Natalia Kaliszek & Maksym Spodyriev

[cathlen]

Congrats on 14th place at Worlds and qualifying to Olympics! :hap93:

 

[cathlen]

Some people are preapring for Olympics, some are getting treatments... Maks is having operation.
Here's how google translate the message from official FB:

Max today has an operative L5-S1 medullary hernia in which the intervertebral disc has advanced to 5 mm so that squeezing the nerves gives paralyzing pain in the legs.

By the time of qualifying for the Olympics, throughout the season, Maks underwent analgesic therapy and treated with stem cells and own plasma.

Unfortunately, such therapy was no longer effective and it was necessary that the procedure is still in progress !!

Please get thumbs and support for Max !!

We combine holiday greetings,
Kaliszek & Spodyriev TEAM

Not sure how correct is, but you'll get an idea. All the best to Maks!

 

[Manitou]

Not sure how correct is, but you'll get an idea.

It's correct!

 

[Manitou]

Update on Maxim:

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FKaliszekSpodyriev%2Fposts%2F1086086904830473%3A0&width=500

Translation:
I am after the surgery and I feel sort of OK! Thank you everybody for the support! Now it's time for rehabilitation, some rest and back to work!!

 

[Manitou]

At the meeting with mayor of Toruń:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BS6JGa9Anq-/

From what I know they were invited by their home town's mayor as an appreciation of their Olympic qualification.

 

[turquoiseblue]

Thanks for all the updates. I wish Maks a speedy and full recovery!!

 

[Manitou]

Another update on Max:

http://eurosport.onet.pl/zimowe/lyzwiarstwo/maksym-spodyriew-przeszedl-operacje/r186b6

Obviously in Polish, I don't have much time to give full translation, but in short it goes like this:

Natalia and Max had a very successful season: 8th at Euro, 14th at World and Olympic qualification. And it was all despite the difficult issues they had to deal with. In the beginning of the season Max almost lost his fingers when they both fell during practice and Natalia run over his hand. In addition, for the entire season Ukraine-born Max struggled with intervertebral disc herniation (?) and was on pain killers all the time.
The surgery was successful and he will be able to go back to full training in a month.
Right now they are trying to figure out their program for the next season. They already know the kind of music, but are still trying to put everything together.

 

[SKY1118]

Speed recovery Max :')
He is going to train after a month?! That is... quite fast, I would say.
anyway, good luck in Olympic season, can't wait to see their performance

 

[cathlen]

Natalia is on the list of 100 athletes that will receive financial support of 40 000 zł from government: https://www.facebook.com/KaliszekSpodyriev/posts/1142171419222021 The reason Maks is not receiving it is his age. The program supports promising athletes aged 18-23, and Maks is already 24. But I think better that one of them receives that than none

 

[Sam L]

I've seen that they're qualified for the Olympics. Really wish them luck. I love both their programs this year.

 

[NicolettaL]

Yup they're in. Not like there was any competition for the spot... But I really hope they will polish some rough spots in their dances and have a blast in Korea.

 

[dorispulaski]

 

[dorispulaski]

I updated their OP, in time for the new season.

 

[dorispulaski]

Alas, their first outing was not their best. They finished 8th at Nebelhorn.

2018-19
RD: "Passion For Tango" by Tim Garland
FD: "Bout Time" by Crystalize; "I Feel Like I'm Drowning" by Two Feet

2018 Nebelhorn RD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpwlDsuzZLE
2018 Nebelhorn FD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sndQi7iowo

 

[Mohacz]

Natalia and Maksym Have been very busy this season. In total, they have participated in 7 international events (2 GPs, 3 CS events and 2 other competitions) and the 4 Nationals Championships:
They didn't have the best start and they finished 8th in their first competition, which was the Nebelhorn Trophy, but then the things started to go better and this was reflected in their results:

1.Nebelhorn Trophy - 8th
2. ISU GP Skate America 2018 Everett - 6th
3. ISU GP Rostelecom Cup 2018 Moscow - 5th
4. Warsaw Cup 2018 Warsaw - 2nd
5. ISU CS Tallinn Trophy 2018 Tallinn - 3rd
6. ISU CS Golden Spin of Zagreb 2018 - 2nd
7. 4 Nationals Championships (and Polish Nationals) - 1st
8. Mentor Torun Cup 2019 Torun - 2nd

I wish them all the best in the upcoming Europeans and I hope they'll be able to at least repeat their best result from the 2016/17 season, which was the 8th place.

