Katia Gordeeva & Daria

[PlatniumAngel]

Does anybody know what Katia Gordeeva is doing and where she is? Is she on tour? I heard she was coaching? If so, anybody know where she coaches? Thanks! :D

[danibellerika]

I think she coaches her daughter.

[PlatniumAngel]

do you know where she lives & what rink she is training/coaching at? I think she'd make a great coach!

[danibellerika]

For some reason L.A. is coming to my mind but I'm not sure.

[Roseline]

Simsbury. Katia, Ilia and the girls recently moved back there, it has been reported (and confirmed by her in articles).

Edited to add some relevant pictures from the Victory for Kids show at the beginning of October. http://www.gg-corner.de/pictures/e/e_20031004_viktory.htm

[jcspkbfan]

The G&G Corner also has a couple of translations of a Russian article about Katia when she was in St. Petersburg for Artur Dmitriev's show a few weeks ago:

http://www.gg-corner.de/articles/2003/20031014a.htm
http://www.gg-corner.de/articles/2003/20031014b.htm

This is the same article on both links; just two different translations. :)

This is probably the longest interview Katia has done--in any language--for at least two years and she answers a lot of the questions fans have been curious about. :)

[Ileana]

Thanks so much for those links! The pictures are great!

[3Loop3Loop]

Who did Katia have a chance to continue skating pairs with? Ilia? Can anyone comment at what level Daria skates?

[Schmeck]

Roseline, thanks for the link to photos - Daria looks so much like her mother on the ice, with the lovely extension and proud positions!

It's hard to comment on the article, since it's a translation, but I found a lot of what was said in it to be presumptious (sp?) and rude, with too much speculation (like why Tara is not with SOI?) and innuendo. But a lot of that can come from the translation, so it can't be counted on as being said in the exact mannner it sounds in English. I think I need to learn Russian...

Schmeck

[Mistyeyed]

It seems strange to me that they link mentioned the show producers said that it would not be profitable to have two Russian mens champions in the same field signed together in the show so Ilia K. was mentioned as his contract was expired and not renewed and Yags was signed on.

Well in my personal opinion, I would have went and watched them both Ilia and Yags. I would think that the more the better. They are both great talents and both unique. :?? I just don't understand the reasoning it that paragraph.

Also, Katia used to say that she did not wish Daria to be a skater.
However, it appears that Daria does seem to enjoy skating as a child thus far. She looks just like her dad sometimes and sometimes she looks just like her mom and an added twist of Ilia too boot. I think she has alot of potential and maybe she will be one of the up and commer's that brings skating ratings back to the forefront. I would enjoy seeing her skate and I would think that others would pay to see her skate, as well as other young talent, if she keeps it up in the near future if that is not already happening.

And I think too that America has been good to foreign skaters and very acceptable and helped them to bloom on the soil over here, so-to-speak. It has helped them to become more publicized. I think too that the Russian coaches have come over here and helped out the skaters over here and helped them to achieve some of the great
Russian technique and style that they were lacking. It has been a wonderful and enlightening experience and has worked well for both sides. American really embraces not just "our" own skaters but the Russian skaters as well.

[Alexa]

The part of the article prior to the interview bothered me a bit. The author suggested that America tried to profit from Katerina's grief when Sergei died, and I don't think that is true at all. Sure, the public was interested, but mainly out of sadness for her loss and the shock of him dying so young. Katerina is the one that chose to do the business ventures that she took on....book, movie, Target line of perfume, etc. America supported her, but did not force her to do those things.

As for the pictures, Daria is so cute! She inherited a beautiful blend of her father's and mother's looks. Katerina is so naturally beautiful--they make quite the mother/daughter pair.

[Trillian]

Originally posted by Mistyeyed
Also, Katia used to say that she did not wish Daria to be a skater.
However, it appears that Daria does seem to enjoy skating as a child thus far. She looks just like her dad sometimes and sometimes she looks just like her mom and an added twist of Ilia too boot. I think she has alot of potential and maybe she will be one of the up and commer's that brings skating ratings back to the forefront.

Daria is 11 now, right? Most girls her age who will be successful on the senior international level are probably competing in juvenile or intermediate (a few even in novice). I'm not sure about Daria's test level, but she hasn't competed at regionals and there's no indication she's any more than a semi-serious skater. Until she at least enters regionals, I wouldn't expect too much of her competitively--at least not in singles. Maybe she just enjoys skating--maybe she'll wind up doing some minor pro skating, or go into pairs or dance--she's probably not a future Olympian, though. Seems to me that she's a normal, happy kid who skates for fun, and there's nothing wrong with that.

In contrast, Artur Dmitriev's son, who is about the same age as Daria IIRC, placed fifth at North Atlantic regionals in juvenile this year. That's about where a future elite skater would be at this point (not that I'm saying Dmitriev's son is guarunteed anything, but he's on track anyway), and it doesn't seem to be the path Daria is pursuing in the sport.

[Sylvia]

Originally posted by Trillian
Daria is 11 now, right?

Yes, she turned 11 last month.

Most girls her age who will be successful on the senior international level are probably competing in juvenile or intermediate (a few even in novice). I'm not sure about Daria's test level,

She competed as a Pre-Juvenile in a few club competitions this season, with mixed results (at one, she did much better in her artistic event than in the freestyle event). This means she probably has a single axel and is working on doubles through lutz.

but she hasn't competed at regionals and there's no indication she's any more than a semi-serious skater. Until she at least enters regionals, I wouldn't expect too much of her competitively--at least not in singles.

