New Workforce Collection: Adrienne Carhart & Oleksandr Kolosovskyi

Welcome to IDC’s New Workforce Collection! For this collection, we interview athletes who will enter the upcoming 2023-24 season in a brand new partnership, or debuted final season. In our second interview, we test in with Adrienne Carhart (21) and Oleksandr Kolosovskyi (21) who signify Azerbaijan on the senior stage.  New articles on this collection will likely be posted each Monday.

Tell us about your particular person skating journeys, together with any early particular recollections.
Adrienne (AC): I began skating at 7 years outdated, when a pal of mine invited me to a skating lesson. From there, I continued on with my youthful sister Helena and I’ve liked it since then.

Oleksandr (OK): I began skating after I was 7 years outdated as nicely, however in Odessa. There is just one rink in Odessa however I’ve a whole lot of nice recollections of that rink and studying how one can skate there. I competed in singles skating rather a lot all through Ukraine till I used to be about 15 years outdated. Then I moved to Kiev to start out ice dancing. 

What drew you to ice dance?
AC: In all honesty, I keep in mind watching ice dance as a child and pondering there was no means I might be an ice dancer! After rising up in a family full of ladies and going to an all-girls highschool, the concept of skating with a boy didn’t attraction to me. It wasn’t till I had reconstructive hip surgical procedure after I was 15 years outdated and needed to take a 12 months off the ice that I even thought-about ice dancing. Nevertheless, after only a few weeks of attempting it out I knew this was what I wished to do. Now I like skating with a accomplice and I like engaged on all of the little particulars that go into ice dancing. There may be a lot precision and thought put into each step.

OK: My mother heard there was an incredible ice dance coach in Kiev that had a woman on the lookout for a accomplice, so she thought it might be good for me to attempt ice dancing. At first, I discovered it fairly uncommon to skate with one other particular person in place, but it surely supplied me with a brand new problem which I preferred. I like the technical points of ice dance, like turns and footwork, however I additionally actually take pleasure in lifts and the acrobatics concerned in partnered skating. 

Inform us how your partnership began (Accomplice Search, coaching mate, and many others.) Describe the tryout.
AC: Sasha and I truly knew one another earlier than we began skating collectively. We each educated with Marina in 2019 with completely different companions and we had been good buddies. I ended up shifting to France and Sasha was coaching with a brand new accomplice in Russia, so we misplaced contact for a couple of years. After we noticed one another once more, it was like no time had handed – our friendship picked up proper the place we left off. 

OK: Marina referred to as me proper after my earlier partnership ended. She was my coach after I was junior and we had stayed involved, so I used to be joyful to listen to from her. She informed me Adrienne was additionally on the lookout for a accomplice, and Adrienne and I had been buddies for a very long time. So we had a tryout and we had been an incredible match. 

What’s it that you simply already like most about dancing together with your new accomplice?
AC: It doesn’t matter what sort of day we’re having, Sasha all the time makes me chortle. We stability one another out so nicely. Sasha may be very affected person  – he’s so good at staying calm and relaxed underneath stress. Coaching is really easy and  particular when you’re skating with a pal.    

OK: Adrienne and I are each very fortunate as a result of we’ve had an incredible friendship off the ice for therefore a few years. I’ve by no means seen anybody work as arduous as Adrienne! Additionally, she is an incredible dancer and he or she may be very creative. She has an incredible imaginative and prescient for every of our packages and I belief her.   

What experiences do every of you convey to the partnership? (Worldwide competitions, coaching, and many others.)
OK: I’ve competed internationally for a few years now, so I introduced a whole lot of expertise to the partnership.

AC: Sasha was very supportive of me this season, since this was my first season competing internationally. 

What has been the largest adjustment for every of you to this point within the partnership?
AC: There are the conventional challenges of a brand new partnership, studying to skate collectively and attending to know the opposite particular person. Sasha and I’ve nice communication, and we work so nicely collectively. I’ve by no means had a partnership the place we might talk as brazenly as we do. 

OK: There hasn’t been a giant adjustment. We’re all the time sincere with one another about what’s working and what’s not, and Adrienne may be very form. 

