{"id":30606,"date":"2023-04-14T01:51:33","date_gmt":"2023-04-14T05:51:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/?p=30606"},"modified":"2023-04-14T11:47:00","modified_gmt":"2023-04-14T15:47:00","slug":"mazingue-gaidajenko-the-journey-and-the-miracle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/mazingue-gaidajenko-the-journey-and-the-miracle\/","title":{"rendered":"Mazingue & Gaidajenko: The Journey and the Miracle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Daphne Backman | On-Ice Photos by Robin Ritoss<\/em><\/p>\n

Estonia’s Solene Mazingue (20) & Marko Gaidajenko (21) had a whirlwind 2021-22 season. They relocated to Montreal in the off season and were preparing for the 2022-23 season when an accident during practice resulted in the season turning out much different than planned and Mazingue needing emergency brain surgery to save her life. Learn more about this young team’s individual journeys as well as how they’re moving forward after an unpredictable season.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/b>Backgrounds<\/strong>
Both Mazingue and Gaidajenko started their skating journeys at the age of three, but their early experiences couldn\u2019t be more different.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mazingue was born in Paris, France. Her mom brought her to a rink local to her neighborhood to see if she would like it. She fell in love with skating and the ice. She never left.\u00a0 <\/span>At six years old, she started competing in small competitions in her city, which she really enjoyed.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore 15, I was just skating because I liked it,\u201d Mazingue said. \u201c<\/span>I really love skating, <\/b>and<\/span> the thing I love the most is to compete. I like to feel the music and to give some emotion feeling to the public who watches me.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Gaidajenko\u2019s parents put him on the ice for the first time, <\/span>there were 20 or more kids going from one side of the rink to the other in one direction. When coaches arrived, they pushed him, but his legs went into a split.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI started saying I don\u2019t want to, I don\u2019t want to,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cThey took me back home. The next time, I was seven, and<\/span> then I stuck to it.\u00a0It all started for fun, but at one point when you start to understand that you like it, you\u2019re getting better and keep going. It just becomes your lifestyle like you’re a professional athlete. You skate, you work out and you compete, and<\/span> that\u2019s what drives you from competition to competition. This adrenaline and emotional boost is the thing what pushes you and also like drives you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Partnership<\/strong>
<\/b>The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the world of figure skating with the World Championships being the first event casualty in March 2020. While the skaters found creative ways to continue training and showcasing their skills, forming a new partnership during travel restrictions presented its own set of obstacles.<\/p>\n

In 2020, Gaidajenko was training for the Junior Grand Prix with partner Darja Netjaga <\/span>when the ISU announced the events would not be held that fall<\/span>.<\/span> In fact, there were no competitions being held at all.<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>We decided to stop skating for a moment because there was no goal to go somewhere,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cIt was like really hard to push to do still the run-throughs.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the partnership ended and even though he had yet to announce it, he started to receive messages about tryouts from prospective partners.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe world of figure skating is so tiny,\u201d Gaidajenko said.<\/p>\n

Mazingue split with her partner at the end of the 2019-2020 season. Because it was impossible to travel, she spent a lot of time looking for a new partnership by viewing video trailers of skaters from the U.S. and Russia. Then, she heard about Marko.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI right away texted my coach, who texted him, and <\/span>he said yes to a tryout,\u201d Mazingue said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll of a sudden, Solene texted me because she was without a partner as well,\u201d Gaidajenko added.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It was December 2020, and <\/span>travel was still restricted to and between certain countries. The duo decided that having the tryout in France would be the best option.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said let\u2019s try,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cLet\u2019s go to France.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe tried out for two weeks,\u201d Mazingue added.\u201d \u201cIt [the tryout] was perfect for me and perfect for him too, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cI went for New Years back to Estonia. I came back to France, and<\/span> we started to skate together and to think about maybe we should try for our future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Season One
<\/strong>Mazingue & Gaidajenko moved forward with their partnership for the 2021-22 season. They were still age-eligible for the junior level and debuted at the second Junior Grand Prix event in France, where they won the bronze medal, followed by a ninth place finish at the Cup of Austria JGP.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A month later, they competed at their first senior event,<\/span> Warsaw Cup Challenger Series event<\/span> in Poland, where they finished 15th. After winning their first Estonian senior national title, they finished ninth at Golden Spin of Zagreb.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While competing at both levels brought its own set of obstacles, the rhythm dance theme lended itself to an easier transition.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s usually more challenging because it’s usually absolutely two different rhythm dances, but last season that was the same subject, like a hip hop and street culture,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cAlso, it was both the blues. It\u2019s Midnight Blues (senior) and Blues (junior), so it was easier.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Being Estonia\u2019s newly-crowned national champions, they were assigned to the 2022 European Championships, which took place in Gaidajenko\u2019s home city of Tallinn, Estonia. The teams who finish 1-20 in the rhythm dance move on to the free dance, so Mazingue & Gaidajenko\u2019s 20th place finish<\/span> (out of 27 teams) meant they qualified in their first attempt. They were then assigned to the World Championships. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe went there with the idea of quality technical qualification for the free dance,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cWe’ve worked a lot before <\/span>before this Worlds, and<\/span> we also had the really good draw for us. We were in the fourth group.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a new team, they exceeded expectations and qualified for the free dance in a familiar 20th place.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we finish our rhythm dance, we can right away see if we qualified or not,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cWe did one of the best rhythm dances for our whole season. Me and the coach are sitting in kiss \u2019n cry and already understood this because we saw the points. Solene didn\u2019t get it yet. We saw the \u2018Q\u2019, and<\/span> she said \u2018what does it mean?\u2019 We qualified for the free dance, and<\/span> she\u2019s so excited.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t understand if we qualified or not,\u201d Mazingue added. \u201cWhen we passed, I was super happy because we worked for one season. And that was so much emotion because actually one year working every day, five hours, even more.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Their first season, where they straddled junior and senior events, ended with the duo finishing 19th at their first World Championships,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s kind of tricky, and<\/span> it’s playing with your mind a bit because we started the season as a juniors, and<\/span> then we slowly moved to the seniors,\u201d<\/span> Gaidajenko said. \u201cIt was a nice experience. and also pretty successful for us as seniors and also juniors. Also, we watched all the obstacles we went through. It’s a great experience, of course competing in one category it’s much easier.<\/p>\n

The Move to Montreal
<\/strong>In preparation for the upcoming 2022-2023<\/span> season, Mazingue & Gaidajenko made the decision to train at the renowned Ice Academy of Montreal under the guidance of coaches Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, and Romain Haguenauer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span>\u201cWe were skating in Moscow before that, but there was a lot of troubles with Visas because of what’s going on in the world in general even before it started the situation with Ukraine,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cIt’s already complicated to get in Russia because of they didn’t want to give a Visa to anyone, so all the last season we tried to find was trying to find where to skate and ice times all across the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen<\/span> the situation with Ukraine started, so there was no chance to stay there at all. We had a good relationship with the coaches from Montreal before, and we had ideas already to move there. At this point already, we don’t have any other solutions,<\/span> and<\/span> plus we really want to go there. We just after Worlds had two to three weeks break, and then we went to the Montreal. Everything started here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the team, one training location is not really comparable to the other.

\u201cIt’s really two different methods,\u201d Mazingue said. \u201cFor example, in Russia,<\/span> it’s more by yourself, and there is a coach, and she comes to help you, but here it\u2019s more like a private session. We like both. It’s really how the skater likes it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHere they have their own methods, which works absolutely brilliant and perfect,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cThey’re different than others and the so much effort, they put in the school and in the skaters. You feel here as a family. You feel support from<\/span> from the skaters and<\/span> from the coaches. We have mental coaches. We have so many so many people around us, and the greatest part is that you <\/span>every day you learn something new. It\u2019s knowledge. It\u2019s a lot of lifestyle changing because here you\u2019re living the life of an actual athlete. You do your own choice. if you don’t want to skate today, you can not skate, but then it’s how it will affect you in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Accident<\/strong>
<\/b>The transition from Moscow to Montreal was a smooth one for Mazingue & Gaidajenko, until September 29th when everything changed for the couple. Falls happen in figure skating for different reasons and even on elements that are practiced over and over again.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The team\u2019s first competition of the season would be the 2022 Finlandia Trophy event, which is part of the ISU Challenger Series. The team was skating run-throughs <\/span>of their programs and were working on their free dance.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was helping <\/span>me to do the assisted jump,\u201d Mazingue said. \u201cThere <\/span>was a hole, so his blade gets stuck in the hole. He fell back, and<\/span> at this one he was lifting me, so my head was down, and<\/span> my foot was up. When he fell back, I fell on my head, and<\/span> at this moment I lose consciousness for 10 seconds.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a simple lift that we’ve done like gazillion times before that and was entering to the twizzles,\u201d Gaidajenko added. \u201cI was stuck on the ice, and<\/span> she hit her head.\u00a0 <\/span>Sometimes we hit our heads on the ice. Sometimes <\/span>there’s nothing, <\/span>and <\/span>sometimes there is a concussion. Skaters really struggle with the concussions for like a year or so after because we just don’t stop our season. In this case, she hit her head really hard. We went to the hospital because the swelling on her head was a lot, and <\/span>she was she was in major pain. We called the ambulance right away with the coaches after the fall.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gaidajenko continued, “When we arrived to the hospital, I went right to the waiting area and during this time it was two and a half hours. They did this head scan, and<\/span> it showed that that her skull was broken, that<\/span> there’s a fracture, and<\/span> then there was a bleeding, but they didn’t really see <\/span>how exactly it’s affecting the brain yet. They saw that there is bleeding outside and inside.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a fracture and was bleeding a lot and fast, and <\/span>this was pushing my brain in the left parts and middle,\u201d Mazingue added. \u201cThis was really bad because that is how people can lose how to walk and how to speak. My doctor\u2019s nurse who was doing my head scan called right away to the surgeon. At this moment, my body stopped to react. My<\/span> pupils stopped responding, and<\/span> I fell into the coma. My body dropped to 32 degrees. I went to surgery. It was about three hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey started to do operation and during this time the nurse came to see me and say that she’s in critical conditions, and<\/span> he’s not sure she\u2019s going make it through operation,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cThe nurse told me if she’s going to make it we don’t know if she’s going to talk again or walk again. Three hours ago I saw her. I talked to her. Practice was great and at this point, somebody was telling me that it might be the last time you see her.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Gaidajenko continued, \u201cI was in a fog. It was really hard to take it because I was alone there for like these three hours.\u00a0 <\/span>I was on the phone with my dad. He’s also in medicine, but back in Estonia. God bless Tim [Dieck] and Olivia [Smart] who came to see me right away. Patrice [Lauzon] came after practice and at this time she was in the operating room.\u201d<\/p>\n