For those who don't know, the 8 USFSA test and competition levels (lowest to highest) are: Pre-Preliminary, Preliminary, Pre-Juvenile, Juvenile, Intermediate, Novice, Junior, Senior. Juvenile is the first level at which skaters can qualify for Nationals. Juvenile and Intermediate skaters go to "Junior Nationals"; Novice, Junior and Senior skaters go to "Senior Nationals."

Maybe she just enjoys skating--maybe she'll wind up doing some minor pro skating, or go into pairs or dance--she's probably not a future Olympian, though. Seems to me that she's a normal, happy kid who skates for fun, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Well put! :)

[Calgary88]

Trillian, this is very interesting news. So at this point Artur's son is pursuing singles and not pairs? What is his son's name? Are Artur and his son American citizens, then?

[ClevelandDancer]

Originally posted by Calgary88
Trillian, this is very interesting news. So at this point Artur's son is pursuing singles and not pairs? What is his son's name? Are Artur and his son American citizens, then?

Not surprising ... in the old Russian system, 11yo would be too young for a boy (heck, on the young side for a girl) to get matched up for pairs. I'm thinking the usual age was more like 16 or so? Even if he does eventually want to do pairs, it's even young for here. Singles would be the path to be on right now for either pairs or singles in the future, build up those skills!

[Sylvia]

Artur's son is listed as "Artour Dmitriev" in the Juvenile Boys' results at North Atlantics. Here's a photo of young Artour (he also turned 11 last month) with Daria at the "Viktory for Kids" benefit show in Danbury, CT, earlier this month:
http://www.gg-corner.de/pictures/e/2003/vfk/20031004_vfk_d03.jpg

As you can see, he seems a bit small to be doing pairs just yet! ;)

[Trillian]

Sylvia, thanks for the photo link--that's adorable! As someone who remembers the G&G/M&D years of pairs skating, I have to smile at seeing those two kids together.

[Mistyeyed]

I am a dreamer, I know but wouldn't it be great if those two kids became pairs partners one day?

[FSWer]

I just saw Daria's picture's, and I can only praise the kid to how well she skates by saying that she DEFFENITELY has the Laybay of her mother!!!!! WAY TO GO DARIA!!!!!!

[FSWer]

Does anyone know what level she is? Just wondering.

[Sylvia]

Originally posted by FSWer
Does anyone know what level she is? Just wondering.

FSWer, Adrian just moved your question into this thread. I had answered the question in one of my posts in this thread earlier today (look above) -- Daria currently competes at the Pre-Juvenile level. Her last name is "Grinkova" (Russian females usually add an "a" at the end of their father's names).

[FSWer]

Thanks. My god if she's higher then Novice and at Pre-Juv. she surely has a lot of talent for an 11 year old!!!!!

[FSWer]

BTW. when did Katia come back to Simsbury? Gee,I hope she stays for good.

[Sylvia]

Pre-Juvenile is 3 levels below Novice in the USFSA testing system. As Trillian mentioned in her post above, it's way too early to know if Daria will be a "successful" competitive skater... or if she herself even wants to be. As long as she's having fun right now, that's all that really matters. Also, I've heard that Katia, Daria, Ilia are currently based at the rink in Newington, and not Simsbury. They all moved from L.A. at the end of the summer, I believe.

[FSWer]

Does she have any idea on when she will decide if she wants to follow-in her mother's footsteps or not? It's up to her. But I personally hope she goes for it as she certainly has the gift.

[Sylvia]

Originally posted by FSWer
Does she have any idea on when she will decide if she wants to follow-in her mother's footsteps or not? It's up to her. But I personally hope she goes for it as she certainly has the gift.

Daria's only 11 - she's probably not thinking that far ahead yet! ;) From what I saw of her televised Hallmark exhibition duet with her mom (and from reading reports of her solo exhibition at the "Viktory for Kids" show), Daria appears to have the "gift" for performing and connecting with an audience, but whether or not she has the "gift" for competing well and learning the hard jumps she needs to be a successful competitive skater -- well, that's an entirely different matter, and only time will tell. To put things in perspective, by Daria's current age of 11, Katia was already training full-time in pairs with Sergei Grinkov and it was a serious job/career for both of them (as Katia described in _My Sergei_).

[Trillian]

Originally posted by Sylvia
To put things in perspective, by Daria's current age of 11, Katia was already training full-time in pairs with Sergei Grinkov and it was a serious job/career for both of them (as Katia described in _My Sergei_).

Yes, and as far as pairs go, you'd also have to hope Daria was built for it. Based on the photos I've seen, it seems that no one else in Katia's immediate family (or Sergei's) is as small as she is, so I'd guess the odds are against Daria being a pairs skater as an adult. But who knows, people get lucky. Otherwise, dance would be an option still, if she were to decide to start training seriously in the next few years. As far as singles goes, though--frankly, an 11-year-old who's only in pre-juv now has missed the boat as far as being a future star is concerned. This is a sport where what you're doing at age 11 really does matter in the long term, unfortunately. So I'd guess if Daria decides at some point that she wants a career in skating, dance or pro tours/shows (Disney On Ice, whatever) would be her most viable options.