 

[Mohacz]

After the Torun Mentor Cup competition there was a seminar for ice dancers and their coaches who wanted to learn the "Tea Time Foxtrot", a new rhythm dance pattern created by Sylwia Nowak-Trębacka and their students Natalia and Maks. As a reminder, they danced it for the first time in September 2016 in Oberstdorf. In 2017 ISU considered it met all the requirements to convert in the future into a compulsory dance. In 2018 "Tea Time Foxtrot" was introduced in the ISU Ice Dance list and the Polish original creation formed part of the Ice Dance History.

48 participants from 8 countries participated in the seminar. During a six-hour event skaters and coaches had an opportunity to learn the steps and details of this new dance. Natalia, Maks and Sylwia made presentations and put attention to characteristic elements of the pattern.

It's worth to note that next year "Tea Time Foxtrot" will be the compulsory element of the Rhythm Dance in the Junior category.

Source (in Polish): Polish Figure Skating Association

 

[ice coverage]

… As a reminder, they danced it for the first time in September 2016 in Oberstdorf. ...

The correct date is September 2015, I believe.

Unfortunately, the incorrect date of September 2016 is on Page 2 of ISU Communication No. 2210, Instructional material on the new Pattern Dance Tea-Time Foxtrot.

Page 13 of ISU Communication No. 2019 (June 23, 2016) had the announcement of the proposed new pattern dance based on K/S's foxtrot:

Based on the very positive Referees' Reports and suggestions collected through-out the season 2015/16, the Ice Dance Technical Committee and the Sport Director Figure Skating Krisztina Regoczy has proposed to the ISU Council the inclusion to the already existing list two NEW Pattern Dances selected from the Partial Step Sequences presented at the Senior Ice Dance Events:

• March created by Piper GILLES and Paul POIRIER (Coaches: Carol Lane and Juris Razgulajevs) 
• Foxtrot created by Natalia KALISZEK and Maksim SPODIREV (Coach: Sylwia NowakTrebacka).

​

---

ETA:

Facebook permalink to some information about the Mentor Torun Cup seminar:

https://www.facebook.com/PolskiZwia...GlFeTwsqv4e4AIDXDgj7OtImyGq0pqzyXFk&__tn__=-R (Jan 15)​

 

[Mohacz]

On 23 January Polish Sports TV published an interview with Natalia and Maksim. The reason were the upcoming Europans. Below a link to the original text and my translation. They talk about their difficult training conditions and the reasons for sticking with their coach. Enjoy ​

https://sport.tvp.pl/40984243/natal...myslimy-o-igrzyskach-i-robi-sie-smutno-wywiad

Natalia Kaliszek and Maksym Spodyriew on Friday will start competing in the European Championships in Minsk. Over the last years they have been responsible for the results of the Polish figure skating. Despite success, their preparations are free of any comfort. „We can’t deny that couples skating a tour level train in much better conditions” – admitted in the conversation with SPORT.TVP.PL.
Natalia Kaliszek and Maksym Spodyriew – Polish ice dancers. Five-time Polish champions, participants in several events of the Grand Prix circuit, 14[SUP]th[/SUP]at the Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang and 8[SUP]th[/SUP]at the 2017 Euros. They are coached by Sylwia Nowak-Trębacka in Axel Toruń figure skating club.​

Mateusz Górecki, SPORT.TVP.PL:

– After disappointing start of the season, your form is systematically increasing. How would you resume the first half of the season?​

Natalia:

– We were better in each competition. In the Grand Prix events we competed with the world best skaters. We also won two medals in the Challenger Series, the fifth Polish Nationals and the Four Nationals Championships. Our best result in an ISU event in the first half of the season is over 178 points. We are 16[SUP]th[/SUP] on the world ranking and in the upcoming European Championships we’ll start competing in the last and the strongest group. So we consider the first half of the season quite successful. The beginnings are always difficult, our programs are complicated, but everything goes as in previous years. We eliminate errors and we improve with each start. Thanks to hard work we are reaching the adequate level. We also prove everyone that it is possible to train in Poland in quite poor conditions and to obtain good results.​

