New Team Series: Shira Ichilov & Dmitriy Kravchenko
Welcome to IDC’s New Team Series! For this series, we interview athletes who will enter the upcoming 2023-24 season in a new partnership, or debuted last season. In our first interview, we check in with Shira Ichilov (20) and Dmitriy Kravchenko (18) who represent Israel at the senior level. New articles in this series will be posted every Monday.
Tell us about your individual skating journeys, including any early special memories.
Shira (SI): I started to roller skate when I was 3 yrs old. When I was 12 yrs old, my father spoke to Boris Chait, the President of the Israeli federation, and he suggested I try ice dancing. I tried figure skating , and a year later relocated to New Jersey to skate with my coach Galit Chait-Moracci .
Dmitriy (DK): when I was 4 years old on my birthday my parents took me to the rink and one of the coaches there said I should start taking lessons and that’s how I started.
What drew you to ice dance?
SI: I have always loved to dance since I was a baby. When I was still a roller skater, we all knew that jumping isn’t for me. I remember as a kid watching with my parents the Olympics and watching my coach Galit competing for israel at the Olympics with her Hava Nagila program. It’s something that will stay in my memories forever.
DK: I have always loved skating, but as a kid I didn’t want to try jumps because it scared me so my coach suggested to go to dance and I loved it from the first second.
Tell us how your partnership started.
SI: Dmitriy was skating in Israel for about a year before we started skating together. I have split with my partner after Worlds 2022 and was looking for a partner. At Nationals, me and Dmitriy met, then me, Dmitriy, my coach and the federation have decided to try out.
What is it that you already like most about dancing with your new partner?
SI: Dmitriy is a hard worker and passionate about skating and I think when you love what you do everything is possible.
DK: Shira is a hard worker! Even though she is more experienced than me, she never stops working and always pushing me and herself to the limit and always want to improve.
What experiences do each of you bring to the partnership?
SI: Dmitriy is a bit younger and less experienced than me. He hasn’t competed internationally yet. I have competed internationally for the last 7 years and participated in 3 World Championships and 2 junior.
DK: I don’t have much experience, but I’m learning and improving with the help of my coach Galit and partner!
What has been the biggest adjustment for each of you so far in the partnership?
SI: I think, for both of us, it’s a big challenge. Skating with a new partner is always a challenge, but I think we are on the right track.
DK: I think for me my biggest challenge will be to compete in the higher level, but I’m happy I have the best people by my side to help me achieve our goals together.
Tell us about your training site.
We are training with the Israeli team in New Jersey. Our team is like family. We have three coaches in our team: Galit Chait Moracci, Alexei Bychenko and Evgeni Krasnopolsky and we have our team leader that takes care of us like we are her own children. Also, Boris Chait gives us all the opportunities possible to make us the best we can possibly be.
There are 2 dance teams: me and my partner Dmitriy and Maria [Nosoviskaya] and Mikhail [Nosovitskiy] and we also have a pair team and singles skaters.
Who are your coaches? Did either or both have to relocate? If so, tell us about the move(s).
SI: I have been with Galit since age 13 years old. She has been with me for every step of the way (from learning how to do a crossover to going together to the World Championships!) Dmitriy is originally from Ukraine and had moved to Israel about a year ago. When we decided to skate together, he moved here to New Jersey.
DK: I have moved to New Jersey about 3 months ago. I love it! Everyone here has made my change very smooth and easy. I enjoy every moment here.
Who is choreographing your programs. Is someone else arranging your music? If so, please share those experiences.
Both: We went to Detroit to make our programs with Pasquale Camerlengo and Igor Shpilband. We had an amazing time making the new programs. We are very excited to show our programs. For the music, we are working with Hugo Chouinard.
What is each of you looking forward to most this skating season? What will be your biggest challenge(s)?
SI: I’m very excited to finally be back after not competing last season. I think our biggest challenge will be just like any other new team to get used to skating with each other and be able to show our best every single time.
DK: I’m looking forward to compete and show everybody our new programs and partnerships together.
Tell us about your program for this season.
Our SD this season will be Get down on it, Yesterday and It’s Raining Men. It’s a very fun program! Our free dance is to a singer from Montreal. It’s a beautiful song.
Please share anything you would like our readers to know about you as a team?
Both: I hope everyone will enjoy us this season we are very exited for our journey together! Our goal is to represent Israel at the Olympics and be a top ice dance team