Post by Angela on Jul 23, 2006 11:41:06 GMT -5
(photos coming soon)
Natalya Ivanovna Romanova was born in Novgorod, USSR, on June 12, 1940. Her father Ivan perished in WWII, her mother died of starvation in 1951. Natalya was enrolled in ballet classes in 1943. She started taking skating lessons when she was five. The school intended to use her balletic talents as a pairs skater, but trying to partner her was next to impossible. Natalya was too independent for her own good, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to skate, rather than dance ballet full time and follow in the footsteps of the great Soviet ballerinas. She successfully managed to balance both until she was 10 years old. One day, she saw a man skating alone: Viktor Sergeievich Ignatiev.
Viktor was five years older than Natalya. Viktor's father, Sergei, died of a heart attack when Viktor was three. Unbeknownst to Viktor, his mother, Ekaterina, was suffering from cancer. She died when Viktor was twenty.
Natasha was enamored with the boy, who seemed to be the epitome of her "Prince Charming," and delighted in flirting innocently with him. They seemed a perfect match, and so were trained to become the Soviet Union's first powerhouse in pairs figure skating. Together, Natalya and Viktor won two Junior World Championships (1956, 1958), a record-setting six World Championships (1966-69, 1972-73), two Olympic Gold Medals (1964, 1968), and an Olympic Silver in 1972. The two retired after the World Championships in 1973 to coach and start a family.
Their primary focus had been to earn gold medals for the state. They had little or no private time with each other. Finally in December of 1971, Viktor proposed to Natasha. They married in January of 1973, and had a son, Mikhail, in 1979. Natasha would have liked to have started a family sooner, but their time wouldn't allow it. Despite being retired, they still coached, and had many students from all over the world beg for their help. They simply had no time to start a family, and little time to enjoy their marriage.
Together, Viktor and Natalya coached several champions and medalists in ladies, men, and pairs. They had strong ice dancers in their tutelage, but unfortunately none placed above fourth place in competitions. In 1982, Natalya met French coach Phillipe Rampal, who was eager to study their teaching methods. Despite the fact that she was a married woman, Phillipe pursued her, and tried to kiss her one fateful night. She promptly slapped him and stormed out. Phillipe left soon after.
Natalya and Viktor's specialty was coaching pairs, and together they coached the 1984 Olympic Champions, who returned to defend their title in 1988. Though they had managed their entire coaching careers without any secret judging, after a devastating second-place finish at the European Championships in 1988, Natalya was worried. A judge named Marina Kalinina came to her, offering her a deal. Natalya accepted, but changed her mind after the short program in the Olympics. The French team won, deservedly so, coached by Phillipe Rampal. However, Natalya and Viktor's team placed second, when they should have gotten bronze at the very least. The media was all over it, and Natalya, concerned for her reputation, publicly denied any secret judging was involved, and made up phony excuses as to why the Soviet team deserved silver. Even Viktor couldn't believe she was acting this way. The two were in controversy for months.
Finally, in 1989, Natalya threatened to go public about Marina. Marina took matters into her own hands. On January 14th, 1989, Natalya and Viktor's 16th anniversary, Viktor went out alone to get some champagne, and never came back. His car missed a sharp turn and crashed, and though he arrived in the hospital in critical condition, they claimed they couldn't save him, and he died. Devastated, Natalya returned home with Misha.
Misha made a vow as he saw his mother crying, to become a doctor, so he could prevent anyone else from sufferring this misery. Natalya made a vow too: She would cut herself off completely from the world of figure skating, and return to the world of ballet. She had a teaching job at the Kirov Academy until 1995, when a man named Aleksei Potemerenko came to her with a plea for help. His son, Evgeny, had been slapped earlier that day by his figure skating coach. Aleksei only wanted the best for his son, and since Natalya and Viktor had coached 1976 Olympic Champion Vassily Kleemovich, who also earned several World Championships thanks to them, Aleksei begged Natalya to return to coaching. She refused him at first, but he took her to a nearby rink where his son was skating. The boy had a natural talent for ballet, but lacked the jumps. All he needed was to harness that power and he'd be unbeatable. Natalya eagerly agreed, though she wasn't sure why. The next day, Evgeny Potemerenko was in her tutelage.
