{"id":32022,"date":"2023-08-28T01:00:46","date_gmt":"2023-08-28T05:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/?p=32022"},"modified":"2023-08-28T10:47:55","modified_gmt":"2023-08-28T14:47:55","slug":"the-carharts-a-skating-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/the-carharts-a-skating-family\/","title":{"rendered":"The Carharts: A Skating Family"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

by Anne Calder<\/em><\/p>\n

The skating Carharts include siblings Adrienne (21), Helena (18), Veronica (13) and Marian (10).<\/p>\n

\"\"Adrienne, Helena and Marian are competitive ice dancers. Adrienne and partner, Oleksandr Kolosovskyi represent Azerbaijan internationally. Helena and partner Volodymyr Horovyi are 2023 U.S .Junior silver medalists and Junior Grand Prix Series competitors. Marion and partner Denis Bledsoe are the reigning U.S. Juvenile gold medalists.<\/p>\n

Veronica competes in women singles on the intermediate level and qualified last season for the U.S. Final.<\/p>\n

The sisters began their skating journeys in New York City and now train at the International Skating Academy in Estero, Florida with World and Olympic coach Marina Zoueva.<\/p>\n

They reflected with mixed emotions on their skating experiences while living and training in Manhattan.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs much as I love and miss New York, it was tough to make skating and school work in the City environment,\u201d Adrienne began.<\/p>\n

\u201cHelena and I would wake up at 4 a.m. My mom had everything ready for the day including our packed breakfast and school clothes. She drove us 30 minutes to the Chelsea Piers rink where we skated from 5 to 7:30 a.m. Afterwards, she drove 45 minutes uptown for us to attended Sacred Heart School. Our classes began at 9 a.m. and mom picked us up at 2 p.m. so we could skate again.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe drove us out to Hackensack, NJ, where we skated from 3:30 to 7 p.m. On the drive home we\u2019d do our homework in the car. Our mom worked non-stop to make it happen. It was just really difficult to make all the pieces fit. Life in Florida has been much more rewarding for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a toddler, Veronica often rode along with her sisters. On one such trip, she made an announcement.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Veronica skates at the 2022 Atlanta Open.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI was two and a half years old. I don\u2019t remember much, but my family had just adopted me from China. I spoke very little English. My mom would drive Adrienne and Helena to skate every day. I loved going everywhere with my mom, so she took me with them. She held me while we watched them skate. I loved seeing them glide across the ice – they looked so happy and beautiful. I turned to my mom and said, \u2018Mommy, me skate too!\u201d<\/p>\n

Veronica has fond memories of those drives to New Jersey when she was older and skating.<\/p>\n

\u201cMom would pick us up from school and drive us to Hackensack. We would talk about our day and sing along to music. After skating we would then all go home together. It\u2019s one of my favorite memories with my sisters. It was a memory I missed when we moved to Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marian remembers rising early in the morning and attending Sacred Heart School. She and Veronica followed the same schedule as Adrienne and Helena.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes I\u2019d go skate [at Chelsea Piers] and then school, but sometimes I\u2019d just go to school. Then we\u2019d skate until 7 p.m. in Hackensack. I was six and a half when we moved to Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adrienne was the first to leave the family nest. When she was 15 she had reconstructive hip surgery. The next year she moved alone to Canton, Michigan to train with Marina Zoueva. She soon began collecting solo dance medals. In 2018, she was the U.S. National Solo Dance silver pattern and novice combined champion.<\/p>\n

The following year when Zoueva moved her Academy to Florida, Adrienne tagged along and continued her solo dancing. A few months later, 13-year-old Helena, who also had an injury that had ended her singles skating, joined her sister at the Estero site. After only three months, Helena partnered with Volodymyr Horovyi and began training in novice ice dance.<\/p>\n

In January 2020, the rest of the family moved to Florida.<\/p>\n

The two youngest siblings were skating singles. Veronica recalls that because there was no jump coach with the Academy it was difficult at first.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur mom would drive Marian and me two hours to Panthers [Ice Den in Coral Springs, FL] Tuesday through Friday every week. It was hard to be separated from Adrienne and Helena. I also know how exhausting it was for my mom. In some ways it was a lot of fun, because Marian and I got to have wonderful time with our mom. Once Coach Igor [Krocavec] moved to Naples to work with Marina, I grew to love Florida and being back all together again with my sisters.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Adrienne and partner Sasha Kolosovskyi compete at the Lake Placid Ice Dance International (July 2023).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Marian had mixed feelings about the relocation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a little stressful to leave all my friends and the school, coaches and other skaters, but my sisters had moved before Veronica and me. They were very supportive. I was upset, but they really helped me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Carharts are a very close-knit family. They are great at communicating with each other. Adrienne explained that it\u2019s an important skill they\u2019ve also taken into their partnerships.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile they are wonderful, partnerships can also be challenging. We\u2019re under high stress situations that can be difficult. We are all lucky. We skate with partners who have been there for us. The key is communication.<\/p>\n

