Blossom on Ice, Автор в Blossom on Ice

September 29, 2025October 12, 2025

Elizaveta Pasechnik and Dario Cirisano: “If We’re the Only Ones Pleased with Ourselves, Something’s Amiss”

This past weekend in Saint Petersburg, the Russian national figure skating team held open test skates at the Yubileyny Sports Complex. The skaters showcased their programs as they prepare for the new competitive season.

Silver medalists from the Russian Grand Prix Final, Elizaveta Pasechnik and Dario Cirisano, selected music from the opera “Thaïs” by French composer Jules Massenet for their free dance. After their performance, Elizaveta and Dario shared their thoughts in the mixed zone.

Elizaveta:

Not everything went perfectly, but we were ready for it (smiles). We really tried our hardest to give it our all.

Dario:

We’re still far from our peak form; after all, it’s just the beginning of the season.

Elizaveta:

But it’s a solid start.

September 21, 2024April 28, 2025

Vasilisa Kaganovskaya and Maxim Nekrasov: “We Just Clicked from the First Practice”

On September 14th and 15th, Russia’s national figure skating team held open test skates at the Yubileyny Ice Arena in St. Petersburg. As usual, the skaters debuted the programs they’ll be performing in the new competitive season.

For the ice dance duo of Vasilisa Kaganovskaya and Maxim Nekrasov, this was their first appearance as an official pair in a competitive setting. Last season, they performed together in the “Russian Challenge” show and in Ilya Averbukh’s ice show. While the test skates aren’t scored with placements, the programs are judged under ISU rules, and both skaters and coaches receive feedback from judges.

After their rhythm dance, Vasilisa and Maxim shared their thoughts in the mixed zone.

Your first time skating together in an almost competitive atmosphere as a new team. How did it feel?

Vasilisa:

Oh, I’ve said this a lot today, but I’ll say it again—it was really nerve-wracking! Our biggest challenge was to fight through the nerves. A year off is a long time, and we wanted to show everything we’ve worked on during that break. Overall, we’re happy with our skate. We know what we need to improve, and we’ll keep building from here.

September 19, 2024September 21, 2024

Makar Ignatov: “Two People in a Family Is Hard Enough”

The 2024-2025 Russian figure skating season is kicking off, as usual, with test skates. This year, they’re taking place at the Yubileyny Ice Palace in St. Petersburg, where the Russian national team skaters are presenting their new programs to judges and fans alike.

It’s been quite an eventful offseason for the 2021 Russian Championship silver medalist and multiple-time national and international medalist Makar Ignatov. After skating his short program, he talked with journalists about the changes in both his personal and professional life.

Newly married and with a new coaching team – how are these changes impacting you, your skating, and your programs?

Well, yeah, they definitely are. It’d be silly to say everything stayed the same. There have been a lot of changes, and changes always push you forward, take you out of your comfort zone. I believe standing still is the same as going backwards, so I’m always looking to move ahead.

How do you feel about today’s performance?

My jumps were solid, but my skating… (pauses). I liked how I started, but then I faded a bit. It’s just nerves – this was my first public skate of the season. It’s not an official competition, but there’s still a level of responsibility you feel. Overall, I’d rate myself around a 6 or 7 out of 10.

We have to ask about your new hairstyle.

I’ve been wanting to try something different for a while. It just so happened that Sasha was getting her hair done, and I thought, “Why not? I want to do it too.” So I said, “Let’s go together!” And, well, we did (laughs).