The offseason was filled with unprecedented challenges for U.S. ice dance team Molly Cesanek and her partner Yehor Yehorov.
Originally from Ukraine, Yehorov's native country has been under the shadow of war, and therefore, the young team hopes their skating can be a light that spreads happiness in the world.
"There are some crazy things out in the world happening," Cesanek said. "For us, to do our skating and bring happiness to those people brings a whole a whole other meaning to us for our skating."
The team has struggled through many restless nights this past year as they watched Yehorov's home country become a war zone. They spent nights waiting for text messages, constantly in fear for his family's safety. His parents are now in a refugee camp in Germany, just a train ride away from the small German town of Oberstdorf where Cesanek and Yehorov opened their season at the Nebelhorn Trophy.
"It was very fortunate being assigned to Germany and to be able to see my parents," Yehorov said. "From that perspective, (we) are very thankful to our coaches and U.S. Figure Skating to send us there."
Following the competition, Cesanek and Yehorov left their training mates in Oberstdorf and headed to Frankfurt for a reunion with Yehorov's family.
"It was a very emotional experience to see them," Cesanek added.Â
The team has received extraordinary support from their new coaching staff this season at the Michigan Ice Dance Academy — Greg Zuerlien, Charlie White and Tanith White.Â
"We just had the most amazing move and transition that we've ever experienced," Cesanek said. "We just feel so at home and thankful to these coaches; they are just everything to us."
Along with a supportive and holistic group of coaches, Cesanek and Yehorov spend their training days right alongside some of their best friends, Emily Bratti and Ian Somerville, another top U.S. ice dance team who will also be skating at 2022 Skate Canada International.
Somerville has been by Yehorov's side ever since he first moved from Ukraine in 2018 and Cesanek and Bratti can trace their friendship back to their days trick-or-treating as teenagers.
"We're all in the same level and competing, but we all just want each other to do the best that we can," Cesanek said. "We all just want to see each other succeed and do well and that is just such a special thing."
The transition to Michigan wasn't without obstacles. Shortly after arriving in their new training center and just weeks away from their planned first competition of the season, Cesanek woke up in the middle of the night with severe abdominal pain, which ultimately led to surgery to remove her appendix.
"We had all of this built-up excitement to share our programs and our new growth and so I think it was a little bit of a tough place mentally," Cesanek shared.
After a clearance from her doctor, Cesanek and Yegorov returned to training as usual, surprising themselves on how quickly they jumped back into things.
"We are all very proud of Molly," Yehorov added on with a smile.
"That was a real confidence boost to us, seeing that we don't need to be here every single day for hours a day," Cesanek explained. "If something were to happen, we are going to be fine."Â
After each challenging experience, the duo feels that they have come out with positivity and a lesson learned.
"Some different challenges that we've had to go through," Cesanek said. "But ultimately we are thankful for having to endure and have come out positively from them."
This week at Skate Canada International, Cesanek and Yehorov could not be more excited to show their improvement since their Nebelhorn Trophy season debut. This is just the first step for them as they work towards their goal of becoming one of the top ice dance teams in the United States.
"We are working up to that next Olympics," Cesanek said. "And ultimately from now until then, every day we have that desire to grow so that we can meet that goal in mind."
While the long-term goal for Cesanek and Yehorov is to become one of the top ice dance teams in the U.S., Skate Canada International is just another opportunity for the team to spread joy with their skating.
