Smirnova and Siianytsia Confront a Season of Adversity

In April, Team USA pairs skaters Anastasiia "Nastyia" Smirnova and Danil Siianytsia will compete for the second time at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Tallinn, Estonia. Smirnova and Siianytsia, who train with coach Trudy Oltmanns in Minnesota, are looking forward to the event. However, currently, much of their attention is focused on the tragic war in their homeland of Ukraine.
 
Both Siianytsia and Smirnova were born and raised in the city of Dnipro, in central-eastern Ukraine. Although the two skaters moved to the United States in 2016 and 2018 to pursue their skating careers, their families remained in the Dnipro area. Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, Smirnova and Siianytsia have been forced to follow events from afar as their families have faced dangerous conditions in Ukraine.
 
"It's pretty sad," Siianytsia said. "It's terrifying for our family. We have a couple people still in Ukraine."
 
In March, Siianytsia's mother and his four-year-old sister evacuated to Poland, where they are staying at a hotel for refugees. Smirnova's mother also went to Poland, before continuing on to Turkey. Both Smirnova's father and Siianytsia's stepfather are still in the Dnipro area, which has suffered shelling from Russian forces.
 
Fortunately, the skaters have been able to keep in touch with their families, despite the difficult conditions.
 
"We text and call," Siianytsia said.
 
"The communication has been pretty solid," added Oltmanns, the duo's coach. "Which doesn't make it any less scary."
 
The war in Ukraine has complicated what was already a challenging season for Smirnova and Siianytsia. The couple opened the 2021-22 season at Cranberry Cup in August, where they competed for the first time as seniors but finished a disappointing 9th. They then skated at back-to-back Junior Grand Prix events in Poland and Austria, placing 4th and 6th. Next, the duo qualified for the U.S. Championships in seniors by winning a qualifying event in Norwood, Massachusetts. 
 
However, Smirnova and Siianytsia's momentum came to a halt when Smirnova got a positive COVID-19 test result on Christmas morning. Siianytsia also later tested positive. The couple was forced to withdraw from the 2022 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Nashville.
 
"Nastyia had a sore throat and was sick for about a week," Oltmanns reported of Smirnova.
 
Siianystia experienced more severe symptoms, according to Oltmanns.
 
Siianytsia's recovery was slow and interrupted by subsequent bouts of influenza A and bronchitis. It was only in early March that his health began to get back to normal.
 
"It's been kind of rough getting back," Siianytsia acknowledged. The duo has nonetheless continued to train as best they could.
 
Meanwhile, Junior Worlds–originally scheduled for early March in Bulgaria–was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns and rescheduled for April 13-17 in Tallinn. By then, it will have been five months since Smirnova and Siianytsia last competed.
 
The long break gave Smirnova and Siianytsia much-needed time to recover from illness and prepare for Junior Worlds. However, Oltmanns also noted that the break and withdrawal from the U.S. Championships interrupted the expected progression of their season.
 
"We have a pretty solid, laid-out plan for what we want to do in each program progressively, to get better and to improve the performances, points and world standing," Oltmanns explained. "In the season, you want to get out there [about] every four weeks and make those progressive steps. Now, we're going on five months [without competing]. The biggest obstacle to overcome is to not have those progressive steps behind us."
 
Oltmanns noted, in particular, Smirnova and Siianytsia's disappointment at having to withdraw from the U.S. Championships.
 
"They were so ready," she said. "Everything was [going] exactly how we had planned going into that. So it's been hard." The couple had also hoped for another potential international assignment between the U.S. Championships and Junior Worlds.
 
As they prepare for Junior Worlds, Smirnova and Siianytsia are focusing on repetition and run-throughs. They received good feedback on their programs at the Junior Grand Prix events this season.
 
"Their components were pretty good at both of the Junior Grand Prixes," Oltmanns remarked.
 
In general, program components are an area of strength for Smirnova and Siianystia, who are recognized for their elegant line, good unison, and polished performance skills (as well as their strong triple twist and lifts).
 
The couple hone their presentation skills with ballet classes twice a week. They also do stretching and yoga twice a week as part of their off-ice training. A friend of Siianytsia's from Ukraine works with them remotely on their fitness training. Oltmanns noted that Siianytsia particularly enjoys strength training workouts.
 
"I'd rather dance," Smirnova said with a smile, in regard to her favorite off-ice training work.
 
Smirnova and Siianytsia's lyrical style was highlighted in their "Je Suis Malade" free skate this season, which seamlessly evoked the melancholy, passionate mood of the music.
 
"I think Trudy did a good job picking the music for us, choreographing it, and really working on the detail of the whole program," Siianytsia noted.
 
"For long programs, I tend to stay in the genres that really showcase their strengths," Oltmanns said. "And I try to pick short programs that extend a little bit [from that]."
 
After a difficult season, Smirnova and Siianytsia have a simple goal at Junior Worlds - "Win," said Smirnova, with a smile.
 
The duo also hope that, after the event, they can visit Siianytsia's family in Poland.
 
"We may be able to see them, bring some things, offer whatever support and help we can," Oltmanns said.
 
Skating is one thing. But with their birth country at war, family is the top concern right now for Smirnova and Siianytsia.