Siblings in Skating #5: Alina & Kseniya Ponomaryova

For our fifth installment of Siblings in Skating, sisters Alina and Kseniya Ponomaryova share their unique coach-student relationship. 


While many siblings either skate together or train in the same location with different partners, few have the coach-student relationship of the Ponomaryova sisters. Despite the seven year age difference, Alina and Kseniya Ponomaryova share a close bond. They have supported each other through challenges that included relocating both within their native Ukraine, and then halfway around the world to the United States to follow their dreams. Their careers have been fueled by a love of the sport that they share with their parents.



“My mom did figure skating when she was a child,” Kseniya said. “Later on, my parents really enjoyed watching skating on TV, and they attended competitions. They put my sister Alina first on the ice.”

“I started skating at the age of 5 in Odessa, Ukraine, and I competed in freestyle,” Alina said. “I was very lucky that when I was 11, Galina Zmievskaya and Valentin Nikolayev were looking for young, talented kids. They selected a group of children around my age, and I was in this group. I learned a lot from these two coaches and their whole team of coaches and choreographers. It was a great experience in my life, learning everything about skating so deeply.”


Seven years later, Kseniya joined her sister on the ice.

“The system in the Ukraine is different than the U.S.—a coach has a group of children approximately the same age,” Kseniya explained. “When I was 5, they had new opening at the rink, so Alina suggested that it was time for me to start skating. When I was 6, we found out that one coach at the rink opened an ice dance group, and my parents decided to try that for me. I fell in love with ice dance right away; I have had no doubt since then that that’s what I want to do.” 



Though Alina had never competed in ice dancing, she found it was her passion. At the age of 16, she decided to pursue a coaching career.

“From this point, I did everything to get more experience and learn more how to be a coach,” Alina said. “I started to learn dance, because I liked dance and it was something I could use in coaching. I helped teach kids at the rink in Odessa.” 



When Kseniya was 11, the ice rink in Odessa was closed. Because the only remaining rink was smaller than NHL size, it was not a viable option for those who wished to continue skating competitively. At that time, Kiev was the center of figure skating and provided good training conditions, so the sisters relocated to Ukraine’s capital city—on their own. 



“I was 19 when we moved to Kiev,” Alina said. “Our parents couldn’t move with us, so we lived by ourselves. I was also one of Kseniya’s coaches. It was a little hard first, because Kseniya was only 11, and she couldn’t separate being a sister and being a student. Our parents were always our support. They would come to Kiev as often as they could, and we talked every day on the phone, but most of the time Kseniya and I were together.”

In addition to working with her sister, Alina worked with other skaters in Kiev, teaching off-ice ballet and coaching on ice while pursuing her degree. 

“I worked with ice dance teams in Kiev and I was helping to coach ice dancers on the Ukrainian National Team,” Alina said. “While I was living in Kiev, I finished Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts, where I studied to be a choreographer of classical and contemporary dance, and the National University of Physical Education and Sports of Ukraine, where my specialty was Figure Skating Coaching.”

“Alina always was along my skating way,” Kseniya added. “As an older sister and having experience in skating, she was always helping me. After she finished her university, she was working as the second coach of my main ice dance coach. In 2006, she became my primary coach.”

Just one year later, the siblings made the bold move across the world so that Kseniya could train and Alina could coach in the United States. 


“We are not only coach and student or sisters, we are also best friends,” Kseniya said. “Together we moved to the United States and met all the challenges that people meet when they move to another country.” 



Prior to moving to the United States, Kseniya had competed on the ISU’s Junior Grand Prix series representing Ukraine. She also won a silver medal at the 2008 Welsh Championships. Since 2012, Kseniya has been partnered on the ice with Oleg Altukhov, who moved with his family from Russia to the United States in 1991. The team placed 16th at the 2014 U.S. National Championships last January. Their 2014-15 season is off to a solid start after a free dance win at Chesapeake Open. They will next compete at the Lake Placid Ice Dancing Championships later this month.


Alina continues to serve as the main coach for Ponomaryova & Altukhov, but having your sister as your coach can create a challenging dynamic.

“She had to learn that she needs to respect me as a coach, but that took very little time,” Alina said. 



“When I was younger, we had more disagreements, because of the age difference,” Kseniya added. “It was hard for me to draw the line between on-ice and off-ice, but right now I have a great coach on the ice and best friend and sister off the ice.” 


Nearly 15 years since moving from making their first move together, it’s much easier for them to communicate.

“We understand each other from half a word and sometimes even from a look,” Kseniya said. “I know exactly what Alina wants to see from me. I also exactly know that she wants the best for me so I can trust her 100%. She knows words of support or encouragement when I need them.”