…to get to Nationals this year! Two years after his Nationals debut as a Novice, Grisha finally earns a ticket back to Spokane. There were so many great memories from Spokane 2007, and we look forward to many new ones in 2010!
Grisha just missed a trip to Nationals in 2008, after an incredibly tough Pacific Coasts competition that ended up with a podium that contained three of the top five finishers in Junior Men at Nationals that year. In 2009, a spinal stress fracture took Grisha out for the whole season, even though he made a valiant attempt to compete at Pacific Coasts, finishing sixth in another strong field.
For the 2010 season, Grisha made some changes. He decided to work with Ivan Dinev and Angela Nikodinov, and began making the long drive every day to their rink in Torrance. It has been a grueling season, getting back into a competition mindset and regaining consistency after the long time off the ice, but each competition this season saw steady improvement. It was thrilling to finally make it back to Nationals after qualifying at Coasts in Jackson Hole, WY (with the altitude adding a bit of breathlessness to the excitement!)
Nationals are two weeks away, and training continues. This blog will document some of the training, and provide a look back at some of Grisha’s past experiences in skating, and also talk about some of the other things going on in Grisha’s life right now.
Thanks for reading!
