Maxim Naumov Breaks in the Ice at New Skating Club of Boston Facility

Everyone in the skating world knows how iconic The Skating Club of Boston is. Dating back to 1912, the rink has produced champions such as Olympic gold medalists Dick Button and Tenley Albright in its more than 100-year history. Its latest star is reigning U.S. junior champion Maxim Naumov.
 
At the end of the month, one chapter will close for the storied training center in Beantown, but a new chapter has already begun. The century-old arena will shut its doors for good and the ice will be melted to make way for apartments. 
 
"It's going to be really sad. I'm not as emotionally attached as others are because we moved to Boston a little bit over three years ago," Naumov said. "My hometown is Simsbury, Connecticut, and whenever I visit that rink, I get a little bit emotional. But this rink too, there's so many good memories that I made there over the past three years and it's going to be pretty sad when it gets taken down."
 
Earlier in September, the brand-new complex opened in Norwood, Massachusetts. Naumov, who conveniently lives in this Boston suburb, had the honor of christening the arena.
 
"They gave me the privilege to be the first one to actually step foot on the ice and break the ice in," he said. "It was great. I think this facility is honestly one of the best facilities in all of the United States."
 
The new state-of-the-art complex is almost solely dedicated to figure skating. There are three surfaces total—one Olympic-size rink and two NHL surfaces. "The quality of the ice is great. I noticed that as soon as I stepped on the ice," Naumov said. "I think that they did honestly everything that they could have to really perfect every little detail—quality of ice, temperature."
 
All under the same roof is a gym, dance center, and The Marilyn P. Kasputys Branch of The Micheli Center for Sports Injury Prevention, an outpost of Boston Children's Hospital. The medical facility will provide on-site sports psychology, physical therapy, treatment rooms, and on-the-spot x-rays to diagnose injuries.
 
Naumov is already spending majority of his time at the new Skating Club of Boston. His daily schedule consists of waking up at 8 a.m. and then driving to the rink. He spends 30 minutes on the ice with coach Garrett Lucash working on edges. His primary coaches are his parents, Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, a former pairs team that represented Russia at the Olympics. That's followed by an 80-minute session to practice jumps and programs. He gets a break until 1 p.m. and then hits the ice for a second 80-minute freestyle session. Once he's done training, he coaches Learn to Skate USA students. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, Naumov also works out off-ice for about an hour and a half in the gym. Then, it's back home to eat, sleep and repeat.
 
Training During the Pandemic
Preparing for the 2020-21 season has been anything but ordinary for Naumov and his fellow athletes. During a two-month lockdown, he was unable to skate. Lucky to live with his coaches, a.k.a. his parents, he had the advantage of social distancing and training with them in-person off-ice. He consulted with his choreographer, Adam Blake, to work on dance steps and keep his "body in the rhythm."
 
Naumov and his coaching and creative team are still putting the finishing touches on his short and free programs. He loves to tell a story through his musicality, but is keeping the storylines for his senior debut season under wraps until he debuts his routines later this month in the International Selection Pool (ISP) Points Challenge. At a designated date and time, Naumov will perform his routines during a proctored session. These routines will be submitted to a judging panel for review.
 
"It gives us some incentive and I think it's going to be really fun," he said of the virtual competition hosted by U.S. Figure Skating.
 
Naumov did reveal that he'll be skating to music by artist Joji for one of his numbers. "We decided to look at something super, super different this season and it's totally out of my style, but I've really, really enjoyed working with my choreographer to make this piece and it's going to be very mature for me," he said. "I can't wait to get people's reactions to it."
 
Naumov is well aware that senior-level competition is a whole different ballgame than juniors, and to keep up with the likes of Nathan Chen, Jason Brown and Vincent Zhou, he needs to add quadruple jumps to his arsenal. He is confident in his triple Axel-triple toe loop combination and all his other triples are solid as well. Now, he's determined to debut a quad at the U.S. Championships in January. He's been working on the quad Salchow and quad toe on the harness and reported, "Training is going really well. We're not looking to peak early in the season. We're trying to save it for the U.S. Championships. That's when I want it to really count, so hopefully by then, I'll be as ready to go with my quads."
 
In his first year as a senior-level skater, Naumov's main focus will be on consistency, improving his skating skills, and making his mark on the scene. Looking ahead to fulfilling his Olympic dreams and following in his parents' footsteps, the 19-year-old would love to earn a spot on Team USA in 2022, but is also looking ahead to 2026 as well.

Tune in to the Fan Zone next week to catch his senior debut during the ISP Points Challenge.