Post by Angela on Sept 14, 2008 14:05:23 GMT -5
Real Name (first name only will do): Angela
AIM Screenname (optional): AnyaAng
Character's Full Name: Natalya Ivanovna Romanova (maiden name), Natalya Ivanovna Ignatieva (married name), Natalya Ivanovna Ignatieva-Rampal (second married name, this is how she is called today)
Nickname: Natasha, Tasha (to romantic lovers)
Date of Birth: November 9th, 1937
Place of Birth: Moscow, USSR
Appearance (provide either a description or photograph): Shoulder-length wavy black hair, streaked with grey, 5'4", light tan skin, fair complexion, weighs just 110 pounds but is healthy, always wears her hair in a bun, has hazel eyes
Character Model: None
Personality: Honest, but caring of others' feelings, to the point, serious, romantic, often sentimental, strict but not overbearing, critical but understanding, compassionate, she's a great listener but speaks her mind
Occupation: None, she used to be a coach/choreographer but retired
Biography: Natasha is a former ballerina for the Kirov Ballet. She was also a legendary figure skater in the pairs discipline with Viktor Ignatiev. Together, they won an unprecedented and still unmatched 16 World Championships and 3 Olympic Gold Medals in a career spanning from 1951 to 1973. In all, they competed in 5 Olympic Games, winning the 3 Gold and 1 Silver. The couple married in the summer of 1964 and she took Viktor's last name, becoming Natalya Ignatieva, but were unable to find the time to have any children. Finally, after they won their third Olympics, they intended to retire and start coaching. However, the Soviet Union begged them to stay for just one more year, so they competed in 1973, winning their last World Championship. In 1975, Natasha gave birth to her only child, a boy whom they named Mikhail. They then shocked their country when they moved from Moscow to St. Petersburg in 1976.
Natasha was not one to be idle, so she auditioned (at her own insistence) for th Kirov Ballet in 1977. The company's directors were stunned at how well she was trained, considering she was a figure skater. Natasha admitted to having had formal dance training all her life, but was unable to join a company because of her skating. But ballet was her first love since early childhood, and the company immediately accepted her, and she began performing alongside dancing's elite.
At the same time, she and her husband began coaching and choreographing for other skaters, of all disciplines, who came seeking their help. Things were going swimmingly; as Natasha and Viktor's coaching and choreography was revered in the skating world, her dancing with the Kirov was equally praised by the dance world. It seemed like they had the whole world at their feet...
Natasha and Viktor had gone their whole lives without being the victim of any judging scandal, and they hoped to continue that track record as coaches. They wanted to show the world that medals could be won on merit alone. However, that proved to be a tragic mistake. In 1988, Natasha was offered a deal to keep the pair team she and Viktor coached on the top step of the Olympic podium by a judge. She refused, and the judge warned her that she would be sorry. At the Games, the pair team faltered, and got only silver, but they did not even deserve to be on the podium in Natasha's eyes. The press was all over it, making it seem as if Natasha had made the deal to keep them on the podium. She denied the whole thing, saying she did not know how this happened, and thought it was over and done with. But there was a price still to be paid.
Twenty-five years to the day that they had been married, Natasha sent Viktor out for some champagne, and he did not return. He was in a tragic automobile accident, caused by a mechanical failure in the car. He survived the initial crash, but died in the hospital some time later of internal bleeding. Natasha was in a deep depression for some time afterward, and eventually managed to pick herself out of it, returning not to the rink, but to the Kirov Ballet. Her son vowed to become a dotor, because a better doctor, in his mind, probably could have saved his father's life. He wanted to prevent other people from suffering this fate.
One day, Mikhail saw a young boy of 11 skating on an outdoor rink. He noticed his talent right away, and managed to meet with his father. It turned out that the boy had been coached by Ivan Shotsky, and when the father saw him slap his son, took him away immediately. He didn't know what to do at that point. His son needed a coach. Mikhail told him not to worry, and spoke to his mother that night. Natasha was at first reluctant to return to coaching, but the boy's story tugged at her heart. She met with his father, and after watching him discreetly, agreed to take him on the very next day as a student. A lasting partnership was made, and Evgeni Potemerenko and Natasha had been close ever since.