The rumors of her returning to coaching quickly spread, and calls from all over the world beckoned her aid. Once more she coached several students to various medals and titles, but her primary focus was Evgeny. He had a special quality about him that was as calm as the ice itself. She coached him to two Junior World Championships (1996-97) and a silver in the 1998 Junior Worlds. Held in St. Petersburg, the 1998 Junior Worlds would provide Natalya with an unexpected surprise: the winner in the men's event, 12-year-old French newcomer Alexander Dupont, was coached by Phillipe Rampal. A pleasant reunion occured, and the two parted ways amicably this time.
In 2001 Natalya moved to Pittsburgh with Misha, Evgeny, and his sister Nadya, upon discovering that Evgeny was in a dire situation (see the biography of Evgeny Potemerenko for more details). In 2003, fate would have Phillipe come into her life once more, this time to stay. Phillipe came to Pittsburg to train at the rink Natalya had bought, with his student Alexander Dupont in tow. Natalya gladly welcomed them, and, after a few weeks, Phillipe asked her on a date. She accepted, and the two started dating occasionally at first, then regularly. Finally, Phillipe proposed to her in 2004. The two married in 2005. Natalya will always love Viktor, but she lives a happy life with Phillipe.
Until 2003, Viktor's accident remained, in the eyes of Natasha and most of the world, as an accident. But when Phillipe was in a similar accident in 2003, which left him in a coma, Natasha did some investigating. Alexander Dupont was in peril with the French Skating Federation, and he thought they might have had something to do with it. After Natalya did some investigating, she followed Marina Kalinina to her nearby home in Pittsburgh. Demanding she tell all, Natalya was so infuriated, she pulled a gun on her, all the while tape-recording their conversation. She did reveal all, including the fact that Viktor' accident was not an accident. In a rage, Natalya shot at Marina, but missed, thankfully, and she hurried to her home. Marina would pay for what she did, through the legal way.
Since her return to coaching, many pairs came begging her help, and she always refused. She vowed never to coach a pair or dance team ever again, because of the pain it brought her. However in 2003, just before the arrival of Phillipe, American-Russian pair Angela Rabatin and Arsenij Jidkov came asking her advice. After a long talk with them, Natalya offered to coach them. She coached them to the 2004 Olympic Silver Medal and 2004 World Championship Gold, along with three American National Titles.
Natalya Ivanovna Romanova was born in Novgorod, USSR, on June 12, 1940. Her father Ivan perished in WWII, her mother died of starvation in 1951. Natalya was enrolled in ballet classes in 1943. She started taking skating lessons when she was five. The school intended to use her balletic talents as a pairs skater, but trying to partner her was next to impossible. Natalya was too independent for her own good, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to skate, rather than dance ballet full time and follow in the footsteps of the great Soviet ballerinas. She successfully managed to balance both until she was 10 years old. One day, she saw a man skating alone: Viktor Sergeievich Ignatiev.
Viktor was five years older than Natalya. Viktor's father, Sergei, died of a heart attack when Viktor was three. Unbeknownst to Viktor, his mother, Ekaterina, was suffering from cancer. She died when Viktor was twenty.
Natasha was enamored with the boy, who seemed to be the epitome of her "Prince Charming," and delighted in flirting innocently with him. They seemed a perfect match, and so were trained to become the Soviet Union's first powerhouse in pairs figure skating. Together, Natalya and Viktor won two Junior World Championships (1956, 1958), a record-setting six World Championships (1966-69, 1972-73), two Olympic Gold Medals (1964, 1968), and an Olympic Silver in 1972. The two retired after the World Championships in 1973 to coach and start a family.
Their primary focus had been to earn gold medals for the state. They had little or no private time with each other. Finally in December of 1971, Viktor proposed to Natasha. They married in January of 1973, and had a son, Mikhail, in 1979. Natasha would have liked to have started a family sooner, but their time wouldn't allow it. Despite being retired, they still coached, and had many students from all over the world beg for their help. They simply had no time to start a family, and little time to enjoy their marriage.
Together, Viktor and Natalya coached several champions and medalists in ladies, men, and pairs. They had strong ice dancers in their tutelage, but unfortunately none placed above fourth place in competitions. In 1982, Natalya met French coach Phillipe Rampal, who was eager to study their teaching methods. Despite the fact that she was a married woman, Phillipe pursued her, and tried to kiss her one fateful night. She promptly slapped him and stormed out. Phillipe left soon after.
