wonder whether Pasquale also made a significant difference in Avonley and Vadym's improvement from last season to this season?

I should have made clear earlier that I had the benefit of 20/20 hindsight ;) when I viewed their 2017 Lake Placid FD for the first time -- which was after their silver medal in Lithuania a few weeks ago.
(I did/do like things in the Lake Placid video, such as their showmanship and lifts, but I can't be sure whether their positives would have been as striking to me if I had never heard of Nguyen/Kolesnik.)


Avonley and Vadym are the lede :)agree: deservedly so) of the USFS recap of JGP Slovenia and of Finlandia Trophy.

USFS Fan Zone even embedded the video of their FD.


Per his Instagram story, Vadym was en route today from Poland to Ukraine. Hope that means he gets to visit his mama and papa. :ghug: Maybe the family will have an early celebration of Vadym's birthday?? :hb:

ETA (on Oct 11):
Vadym's Instastory today has locator of Kharkov (as he spells it), Ukraine. The photo seems to be a beautiful table ready for a family feast, starring grand skewers of grilled meat.​
ETA (on Oct 13):
Vadym was headed from Ukraine to France today (IIRC, or was it yesterday?), per his Instastory. So I think he had five or six days at home? Hope he had a great time.​
 

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avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Ted Barton interviewed Avonley and Vadym after their win in Slovenia! :yay:

https://youtu.be/W1I3j92TLak (1:57, posted Oct 7)​

Interesting to hear from both partners. :cool: :popcorn:
They seem like really nice kids -- and smart kids. Avonley was eager to explain the storytelling behind their FD. Vadym's English is very good. :bow: Both are well-spoken and poised.

Many thanks to Ted. :thank:

ETA (on Oct 8):

Some of what Avonley said is quoted in the ISU written recap of JGP Slovenia.

https://isu.org/inside-single-pair-...alify-for-final-in-ljubljana?templateParam=15 (Oct 8)​


ETA:
Instagram story of @jackson.ultima has a photo of Nguyen/Kolesnik FD, and Avonley is tagged. Glad to see that she is getting Jackson's support (whether only moral/promotional support or more).​
 

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Bio for Avonley and Vadym now has been added to USFS Fan Zone. (It is current with their PBs from Slovenia.)


BTW, the USFS bio nails down February 2017 as to when their partnership began.

Twenty months later, they have qualified for JGPF and are the leading U.S. junior ice dancers this season. :hap93:


Thanks to litenkyckling and Doris for all the updates to the OP. :)


ETA (on Oct 10):

Slovenia pics courtesy of team-mate and training-mate Alina Efimova:

Two photos show Avonley and Vadym wearing stars-and-stripes beanies. They are in the stands with Sasha Petrov and Alina (iirc, watching the ladies compete).

The last photo shows the foursome at the draw for the RD (iirc). #TeamUSA #TeamNovi

https://www.instagram.com/p/BovFiXGFiZr/?taken-by=alinaefimova01 (posted Oct 9)​

ETA (on Oct 13):

Avonley and Vadym are in Gabbie Izzo's very nice group photo of Team USA in Slovenia:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BotdXUGllIC/?taken-by=miss.gabbiee (posted Oct 9; scroll/swipe to second photo)​
 

laiyamanika

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 20, 2017
Congratulations Avonley and Vadym for qualifying in the JGPF! :yahoo:
I love their FS so much, it's gorgeous. Their connection is so palpable and there's fluidity in their dance.
Avonley is so graceful and has great lines while Vadym has great SS.

I'll be rooting for them in December :luv17:
 

BrentWolgamott

Rinkside
Joined
Feb 7, 2014
Ice Coverage, thank you for all you do!! I can easily keep up with what is happening with them thanks to you!

I just love this team. He's so strong, yet expressive. Great extension, particularly by a man. She has attitude AND FACE. GOD does she give good face. :p Her lines and her overall carriage are just phenomenal. I concur that the Free Dance is improved from the first time I saw it at Amber Cup. Stronger second half, energy still builds, smoother exit on the OUT OF THIS WORLD rotational lift that they do. Their entrance into their spin is so unique.

