Christina Carreira, 18, and Anthony Ponomarenko, 17, finished first or second in every major event they competed in last season.
They won the junior ice dance title at the Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships. They captured both of their Junior Grand Prix Series events in Austria and Belarus. They claimed the silver medal at the Junior Grand Prix Final, secured gold at the 2018 U.S. Championships and capped off the whirlwind season with a silver medal at the World Junior Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.
"The Junior Grand Prix Final was the highlight [of the season]. It was in Japan and it was such a cool country to see. The whole event was just incredible," Carreira said.
The season was filled with many memorable moments, but for Ponomarenko, winning their first Junior Grand Prix event and becoming national champions in his hometown of San Jose, California, stood out.
"It was great. The audience was supportive and I had a lot of friends come in to watch," said Ponomarenko, who has skating in his blood. His parents, Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko, are 1992 Olympic champions in ice dance.
Performing to music from the W.E. soundtrack, Carreira and Ponomarenko show their deep connection.
Last season's short dance and free dance featured contrasting styles which gave Carreira and Ponomarenko the opportunity to showcase their versatile performing skills. Their short dance to "Perhaps" by the Pussycat Dolls and "Conga" by Gloria Estefan was a Latin mix that highlighted the connection they have with one another. Their free dance to selections from the
W.E. soundtrack showed a much more sophisticated and elegant side. Both programs showed off how technically strong each skater is and how well they're both able to express music with all their heart and soul, two aspects their coach, Igor Shpilband, said sets them apart from other teams.
"They're very natural skaters — the feel of the edges, feel of the ice, the way they're using the ice and power of skating all comes pretty naturally for them," Shpilband said. "They really stand out with the way the blade approaches the ice. To me, it makes a lot of difference and you don't see that very often."
Carreira and Ponomarenko train with Shpilband in Novi, Michigan. This summer they are also working with Pasquale Camerlengo and several other top coaches in Shpilband's camp. Shpilband said all the coaches have noticed how well Carreira and Ponomarenko work together and how hard they're willing to train. He added they're two of the nicest people you'll ever meet.
"Every coach who works with them notices how willing they are to try new things, how easy they are to work with and how enthusiastic they are with making corrections," Shpilband said.
This year the team will move up to the senior ranks. They know that the competition will be fierce and that the climb to the top of the U.S. podium is steep, but Carreira and Ponomarenko are up for the challenge.
"After winning the U.S. junior title and being on the podium twice at Junior Worlds, I felt they did a lot in juniors. I'd like them to be competitive at the senior level. I think they're ready to go to senior," Shpilband said.
Carreira is excited to compete against older couples, as they were at the top of the age bracket for the junior level at the end of last season.
"It's a new step," Ponomarenko said.
One aspect of their skating that Carreira hopes to improve this season is their consistency, something she said they struggled with last year. The goal is to skate cleanly, without mistakes, at every competition.
"We always want to improve our skating skills. We want to show better lifts this year, new elements and improve our consistency," Carreira said.
While representing the United States at the 2022 Olympic Games is their long-term goal, Carreira and Ponomarenko hope to prove that they are capable of holding their own as seniors while gaining experience competing at that level. The goal: to finish in the top five at the U.S. Championships.
"Senior is a giant ladder. It's a large climb to the top and we just want to climb that ladder," Ponomarenko said.
Shpilband feels the bond Carreira and Ponomarenko share will help them meet their goals.
"They have a very special relationship," Shpilband said. "They work really well together and support each other. As they grow up and as they mature, I feel that relationship getting stronger and stronger. I'm really pleased to see how they're developing as a team."
Read more about all the reigning U.S. junior champions in SKATING magazine.