Natalya and Viktor's specialty was coaching pairs, and together they coached the 1984 Olympic Champions, who returned to defend their title in 1988. Though they had managed their entire coaching careers without any secret judging, after a devastating second-place finish at the European Championships in 1988, Natalya was worried. A judge named Marina Kalinina came to her, offering her a deal. Natalya accepted, but changed her mind after the short program in the Olympics. The French team won, deservedly so, coached by Phillipe Rampal. However, Natalya and Viktor's team placed second, when they should have gotten bronze at the very least. The media was all over it, and Natalya, concerned for her reputation, publicly denied any secret judging was involved, and made up phony excuses as to why the Soviet team deserved silver. Even Viktor couldn't believe she was acting this way. The two were in controversy for months.
Finally, in 1989, Natalya threatened to go public about Marina. Marina took matters into her own hands. On January 14th, 1989, Natalya and Viktor's 16th anniversary, Viktor went out alone to get some champagne, and never came back. His car missed a sharp turn and crashed, and though he arrived in the hospital in critical condition, they claimed they couldn't save him, and he died. Devastated, Natalya returned home with Misha.
Misha made a vow as he saw his mother crying, to become a doctor, so he could prevent anyone else from sufferring this misery. Natalya made a vow too: She would cut herself off completely from the world of figure skating, and return to the world of ballet. She had a teaching job at the Kirov Academy until 1995, when a man named Aleksei Potemerenko came to her with a plea for help. His son, Evgeny, had been slapped earlier that day by his figure skating coach. Aleksei only wanted the best for his son, and since Natalya and Viktor had coached 1976 Olympic Champion Vassily Kleemovich, who also earned several World Championships thanks to them, Aleksei begged Natalya to return to coaching. She refused him at first, but he took her to a nearby rink where his son was skating. The boy had a natural talent for ballet, but lacked the jumps. All he needed was to harness that power and he'd be unbeatable. Natalya eagerly agreed, though she wasn't sure why. The next day, Evgeny Potemerenko was in her tutelage.
The rumors of her returning to coaching quickly spread, and calls from all over the world beckoned her aid. Once more she coached several students to various medals and titles, but her primary focus was Evgeny. He had a special quality about him that was as calm as the ice itself. She coached him to two Junior World Championships (1996-97) and a silver in the 1998 Junior Worlds. Held in St. Petersburg, the 1998 Junior Worlds would provide Natalya with an unexpected surprise: the winner in the men's event, 12-year-old French newcomer Alexander Dupont, was coached by Phillipe Rampal. A pleasant reunion occured, and the two parted ways amicably this time.
In 2001 Natalya moved to Pittsburgh with Misha, Evgeny, and his sister Nadya, upon discovering that Evgeny was in a dire situation (see the biography of Evgeny Potemerenko for more details). In 2003, fate would have Phillipe come into her life once more, this time to stay. Phillipe came to Pittsburg to train at the rink Natalya had bought, with his student Alexander Dupont in tow. Natalya gladly welcomed them, and, after a few weeks, Phillipe asked her on a date. She accepted, and the two started dating occasionally at first, then regularly. Finally, Phillipe proposed to her in 2004. The two married in 2005. Natalya will always love Viktor, but she lives a happy life with Phillipe.
Until 2003, Viktor's accident remained, in the eyes of Natasha and most of the world, as an accident. But when Phillipe was in a similar accident in 2003, which left him in a coma, Natasha did some investigating. Alexander Dupont was in peril with the French Skating Federation, and he thought they might have had something to do with it. After Natalya did some investigating, she followed Marina Kalinina to her nearby home in Pittsburgh. Demanding she tell all, Natalya was so infuriated, she pulled a gun on her, all the while tape-recording their conversation. She did reveal all, including the fact that Viktor' accident was not an accident. In a rage, Natalya shot at Marina, but missed, thankfully, and she hurried to her home. Marina would pay for what she did, through the legal way.
Since her return to coaching, many pairs came begging her help, and she always refused. She vowed never to coach a pair or dance team ever again, because of the pain it brought her. However in 2003, just before the arrival of Phillipe, American-Russian pair Angela Rabatin and Arsenij Jidkov came asking her advice. After a long talk with them, Natalya offered to coach them. She coached them to the 2004 Olympic Silver Medal and 2004 World Championship Gold, along with three American National Titles.
