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by Anne Calder
Samantha Ritter & Daniel Brykalov signify Azerbaijan in senior ice dance.
IDC not too long ago spoke with the duo in Boston, USA the place they made their debut on the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships. Ritter & Brykalov opened the Rhythm Dance session with “Daddy Cool”, “Fever” and “Sunny” by the Seventies German Disco group, Boney M.
“We were nervous, but took it as an opportunity to start out the event with a bang,” Ritter stated. “We just wanted to make a splash and be remembered.”
“The energy from the crowd was very positive,” Brykalov added. “They really helped, so any nerves out there were slowly transitioned to excitement.”
Early skating years
Daniel Brykalov was born in Minneapolis, MN on October 19, 2000.
“When I was ten, I started skating because of my sister, Paulina. My parents didn’t want to take us to separate activities, so they put me in figure skating. We were both in free style,” Brykalov defined. “Three years later our family traveled to Colorado to speak with some skating coaches. After looking at the height of our parents, it was suggested we change course.”
“You guys are going to be tall. Partner up and go into ice dance. Free style would be very tough.”
The kids heeded the recommendation and at age 13, Daniel started ice dancing together with his sister.
The siblings educated in Novi, MI with Igor Shpilband and competed at 4 U.S. National Championships.
They have been tenth at their 2015 debut in Greensboro, NC as Juveniles. The subsequent yr on the identical degree and in entrance of a house city viewers in St. Paul, MN, they vaulted up 5 spots to a fifth place end.
After profitable the Intermediate bronze medal in Kansas City, MO on the 2017 occasion, the duo moved to Novice. They danced at their ultimate Nationals on the SAP Center in San Jose, CA in January 2018.
During the next summer season, the siblings competed twice on the Junior degree. They skated solely a Free Dance at each the Chesapeake Open (June) and once more on the Dance-Pairs Chicago (August) previous to retiring.
Daniel Brykalov teamed with Russian-born Ekaterina Kuznetsova in 2019 to signify Azerbaijan. The duo educated in Philadelphia, USA with Coaches Slava Uchitel, Penny Coomes and Nick Buckland. They competed at 4 worldwide occasions together with JGP Russia and JGP Croatia earlier than ending the partnership.
Samantha Ritter was born in Buffalo, NY on May 25, 2003.
When Ritter was three-years-old she began skating along with her brother, who not skates. Initially she did dance and singles, however switched to dance-only when she was 13. She appreciated it’s creative facet higher than jumps. She additionally had an identical peak scenario. She was advised she was going to be manner too tall to leap.
“I always liked dance way more anyway,” Ritter admitted. “When I was 14, I moved to Novi, Michigan to train in ice dance. That’s where I met Daniel.”
In May 2019, Ritter partnered with Jim Wang. Just 4 months later, the junior group received gold on the 2019 Novice & Junior Dance Challenge. In November on the inaugural Ice Dance Final in Hyannis, MA, Ritter & Wang certified for the 2020 U.S. Championships in Greensboro, NC the place they they positioned tenth. In the following yr, Covid-19 affected the whole skating world.
A brand new starting
Ritter & Brykalov partnered in January 2021.
“We were friends for a long time. Eventually we began dating. Separately we had stopped skating with our former partners, so decided to skate together. We already got along well and were compatible,” Ritter stated.
The duo moved to London, Ontario Canada to coach on the Ice Academy of Montreal campus with coaches Scott Moir, Madison Hubbell, and Adrian Diaz.
Beginning a partnership and shifting to a brand new location out of the country, particularly throughout a pandemic, proved very difficult.
“We struggled communicating properly in supporting each other when we first got to London,” Brykalov admitted. ”With all of the coaches assist, we’ve made nice strides in overcoming the nervousness. We additionally solely did two competitions that season.”
“The coaches always bring such high energy to the rink,” Ritter stated.
“Each one is slightly different, but it makes a perfect mix of what you need, so we love it,” her accomplice added.
“The London campus is like a sub school of the Ice Academy of Montreal,” Brykalov continued. “It’s a very friendly group. We all support each other. Great coaching!”
“The location also worked out well for us since Samantha’s parents live in Buffalo, which is just a two and a half hour drive from London. It’s perfect.”
The coaching and depth degree is about the identical in London as in Montreal. They skate three, typically 4 hours a day with further off-ice conditioning for power plus ballet courses.
“We also have Yoga Fridays, which is a great send off for the weekends. It’s great to let out all the stress of the week,” Ritter laughed.
Brykalov defined their very sturdy however totally different connection to music.
“Samantha knows everything about music. She knows music history more than I do. She’s a specialist on decade style. Play a song, she knows it, who made it, and when it was released.”
“I have more of an ear for the rhythm and music. I feel certain things in the music more than other people do. I think that comes partially from playing the piano.”
“She knows it. I feel it. It’s a great combination,” concluded Brykalov.
For the 2022-2023 season, the group’s Free Dance music included: “She Intro” by Daniel Brykalov, “She” (Acoustic Version) by Piano Nest, Harry Styles and “She” by Harry Styles,
Brykalov acknowledged his contribution to the opening music.
“I arranged and played roughly the first 30 seconds of our program that year. We needed something that started “She” by Harry Styles softer, so I made a decision to provide it a strive since I play piano. It’s comparatively easy, nevertheless it labored, so we stored it.
“In regards to doing more compositions, I have thought of it, but we have been lucky with finding music that fits exactly what we need. I am open to adding more of my work to our programs if the need arises. It’s fun skating to something that you know you created.”
Ritter & Brykalov mentioned areas of enchancment included of their targets for the approaching season.
“We need to develop more confidence with our basic skills in competitions,” Ritter stated. “In practice we’re more confident, more relaxed, and maybe perform a little bit better. Sometimes [at competitions] when you’re nervous, you forget some of the techniques that you know you can do. I think I just want more competition experience.”
“Another thing we kind of want to work on is improving our arty a little bit. Generally we score a bit better in our Free Dance for whatever reasons,” Brykalov added. “We want to try to hone in this season on the arty for the Rhythm Dance and try to match it up to our Free Dance level.”
Ritter continued, “We are naturally balletic skaters, so we struggle with the sharpness and quickness of the Rhythm Dance, where we like to choose very balletic and soft for the Free Dance. Plus we’re tall and that lends itself also. We have to figure out how to merge the two and find the feeling we have in the Free Dance.”
The group spoke about being a pair on and off the ice.
“We get to experience together all the hardships, all the memories, victories and losses. Not a lot of people get to experience that together. It’s very special.”
In closing, Ritter shared her ideas about getting ready for his or her fifth season collectively as dance companions.
“We’re really excited about next year. I love the creativity of the off season and making new things”.