I DO think they have a shot to be junior world champions, but it's going to take a bit of a mistake from Ushakova/Nekrasov. It's MY contention that Avonley and Vadym beat them *at least in the free dance* at the first JGP. But the judges said otherwise. Hehe. But it's close! Avonley and Vad qualified 3rd, but those in the know, know that they are a STRONG second. Their scores exceed everyone but U/N, so a podium seems assured, barring disaster. Stiil, is the gold possible? I HOPE SO!!!
 

tabsy

Medalist
Joined
Jul 8, 2018
Country
United-Kingdom
My new favourite junior ice dance team! They are just awesome.

I can see that their free dance at Ljubljana was slightly technically stronger than at Kaunas, but somehow I enjoyed the Kaunas performance ever so slightly more (maybe the camerawork/angles on the rink were a little different, and worked better).

I hope they have a successful few months building up to the JGPF, and that we see them secure a podium spot there :luv17: If I were to predict (which I guess I'll be doing in the predictions game when the time comes), I think a silver might be the result, but by the time Junior Worlds rolls arounds, who knows. Maybe the gold!

Oh, and I was trying to find the whole stream for free dance for Ljubljana on YouTube, to re-watch S/E and N/K back to back and then the victory ceremony which I didn't see at the time, but I couldn't find it archived. Am I just missing the obvious or has it not been posted? I know the individual performances are archived there.
 

ice coverage

avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
… Oh, and I was trying to find the whole stream for free dance for Ljubljana on YouTube, to re-watch S/E and N/K back to back and then the victory ceremony which I didn't see at the time, but I couldn't find it archived. Am I just missing the obvious or has it not been posted? I know the individual performances are archived there.

Apparently archiving of the Ljubljana FD streaming of all entries together in one long video has been blocked on copyright grounds. :(


If you or anyone else is feeling energetic, perhaps an e-mail request to the ever-helpful Ted Barton could result in getting the victory ceremony uploaded as an individual video??
And … I wonder whether Ted and/or his team even would be willing/able to mute whatever the problematic music was and re-upload the entire FD streaming?


My new favourite junior ice dance team! They are just awesome.

I can see that their free dance at Ljubljana was slightly technically stronger than at Kaunas, but somehow I enjoyed the Kaunas performance ever so slightly more (maybe the camerawork/angles on the rink were a little different, and worked better). ...

I have enjoyed watching Avonley/Vadym's Ljubljana FD and RD many times now, but I do understand what you mean about the Kaunas camerawork/angles perhaps being more effective at times. :agree:
That said, the flip side of the coin is that for me, the Ljubljana camerawork did "reveal" a couple of nice choreographic details that I originally had not caught in the Kaunas videos (although by re-watching, I discovered that they were present in Kaunas -- just less visible).

Also … I do miss certain little aspects of choreo from Kaunas that really were altered for the Ljubljana programs (also Vadym's bold cuffs from the Kaunas RD), but appreciate the thought and effort that goes into fine-tuning from one competition to the next. Am looking forward to seeing what their JGPF programs will bring. :popcorn:


Ice Coverage, thank you for all you do!! I can easily keep up with what is happening with them thanks to you!

I just love this team. …

Thanks for the positive reinforcement. My knowledge of juniors (all disciplines) is extremely limited in general, but this couple has commanded my attention.
I find myself returning to this thread frequently :hopelessness: as I keep a supportive eye on them. :luv17:
 

tabsy

Medalist
Joined
Jul 8, 2018
Country
United-Kingdom
Apparently archiving of the Ljubljana FD streaming of all entries together in one long video has been blocked on copyright grounds. :(


If you or anyone else is feeling energetic, perhaps an e-mail request to the ever-helpful Ted Barton could result in getting the victory ceremony uploaded as an individual video??
And … I wonder whether Ted and/or his team even would be willing/able to mute whatever the problematic music was and re-upload the entire FD streaming?




I have enjoyed watching Avonley/Vadym's Ljubljana FD and RD many times now, but I do understand what you mean about the Kaunas camerawork/angles perhaps being more effective at times. :agree:
That said, the flip side of the coin is that for me, the Ljubljana camerawork did "reveal" a couple of nice choreographic details that I originally had not caught in the Kaunas videos (although by re-watching, I discovered that they were present in Kaunas -- just less visible).