At 10pm on the same day as her accident, Mazingue had an emergency craniotomy. They opened the skull, drained the blood and checked her brain activity. They put in titanium plates with six anchors. The nurses told Gaidajenko they would try to wake her the next morning at noon. They warned him that she may have amnesia or be panicked and not remember where she is, or <\/span>why she is there.<\/p>\n

\u201cI<\/span> came back home and next morning I received a call at 7am,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cIt was Solene\u2019s voice asking are you coming to see me. She was doing great. She was smiling, and<\/span> we explained to her what happened. The next day, her mom arrived and was visiting her every day in the hospital. The progression went really fast.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Early on in her rehabilitation process, Mazingue decided she wanted to share her progress with others to be an inspiration to others.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was looking for someone like me to talk to me about what my future will be and actually, there was no one.\u00a0 <\/span>It’s really hard to find someone because people who had surgery don’t talk again. They <\/span>don’t work, or<\/span> they are still in hospital. I was feeling really alone.<\/span> I was like, what will be my future? What will be happen with me? To get on social media, I want to give hope to to everyone and inspire everyone, <\/span>and I want to be this person who is here for help. In this case, whatever<\/span> problem this is<\/span>, it’s not just only for surgery, it can be for any injury or any problem. I want to be this person who can give hope and tell you that it’s not impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Journey to 2023 Worlds
<\/strong>While Mazingue had a long road to recovery ahead of her, she decided two days after her surgery that she wanted to skate again.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn hospital, I was already thinking about Worlds,\u201d Mazingue said. \u201cWhen I started my rehabilitation with my doctor, the first thing that he asked me was \u2018what is what is your goal?\u2019 He told me that for every patient, for every athlete he always sets the goal. My goal with my partner was to go to<\/span> Japan five months after the surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Mazingue continued, \u201cIt was not 100% sure that I will go. It was really day by day. I really took my time. I started to skate like 15 minutes a day, 30 minutes, one hour and then one hour 30 minutes and calculate everything for maybe going to Worlds. Two weeks before Japan there was a meeting with doctor. There was a meeting with federation, with coaches. We really took our time and discussed everything to be sure that if I go it\u2019s ok. It’s really about the doctor because I need to wait for him to say yes. He said yes. It was my goal to do it in five months and<\/span> I did it. It was just incredible. It was just like impossible to believe that I’m going.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI also grew a lot from this accident,\u201d Gaidajenko added. \u201cLike everything changed. My mindset changed a lot and like my habits and everything. I had the idea that what are we going to do if we don’t go Worlds and also what we’re going to do if we go to Worlds. I was ready for it each scenario. She was doing all this hard job. Since the first day after she woke up from surgery, her mentality started to work in a way to prepare herself for Worlds already. It felt amazing seeing her being so happy doing this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both Mazingue and Gaidajenko knew that they were heading to Saitama not at full strength, but for them<\/span> it was more important that they were able to compete versus any result achieved. The Estonian team finished<\/span> 28th in the rhythm dance and did not qualify for the free dance, but it was just being there that made all of the effort worth it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis competition wasn’t a competition to show our best skating performance,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cWe did show our best. We were there to show that if you don’t quit, you can make it.\u00a0 <\/span>After we finished our rhythm dance before in front of 20,000 Japanese fans, I was clapping and <\/span>that felt right. We are in the right place where we should be at this time. It felt amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was really I did it,\u201d Mazingue added. \u201cJust to be on the ice at the W<\/span>orld C<\/span>hampionship in Japan with plenty people around me. This was just an experience, an incredible experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking Ahead
<\/strong>The team is still reminiscing about their accomplishments and starting to think ahead to next year and beyond.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe main goal for me since I’m six or even seven years old is to go to the Olympics,\u201d Mazingue said.\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cJust to go to Worlds in Japan was the first step after the accident on the way to the Olympics. My next goal is Olympics Milano 2026. Three years.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the immediate future, Mazingue & Gaidajenio are looking forward to the rhythm dance for next season, set to music from the 1980s.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, we are preparing for the next season and we’re listening the 80s music,\u201d Mazingue said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone is looking forward to next season,\u201d Gaidajenko added. \u201cAfter competitions, in almost every playlist, there is music from the 1980s. We’re listening to this stuff and absolutely like when the ISU gives us an opportunity to do something interesting to show cool stuff, some dancing moves. For 80s music, we\u2019re absolutely in!\u201d<\/p>\n

Mazingue continued, \u201cI really like the 80s music when I warm up before practice. It’s 80s music, but I’m listening because it (creates a) really good mood for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe already heard some songs teams here are choosing,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cThere will be interesting programs. Not everyone is coming back yet to build them, but when everyone is here, we will have an 80s vibe on the ice for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Off the Ice<\/strong>
<\/b>While most of their time is focused on training, the duo finds time for relaxation and hobbies when they can.<\/p>\n

Gaidajenko is a big gamer and plays Call of Duty, Hogwarts Legacy and God of War: Ragnarok on Playstation. Both have a Nintendo Switch, but Mazingue doesn\u2019t currently play because she\u2019s still working on her brain recovery. They hope to start a Youtube or Twitch Channel at some point to stream some of their gaming activities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mazingue does color books as part of her therapy. She is learning to write again and keeps a journal of her daily activities. Her mother is helping her with math and calculations.\u00a0 <\/span>She also loves to play board games, including Seven Wonders.<\/p>\n

Both love to build with Legos, including a bonsai tree that is under reconstruction. During a recent trip to New York City, Gaidajenko made a Solene lego character for her.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The team also makes a point to buy a pop figure at every competition destination.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How You Can Help<\/strong>
<\/b>As you can imagine the cost of Mazingue\u2019s ongoing therapy is costly on its own, but coupled with training expenses the team needs help to continue fighting for their dream. You can support the team via their GoFundMe page<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Daphne Backman | On-Ice Photos by Robin Ritoss Estonia’s Solene Mazingue (20) & Marko Gaidajenko (21) had a whirlwind 2021-22 season. They relocated to Montreal in the off season […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30607,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"\n