Mateusz Górecki:

– During the GP in Russia it was commented that you had a chance for a podium. Do you feel disappointed?​

Maks:

– That’s the sport. After the RD we were only 0.1 from the third place and maybe we wanted to medal too badly. That’s not the best way. You just have to do what you are supposed to do, because we are unable to present more. And we can be only motivated that according to experts we are able to fight for medals in competitions of this level.​

Mateusz Górecki:

– This season your presentation on ice is different.​

Natalia:

– This season’s ideas of Sylwia Nowak-Trębacka, our coach, and the coaching team are quite a challenge, but we are getting better and better and we want to peak in the Europeans. Each year we look for innovations. We don’t want to be labeled as ballroom ice dancers who only skate to foxtrot or quickstep. We want to explore outside this genre. The French couple Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron have bet on modern dance, but in its very calm version. We want to show that this style may be also dynamic and acrobatic.​

Mateusz Górecki:

– Your coaching team has also changed.​

Maks:

– This year we started cooperation with Robert Bondara, who helped us with the FD. That’s a new experience, because we made the choreography off the ice and then we “moved” it to the ice. Usually, we do the other way round. But it was a good idea. We would like to continue this way, but we have big logistic problems. Robert Bondara divides his time between Warsaw and Poznań. He hardly finds time to visit us and we can’t work together every day. The same situation occurs with Ludmiła Chojnacka, our second choreographer. There are not too many experts in Toruń, so we have to search all over Poland and often we have to travel to Warsaw. ​

Mateusz Górecki:

– You finished last season with a disappointing result at the World Championships. Did it give you additional motivation for this season?​

Natalia:

– We skated a tour maximum there and we consider our programs at Worlds were the best in the whole season. We were in great form, but probably we made a small and stupid mistake that decided about our final results. I say probably because we had a feeling that everything went according to the plan. Unfortunately, the judges discovered a mistake. That’s a lesson that you can’t ignore any element and be concentrated during the whole program, even while during small steps. There’s always motivation to improve. However, we feel a bit sorry because we had a Chance to be in top 10 and gain additional spot for Poland in the upcoming World Championships.​

Mateusz Górecki:

– Post-Olympic season always brings changes in the leading couples. Is it worth forming part of this group from the very first starts of the season?​

Natalia:

– High places at the beginning of the season may indeed give fruits. It’s good to be among the leaders. However, everything depends on your form in any given competition and if you
make mistakes, you cannot maintain high positions. That’s why it’s so important to repeat error-free programs and that’s what we are continuously working on. This year the leading group has decreased a lot, both from the skills and results perspective. Last season there was a several-point difference between couples at our level. Now, the difference is decimal and even centesimal. It could be seen at the GP in Russia, where the differences were minimal. What counts now is ach edge and each technical detail impossible to be detected by a simple spectator.​

Mateusz Górecki:

– You finished your two previous Europeans in top 10. I guess the objective cannot be other than improve your best result?​

Maks:

– Everyone is so close that it’s difficult to predict the final results. The best thing is to concentrate on yourselves and not to think about the rivals. A clean program is the basis to obtain good results. So, we have to show what we can and then only wait for the judges’ score. If we start to think about our desire to medal, then our heads may not be able to handle it because instead of thinking about what you have to do on the ice, you start visualizing the podium. Our task is to skate two clean programs.​

Mateusz Górecki:

– In Poland you are followed by Justyna Plutowska and Jeremie Flemin. Are you worried about the possibility of losing the title of Polish best ice dancers?​

Natalia:

– It’s good that there’s someone who motivates us. Thanks to it we keep working hard and even in domestic competitions we have to show our best. Thanks to that we don’t stay in the same place and keep improving. Justyna and Jeremie are chasing us, but so far we have successfully managed to escape them. Finally, the difference between us are still over 25 points, which was seen at the last Polish Nationals. We work very hard with Sylwia, our coach, and all the coaching team and we respect all our rivals. The athletes are verified by their results, but in our case it’s the ice rink that influences our level. Each start is important because it decides about the Europeans and Worlds nomination. It’s good that PZŁF (the Polish Figure Skating Association) specified the qualification requirements, because now we know that we clearly won the domestic rivalry. We are glad there’s someone who wishes to fight for the spots with us. It’s always a good motivation to even harder work and this only leads to better results.​

