11 teams to compete in 47th Nebelhorn Trophy

by Laura Flagg | Photo by Danielle Earl

The second event in the Challenger Series will be this week, as the Nebelhorn Trophy will be held in Oberstdorf, Germany.  Eleven teams representing seven countries will be competing in the ice dance competition.  For the short dance this season, the teams will be doing steps from the Ravensburger Waltz, named for the city Ravensburger, Germany, which is less than two hours from Oberstdorf by car. 

Reigning U.S. Champions and World silver medalists, Madison Chock & Evan Bates will be the heavy favorites.  They will be debuting their two new programs: a short dance to “Dark Eyes” and a free dance to Piano Concerto No. 2 by Sergei Rachmaninov, a piece used by many freestyle skaters, but rarely by ice dancers.  They train with Igor Shpilband in Novi, Michigan.

Also, representing the U.S. are Anastasia Cannuscio & Colin McManus.  They earned a medal in the Challenger Series last season and have an opportunity to do again here.  The duo, who also placed 5th at U.S. Nationals, will be performing their free dance to Symphony No. 9, Moonlight Sonata and Symphony No. 5, by Ludwig van Beethoven.  Cannuscio & McManus are coached by Karen Ludington and Christine Moxley in Newark, Delaware.

Alexandra Paul & Mitchell Islam (pictured, right) are making their international debut this season with new coaches Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon.  After a slow start last season, which caused them to replace their original free dance (ironically choreographed by their new coaches), they will be looking for two strong performances and a medal.  Their free dance music is “Where Is it Written?” by Barbra Streisand.  Paul and Islam are the reigning Canadian bronze medalists.

Competing in their first senior international event are fellow Canadians Lauren Collins & Shane Firus.   They placed 2nd in Juniors at Canadian Nationals last season.  Collins & Firus are coached by David Islam (who, yes, is Mitchell Islam’s father) in Barrie, Ontario.  They will be using by Second Waltz by Dmitri Shostakovich for their short dance.

One of the youngest teams at this competition are Natalia Kaliszek & Maksim Spodirev of Poland.  Last season, which was their first together, they finished seventh at the World Junior Championship, and 24th at the (Senior) World Championship.  They are coached by Sylwia Nowak-Trebacka and Anastasia Vykhodtseva.

Alisa Agafonova & Alper Ucar, who represent Turkey, should have good memories of this competition, as a 5th place finish two seasons ago earned them a spot in Sochi for the 2014 Olympics.  They have potential to do even better this year, as a medal would be a realistic goal.  They are coached by Alexander Zhulin and Oleg Volkov in Moscow, Russia.  Agafonova & Ucar finished 14th at the World Championships last season.

With the retirement of Nelli Zhiganshina & Alexander Gazsi, there is a hole at the top of German ice dance hierarchy.  Three of the teams who are looking to fill it will be competing this week.  Katharina Müller & Tim Dieck, who are coached by Vitali Schulz & James Young, are a young team who placed 13th at the World Junior Championships last season.  Also competing for Germany are Jennifer Urban & Sevan Lerche, who were 21st at Europeans last season and train in Oberstdorf with Rostislav Sinicyn, and Kavita Lorenz & Joti Polizoakis, who teamed up this past spring and are coached by Igor Shpilband.

Rounding out the field are Katarina Paice & Yuri Eremenko of Switzerland, who train with Alexander Gazsi, and Lorenza Alessandrini and Pierre Souquet, who were 4th at the French National Championships last season.

The short dance is on Thursday the 24th; the free dance is on Saturday the 26th.