by Daphne Backman | On-Ice Photos by Robin Ritoss<\/em>
\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Backgrounds<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Mazingue and Gaidajenko started their skating journeys at the age of three, but their early experiences couldn\u2019t be more different.\u00a0
Mazingue was born in Paris, France. Her mom brought her to a rink local to her neighborhood to see if she would like it. She fell in love with skating and the ice. She never left.\u00a0 At six years old, she started competing in small competitions in her city, which she really enjoyed.
\u201cBefore 15, I was just skating because I liked it,\u201d Mazingue said. \u201cI really love skating, and the thing I love the most is to compete. I like to feel the music and to give some emotion feeling to the public who watches me.\u201d
When Gaidajenko\u2019s parents put him on the ice for the first time, there were 20 or more kids going from one side of the rink to the other in one direction. When coaches arrived, they pushed him, but his legs went into a split.\u00a0
\u201cI started saying I don\u2019t want to, I don\u2019t want to,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cThey took me back home. The next time, I was seven, and then I stuck to it.\u00a0
It all started for fun, but at one point when you start to understand that you like it, you\u2019re getting better and keep going. It just becomes your lifestyle like you're a professional athlete. You skate, you work out and you compete, and that\u2019s what drives you from competition to competition. This adrenaline and emotional boost is the thing what pushes you and also like drives you.\u201d
Partnership
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the world of figure skating with the World Championships being the first event casualty in March 2020. While the skaters found creative ways to continue training and showcasing their skills, forming a new partnership during travel restrictions presented its own set of obstacles.
In 2020, Gaidajenko was training for the Junior Grand Prix with partner Darja Netjaga when the ISU announced the events would not be held that fall. In fact, there were no competitions being held at all.
\u201cWe decided to stop skating for a moment because there was no goal to go somewhere,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cIt was like really hard to push to do still the run-throughs.\u201d
When the partnership ended and even though he had yet to announce it, he started to receive messages about tryouts from prospective partners.
\u201cThe world of figure skating is so tiny,\u201d Gaidajenko said.
Mazingue split with her partner at the end of the 2019-2020 season. Because it was impossible to travel, she spent a lot of time looking for a new partnership by viewing video trailers of skaters from the U.S. and Russia. Then, she heard about Marko.\u00a0
\u201cI right away texted my coach, who texted him, and he said yes to a tryout,\u201d Mazingue said.\u00a0
\u201cAll of a sudden, Solene texted me because she was without a partner as well,\u201d Gaidajenko added.\u00a0
It was December 2020, and travel was still restricted to and between certain countries. The duo decided that having the tryout in France would be the best option. \u201cI said let\u2019s try,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cLet\u2019s go to France.\u201d\u201cWe tried out for two weeks,\u201d Mazingue added.\u201d \u201cIt [the tryout] was perfect for me and perfect for him too, right?\u201d
\u201cYeah,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cI went for New Years back to Estonia. I came back to France, and we started to skate together and to think about maybe we should try for our future.\u201d
Season One
Mazingue & Gaidajenko moved forward with their partnership for the 2021-22 season. They were still age-eligible for the junior level and debuted at the second Junior Grand Prix event in France, where they won the bronze medal, followed by a ninth place finish at the Cup of Austria JGP.\u00a0
A month later, they competed at their first senior event, Warsaw Cup Challenger Series event in Poland, where they finished 15th. After winning their first Estonian senior national title, they finished ninth at Golden Spin of Zagreb.\u00a0
While competing at both levels brought its own set of obstacles, the rhythm dance theme lended itself to an easier transition.
\u201cIt's usually more challenging because it's usually absolutely two different rhythm dances, but last season that was the same subject, like a hip hop and street culture,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cAlso, it was both the blues. It\u2019s Midnight Blues (senior) and Blues (junior), so it was easier.\u201d\u00a0
Being Estonia\u2019s newly-crowned national champions, they were assigned to the 2022 European Championships, which took place in Gaidajenko\u2019s home city of Tallinn, Estonia. The teams who finish 1-20 in the rhythm dance move on to the free dance, so Mazingue & Gaidajenko\u2019s 20th place finish (out of 27 teams) meant they qualified in their first attempt. They were then assigned to the World Championships. \u00a0
\u201cWe went there with the idea of quality technical qualification for the free dance,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cWe've worked a lot before before this Worlds, and we also had the really good draw for us. We were in the fourth group.\u201d
For a new team, they exceeded expectations and qualified for the free dance in a familiar 20th place.
\u201cWhen we finish our rhythm dance, we can right away see if we qualified or not,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cWe did one of the best rhythm dances for our whole season. Me and the coach are sitting in kiss \u2019n cry and already understood this because we saw the points. Solene didn\u2019t get it yet. We saw the \u2018Q\u2019, and she said \u2018what does it mean?\u2019 We qualified for the free dance, and she\u2019s so excited.\u201d
\u201cI didn\u2019t understand if we qualified or not,\u201d Mazingue added. \u201cWhen we passed, I was super happy because we worked for one season. And that was so much emotion because actually one year working every day, five hours, even more.\u201d\u00a0
Their first season, where they straddled junior and senior events, ended with the duo finishing 19th at their first World Championships,\u00a0
\u201cIt's kind of tricky, and it's playing with your mind a bit because we started the season as a juniors, and then we slowly moved to the seniors,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cIt was a nice experience. and also pretty successful for us as seniors and also juniors. Also, we watched all the obstacles we went through. It's a great experience, of course competing in one category it's much easier.
The Move to Montreal
In preparation for the upcoming 2022-2023 season, Mazingue & Gaidajenko made the decision to train at the renowned Ice Academy of Montreal under the guidance of coaches Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, and Romain Haguenauer.\u00a0
\u201cWe were skating in Moscow before that, but there was a lot of troubles with Visas because of what's going on in the world in general even before it started the situation with Ukraine,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cIt's already complicated to get in Russia because of they didn't want to give a Visa to anyone, so all the last season we tried to find was trying to find where to skate and ice times all across the world.\u00a0
\u201cThen the situation with Ukraine started, so there was no chance to stay there at all. We had a good relationship with the coaches from Montreal before, and we had ideas already to move there. At this point already, we don't have any other solutions, and plus we really want to go there. We just after Worlds had two to three weeks break, and then we went to the Montreal. Everything started here.\u201d
According to the team, one training location is not really comparable to the other.\u201cIt's really two different methods,\u201d Mazingue said. \u201cFor example, in Russia, it's more by yourself, and there is a coach, and she comes to help you, but here it\u2019s more like a private session. We like both. It's really how the skater likes it.\u201d\u00a0
\u201cHere they have their own methods, which works absolutely brilliant and perfect,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cThey're different than others and the so much effort, they put in the school and in the skaters. You feel here as a family. You feel support from from the skaters and from the coaches. We have mental coaches. We have so many so many people around us, and the greatest part is that you every day you learn something new. It\u2019s knowledge. It\u2019s a lot of lifestyle changing because here you\u2019re living the life of an actual athlete. You do your own choice. if you don't want to skate today, you can not skate, but then it's how it will affect you in the future.\u201d
The Accident
The transition from Moscow to Montreal was a smooth one for Mazingue & Gaidajenko, until September 29th when everything changed for the couple. Falls happen in figure skating for different reasons and even on elements that are practiced over and over again.\u00a0
The team\u2019s first competition of the season would be the 2022 Finlandia Trophy event, which is part of the ISU Challenger Series. The team was skating run-throughs of their programs and were working on their free dance.