Mateusz Górecki:

– There are opinions that you should try training abroad.​

Natalia:

– We know how they train in other countries because we have already cooperated with all bigger training centres in the world, so we can compare. There we can share the ice with other couples and that’s, undoubtedly, invaluable because in Toruń we usually skate alone. Sylwia Nowak-Trębacka is a very good coach and many people appreciate her opinions. She’s a very good specialist. Maybe not everyone knows it, but many foreign couples, presenting various skating levels, would like to train in our centre. It’s a pity that in Toruń we don’t have such comfortable and good the conditions as in other centres in the world. I mean the access to the training and temperature at the ice rink. If it weren’t for these two factors, we could probably be compared with the best figures skating centres, because our specialists are among the best ones. Maybe in the future we’ll arrive at a conclusion that we should change something, but as for now we’ll stick to our wonderful team. It’s not the place that matters, but who you train with and how you do it and the feeling that we can count on each other in every moment only gives us wings. The results of this cooperation are not only good positions in international events but also choosing our foxtrot as another compulsory pattern. We are glad next season all the junior pairs will have to include it in the RD.​

Mateusz Górecki:

– Last seasons you had problems with the access to the ice. Did the conditions improve after your started obtaining good results?​

Maks:

– It’s terribly cold on the ice rink. In such conditions we can’t even safely improve the elements of our programs. In autumn at the main and warmer ice-rink there are only 5-6 Celsius degrees. In the winter time it’s even worse and if the temperature is below zero, it’s difficult to skate. Currently we don’t have problem skating hours, although we would be more satisfied if we had 1,5 h a day more. We have some time only for ourselves or we share it with Ekaterina Kurakova, a single skater, who recently has joined our team. These are hours when we can work without distractions. Additionally, we also skate with our children ice dancing group, We can’t deny that couples at our level train in far better conditions.​

Mateusz Górecki:

– All the starts lead to another Olympic Games…​

Maks:

– We think about it and it makes us a little sad. That’s because there are still four years left. Our method consists of small steps and we set objectives before every single competition. There’s still a lot of time and we can also do a lot. However, the time goes by very quickly because not so long ago we started the trainings and we have already participated in our first Olympic Games. Our dream is to go to the next ones. Together with our wonderful team, we’ll do everything to achieve it.​

Mateusz Górecki:

– Not everyone knows that you used to skate with your brother Michał. Doesn’t he feel sorry when he sees your success?

Natalia

:​

- We skated in the JGP events in both categories. I remember when I competed in pairs, I was observing Justyna Plutowska, who is four years older than me and who was skating in ice dance. I was jealous because I had always dreamt of ice dancing. Michał was fascinated with pairs and switched to ice dance only because of me. Today I am making my dreams come true with Maks. Moreover, there was a big age difference between my brother and me – 6 years. Now he has his own life, graduated in law, is married and is happy. He still supports me. He very often goes to the major events and watches us live.​

 

[Mohacz]

For those who don't know, Natalia and Max joined Thomas Verner in the "Snow White on Ice" show. They visited 11 cities, among them Praga, Brno and Ostrava. Next season the show will travel to Poland and perform in 4 cities: Warsaw, Gdańsk, Katowice and Łódź.

A link to the Polish webpage: http://www.snehurkanalede.cz/pl/ (there's also Czech version available)

 

[WeakAnkles]

I'm still playing catchup with the new season, but I was very distressed to see that Maks apparently was in some kind of accident. Happily he's on the mend. Anyone know what happened?

Also, Doris told me that they plan on competing later this season and will be doing...Kinky Boots! for their RD. I've been so disappointed with the senior RDs so far. It's BROADWAY kids...where's the razzmatazz? the showmanship? The costumes alone for this should be superduper fun. I would cross my fingers for them, but that would make typing rather difficult...so I'll just wish them a speedy recovery and looking forward to the RD. The ISU could use some kink!