Natasha coached Evgeni for five years before the 1998 Junior World Championships occured. There, she reunited with an old colleague from the 1970s, Phillipe Rampal. Rampal had attempted to seduce her in the 1980s, though she was clearly happily married. Still, she forgave him and moved on. Now a widow, she felt attracted to him. Still, she did not do anything about it for several years. Circumstances finally forced Natasha to leave her homeland, so she could help Evgeni and his sister flee to America. When she did that, she left the ballet as well, much to the shock and sorrow of those who watched her dance. She, Mikhail, Evgeni and his sister fled to Pittsburgh.
Phillipe and his student, Alexander Dupont, came to Pittsburgh in the fall of 2003, and Natasha started feeling the attraction again. Phillipe had also found that his attraction had not diminished, and so eventually they started dating. After some trials and hard times, Natasha and Phillipe were wed in 2004.
Natasha had also found another young skater who needed nurturing in 2001, while she was in Russia for the National Championships. She saw the young man playing ice hockey, but it wasn't for any national team, just a bunch of kids messing around. He was a mediocre hockey player, she noted, but figure skating, she thought, would help him prosper. She tried to find out more about him and learned that he was not only abandoned three years before, but also homeless. She immediately took him in and adopted him. She brought him to America and has cared for him ever since. Arcadii Ignatiev was formerly Arcadii Kozlov, but he himself had his name changed legally after a painful reunion with his parents. They asked if he would come back, but this was after their son was a rather famous athlete. Knowing what they were really up to, and finally realizing that Natasha was the best mother he could ask for, he refused, and promptly changed his last name to Ignatiev.
Natasha had her hands full at the rink she owned, and finally decided, in 2006, that this would be her last season as a coach. She retired in March of 2007, just after the World Championships. She now enjoys a comfortable life with her husband. Her children have moved away, but are still in the area, and they visit regularly. Natasha still technically owns the rink at DeVito Park.
Anything Else: Natasha is in various skating Hall of Fames and has some various artifacts in museums from her competitive career. Her career has been considered a meteoric rise and the pair team's longevity is legendary. They invented many of the moves commonplace in today's pairs skating.
Also, circumstances arose for her to find out that Viktor's car trouble was no accident. The accident had been arranged by the same judge who offered Natasha the deal in 1988, the same one who warned that she would be sorry for crossing her.
AIM Screenname (optional): AnyaAng
Character's Full Name: Natalya Ivanovna Romanova (maiden name), Natalya Ivanovna Ignatieva (married name), Natalya Ivanovna Ignatieva-Rampal (second married name, this is how she is called today)
Nickname: Natasha, Tasha (to romantic lovers)
Date of Birth: November 9th, 1937
Place of Birth: Moscow, USSR
Appearance (provide either a description or photograph): Shoulder-length wavy black hair, streaked with grey, 5'4", light tan skin, fair complexion, weighs just 110 pounds but is healthy, always wears her hair in a bun, has hazel eyes
Character Model: None
Personality: Honest, but caring of others' feelings, to the point, serious, romantic, often sentimental, strict but not overbearing, critical but understanding, compassionate, she's a great listener but speaks her mind
Occupation: None, she used to be a coach/choreographer but retired
Biography: Natasha is a former ballerina for the Kirov Ballet. She was also a legendary figure skater in the pairs discipline with Viktor Ignatiev. Together, they won an unprecedented and still unmatched 16 World Championships and 3 Olympic Gold Medals in a career spanning from 1951 to 1973. In all, they competed in 5 Olympic Games, winning the 3 Gold and 1 Silver. The couple married in the summer of 1964 and she took Viktor's last name, becoming Natalya Ignatieva, but were unable to find the time to have any children. Finally, after they won their third Olympics, they intended to retire and start coaching. However, the Soviet Union begged them to stay for just one more year, so they competed in 1973, winning their last World Championship. In 1975, Natasha gave birth to her only child, a boy whom they named Mikhail. They then shocked their country when they moved from Moscow to St. Petersburg in 1976.
Natasha was not one to be idle, so she auditioned (at her own insistence) for th Kirov Ballet in 1977. The company's directors were stunned at how well she was trained, considering she was a figure skater. Natasha admitted to having had formal dance training all her life, but was unable to join a company because of her skating. But ballet was her first love since early childhood, and the company immediately accepted her, and she began performing alongside dancing's elite.