\u201cHe was helping me to do the assisted jump,\u201d Mazingue said. \u201cThere was a hole, so his blade gets stuck in the hole. He fell back, and at this one he was lifting me, so my head was down, and my foot was up. When he fell back, I fell on my head, and at this moment I lose consciousness for 10 seconds.\u201d
\u201cIt was a simple lift that we've done like gazillion times before that and was entering to the twizzles,\u201d Gaidajenko added. \u201cI was stuck on the ice, and she hit her head.\u00a0 Sometimes we hit our heads on the ice. Sometimes there's nothing, and sometimes there is a concussion. Skaters really struggle with the concussions for like a year or so after because we just don't stop our season. In this case, she hit her head really hard. We went to the hospital because the swelling on her head was a lot, and she was she was in major pain. We called the ambulance right away with the coaches after the fall.\u201d
Gaidajenko continued, \"When we arrived to the hospital, I went right to the waiting area and during this time it was two and a half hours. They did this head scan, and it showed that that her skull was broken, that there's a fracture, and then there was a bleeding, but they didn't really see how exactly it's affecting the brain yet. They saw that there is bleeding outside and inside.\u201d
\u201cI had a fracture and was bleeding a lot and fast, and this was pushing my brain in the left parts and middle,\u201d Mazingue added. \u201cThis was really bad because that is how people can lose how to walk and how to speak. My doctor\u2019s nurse who was doing my head scan called right away to the surgeon. At this moment, my body stopped to react. My pupils stopped responding, and I fell into the coma. My body dropped to 32 degrees. I went to surgery. It was about three hours.\u201d
\u201cThey started to do operation and during this time the nurse came to see me and say that she's in critical conditions, and he's not sure she\u2019s going make it through operation,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cThe nurse told me if she's going to make it we don't know if she's going to talk again or walk again. Three hours ago I saw her. I talked to her. Practice was great and at this point, somebody was telling me that it might be the last time you see her.\u201d\u00a0
Gaidajenko continued, \u201cI was in a fog. It was really hard to take it because I was alone there for like these three hours.\u00a0 I was on the phone with my dad. He's also in medicine, but back in Estonia. God bless Tim [Dieck] and Olivia [Smart] who came to see me right away. Patrice [Lauzon] came after practice and at this time she was in the operating room.\u201d
At 10pm on the same day as her accident, Mazingue had an emergency craniotomy. They opened the skull, drained the blood and checked her brain activity. They put in titanium plates with six anchors. The nurses told Gaidajenko they would try to wake her the next morning at noon. They warned him that she may have amnesia or be panicked and not remember where she is, or why she is there.
\u201cI came back home and next morning I received a call at 7am,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cIt was Solene\u2019s voice asking are you coming to see me. She was doing great. She was smiling, and we explained to her what happened. The next day, her mom arrived and was visiting her every day in the hospital. The progression went really fast.\u201d\u00a0
Early on in her rehabilitation process, Mazingue decided she wanted to share her progress with others to be an inspiration to others.\u00a0
\u201cI was looking for someone like me to talk to me about what my future will be and actually, there was no one.\u00a0 It's really hard to find someone because people who had surgery don't talk again. They don't work, or they are still in hospital. I was feeling really alone. I was like, what will be my future? What will be happen with me? To get on social media, I want to give hope to to everyone and inspire everyone, and I want to be this person who is here for help. In this case, whatever problem this is, it's not just only for surgery, it can be for any injury or any problem. I want to be this person who can give hope and tell you that it's not impossible.\u201d
The Journey to 2023 Worlds
While Mazingue had a long road to recovery ahead of her, she decided two days after her surgery that she wanted to skate again.
\u201cIn hospital, I was already thinking about Worlds,\u201d Mazingue said. \u201cWhen I started my rehabilitation with my doctor, the first thing that he asked me was \u2018what is what is your goal?\u2019 He told me that for every patient, for every athlete he always sets the goal. My goal with my partner was to go to Japan five months after the surgery.\u201d
Mazingue continued, \u201cIt was not 100% sure that I will go. It was really day by day. I really took my time. I started to skate like 15 minutes a day, 30 minutes, one hour and then one hour 30 minutes and calculate everything for maybe going to Worlds. Two weeks before Japan there was a meeting with doctor. There was a meeting with federation, with coaches. We really took our time and discussed everything to be sure that if I go it\u2019s ok. It's really about the doctor because I need to wait for him to say yes. He said yes. It was my goal to do it in five months and I did it. It was just incredible. It was just like impossible to believe that I'm going.\u201d
\u201cI also grew a lot from this accident,\u201d Gaidajenko added. \u201cLike everything changed. My mindset changed a lot and like my habits and everything. I had the idea that what are we going to do if we don't go Worlds and also what we're going to do if we go to Worlds. I was ready for it each scenario. She was doing all this hard job. Since the first day after she woke up from surgery, her mentality started to work in a way to prepare herself for Worlds already. It felt amazing seeing her being so happy doing this.\u201d
Both Mazingue and Gaidajenko knew that they were heading to Saitama not at full strength, but for them it was more important that they were able to compete versus any result achieved. The Estonian team finished 28th in the rhythm dance and did not qualify for the free dance, but it was just being there that made all of the effort worth it.
\u201cThis competition wasn't a competition to show our best skating performance,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cWe did show our best. We were there to show that if you don't quit, you can make it.\u00a0 After we finished our rhythm dance before in front of 20,000 Japanese fans, I was clapping and that felt right. We are in the right place where we should be at this time. It felt amazing.\u201d
\u201cI was really I did it,\u201d Mazingue added. \u201cJust to be on the ice at the World Championship in Japan with plenty people around me. This was just an experience, an incredible experience.\u201d
Looking Ahead
The team is still reminiscing about their accomplishments and starting to think ahead to next year and beyond.\u00a0
\u201cThe main goal for me since I'm six or even seven years old is to go to the Olympics,\u201d Mazingue said.\u00a0 \u201cJust to go to Worlds in Japan was the first step after the accident on the way to the Olympics. My next goal is Olympics Milano 2026. Three years.\u201d
For the immediate future, Mazingue & Gaidajenio are looking forward to the rhythm dance for next season, set to music from the 1980s.\u00a0
\u201cRight now, we are preparing for the next season and we're listening the 80s music,\u201d Mazingue said.
\u201cEveryone is looking forward to next season,\u201d Gaidajenko added. \u201cAfter competitions, in almost every playlist, there is music from the 1980s. We're listening to this stuff and absolutely like when the ISU gives us an opportunity to do something interesting to show cool stuff, some dancing moves. For 80s music, we\u2019re absolutely in!\u201d
Mazingue continued, \u201cI really like the 80s music when I warm up before practice. It's 80s music, but I'm listening because it (creates a) really good mood for me.\u201d
\u201cWe already heard some songs teams here are choosing,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cThere will be interesting programs. Not everyone is coming back yet to build them, but when everyone is here, we will have an 80s vibe on the ice for sure.\u201d
Off the Ice
While most of their time is focused on training, the duo finds time for relaxation and hobbies when they can. Gaidajenko is a big gamer and plays Call of Duty, Hogwarts Legacy and God of War: Ragnarok on Playstation. Both have a Nintendo Switch, but Mazingue doesn\u2019t currently play because she\u2019s still working on her brain recovery. They hope to start a Youtube or Twitch Channel at some point to stream some of their gaming activities.\u00a0
Mazingue does color books as part of her therapy. She is learning to write again and keeps a journal of her daily activities. Her mother is helping her with math and calculations.\u00a0 She also loves to play board games, including Seven Wonders.
Both love to build with Legos, including a bonsai tree that is under reconstruction. During a recent trip to New York City, Gaidajenko made a Solene lego character for her.\u00a0 \u00a0
The team also makes a point to buy a pop figure at every competition destination.\u00a0
How You Can Help
As you can imagine the cost of Mazingue\u2019s ongoing therapy is costly on its own, but coupled with training expenses the team needs help to continue fighting for their dream.\u00a0
Insert info on GoFundMe.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