\u201cSasha, Vova and Denis are part of the family. They\u2019re like the brothers we never knew we needed, but we do need now. It\u2019s probably the most challenging part of the sport, but also the most fulfilling and rewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving a skating partner, I grew alongside him and became better because of it,\u201d Helena added.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think of my partner, Denis like an older brother,\u201d Marian said. \u201cIt\u2019s great having someone to talk to all the time and having a boy\u2019s perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSometime there\u2019s too much girl energy in the house; it\u2019s good to have it balanced out,\u201d Adrienne said with a laugh.<\/p>\n

Veronica doesn\u2019t have a partner, but shared her perspective on support and communication.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes I am sad that my sisters are all ice dancers. I\u2019m the only adopted one in my family; I\u2019m the only single skater. Sometimes I feel like the odd one out, but when I\u2019m on the ice with my sisters, I feel so connected to them and my family.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I practice my programs, my sisters cheer as I skate. I will look out of the corner of my eye and see Adrienne smiling and clapping for me. I can\u2019t help but laugh and smile through the rest of the program.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the flip side, whenever my sisters skate, I always want them to skate great. I know where their twizzles are. Every time they skate I watch and pray they don\u2019t mess them up! Having my sisters there makes the run-throughs so much fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sisters have great admiration for one another and shared the many reasons.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Helena with partner Volodymyr Horovyi compete at the Lake Placid Ice Dance International (July 2023).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Helena began. \u201cI\u2019ll start with Adrienne, who is the one who got me into ice dance. I admire her presentation, the way she skates to the music and her facial expressions. When I started ice dancing I was very stiff. I didn\u2019t really feel comfortable dancing and getting into the music, so I watched Adrienne who has incredible musicality.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love how Marian is open to performing. She will get your attention no matter what she does. Veronica is so athletic. Her jumps are amazing. She\u2019s so good at bringing me back to being less emotional about things. She\u2019s very logical.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adrienne added, \u201cVeronica is the girl I go to for words of wisdom when I\u2019m unsure about what to do. She\u2019s 13, but so wise. She has a heart of pure gold and kindness. She\u2019s so tough on the ice – so fearless. Marian has this lightness, joy and positivity with everything she does. She\u2019s always happy. She approaches everything with such confidence that she inspires me to be more self-assured and happier.<\/p>\n

\u201cHelena, you\u2019re the hardest worker, most dedicated skater, athlete, person. You\u2019re the first person at the rink, the last to leave. You push through obstacles I wouldn\u2019t know what to do. I really admire you and wish to be more like you. You really inspire me deeply and make me a better person.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVeronica and I hang out a lot together,\u201d Marian said. \u201cShe is so supportive to me. If I have a bad day, I\u2019ll ask her to help me figure out what to do. If I\u2019m wrong, she might say I should come at the situation differently, but always says it in a good way. She gives me good advice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really look up to Helena,\u201d she continued. \u201cShe works so hard for Veronica and me. She drives us to the rink, cooks for us, and is just amazing. I love Adrienne because she\u2019s so loving to me. When I\u2019m sad, she is always there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Veronica added several reasons why she respects her siblings beginning with her younger sister.<\/p>\n

\u201cI admire Marian\u2019s pizzazz, creativity, and intensity when she skates. She is so artistic. To me, Marian is the embodiment of ice dancing. She also helps me have fun and let loose. She hugs me whenever I am down. We do everything together: we skate together, go to school together, play together, go to bed and wake up together. She gives me so much love, and she is my best friend.<\/p>\n

\u201cHelena has the best work ethic. She pushes so hard and reminds me I can work harder and do more. More than that, I can always talk to Helena about what is bothering me. She can get me out of any mood and make me laugh and smile.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Marian and partner Denis Bledsoe skate their free dance at the Dallas Classic (July 2023).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cAdrienne has the deepest love for skating. She has had so many ups and downs in the sport, but no matter what she keeps going with passion. She is also really good at opening up about her feelings. I struggle to open up about my emotions, and someday I want to be as open as she is about her feelings.<\/p>\n

I also love that Adrienne makes my costumes and cuts my music. One of my favorite dresses is the one she made for my Intermediate Free Skate this year. I am skating to the Butterfly Lover\u2019s Violin Concerto, so Adrienne made me a dress that looks like a butterfly. Last year, I skated to My Fair Lady, and she made me the most beautiful lace dress. It sparkled like champagne. She always makes me feel so beautiful on the ice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Skating has greatly influenced all their lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cSkating has taught me to be strong. When you go through things, you learn to deal with it,\u201d Marian noted. \u201cAlso when you have a family to support you, it makes it easier. It\u2019s also taught me love because I love skating.\u201d<\/p>\n

