Congratulations to Livvy Shilling and her partner Alexander (Sasha) Petrov, who are traveling to Greensboro, North Carolina this week to compete in the U.S. Figure Skating Championship Ice Dance event.
A former Team USA competitor in Singles, this is Livvy’s first season as a competitive ice dancer. Sasha, a Team USA Ice Dancer, has a long family history of skating. Both his parents skated for the Russian National Team and in ice shows throughout the world. Growing up, Sasha lived in Russia, England, and finally, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where his parents now coach.
Last Spring, Livvy and Sasha had several tryouts together under the guidance of Igor Shpilband. The two partnered in May 2019 and are coached by Igor Shpilband, Pasquale Camerlengo, Adrienne Lende, and Natalia Deller in Novi, Michigan.
One of the biggest challenges they faced this season was Livvy’s newness to the discipline of ice dance – and her rotational direction. (Livvy rotates clockwise and had to figure out out to twizzle and spin counterclockwise, the more common way.) From day one, Sasha was impressed with Livvy’s work ethic. “She knew her weaknesses and worked tirelessly to make them stronger.” He was “pleasantly surprised how well she picked up the nuances of partnering and the techniques of ice dance.”
Fun Fact: Before this season, Livvy’s last (and only) ice dance competition was Skate Detroit, where she and former club member Alex Magnesson competed the Dutch Waltz and Canasta Tango. They were coached by Annette Schaefer.
One thing Livvy finds exhilarating about ice dance is that she gets to focus more on edge work and can create new shapes and lines with her body and blades as she improves skating and performance skills with Sasha. And, she added, “Sasha makes the hard training days better because he is patient and very skilled at making me feel like I know what I am doing.”
In October, Shilling-Petrov were added to the U.S. Figure Skating International Selection Pool, meaning they are now eligible for Team USA assignments. This week at the U.S. Championships, the team’s goal is to score their personal bests in both programs. They are excited to share the story of their programs and their passion for the sport of figure skating with the audience and judges.
Livvy has been a Columbus FSC member since 2004.
Article contributed by Vicki Tieche,
former CFSC Board Member
To learn more about U.S. Championships, visit 2020 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
Tune in here to catch all the action:
Thursday, Jan. 23 | Pairs Short Program | 5 – 7 p.m. (NBCSN)
Thursday, Jan. 23 | Ladies Short Program | 9 – 11 p.m. (NBCSN)
Friday, Jan. 24 | Rhythm Dance | 5 – 6 p.m. (NBCSN)
Friday, Jan. 24 | Ladies Free Skate | 8 – 11 p.m. (NBC)
Saturday, Jan. 25 | Men’s Short Program | 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. (NBC)
Saturday, Jan. 25 | Free Dance & Pairs Free Skate | 8 – 11 p.m. (NBCSN)
Sunday, Jan. 26 | Men’s Free Skate | 3 – 6 p.m. (NBC)
Sunday, Feb. 2 | Skating Spectacular | 4 – 6 p.m. (NBC)*
The entire competition can be streamed commercial-free, live and on-demand with the Figure Skating Pass on NBC Sports Gold.
*Live unless denoted*
Columbus Figure Skating Club 