In a year of unknowns, Andrew Torgashev is betting on himself.
After a promising fifth-place finish at the 2020 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the 19-year-old was ready to make a change and moved from Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Irvine, California, at the end of the summer to train with Rafael Arutunian. His days now revolve around recalibrating his training and strategically reconnecting with who he is as a skater.
"This season being what it was, I wanted to do lots of soul searching as to why I stay and what drives me and what I want to achieve in this sport," Torgashev said in discussing his decision to leave The Broadmoor World Arena. "I figured out that I wanted to take more control of my career and more responsibility for my skating."
This isn't the first time 2015 U.S. junior champion has felt the need to reclaim a sense of purpose. Throughout the last couple of seasons, Torgashev has reflected and evolved his technique, while remaining dedicated to the thoughtful movements and characters of his programs.
"My skating style has changed a lot over the course of my career," he said. "But I think as early as when I was competing in intermediate and pre-juvenile competitions, I realized I was more of an artistic skater."
Torgashev said his mother, Ilona Melnichenko, a former ice dancer for USSR and 1987 World Junior champion, undoubtedly influenced his love of creative choreography. While training in Colorado, the pair would work together on skating skills and revise his programs. This led Torgashev "to learn and to develop artistry on [his own]." Now, he's taking control of the narrative.
"I'm taking a bigger role in choreography this season and last season, which started because I would work on improv and implement it into my programs," Torgashev said. "It allows me to skate and feel the music and the movement without any pressure."
In this rebirth of his career, Torgashev wants to hold himself accountable, mastering both the aesthetic and athletic elements of his skating.
"I always had this dream of being able to mix in this artistic side of skating — the beauty of the way you tell the story and get the audience into it — as well as performing difficult jumps and getting the points," he said.
His father, Artem Torgashev, was also a World junior medalist as a pair skater for the USSR, and Torgashev said his parents' backgrounds gifted him an athlete's motivation. Aside from his training mentality, however, he isn't sure if his skating style could be classified as American or Russian.
"They've been very influential in my career and my skating and teaching me just about everything I knew from my earlier days in skating," he said. "And because they grew up with Russian coaching and training, that's what they knew. Now working with Raf and his team, just hearing the corrections in Russian kind of brings me home to when I first started skating."
In making his skating career feel his own, Torgashev was also involved in selecting and editing his short program and free skate music this season. When he speaks of performing, his tone lifts with excitement.
His short, set to a flamenco medley, was inspired by a spin down a YouTube rabbit hole, where Torgashev fell in love with the concept of dancers making music with their feet.
"I've always loved Spanish and Latin music and movements," Torgashev said, nostalgically reflecting on an old Tango De Roxanne program. "Lots of other dancers have done flamenco, but the common denominator is that their goal is to make their movements as strong as the music."
His free skate also revolves around the idea that choreography is meant to stand out. He selected an Imagine Dragons medley for his free skate and sees it as an opportunity to play with "sharp, almost hip-hop like movements."
"I wanted something that had a bit more story to it," he said. "It's allowed me to expand, hitting different accents in [the music] with my body in different ways. I want to evolve on things, to do things differently and leave a resonating picture in the audience's memory after they've seen me skate."
In the midst of his move to California, Torgashev said he "wouldn't have been able to get to where [he is] today" without the support from his Broadmoor coaches, Christine Krall and Erik Schulz.
Torgashev's schedule is full as an elite athlete and DeVry University student, but he still dedicates time to reflect. His downtime is also consumed by painting, video games and dreaming about the future.
"I'm definitely looking at that '22 Olympic team, and I know what I have to do to get there," he said. "It's not going to be easy, but it's more than possible and I think I'm more than capable."
If not 2022, Torgashev said he also has his sights set on the Olympic Winter Games Milan 2026.
And luckily, his season of intentionally monitoring his skating mentality has provided answers and has left him fulfilled with his decision to continue his competitive skating career. His first performance of the season will be at the 2021 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
"When I'm frustrated trying to do something on the ice, and then I come back to it and I'm able to achieve something, I just get this feeling that all of this stress, all of this determination I put into little details, is worth it," Torgashev said. "When I overcome a challenge, I feel rewarded. I feel stronger and I'm ready to take on the next challenge, no matter how many tries it takes."
The Grand Prix Series continues this week with 2020 Rostelecom Cup in Moscow. Fans can follow the series on Peacock Premium, your all-access pass to the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series. Learn more and start your 7-day free trial at peacocktv.com/skating.