by Daphne Backman | On-Ice Photos by Robin Ritoss
 
BackgroundsBoth Mazingue and Gaidajenko started their skating journeys at the age of three, but their early experiences couldn\u2019t be more different. 
Mazingue was born in Paris, France. Her mom brought her to a rink local to her neighborhood to see if she would like it. She fell in love with skating and the ice. She never left.  At six years old, she started competing in small competitions in her city, which she really enjoyed.
\u201cBefore 15, I was just skating because I liked it,\u201d Mazingue said. \u201cI really love skating, and the thing I love the most is to compete. I like to feel the music and to give some emotion feeling to the public who watches me.\u201d
When Gaidajenko\u2019s parents put him on the ice for the first time, there were 20 or more kids going from one side of the rink to the other in one direction. When coaches arrived, they pushed him, but his legs went into a split. 
\u201cI started saying I don\u2019t want to, I don\u2019t want to,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cThey took me back home. The next time, I was seven, and then I stuck to it. 
It all started for fun, but at one point when you start to understand that you like it, you\u2019re getting better and keep going. It just becomes your lifestyle like you're a professional athlete. You skate, you work out and you compete, and that\u2019s what drives you from competition to competition. This adrenaline and emotional boost is the thing what pushes you and also like drives you.\u201d
Partnership
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the world of figure skating with the World Championships being the first event casualty in March 2020. While the skaters found creative ways to continue training and showcasing their skills, forming a new partnership during travel restrictions presented its own set of obstacles.
In 2020, Gaidajenko was training for the Junior Grand Prix with partner Darja Netjaga when the ISU announced the events would not be held that fall. In fact, there were no competitions being held at all.
\u201cWe decided to stop skating for a moment because there was no goal to go somewhere,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cIt was like really hard to push to do still the run-throughs.\u201d
When the partnership ended and even though he had yet to announce it, he started to receive messages about tryouts from prospective partners.
\u201cThe world of figure skating is so tiny,\u201d Gaidajenko said.
Mazingue split with her partner at the end of the 2019-2020 season. Because it was impossible to travel, she spent a lot of time looking for a new partnership by viewing video trailers of skaters from the U.S. and Russia. Then, she heard about Marko. 
\u201cI right away texted my coach, who texted him, and he said yes to a tryout,\u201d Mazingue said. 
\u201cAll of a sudden, Solene texted me because she was without a partner as well,\u201d Gaidajenko added. 
It was December 2020, and travel was still restricted to and between certain countries. The duo decided that having the tryout in France would be the best option. \u201cI said let\u2019s try,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cLet\u2019s go to France.\u201d\u201cWe tried out for two weeks,\u201d Mazingue added.\u201d \u201cIt [the tryout] was perfect for me and perfect for him too, right?\u201d
\u201cYeah,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cI went for New Years back to Estonia. I came back to France, and we started to skate together and to think about maybe we should try for our future.\u201d
Season One
Mazingue & Gaidajenko moved forward with their partnership for the 2021-22 season. They were still age-eligible for the junior level and debuted at the second Junior Grand Prix event in France, where they won the bronze medal, followed by a ninth place finish at the Cup of Austria JGP. 
A month later, they competed at their first senior event, Warsaw Cup Challenger Series event in Poland, where they finished 15th. After winning their first Estonian senior national title, they finished ninth at Golden Spin of Zagreb. 
While competing at both levels brought its own set of obstacles, the rhythm dance theme lended itself to an easier transition.
\u201cIt's usually more challenging because it's usually absolutely two different rhythm dances, but last season that was the same subject, like a hip hop and street culture,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cAlso, it was both the blues. It\u2019s Midnight Blues (senior) and Blues (junior), so it was easier.\u201d 
Being Estonia\u2019s newly-crowned national champions, they were assigned to the 2022 European Championships, which took place in Gaidajenko\u2019s home city of Tallinn, Estonia. The teams who finish 1-20 in the rhythm dance move on to the free dance, so Mazingue & Gaidajenko\u2019s 20th place finish (out of 27 teams) meant they qualified in their first attempt. They were then assigned to the World Championships.  
\u201cWe went there with the idea of quality technical qualification for the free dance,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cWe've worked a lot before before this Worlds, and we also had the really good draw for us. We were in the fourth group.\u201d
For a new team, they exceeded expectations and qualified for the free dance in a familiar 20th place.
\u201cWhen we finish our rhythm dance, we can right away see if we qualified or not,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cWe did one of the best rhythm dances for our whole season. Me and the coach are sitting in kiss \u2019n cry and already understood this because we saw the points. Solene didn\u2019t get it yet. We saw the \u2018Q\u2019, and she said \u2018what does it mean?\u2019 We qualified for the free dance, and she\u2019s so excited.\u201d
\u201cI didn\u2019t understand if we qualified or not,\u201d Mazingue added. \u201cWhen we passed, I was super happy because we worked for one season. And that was so much emotion because actually one year working every day, five hours, even more.\u201d 
Their first season, where they straddled junior and senior events, ended with the duo finishing 19th at their first World Championships, 
\u201cIt's kind of tricky, and it's playing with your mind a bit because we started the season as a juniors, and then we slowly moved to the seniors,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cIt was a nice experience. and also pretty successful for us as seniors and also juniors. Also, we watched all the obstacles we went through. It's a great experience, of course competing in one category it's much easier.
The Move to Montreal
In preparation for the upcoming 2022-2023 season, Mazingue & Gaidajenko made the decision to train at the renowned Ice Academy of Montreal under the guidance of coaches Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, and Romain Haguenauer. 
\u201cWe were skating in Moscow before that, but there was a lot of troubles with Visas because of what's going on in the world in general even before it started the situation with Ukraine,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cIt's already complicated to get in Russia because of they didn't want to give a Visa to anyone, so all the last season we tried to find was trying to find where to skate and ice times all across the world. 
\u201cThen the situation with Ukraine started, so there was no chance to stay there at all. We had a good relationship with the coaches from Montreal before, and we had ideas already to move there. At this point already, we don't have any other solutions, and plus we really want to go there. We just after Worlds had two to three weeks break, and then we went to the Montreal. Everything started here.\u201d
According to the team, one training location is not really comparable to the other.\u201cIt's really two different methods,\u201d Mazingue said. \u201cFor example, in Russia, it's more by yourself, and there is a coach, and she comes to help you, but here it\u2019s more like a private session. We like both. It's really how the skater likes it.\u201d 
\u201cHere they have their own methods, which works absolutely brilliant and perfect,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cThey're different than others and the so much effort, they put in the school and in the skaters. You feel here as a family. You feel support from from the skaters and from the coaches. We have mental coaches. We have so many so many people around us, and the greatest part is that you every day you learn something new. It\u2019s knowledge. It\u2019s a lot of lifestyle changing because here you\u2019re living the life of an actual athlete. You do your own choice. if you don't want to skate today, you can not skate, but then it's how it will affect you in the future.\u201d
The Accident
The transition from Moscow to Montreal was a smooth one for Mazingue & Gaidajenko, until September 29th when everything changed for the couple. Falls happen in figure skating for different reasons and even on elements that are practiced over and over again. 
The team\u2019s first competition of the season would be the 2022 Finlandia Trophy event, which is part of the ISU Challenger Series. The team was skating run-throughs of their programs and were working on their free dance.
\u201cHe was helping me to do the assisted jump,\u201d Mazingue said. \u201cThere was a hole, so his blade gets stuck in the hole. He fell back, and at this one he was lifting me, so my head was down, and my foot was up. When he fell back, I fell on my head, and at this moment I lose consciousness for 10 seconds.\u201d
\u201cIt was a simple lift that we've done like gazillion times before that and was entering to the twizzles,\u201d Gaidajenko added. \u201cI was stuck on the ice, and she hit her head.  Sometimes we hit our heads on the ice. Sometimes there's nothing, and sometimes there is a concussion. Skaters really struggle with the concussions for like a year or so after because we just don't stop our season. In this case, she hit her head really hard. We went to the hospital because the swelling on her head was a lot, and she was she was in major pain. We called the ambulance right away with the coaches after the fall.\u201d
Gaidajenko continued, \"When we arrived to the hospital, I went right to the waiting area and during this time it was two and a half hours. They did this head scan, and it showed that that her skull was broken, that there's a fracture, and then there was a bleeding, but they didn't really see how exactly it's affecting the brain yet. They saw that there is bleeding outside and inside.\u201d
\u201cI had a fracture and was bleeding a lot and fast, and this was pushing my brain in the left parts and middle,\u201d Mazingue added. \u201cThis was really bad because that is how people can lose how to walk and how to speak. My doctor\u2019s nurse who was doing my head scan called right away to the surgeon. At this moment, my body stopped to react. My pupils stopped responding, and I fell into the coma. My body dropped to 32 degrees. I went to surgery. It was about three hours.\u201d
\u201cThey started to do operation and during this time the nurse came to see me and say that she's in critical conditions, and he's not sure she\u2019s going make it through operation,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cThe nurse told me if she's going to make it we don't know if she's going to talk again or walk again. Three hours ago I saw her. I talked to her. Practice was great and at this point, somebody was telling me that it might be the last time you see her.\u201d 
Gaidajenko continued, \u201cI was in a fog. It was really hard to take it because I was alone there for like these three hours.  I was on the phone with my dad. He's also in medicine, but back in Estonia. God bless Tim [Dieck] and Olivia [Smart] who came to see me right away. Patrice [Lauzon] came after practice and at this time she was in the operating room.\u201d
At 10pm on the same day as her accident, Mazingue had an emergency craniotomy. They opened the skull, drained the blood and checked her brain activity. They put in titanium plates with six anchors. The nurses told Gaidajenko they would try to wake her the next morning at noon. They warned him that she may have amnesia or be panicked and not remember where she is, or why she is there.
\u201cI came back home and next morning I received a call at 7am,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cIt was Solene\u2019s voice asking are you coming to see me. She was doing great. She was smiling, and we explained to her what happened. The next day, her mom arrived and was visiting her every day in the hospital. The progression went really fast.\u201d 
Early on in her rehabilitation process, Mazingue decided she wanted to share her progress with others to be an inspiration to others. 
\u201cI was looking for someone like me to talk to me about what my future will be and actually, there was no one.  It's really hard to find someone because people who had surgery don't talk again. They don't work, or they are still in hospital. I was feeling really alone. I was like, what will be my future? What will be happen with me? To get on social media, I want to give hope to to everyone and inspire everyone, and I want to be this person who is here for help. In this case, whatever problem this is, it's not just only for surgery, it can be for any injury or any problem. I want to be this person who can give hope and tell you that it's not impossible.\u201d
The Journey to 2023 Worlds
While Mazingue had a long road to recovery ahead of her, she decided two days after her surgery that she wanted to skate again.
\u201cIn hospital, I was already thinking about Worlds,\u201d Mazingue said. \u201cWhen I started my rehabilitation with my doctor, the first thing that he asked me was \u2018what is what is your goal?\u2019 He told me that for every patient, for every athlete he always sets the goal. My goal with my partner was to go to Japan five months after the surgery.\u201d
Mazingue continued, \u201cIt was not 100% sure that I will go. It was really day by day. I really took my time. I started to skate like 15 minutes a day, 30 minutes, one hour and then one hour 30 minutes and calculate everything for maybe going to Worlds. Two weeks before Japan there was a meeting with doctor. There was a meeting with federation, with coaches. We really took our time and discussed everything to be sure that if I go it\u2019s ok. It's really about the doctor because I need to wait for him to say yes. He said yes. It was my goal to do it in five months and I did it. It was just incredible. It was just like impossible to believe that I'm going.\u201d
\u201cI also grew a lot from this accident,\u201d Gaidajenko added. \u201cLike everything changed. My mindset changed a lot and like my habits and everything. I had the idea that what are we going to do if we don't go Worlds and also what we're going to do if we go to Worlds. I was ready for it each scenario. She was doing all this hard job. Since the first day after she woke up from surgery, her mentality started to work in a way to prepare herself for Worlds already. It felt amazing seeing her being so happy doing this.\u201d
Both Mazingue and Gaidajenko knew that they were heading to Saitama not at full strength, but for them it was more important that they were able to compete versus any result achieved. The Estonian team finished 28th in the rhythm dance and did not qualify for the free dance, but it was just being there that made all of the effort worth it.
\u201cThis competition wasn't a competition to show our best skating performance,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cWe did show our best. We were there to show that if you don't quit, you can make it.  After we finished our rhythm dance before in front of 20,000 Japanese fans, I was clapping and that felt right. We are in the right place where we should be at this time. It felt amazing.\u201d
\u201cI was really I did it,\u201d Mazingue added. \u201cJust to be on the ice at the World Championship in Japan with plenty people around me. This was just an experience, an incredible experience.\u201d
Looking Ahead
The team is still reminiscing about their accomplishments and starting to think ahead to next year and beyond. 
\u201cThe main goal for me since I'm six or even seven years old is to go to the Olympics,\u201d Mazingue said.  \u201cJust to go to Worlds in Japan was the first step after the accident on the way to the Olympics. My next goal is Olympics Milano 2026. Three years.\u201d
For the immediate future, Mazingue & Gaidajenio are looking forward to the rhythm dance for next season, set to music from the 1980s. 
\u201cRight now, we are preparing for the next season and we're listening the 80s music,\u201d Mazingue said.
\u201cEveryone is looking forward to next season,\u201d Gaidajenko added. \u201cAfter competitions, in almost every playlist, there is music from the 1980s. We're listening to this stuff and absolutely like when the ISU gives us an opportunity to do something interesting to show cool stuff, some dancing moves. For 80s music, we\u2019re absolutely in!\u201d
Mazingue continued, \u201cI really like the 80s music when I warm up before practice. It's 80s music, but I'm listening because it (creates a) really good mood for me.\u201d
\u201cWe already heard some songs teams here are choosing,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cThere will be interesting programs. Not everyone is coming back yet to build them, but when everyone is here, we will have an 80s vibe on the ice for sure.\u201d
Off the Ice
While most of their time is focused on training, the duo finds time for relaxation and hobbies when they can. Gaidajenko is a big gamer and plays Call of Duty, Hogwarts Legacy and God of War: Ragnarok on Playstation. Both have a Nintendo Switch, but Mazingue doesn\u2019t currently play because she\u2019s still working on her brain recovery. They hope to start a Youtube or Twitch Channel at some point to stream some of their gaming activities. 
Mazingue does color books as part of her therapy. She is learning to write again and keeps a journal of her daily activities. Her mother is helping her with math and calculations.  She also loves to play board games, including Seven Wonders.
Both love to build with Legos, including a bonsai tree that is under reconstruction. During a recent trip to New York City, Gaidajenko made a Solene lego character for her.   
The team also makes a point to buy a pop figure at every competition destination. 
How You Can Help
As you can imagine the cost of Mazingue\u2019s ongoing therapy is costly on its own, but coupled with training expenses the team needs help to continue fighting for their dream. 
Insert info on GoFundMe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