Helena added, \u201cIt\u2019s taught me a lot about discipline and about love – but a different kind of love because I\u2019ve learned to be so passionate about skating. It\u2019s not only a job, it\u2019s indescribable. I just get this amazing feeling when I do it. I feel fulfilled. I tried every sport, and I quit all of them. The fact that I didn\u2019t quit skating years ago means I knew it was right for me. Even though there were times that I didn\u2019t like it, I\u2019ve grown as a person through it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the big lesson skating has taught me is to persevere through struggles and to keep a perspective,\u201d said Adrienne. \u201cThis is a very tough sport and every skater has a story of struggle and self doubt. It\u2019s really easy to stop, to quit or to self sabotage because you feel like you\u2019re not succeeding. I look back on my skating career, and there have been a lot of moments where I wondered should I continue.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were so many years when I was in Solo Dance, and I loved it, but I remember thinking I wanted a partner. Dallas 2021 was my last Solo Dance competition and while I love skating with Sasha, I do miss Solo Dance. Having a family that has encouraged me to do what I love, and also to persevere through difficult things, has made me a stronger person.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy sisters have always been such a big part of my love for skating,\u201d Veronica added. \u201cOne of my other early skating memories was in Lake Placid! My sisters and I went there every summer for a few weeks of camp. Marian had just been born, so it was one of the first times all four of us were together.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere would always be a show in the 1980 rink, so my coaches made a little program for me. I was skating to \u201cRockin\u2019 Robin\u201d by Michael Jackson. I was only three and a half years old, and the spotlights scared me, so Adrienne took my hand and skated the whole program with me!\u201d<\/p>\n

As Veronica previously mentioned, Adrienne is an amazing seamstress and uses her talents to design and sew the Carhart skating costumes.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cI\u2019ve been sewing since I was seven or eight. When I was 15 and had my reconstructive hip surgery, I had to take a year off the ice. During that time I realized I wanted to stay involved in the sport while not being able to skate, so I started making skating dresses. It\u2019s developed into designing and making all of our costumes.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, I love that part of the process. It\u2019s a favorite part because I get to collaborate with the girls and understand the stories behind their programs and the vision they want to express. It\u2019s great quality time that we spend together. It\u2019s also a way we can connect through the sport, but not directly on the ice.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really special for me. They give me artistic license as does Marina and I\u2019m very grateful. I\u2019ll give you an example.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adrienne then shed more light on Veronica\u2019s story about her butterfly costume.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarina and I each had ideas for the costume, so I sat Veronica down and asked for her thoughts. She wanted a dress where she looked like a butterfly. We went shopping and found fabric that looked just like a butterfly\u2019s wings. That was exactly what she wanted. She was the one who came up with the whole idea. It\u2019s one of my favorite dresses I\u2019ve made.\u201c<\/p>\n

Helena noted that they really don\u2019t have to inject their thoughts on the costume because she knows them so well.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe knows what colors and shapes look good on us. She\u2019s not just someone we hired to do the dresses.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI really love it when Adrienne makes my costumes,\u201d added Marian. \u201cSometimes when I have an idea, if we just hired someone to do it, I wouldn\u2019t be able to add my input. When Adrianne makes them, I can tell her what I think, and it\u2019s great. She\u2019s my sister, so it kind of bonds the relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Support \/ Guidance
<\/strong>\u201cI think we\u2019re really lucky to have such a wonderful family and all this love and support.\u201d – Marian Carhart<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe one thing I would attribute to all this love is our parents. They support us in so many ways. They are so selfless. They\u2019ve moved everywhere for us. They let me move away from home at age 16 to achieve this crazy dream, and they\u2019ve supported all of us in so many different ways. They\u2019ve instilled in us the value of loving your sisters and being a family, of being kind, so we owe a lot of thanks to them.\u201d –\u00a0Adrienne Carhart<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Anne Calder The skating Carharts include siblings Adrienne (21), Helena (18), Veronica (13) and Marian (10). Adrienne, Helena and Marian are competitive ice dancers. Adrienne and partner, Oleksandr Kolosovskyi […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32024,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_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-32022","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\/08\/carharts-family.jpg?fit=957%2C566&ssl=1","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/carharts-family.jpg?fit=957%2C566&ssl=1",957,566,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/carharts-family.jpg?fit=254%2C150&ssl=1",254,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/carharts-family.jpg?fit=300%2C177&ssl=1",300,177,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/carharts-family.jpg?fit=768%2C454&ssl=1",768,454,true],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/carharts-family.jpg?fit=957%2C566&ssl=1",957,566,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/carharts-family.jpg?fit=957%2C566&ssl=1",957,566,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/carharts-family.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\/08\/carharts-family.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\/08\/carharts-family.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\/08\/carharts-family.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\/08\/carharts-family.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\/08\/carharts-family.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\/08\/carharts-family.jpg?resize=400%2C516&ssl=1",400,516,true],"rpwe-thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/carharts-family.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 Anne Calder The skating Carharts include siblings Adrienne (21), Helena (18), Veronica (13) and Marian (10). Adrienne, Helena and Marian are competitive ice dancers. Adrienne and partner, Oleksandr Kolosovskyi […]","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7GOSM-8ku","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32022","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=32022"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32022\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32043,"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32022\/revisions\/32043"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32024"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}