At the same time, she and her husband began coaching and choreographing for other skaters, of all disciplines, who came seeking their help. Things were going swimmingly; as Natasha and Viktor's coaching and choreography was revered in the skating world, her dancing with the Kirov was equally praised by the dance world. It seemed like they had the whole world at their feet...
Natasha and Viktor had gone their whole lives without being the victim of any judging scandal, and they hoped to continue that track record as coaches. They wanted to show the world that medals could be won on merit alone. However, that proved to be a tragic mistake. In 1988, Natasha was offered a deal to keep the pair team she and Viktor coached on the top step of the Olympic podium by a judge. She refused, and the judge warned her that she would be sorry. At the Games, the pair team faltered, and got only silver, but they did not even deserve to be on the podium in Natasha's eyes. The press was all over it, making it seem as if Natasha had made the deal to keep them on the podium. She denied the whole thing, saying she did not know how this happened, and thought it was over and done with. But there was a price still to be paid.
Twenty-five years to the day that they had been married, Natasha sent Viktor out for some champagne, and he did not return. He was in a tragic automobile accident, caused by a mechanical failure in the car. He survived the initial crash, but died in the hospital some time later of internal bleeding. Natasha was in a deep depression for some time afterward, and eventually managed to pick herself out of it, returning not to the rink, but to the Kirov Ballet. Her son vowed to become a dotor, because a better doctor, in his mind, probably could have saved his father's life. He wanted to prevent other people from suffering this fate.
One day, Mikhail saw a young boy of 11 skating on an outdoor rink. He noticed his talent right away, and managed to meet with his father. It turned out that the boy had been coached by Ivan Shotsky, and when the father saw him slap his son, took him away immediately. He didn't know what to do at that point. His son needed a coach. Mikhail told him not to worry, and spoke to his mother that night. Natasha was at first reluctant to return to coaching, but the boy's story tugged at her heart. She met with his father, and after watching him discreetly, agreed to take him on the very next day as a student. A lasting partnership was made, and Evgeni Potemerenko and Natasha had been close ever since.
Natasha coached Evgeni for five years before the 1998 Junior World Championships occured. There, she reunited with an old colleague from the 1970s, Phillipe Rampal. Rampal had attempted to seduce her in the 1980s, though she was clearly happily married. Still, she forgave him and moved on. Now a widow, she felt attracted to him. Still, she did not do anything about it for several years. Circumstances finally forced Natasha to leave her homeland, so she could help Evgeni and his sister flee to America. When she did that, she left the ballet as well, much to the shock and sorrow of those who watched her dance. She, Mikhail, Evgeni and his sister fled to Pittsburgh.
Phillipe and his student, Alexander Dupont, came to Pittsburgh in the fall of 2003, and Natasha started feeling the attraction again. Phillipe had also found that his attraction had not diminished, and so eventually they started dating. After some trials and hard times, Natasha and Phillipe were wed in 2004.
Natasha had also found another young skater who needed nurturing in 2001, while she was in Russia for the National Championships. She saw the young man playing ice hockey, but it wasn't for any national team, just a bunch of kids messing around. He was a mediocre hockey player, she noted, but figure skating, she thought, would help him prosper. She tried to find out more about him and learned that he was not only abandoned three years before, but also homeless. She immediately took him in and adopted him. She brought him to America and has cared for him ever since. Arcadii Ignatiev was formerly Arcadii Kozlov, but he himself had his name changed legally after a painful reunion with his parents. They asked if he would come back, but this was after their son was a rather famous athlete. Knowing what they were really up to, and finally realizing that Natasha was the best mother he could ask for, he refused, and promptly changed his last name to Ignatiev.
Natasha had her hands full at the rink she owned, and finally decided, in 2006, that this would be her last season as a coach. She retired in March of 2007, just after the World Championships. She now enjoys a comfortable life with her husband. Her children have moved away, but are still in the area, and they visit regularly. Natasha still technically owns the rink at DeVito Park.
Anything Else: Natasha is in various skating Hall of Fames and has some various artifacts in museums from her competitive career. Her career has been considered a meteoric rise and the pair team's longevity is legendary. They invented many of the moves commonplace in today's pairs skating.
Also, circumstances arose for her to find out that Viktor's car trouble was no accident. The accident had been arranged by the same judge who offered Natasha the deal in 1988, the same one who warned that she would be sorry for crossing her.