by Daphne Backman | On-Ice Photos by Robin Ritoss
 
BackgroundsBoth Mazingue and Gaidajenko started their skating journeys at the age of three, but their early experiences couldn\u2019t be more different. 
Mazingue was born in Paris, France. Her mom brought her to a rink local to her neighborhood to see if she would like it. She fell in love with skating and the ice. She never left.  At six years old, she started competing in small competitions in her city, which she really enjoyed.
\u201cBefore 15, I was just skating because I liked it,\u201d Mazingue said. \u201cI really love skating, and the thing I love the most is to compete. I like to feel the music and to give some emotion feeling to the public who watches me.\u201d
When Gaidajenko\u2019s parents put him on the ice for the first time, there were 20 or more kids going from one side of the rink to the other in one direction. When coaches arrived, they pushed him, but his legs went into a split. 
\u201cI started saying I don\u2019t want to, I don\u2019t want to,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cThey took me back home. The next time, I was seven, and then I stuck to it. 
It all started for fun, but at one point when you start to understand that you like it, you\u2019re getting better and keep going. It just becomes your lifestyle like you're a professional athlete. You skate, you work out and you compete, and that\u2019s what drives you from competition to competition. This adrenaline and emotional boost is the thing what pushes you and also like drives you.\u201d
Partnership
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the world of figure skating with the World Championships being the first event casualty in March 2020. While the skaters found creative ways to continue training and showcasing their skills, forming a new partnership during travel restrictions presented its own set of obstacles.
In 2020, Gaidajenko was training for the Junior Grand Prix with partner Darja Netjaga when the ISU announced the events would not be held that fall. In fact, there were no competitions being held at all.
\u201cWe decided to stop skating for a moment because there was no goal to go somewhere,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cIt was like really hard to push to do still the run-throughs.\u201d
When the partnership ended and even though he had yet to announce it, he started to receive messages about tryouts from prospective partners.
\u201cThe world of figure skating is so tiny,\u201d Gaidajenko said.
Mazingue split with her partner at the end of the 2019-2020 season. Because it was impossible to travel, she spent a lot of time looking for a new partnership by viewing video trailers of skaters from the U.S. and Russia. Then, she heard about Marko. 
\u201cI right away texted my coach, who texted him, and he said yes to a tryout,\u201d Mazingue said. 
\u201cAll of a sudden, Solene texted me because she was without a partner as well,\u201d Gaidajenko added. 
It was December 2020, and travel was still restricted to and between certain countries. The duo decided that having the tryout in France would be the best option. \u201cI said let\u2019s try,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cLet\u2019s go to France.\u201d\u201cWe tried out for two weeks,\u201d Mazingue added.\u201d \u201cIt [the tryout] was perfect for me and perfect for him too, right?\u201d
\u201cYeah,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cI went for New Years back to Estonia. I came back to France, and we started to skate together and to think about maybe we should try for our future.\u201d
Season One
Mazingue & Gaidajenko moved forward with their partnership for the 2021-22 season. They were still age-eligible for the junior level and debuted at the second Junior Grand Prix event in France, where they won the bronze medal, followed by a ninth place finish at the Cup of Austria JGP. 
A month later, they competed at their first senior event, Warsaw Cup Challenger Series event in Poland, where they finished 15th. After winning their first Estonian senior national title, they finished ninth at Golden Spin of Zagreb. 
While competing at both levels brought its own set of obstacles, the rhythm dance theme lended itself to an easier transition.
\u201cIt's usually more challenging because it's usually absolutely two different rhythm dances, but last season that was the same subject, like a hip hop and street culture,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cAlso, it was both the blues. It\u2019s Midnight Blues (senior) and Blues (junior), so it was easier.\u201d 
Being Estonia\u2019s newly-crowned national champions, they were assigned to the 2022 European Championships, which took place in Gaidajenko\u2019s home city of Tallinn, Estonia. The teams who finish 1-20 in the rhythm dance move on to the free dance, so Mazingue & Gaidajenko\u2019s 20th place finish (out of 27 teams) meant they qualified in their first attempt. They were then assigned to the World Championships.  
\u201cWe went there with the idea of quality technical qualification for the free dance,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cWe've worked a lot before before this Worlds, and we also had the really good draw for us. We were in the fourth group.\u201d
For a new team, they exceeded expectations and qualified for the free dance in a familiar 20th place.
\u201cWhen we finish our rhythm dance, we can right away see if we qualified or not,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cWe did one of the best rhythm dances for our whole season. Me and the coach are sitting in kiss \u2019n cry and already understood this because we saw the points. Solene didn\u2019t get it yet. We saw the \u2018Q\u2019, and she said \u2018what does it mean?\u2019 We qualified for the free dance, and she\u2019s so excited.\u201d
\u201cI didn\u2019t understand if we qualified or not,\u201d Mazingue added. \u201cWhen we passed, I was super happy because we worked for one season. And that was so much emotion because actually one year working every day, five hours, even more.\u201d 
Their first season, where they straddled junior and senior events, ended with the duo finishing 19th at their first World Championships, 
\u201cIt's kind of tricky, and it's playing with your mind a bit because we started the season as a juniors, and then we slowly moved to the seniors,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cIt was a nice experience. and also pretty successful for us as seniors and also juniors. Also, we watched all the obstacles we went through. It's a great experience, of course competing in one category it's much easier.
The Move to Montreal
In preparation for the upcoming 2022-2023 season, Mazingue & Gaidajenko made the decision to train at the renowned Ice Academy of Montreal under the guidance of coaches Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, and Romain Haguenauer. 
\u201cWe were skating in Moscow before that, but there was a lot of troubles with Visas because of what's going on in the world in general even before it started the situation with Ukraine,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cIt's already complicated to get in Russia because of they didn't want to give a Visa to anyone, so all the last season we tried to find was trying to find where to skate and ice times all across the world. 
\u201cThen the situation with Ukraine started, so there was no chance to stay there at all. We had a good relationship with the coaches from Montreal before, and we had ideas already to move there. At this point already, we don't have any other solutions, and plus we really want to go there. We just after Worlds had two to three weeks break, and then we went to the Montreal. Everything started here.\u201d
According to the team, one training location is not really comparable to the other.\u201cIt's really two different methods,\u201d Mazingue said. \u201cFor example, in Russia, it's more by yourself, and there is a coach, and she comes to help you, but here it\u2019s more like a private session. We like both. It's really how the skater likes it.\u201d 
\u201cHere they have their own methods, which works absolutely brilliant and perfect,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cThey're different than others and the so much effort, they put in the school and in the skaters. You feel here as a family. You feel support from from the skaters and from the coaches. We have mental coaches. We have so many so many people around us, and the greatest part is that you every day you learn something new. It\u2019s knowledge. It\u2019s a lot of lifestyle changing because here you\u2019re living the life of an actual athlete. You do your own choice. if you don't want to skate today, you can not skate, but then it's how it will affect you in the future.\u201d
The Accident
The transition from Moscow to Montreal was a smooth one for Mazingue & Gaidajenko, until September 29th when everything changed for the couple. Falls happen in figure skating for different reasons and even on elements that are practiced over and over again. 
The team\u2019s first competition of the season would be the 2022 Finlandia Trophy event, which is part of the ISU Challenger Series. The team was skating run-throughs of their programs and were working on their free dance.
\u201cHe was helping me to do the assisted jump,\u201d Mazingue said. \u201cThere was a hole, so his blade gets stuck in the hole. He fell back, and at this one he was lifting me, so my head was down, and my foot was up. When he fell back, I fell on my head, and at this moment I lose consciousness for 10 seconds.\u201d
\u201cIt was a simple lift that we've done like gazillion times before that and was entering to the twizzles,\u201d Gaidajenko added. \u201cI was stuck on the ice, and she hit her head.  Sometimes we hit our heads on the ice. Sometimes there's nothing, and sometimes there is a concussion. Skaters really struggle with the concussions for like a year or so after because we just don't stop our season. In this case, she hit her head really hard. We went to the hospital because the swelling on her head was a lot, and she was she was in major pain. We called the ambulance right away with the coaches after the fall.\u201d
Gaidajenko continued, \"When we arrived to the hospital, I went right to the waiting area and during this time it was two and a half hours. They did this head scan, and it showed that that her skull was broken, that there's a fracture, and then there was a bleeding, but they didn't really see how exactly it's affecting the brain yet. They saw that there is bleeding outside and inside.\u201d
\u201cI had a fracture and was bleeding a lot and fast, and this was pushing my brain in the left parts and middle,\u201d Mazingue added. \u201cThis was really bad because that is how people can lose how to walk and how to speak. My doctor\u2019s nurse who was doing my head scan called right away to the surgeon. At this moment, my body stopped to react. My pupils stopped responding, and I fell into the coma. My body dropped to 32 degrees. I went to surgery. It was about three hours.\u201d
\u201cThey started to do operation and during this time the nurse came to see me and say that she's in critical conditions, and he's not sure she\u2019s going make it through operation,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cThe nurse told me if she's going to make it we don't know if she's going to talk again or walk again. Three hours ago I saw her. I talked to her. Practice was great and at this point, somebody was telling me that it might be the last time you see her.\u201d 
Gaidajenko continued, \u201cI was in a fog. It was really hard to take it because I was alone there for like these three hours.  I was on the phone with my dad. He's also in medicine, but back in Estonia. God bless Tim [Dieck] and Olivia [Smart] who came to see me right away. Patrice [Lauzon] came after practice and at this time she was in the operating room.\u201d
At 10pm on the same day as her accident, Mazingue had an emergency craniotomy. They opened the skull, drained the blood and checked her brain activity. They put in titanium plates with six anchors. The nurses told Gaidajenko they would try to wake her the next morning at noon. They warned him that she may have amnesia or be panicked and not remember where she is, or why she is there.
\u201cI came back home and next morning I received a call at 7am,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cIt was Solene\u2019s voice asking are you coming to see me. She was doing great. She was smiling, and we explained to her what happened. The next day, her mom arrived and was visiting her every day in the hospital. The progression went really fast.\u201d 
Early on in her rehabilitation process, Mazingue decided she wanted to share her progress with others to be an inspiration to others. 
\u201cI was looking for someone like me to talk to me about what my future will be and actually, there was no one.  It's really hard to find someone because people who had surgery don't talk again. They don't work, or they are still in hospital. I was feeling really alone. I was like, what will be my future? What will be happen with me? To get on social media, I want to give hope to to everyone and inspire everyone, and I want to be this person who is here for help. In this case, whatever problem this is, it's not just only for surgery, it can be for any injury or any problem. I want to be this person who can give hope and tell you that it's not impossible.\u201d
The Journey to 2023 Worlds
While Mazingue had a long road to recovery ahead of her, she decided two days after her surgery that she wanted to skate again.
\u201cIn hospital, I was already thinking about Worlds,\u201d Mazingue said. \u201cWhen I started my rehabilitation with my doctor, the first thing that he asked me was \u2018what is what is your goal?\u2019 He told me that for every patient, for every athlete he always sets the goal. My goal with my partner was to go to Japan five months after the surgery.\u201d
Mazingue continued, \u201cIt was not 100% sure that I will go. It was really day by day. I really took my time. I started to skate like 15 minutes a day, 30 minutes, one hour and then one hour 30 minutes and calculate everything for maybe going to Worlds. Two weeks before Japan there was a meeting with doctor. There was a meeting with federation, with coaches. We really took our time and discussed everything to be sure that if I go it\u2019s ok. It's really about the doctor because I need to wait for him to say yes. He said yes. It was my goal to do it in five months and I did it. It was just incredible. It was just like impossible to believe that I'm going.\u201d
\u201cI also grew a lot from this accident,\u201d Gaidajenko added. \u201cLike everything changed. My mindset changed a lot and like my habits and everything. I had the idea that what are we going to do if we don't go Worlds and also what we're going to do if we go to Worlds. I was ready for it each scenario. She was doing all this hard job. Since the first day after she woke up from surgery, her mentality started to work in a way to prepare herself for Worlds already. It felt amazing seeing her being so happy doing this.\u201d
Both Mazingue and Gaidajenko knew that they were heading to Saitama not at full strength, but for them it was more important that they were able to compete versus any result achieved. The Estonian team finished 28th in the rhythm dance and did not qualify for the free dance, but it was just being there that made all of the effort worth it.
\u201cThis competition wasn't a competition to show our best skating performance,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cWe did show our best. We were there to show that if you don't quit, you can make it.  After we finished our rhythm dance before in front of 20,000 Japanese fans, I was clapping and that felt right. We are in the right place where we should be at this time. It felt amazing.\u201d
\u201cI was really I did it,\u201d Mazingue added. \u201cJust to be on the ice at the World Championship in Japan with plenty people around me. This was just an experience, an incredible experience.\u201d
Looking Ahead
The team is still reminiscing about their accomplishments and starting to think ahead to next year and beyond. 
\u201cThe main goal for me since I'm six or even seven years old is to go to the Olympics,\u201d Mazingue said.  \u201cJust to go to Worlds in Japan was the first step after the accident on the way to the Olympics. My next goal is Olympics Milano 2026. Three years.\u201d
For the immediate future, Mazingue & Gaidajenio are looking forward to the rhythm dance for next season, set to music from the 1980s. 
\u201cRight now, we are preparing for the next season and we're listening the 80s music,\u201d Mazingue said.
\u201cEveryone is looking forward to next season,\u201d Gaidajenko added. \u201cAfter competitions, in almost every playlist, there is music from the 1980s. We're listening to this stuff and absolutely like when the ISU gives us an opportunity to do something interesting to show cool stuff, some dancing moves. For 80s music, we\u2019re absolutely in!\u201d
Mazingue continued, \u201cI really like the 80s music when I warm up before practice. It's 80s music, but I'm listening because it (creates a) really good mood for me.\u201d
\u201cWe already heard some songs teams here are choosing,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cThere will be interesting programs. Not everyone is coming back yet to build them, but when everyone is here, we will have an 80s vibe on the ice for sure.\u201d
Off the Ice
While most of their time is focused on training, the duo finds time for relaxation and hobbies when they can. Gaidajenko is a big gamer and plays Call of Duty, Hogwarts Legacy and God of War: Ragnarok on Playstation. Both have a Nintendo Switch, but Mazingue doesn\u2019t currently play because she\u2019s still working on her brain recovery. They hope to start a Youtube or Twitch Channel at some point to stream some of their gaming activities. 
Mazingue does color books as part of her therapy. She is learning to write again and keeps a journal of her daily activities. Her mother is helping her with math and calculations.  She also loves to play board games, including Seven Wonders.
Both love to build with Legos, including a bonsai tree that is under reconstruction. During a recent trip to New York City, Gaidajenko made a Solene lego character for her.   
The team also makes a point to buy a pop figure at every competition destination. 
How You Can Help
As you can imagine the cost of Mazingue\u2019s ongoing therapy is costly on its own, but coupled with training expenses the team needs help to continue fighting for their dream. 
Insert info on GoFundMe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