Inform us about your coaching website. (Location, amenities, dance mates, lessons, and many others.)
OK: We practice on the Worldwide Skating Academy in Estero, FL. Coaching in Florida, the climate is heat and delightful. We do a whole lot of coaching outdoors within the recent air, and I am going to the seashore and leap within the water after a protracted day of skating. 

AC: I’m the oldest of 4 ladies, all of whom skate, they usually all practice with Marina in Florida. Attending to see them on daily basis and share all these experiences with them is one thing I’m extraordinarily grateful for. My sister Helena and her accomplice Vova are the reigning US Junior Silver Medalists, and they’re an incredible group to look at. We additionally practice with Pilipino group Isabella Gamez and Alexandr Korovin, and Ukrainian group Zoe Larson and Andrei Kapran. We’re so fortunate to coach with groups which can be additionally our good buddies. 

Final season we educated with Kana Muramoto and Daisuke Takahashi earlier than they introduced their retirement this 12 months. It was very unhappy for me, since Kana is considered one of my closest buddies and the rink just isn’t the identical with out them. We use Kana and Dais as our inspiration rather a lot. 

Who’re your coaches?  Did both or each must relocate? If that’s the case, inform us concerning the transfer(s).
AC: We’re coached by Marina Zoueva, Ilya Tkachenko, Nora Hoffmann, Johnny Johns, and Yelena Sokolova. We additionally work with ballroom dancers Randi Robust, Henry Byalikov, and Maksim Kozhevnikov. Sasha and I each educated in different international locations earlier than we got here again to Marina. 

OK: I relocated from Austria to Florida. Nevertheless, since I had already educated right here earlier than, it already felt way more like residence. 

Who’s choreographing your packages. Is another person arranging your music? If that’s the case, please share these experiences.
AC: Sasha and I had been very excited concerning the 80’s theme for the RD this 12 months. We started working with Henry, considered one of our ballroom coaches, on choreography off the ice. Our coach Ilya Tkachenko then took that and helped us adapt all of the dancing for the ice. 

OK: Max Kozhevnikov helped us with the idea for our free dance. We liked our Egyptian program from final season, so it took us some time to discover a piece of music that everybody preferred for our FD. Nevertheless, as soon as Max began working with us this system actually got here collectively. Ilya is a good choreographer as nicely; he has been so concerned in our artistic course of this season, and due to that our packages are coming alongside properly. 

Should you might have a lesson with any ice dancer previous/current, who wouldn’t it be? Why?
AC: Mmm there are such a lot of superb groups…I must say Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier. I noticed their Evita FD at worlds final season and it introduced me to tears. They’re so dedicated to the story they’re telling – as quickly as they step on the ice they’re in character! They’re each so form and I actually look as much as them as athletes and as individuals. 

OK: I’d say Meryl Davis and Charlie White, as a result of they had been so modern. They had been so fast on the ice and their lifts had been superb. I’ve all the time liked and admired their skating. 

What’s every of you trying ahead to most this skating season? What will likely be your largest problem(s)?
AC: Final season was my first competing on the worldwide circuit, and since we had been a brand new partnership we didn’t begin till the top of October. I like to compete, so I’m trying ahead to performing rather a lot this season. Final season our purpose was to place out strong performances each time. This season, we wish to skate fearlessly and with confidence. Now could be the time to place our heads down and work so we are able to enhance over the following few years. 

OK: I believe we’ve a lot potential as a group. We’re tall and have lengthy stunning strains with a whole lot of pace. In fact we wish to enhance our outcomes and world standing from final season, however greater than that we wish to solidify our skating and look as a group. It will likely be our second season collectively, so we’re nonetheless studying how one can transfer collectively and how one can compete collectively. 

What’s your debut competitors this season?
AC: Our first competitors would be the Dallas Traditional in July, after which we’ll head to Lake Placid as our first worldwide for the season. 

OK: We are going to do a couple of native competitions first earlier than we head to our internationals. 

Please share something you prefer to our readers to find out about you as a group?
OK: We now have labored arduous within the off season to enhance our approach and our pace throughout the ice. I’m very enthusiastic about our packages for this season, and I hope the judges and skating viewers will take pleasure in them too!

AC: I owe a lot to my household, to my mother and father for his or her fixed love and assist, and in addition to my sisters who I get to share this journey with. We now have a lot extra to show and to indicate – that is just the start for us!