{"id":3396,"date":"2015-10-03T00:11:10","date_gmt":"2015-10-03T00:11:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/2015\/10\/03\/spotlight-on-lithuania-s-tran-ambrulevicius\/"},"modified":"2015-10-03T00:11:10","modified_gmt":"2015-10-03T00:11:10","slug":"spotlight-on-lithuania-s-tran-ambrulevicius","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ice-dance.com\/site\/spotlight-on-lithuania-s-tran-ambrulevicius\/","title":{"rendered":"Spotlight on Lithuania’s Tran & Ambrulevicius"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Tran6053\"by Anne Calder | Photos by Robin Ritoss<\/em><\/p>\n

In 2013, two skaters pondered ending their careers. One lived in the USA and the other in Lithuania \u2013 oceans and landmasses apart. <\/p>\n

Taylor Tran had been training with her previous partner, Sam Kaplun, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After the 2013 U.S. Championships, the team split.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t sure what I wanted to do, so I headed back home to Seattle to think about my future skating plans,\u201d Tran said. <\/p>\n

After a summer of thought and deliberation, she opted to move back to Michigan to work with Marina Zoueva in Canton. Throughout the season, Tran tried out with several potential partners. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile in Lithuania, singles skater Saulius (Saul) Ambrulevicius was also doing some soul searching about his future. <\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the 2013 Nebelhorn Trophy and Warsaw Cup, I thought I would give up skating \u2013 at least take a break for the season and see how it goes,\u201d Ambrulevicius said. \u201cI was really more and more thinking of quitting.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Then, opportunity knocked on his door. He was invited to participate in the 2014 Lithuanian version of \u201cDancing on Ice,\u201d where he had a lot of fun teaming up with a celebrity. After the show, a judge suggested that he try ice dance. The life-long freestyle skater gave it some thought. <\/p>\n

\u201cI had no more to offer,\u201d he said. \u201cI did as much as I could in Lithuania. I would have to go skate in other countries, and that would be financially a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition, the previous senior Lithuanian dance team, Isabella Tobias & Deividas Stagniunas, had split after the 2014 Olympic Games, so there was an opening on the national team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought, \u2018Why not give it a try,\u2019\u201d Ambrulevicius said with a smile. \u201cI just needed a partner.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Lithuanian Federation contacted Marina Zoueva, who had coached Tobias & Stagniunas from 2010-2012. Zoueva invited him to try out with Tran.<\/p>\n

Everything then moved at record speed. Ambrulevicius took his final university exams at home and received his Bachelor\u2019s degree. <\/p>\n

Tran and Ambrulevicius had introduced themselves on Facebook, but their first actual meeting was in the Detroit International Airport. The next day, they hit the ice for a successful try-out.
 
After training together for only four months and lacking complete confidence with the elements, the new team traveled to Estonia and competed at Tallinn Trophy in December 2014. It was Tran\u2019s first international event. The duo earned the minimum Technical Element Scores to compete at the 2015 European Championships the following month. At their first Europeans, they were 24th in the short dance. <\/p>\n

The learning curve at the beginning of the switch to ice dance was unexpected. Ambrulevicius found it difficult to learn not only all of the rules, but also all of the ice dance techniques.<\/p>\n

\"Tran-6745\"\u201cThe first couple of weeks my head was exploding\u2026not only the body working differently, but the whole understanding of the figure skating and all the steps,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Since adapting to the new regime, both skaters love training at the Arctic Figure Skating Club in Canton. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe facility has everything you need right there\u2014the gym is upstairs, the ice time is unlimited,\u201d Tran explained. \u201cWe have access to everything. Marina, with all her wisdom, provides all the resources and tools that we need.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cComing to Michigan was a dream come true,\u201d Ambrulevicius added. \u201cYou can\u2019t compare it with what we have in Lithuania. It is another world.\u201d<\/p>\n

The coaching staff, in addition to Zoueva, includes Massimo Scali, Johnny Johns, and lots of other personnel, including a ballet instructor.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a real good team, and we like working with them all, but the main coach is Marina Zoueva,\u201d Ambrulevicius said. \u201cShe is the boss!\u201d<\/p>\n

The team is fully aware of its challenges. Ambrulevicius is in his first full year of ice dance after skating freestyle all his life. Each came to the partnership with good skating skills, but they still need to adjust to skating together. Both athletes agree it will take time and a lot of work.<\/p>\n

The team recently competed at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic in Salt Lake City, where their free dance and total score was a personal best. <\/p>\n

Their next competition is the Skate Canada Autumn Classic in Barrie, Ontario, followed by the Warsaw Cup in November. After the holidays, they will train for the European Championships.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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