by Daphne Backman | On-Ice Photos by Robin Ritoss
 
BackgroundsBoth Mazingue and Gaidajenko started their skating journeys at the age of three, but their early experiences couldn\u2019t be more different. 
Mazingue was born in Paris, France. Her mom brought her to a rink local to her neighborhood to see if she would like it. She fell in love with skating and the ice. She never left.  At six years old, she started competing in small competitions in her city, which she really enjoyed.
\u201cBefore 15, I was just skating because I liked it,\u201d Mazingue said. \u201cI really love skating, and the thing I love the most is to compete. I like to feel the music and to give some emotion feeling to the public who watches me.\u201d
When Gaidajenko\u2019s parents put him on the ice for the first time, there were 20 or more kids going from one side of the rink to the other in one direction. When coaches arrived, they pushed him, but his legs went into a split. 
\u201cI started saying I don\u2019t want to, I don\u2019t want to,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cThey took me back home. The next time, I was seven, and then I stuck to it. 
It all started for fun, but at one point when you start to understand that you like it, you\u2019re getting better and keep going. It just becomes your lifestyle like you're a professional athlete. You skate, you work out and you compete, and that\u2019s what drives you from competition to competition. This adrenaline and emotional boost is the thing what pushes you and also like drives you.\u201d
Partnership
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the world of figure skating with the World Championships being the first event casualty in March 2020. While the skaters found creative ways to continue training and showcasing their skills, forming a new partnership during travel restrictions presented its own set of obstacles.
In 2020, Gaidajenko was training for the Junior Grand Prix with partner Darja Netjaga when the ISU announced the events would not be held that fall. In fact, there were no competitions being held at all.
\u201cWe decided to stop skating for a moment because there was no goal to go somewhere,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cIt was like really hard to push to do still the run-throughs.\u201d
When the partnership ended and even though he had yet to announce it, he started to receive messages about tryouts from prospective partners.
\u201cThe world of figure skating is so tiny,\u201d Gaidajenko said.
Mazingue split with her partner at the end of the 2019-2020 season. Because it was impossible to travel, she spent a lot of time looking for a new partnership by viewing video trailers of skaters from the U.S. and Russia. Then, she heard about Marko. 
\u201cI right away texted my coach, who texted him, and he said yes to a tryout,\u201d Mazingue said. 
\u201cAll of a sudden, Solene texted me because she was without a partner as well,\u201d Gaidajenko added. 
It was December 2020, and travel was still restricted to and between certain countries. The duo decided that having the tryout in France would be the best option. \u201cI said let\u2019s try,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cLet\u2019s go to France.\u201d\u201cWe tried out for two weeks,\u201d Mazingue added.\u201d \u201cIt [the tryout] was perfect for me and perfect for him too, right?\u201d
\u201cYeah,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cI went for New Years back to Estonia. I came back to France, and we started to skate together and to think about maybe we should try for our future.\u201d
Season One
Mazingue & Gaidajenko moved forward with their partnership for the 2021-22 season. They were still age-eligible for the junior level and debuted at the second Junior Grand Prix event in France, where they won the bronze medal, followed by a ninth place finish at the Cup of Austria JGP. 
A month later, they competed at their first senior event, Warsaw Cup Challenger Series event in Poland, where they finished 15th. After winning their first Estonian senior national title, they finished ninth at Golden Spin of Zagreb. 
While competing at both levels brought its own set of obstacles, the rhythm dance theme lended itself to an easier transition.
\u201cIt's usually more challenging because it's usually absolutely two different rhythm dances, but last season that was the same subject, like a hip hop and street culture,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cAlso, it was both the blues. It\u2019s Midnight Blues (senior) and Blues (junior), so it was easier.\u201d 
Being Estonia\u2019s newly-crowned national champions, they were assigned to the 2022 European Championships, which took place in Gaidajenko\u2019s home city of Tallinn, Estonia. The teams who finish 1-20 in the rhythm dance move on to the free dance, so Mazingue & Gaidajenko\u2019s 20th place finish (out of 27 teams) meant they qualified in their first attempt. They were then assigned to the World Championships.  
\u201cWe went there with the idea of quality technical qualification for the free dance,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cWe've worked a lot before before this Worlds, and we also had the really good draw for us. We were in the fourth group.\u201d
For a new team, they exceeded expectations and qualified for the free dance in a familiar 20th place.
\u201cWhen we finish our rhythm dance, we can right away see if we qualified or not,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cWe did one of the best rhythm dances for our whole season. Me and the coach are sitting in kiss \u2019n cry and already understood this because we saw the points. Solene didn\u2019t get it yet. We saw the \u2018Q\u2019, and she said \u2018what does it mean?\u2019 We qualified for the free dance, and she\u2019s so excited.\u201d
\u201cI didn\u2019t understand if we qualified or not,\u201d Mazingue added. \u201cWhen we passed, I was super happy because we worked for one season. And that was so much emotion because actually one year working every day, five hours, even more.\u201d 
Their first season, where they straddled junior and senior events, ended with the duo finishing 19th at their first World Championships, 
\u201cIt's kind of tricky, and it's playing with your mind a bit because we started the season as a juniors, and then we slowly moved to the seniors,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cIt was a nice experience. and also pretty successful for us as seniors and also juniors. Also, we watched all the obstacles we went through. It's a great experience, of course competing in one category it's much easier.
The Move to Montreal
In preparation for the upcoming 2022-2023 season, Mazingue & Gaidajenko made the decision to train at the renowned Ice Academy of Montreal under the guidance of coaches Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, and Romain Haguenauer. 
\u201cWe were skating in Moscow before that, but there was a lot of troubles with Visas because of what's going on in the world in general even before it started the situation with Ukraine,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cIt's already complicated to get in Russia because of they didn't want to give a Visa to anyone, so all the last season we tried to find was trying to find where to skate and ice times all across the world. 
\u201cThen the situation with Ukraine started, so there was no chance to stay there at all. We had a good relationship with the coaches from Montreal before, and we had ideas already to move there. At this point already, we don't have any other solutions, and plus we really want to go there. We just after Worlds had two to three weeks break, and then we went to the Montreal. Everything started here.\u201d
According to the team, one training location is not really comparable to the other.\u201cIt's really two different methods,\u201d Mazingue said. \u201cFor example, in Russia, it's more by yourself, and there is a coach, and she comes to help you, but here it\u2019s more like a private session. We like both. It's really how the skater likes it.\u201d 
\u201cHere they have their own methods, which works absolutely brilliant and perfect,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cThey're different than others and the so much effort, they put in the school and in the skaters. You feel here as a family. You feel support from from the skaters and from the coaches. We have mental coaches. We have so many so many people around us, and the greatest part is that you every day you learn something new. It\u2019s knowledge. It\u2019s a lot of lifestyle changing because here you\u2019re living the life of an actual athlete. You do your own choice. if you don't want to skate today, you can not skate, but then it's how it will affect you in the future.\u201d
The Accident
The transition from Moscow to Montreal was a smooth one for Mazingue & Gaidajenko, until September 29th when everything changed for the couple. Falls happen in figure skating for different reasons and even on elements that are practiced over and over again. 
The team\u2019s first competition of the season would be the 2022 Finlandia Trophy event, which is part of the ISU Challenger Series. The team was skating run-throughs of their programs and were working on their free dance.
\u201cHe was helping me to do the assisted jump,\u201d Mazingue said. \u201cThere was a hole, so his blade gets stuck in the hole. He fell back, and at this one he was lifting me, so my head was down, and my foot was up. When he fell back, I fell on my head, and at this moment I lose consciousness for 10 seconds.\u201d
\u201cIt was a simple lift that we've done like gazillion times before that and was entering to the twizzles,\u201d Gaidajenko added. \u201cI was stuck on the ice, and she hit her head.  Sometimes we hit our heads on the ice. Sometimes there's nothing, and sometimes there is a concussion. Skaters really struggle with the concussions for like a year or so after because we just don't stop our season. In this case, she hit her head really hard. We went to the hospital because the swelling on her head was a lot, and she was she was in major pain. We called the ambulance right away with the coaches after the fall.\u201d
Gaidajenko continued, \"When we arrived to the hospital, I went right to the waiting area and during this time it was two and a half hours. They did this head scan, and it showed that that her skull was broken, that there's a fracture, and then there was a bleeding, but they didn't really see how exactly it's affecting the brain yet. They saw that there is bleeding outside and inside.\u201d