Also … I do miss certain little aspects of choreo from Kaunas that really were altered for the Ljubljana programs (also Vadym's bold cuffs from the Kaunas RD), but appreciate the thought and effort that goes into fine-tuning from one competition to the next. Am looking forward to seeing what their JGPF programs will bring. :popcorn:




Thanks for the positive reinforcement. My knowledge of juniors (all disciplines) is extremely limited in general, but this couple has commanded my attention.
I find myself returning to this thread frequently :hopelessness: as I keep a supportive eye on them. :luv17:



Oh that's a shame about the FD video! Maybe I will email Ted. I already sent a long thank you email for his amazing coverage this season, so actually maybe I'll send him a tweet this time! If I remember correctly I think he said he was going to stay on Twitter until the JGPF...:scratch3:

I'll watch the Kaunas/Ljubljana performances back to back and see I can spot your choreographic details! I feel like it is the kind of performance that gets better every time it's seen.

Are there any kind of local/US competitions they might skate in before the JPGF? Two months must be quite a while to go without practicing performing in such a competitive atmosphere if not.
 

chameleon

On the Ice
Joined
May 29, 2014
They could probably go to Sectionals next month(if so they would not count for the purposes of qualifications, so they wouldn't be taking anyone's spot), but most teams don't really bother. The junior season is and has always been weirdly paced and I'm sure their team knows how to deal with that by now.
 

zebobes

Final Flight
Joined
Mar 29, 2012
I have enjoyed watching Avonley/Vadym's Ljubljana FD and RD many times now, but I do understand what you mean about the Kaunas camerawork/angles perhaps being more effective at times. :agree:
That said, the flip side of the coin is that for me, the Ljubljana camerawork did "reveal" a couple of nice choreographic details that I originally had not caught in the Kaunas videos (although by re-watching, I discovered that they were present in Kaunas -- just less visible).

Also … I do miss certain little aspects of choreo from Kaunas that really were altered for the Ljubljana programs (also Vadym's bold cuffs from the Kaunas RD), but appreciate the thought and effort that goes into fine-tuning from one competition to the next. Am looking forward to seeing what their JGPF programs will bring. :popcorn:

Yes, in Ljublijana, I think the camera was zoomed in too closely, so we missed some of the details. I also wonder if they were a little behind the music after completing the second performance, as there was some choreography that matched the music perfectly (Where Vadym points backward in sync with Avonley) and they still point, but the meaning is lost because it's not matched to the lyrics.

However, their short dance was definitely better the second time around. Hopefully, all of it can improve by the JGPF!
 

Noxchild

Medalist
Joined
Feb 14, 2018
Country
Canada
Ah, I miss them already! Are they competing in anything before the JGPF? We could always use some more slayage in our lives...
 

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avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Happy 17th Birthday to Vadym. :hb:

Fun to see Team Novi having a celebratory dinner for him. :ghug:


ETA (on Oct 29):

Instastories today from both Avonley and Vadym showcase their Harlick boots and Jackson blades.

And I had noticed a day or two ago that Vadym had added both brands to his Insta profile.

Hope all of it means that Avonley and Vadym are getting some (new?) level of support/sponsorship from both brands?

(ETA: Jackson's Instastory has reposted the Instastories from Avonley and Vadym.)​
 

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avatar credit: @miyan5605
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
:ghug: What a sweet coincidence that Avonley :hb: has the same birthday as Vadym's mama :hb:.

(Not to mention Team Novi ice dancer Howard Zhao :hb:.)

Plus this year, Avonley's 16th birthday falls on Thanksgiving Day.

In honor of the birthdays, Instastory of training mate @alinaefimova01 has cute throwback dancing videos of Avonley, Vadym, Howard, and herself. Also fun/funny throwback photos.

BTW, congratulations to Katarina/Howard and Alina/Sasha for qualifying for Nationals :yay:.
 

Noxchild

Medalist
Joined
Feb 14, 2018
Country
Canada
Vadym looks so adult-like and mature on the ice, then I see him up close in Avonley's Instagram and I'm like... oh yeah look at that baby face lol. Can't wait to see these two in two weeks!!
 

TanithandBenFan

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 15, 2010
N/K are going to be the highlight of the GPF for me! I'm so excited to see them that I plan on waking up at the crack of dawn to go to their 7am practice :party2: I made a hand-held banner for them so they can be sure to see they have fans there!
 
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