\u201cI had a fracture and was bleeding a lot and fast, and this was pushing my brain in the left parts and middle,\u201d Mazingue added. \u201cThis was really bad because that is how people can lose how to walk and how to speak. My doctor\u2019s nurse who was doing my head scan called right away to the surgeon. At this moment, my body stopped to react. My pupils stopped responding, and I fell into the coma. My body dropped to 32 degrees. I went to surgery. It was about three hours.\u201d
\u201cThey started to do operation and during this time the nurse came to see me and say that she's in critical conditions, and he's not sure she\u2019s going make it through operation,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cThe nurse told me if she's going to make it we don't know if she's going to talk again or walk again. Three hours ago I saw her. I talked to her. Practice was great and at this point, somebody was telling me that it might be the last time you see her.\u201d 
Gaidajenko continued, \u201cI was in a fog. It was really hard to take it because I was alone there for like these three hours.  I was on the phone with my dad. He's also in medicine, but back in Estonia. God bless Tim [Dieck] and Olivia [Smart] who came to see me right away. Patrice [Lauzon] came after practice and at this time she was in the operating room.\u201d
At 10pm on the same day as her accident, Mazingue had an emergency craniotomy. They opened the skull, drained the blood and checked her brain activity. They put in titanium plates with six anchors. The nurses told Gaidajenko they would try to wake her the next morning at noon. They warned him that she may have amnesia or be panicked and not remember where she is, or why she is there.
\u201cI came back home and next morning I received a call at 7am,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cIt was Solene\u2019s voice asking are you coming to see me. She was doing great. She was smiling, and we explained to her what happened. The next day, her mom arrived and was visiting her every day in the hospital. The progression went really fast.\u201d 
Early on in her rehabilitation process, Mazingue decided she wanted to share her progress with others to be an inspiration to others. 
\u201cI was looking for someone like me to talk to me about what my future will be and actually, there was no one.  It's really hard to find someone because people who had surgery don't talk again. They don't work, or they are still in hospital. I was feeling really alone. I was like, what will be my future? What will be happen with me? To get on social media, I want to give hope to to everyone and inspire everyone, and I want to be this person who is here for help. In this case, whatever problem this is, it's not just only for surgery, it can be for any injury or any problem. I want to be this person who can give hope and tell you that it's not impossible.\u201d
The Journey to 2023 Worlds
While Mazingue had a long road to recovery ahead of her, she decided two days after her surgery that she wanted to skate again.
\u201cIn hospital, I was already thinking about Worlds,\u201d Mazingue said. \u201cWhen I started my rehabilitation with my doctor, the first thing that he asked me was \u2018what is what is your goal?\u2019 He told me that for every patient, for every athlete he always sets the goal. My goal with my partner was to go to Japan five months after the surgery.\u201d
Mazingue continued, \u201cIt was not 100% sure that I will go. It was really day by day. I really took my time. I started to skate like 15 minutes a day, 30 minutes, one hour and then one hour 30 minutes and calculate everything for maybe going to Worlds. Two weeks before Japan there was a meeting with doctor. There was a meeting with federation, with coaches. We really took our time and discussed everything to be sure that if I go it\u2019s ok. It's really about the doctor because I need to wait for him to say yes. He said yes. It was my goal to do it in five months and I did it. It was just incredible. It was just like impossible to believe that I'm going.\u201d
\u201cI also grew a lot from this accident,\u201d Gaidajenko added. \u201cLike everything changed. My mindset changed a lot and like my habits and everything. I had the idea that what are we going to do if we don't go Worlds and also what we're going to do if we go to Worlds. I was ready for it each scenario. She was doing all this hard job. Since the first day after she woke up from surgery, her mentality started to work in a way to prepare herself for Worlds already. It felt amazing seeing her being so happy doing this.\u201d
Both Mazingue and Gaidajenko knew that they were heading to Saitama not at full strength, but for them it was more important that they were able to compete versus any result achieved. The Estonian team finished 28th in the rhythm dance and did not qualify for the free dance, but it was just being there that made all of the effort worth it.
\u201cThis competition wasn't a competition to show our best skating performance,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cWe did show our best. We were there to show that if you don't quit, you can make it.  After we finished our rhythm dance before in front of 20,000 Japanese fans, I was clapping and that felt right. We are in the right place where we should be at this time. It felt amazing.\u201d
\u201cI was really I did it,\u201d Mazingue added. \u201cJust to be on the ice at the World Championship in Japan with plenty people around me. This was just an experience, an incredible experience.\u201d
Looking Ahead
The team is still reminiscing about their accomplishments and starting to think ahead to next year and beyond. 
\u201cThe main goal for me since I'm six or even seven years old is to go to the Olympics,\u201d Mazingue said.  \u201cJust to go to Worlds in Japan was the first step after the accident on the way to the Olympics. My next goal is Olympics Milano 2026. Three years.\u201d
For the immediate future, Mazingue & Gaidajenio are looking forward to the rhythm dance for next season, set to music from the 1980s. 
\u201cRight now, we are preparing for the next season and we're listening the 80s music,\u201d Mazingue said.
\u201cEveryone is looking forward to next season,\u201d Gaidajenko added. \u201cAfter competitions, in almost every playlist, there is music from the 1980s. We're listening to this stuff and absolutely like when the ISU gives us an opportunity to do something interesting to show cool stuff, some dancing moves. For 80s music, we\u2019re absolutely in!\u201d
Mazingue continued, \u201cI really like the 80s music when I warm up before practice. It's 80s music, but I'm listening because it (creates a) really good mood for me.\u201d
\u201cWe already heard some songs teams here are choosing,\u201d Gaidajenko said. \u201cThere will be interesting programs. Not everyone is coming back yet to build them, but when everyone is here, we will have an 80s vibe on the ice for sure.\u201d
Off the Ice
While most of their time is focused on training, the duo finds time for relaxation and hobbies when they can. Gaidajenko is a big gamer and plays Call of Duty, Hogwarts Legacy and God of War: Ragnarok on Playstation. Both have a Nintendo Switch, but Mazingue doesn\u2019t currently play because she\u2019s still working on her brain recovery. They hope to start a Youtube or Twitch Channel at some point to stream some of their gaming activities. 
Mazingue does color books as part of her therapy. She is learning to write again and keeps a journal of her daily activities. Her mother is helping her with math and calculations.  She also loves to play board games, including Seven Wonders.
Both love to build with Legos, including a bonsai tree that is under reconstruction. During a recent trip to New York City, Gaidajenko made a Solene lego character for her.   
The team also makes a point to buy a pop figure at every competition destination. 
How You Can Help
As you can imagine the cost of Mazingue\u2019s ongoing therapy is costly on its own, but coupled with training expenses the team needs help to continue fighting for their dream. 
Insert info on GoFundMe.<\/p>\n","_et_gb_content_width":"1280","_gspb_post_css":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[6,142],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-interviews","category-featured"],"blocksy_meta":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Mazingue-Gaidajenko-1115.jpg?fit=957%2C566&ssl=1","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Mazingue-Gaidajenko-1115.jpg?fit=957%2C566&ssl=1",957,566,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Mazingue-Gaidajenko-1115.jpg?fit=254%2C150&ssl=1",254,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Mazingue-Gaidajenko-1115.jpg?fit=300%2C177&ssl=1",300,177,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Mazingue-Gaidajenko-1115.jpg?fit=768%2C454&ssl=1",768,454,true],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Mazingue-Gaidajenko-1115.jpg?fit=957%2C566&ssl=1",957,566,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Mazingue-Gaidajenko-1115.jpg?fit=957%2C566&ssl=1",957,566,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Mazingue-Gaidajenko-1115.jpg?fit=957%2C566&ssl=1",957,566,true],"et-pb-post-main-image":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Mazingue-Gaidajenko-1115.jpg?resize=400%2C250&ssl=1",400,250,true],"et-pb-post-main-image-fullwidth":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Mazingue-Gaidajenko-1115.jpg?resize=957%2C566&ssl=1",957,566,true],"et-pb-portfolio-image":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Mazingue-Gaidajenko-1115.jpg?resize=400%2C284&ssl=1",400,284,true],"et-pb-portfolio-module-image":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Mazingue-Gaidajenko-1115.jpg?resize=510%2C382&ssl=1",510,382,true],"et-pb-portfolio-image-single":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Mazingue-Gaidajenko-1115.jpg?fit=957%2C566&ssl=1",957,566,true],"et-pb-gallery-module-image-portrait":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Mazingue-Gaidajenko-1115.jpg?resize=400%2C516&ssl=1",400,516,true],"rpwe-thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Mazingue-Gaidajenko-1115.jpg?resize=45%2C45&ssl=1",45,45,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Team IDC","author_link":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/author\/idcadmin\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"by Daphne Backman | On-Ice Photos by Robin Ritoss Estonia’s Solene Mazingue (20) & Marko Gaidajenko (21) had a whirlwind 2021-22 season. They relocated to Montreal in the off season […]","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7GOSM-7XE","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30606"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30606\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30630,"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30606\/revisions\/30630"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}