by Anne Calder | Images by Daphne Backman
Effie (Xinyu) Chen & Gordei Chitipakhovian (Skating Membership of Boston) partnered in 2025 and symbolize the USA on the Junior stage. Their particular person skating journeys started on separate continents – Asia / Europe.
Skating in China
“I started skating in China, however by no means went by means of fundamental abilities,” Chen mentioned. “I got here to the U.S. once I was very younger and began in juvenile and singles on the Skating Membership of Boston.”
Ice Dance was one of many skating abilities supplied to enhance basic general energy and potential within the self-discipline. Effie Chen and Jack Liu had been sharing classes from Coach Ron Kravette (U.S. Determine Skating ice dance medalist). He prompt they struggle dancing collectively for enjoyable.
“And…that’s how I obtained began in ice dance,” Chen mentioned.
The Juvenile crew gained bronze on the 2019 Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships adopted by a silver medal on the inaugural NQS Ice Dance Last in Hyannis, Massachusetts. The crew certified for the primary Nationwide Growth Camp following the 2020 U.S. Determine Skating Championships in North Carolina.
The Covid pandemic interrupted NQS competitions. As a substitute, the U.S. Championship Collection was held just about in early 2021 and reside in Alpharetta, GA in November, the place the crew competed on the Novice stage.
The duo’s aggressive medal-winning partnership spanned 4 seasons (2019-2022) on the juvenile, intermediate, novice and junior ranges.
In 2024, Chen teamed with Kenny Eckert and moved to Novi, MI to coach with Igor Shpilband’s group. The partnership lasted just one season after Eckert’s injured knee required surgical procedure. For the reason that anticipated restoration interval was lengthy, the crew selected to maneuver on individually.
Skating in Russia
Gordei Chitipakhovian started his early skating journey in St. Petersburg, Russia.
“I used to be skating for many of my life in free fashion,” Chitipakhovian mentioned. “Principally, at some point my mother satisfied me to strive ice dance.”
Elizaveta Khort & Gordei Chitipakhovian competed on the junior stage (KMS) in Russia, whereas primarily coaching with coach Kirill Minov. The crew wrapped up their partnership in early 2025, previous to his transfer to the U.S.
Tryout in Michigan
After Chen and Eckert parted methods, she remained in Michigan whereas looking for a accomplice.
“I assumed I must take the season off. It was already getting so late and summer season competitions had been beginning quickly.” Chen mentioned.
Round 11:00 p.m. one night, Chen’s telephone rang. She was preparing for a brief journey again to Boston. The decision was from her coach. It instantly modified her journey plans.
“There’s this man in Colorado who needs a tryout,” the coach mentioned.
“Okay,” Chen thought aloud. “Subsequent month we will have a tryout. Afterwards, we’ll see a few second one.”
“It’s not going to be subsequent month,” the coach added. “You’re having a tryout tomorrow – tomorrow in Michigan.”
The 2-day tryout was intense, however profitable.
Coaching Middle
The brand new companions instantly started coaching on the Novi Area with Chen’s Coach Igor Shpilband and crew Natalia Deller, Adrienne Lenda and Pasquale Camerlengo.
She had already spent a yr coaching alongside 2026 Olympians Emilea Zingas & Vadym Kolesnik and different elite athletes Eva Pate & Logan Bye, Amy Cui & Jonathan Rogers, Daniela Ivanitskiy & Matthew Sperry.
“It’s superior to coach with so many high-level skaters,” Chen mentioned. “It actually strikes you to push your self to strive more durable; it’s actually inspiring. It’s very cool to see what they do and to say that I need to try this sometime. We’re completely snug right here. We have now every part we’d like, and t’s an important setting.”
Chen spoke about working with Igor Shpilband.
“He has plenty of actually good concepts, and we strive our greatest to convey them to life,” Chen mentioned. “A camp of this caliber, calls for lots from you, and hopefully we’re able to rise to the problem. He’s a wonderful coach and clearly has had so many champions, and you may actually see that.
“Principally you need to put within the work. Like Igor can inform you what to do, but when you don’t do what he says or put within the work, you aren’t going anyplace. Hopefully, we strive our greatest.”
“He needs the most effective for all of us and actually is aware of learn how to do it. Additionally, we don’t simply have juniors / seniors in our group. We have now novices and intermediate groups as effectively.”
“I believe we will be taught one thing from all ranges. It’s not simply trying as much as the very best stage seniors. I believe it’s additionally coaching with youthful groups as effectively – you understand how they practice. I believe the range is superior.”
Attending to Know You
Along with choreography, music alternatives, coaching routines, and so forth., the brand new crew wanted “attending to know you” time.
Chen described her new accomplice as genuinely uplifting and really supportive.
“On this sport, individuals might be very intense, and I believe we actually stability one another out effectively,” she famous. “He’s very simple to speak to, and I really feel his assist each step of the way in which whether or not it’s a extremely good apply or a foul one. I discover that to be very good and really simple.”
“I don’t assume I can add rather more,” Chitipakhovian mentioned. “It’s been very simple to speak with Effie from the primary time we began speaking, particularly once we began skating on the ice. It simply felt like we knew one another. We add to one another and spotlight one another’s nice spots that we have now in our skating.”
“After the primary or second day, it felt like we’d already recognized one another for such a very long time, which is actually superior,” Chen added.
Constructing the Partnership
Effie Chen introduced a resume of a number of years of SCOB coaching and the extra yr on the Novi Area in Michigan to the brand new partnership.
“I additionally performed the piano rising up,” Chen mentioned. “I believe it helps lots with musicality. I additionally minimize our personal free dance this season.”
Chitipakhovian spoke about his contribution to the partnership.
“I really feel I’m making an attempt to point out her off extra because the boy accomplice. I must be extra like a body for the woman to fill it out and present how stunning she is. I’m not tying to be brighter than her. I’m making an attempt to point out how vivid she is.”
“To construct on that,” Chen added. “I believe he does a very good job being supportive – and to make use of the analogy – as an alternative of being a boring image body, he’s like a lovely golden gilded image body. What I imply is, it’s not that he disappears simply.”
Competitors Debut
“After we obtained collectively in late summer season 2025, we needed to get a program inside three weeks as a result of we had been competing on the Problem Cup Sept.19-20,” Chen defined.
Ten Junior groups competed on the occasion in Philadelphia, PA. Chen & Chitipakhovian earned the very best Junior Rhythm Dance mark. The newbies acquired the silver medal for the second highest whole rating.
Six weeks later on the NQS Ice Dance Last in Henderson, NV, the crew gained the silver medal and certified for the Junior competitors to be held in Maryland Heights, MO previous to the 2026 U.S. Championships.
The crew, nevertheless, missed the chance to take part on the occasion when Chitipakhovian needed to fly again to Russia for visa and Federation points.
“Sadly, It was very unhealthy timing” Chen mentioned, “but it surely’s okay.”
A New Season – 2026-2027
“This yr we wished to get began early since we missed out on rather a lot final season,” Chen mentioned.
“I completely agree,” Chitipakhovian added.
And that they did. The crew gained gold medals at their first two NQS ice dance occasions – Dallas Traditional and the Lake Placid Championships.
“We really feel effectively ready, which is sweet,” Chen mentioned. “Clearly we have now issues to work on. Yesterday we had monitoring right here in Lake Placid. It was very useful on issues we have to enhance and the course to develop.”
Patterns
“I’m a fan of the patterns. I believe it’s nice that they determined to convey them again for everybody, together with the seniors,” It’s superior simply seeing everybody flying across the ice at dwelling doing the Golden Waltz and the Westminster. Everybody’s in like patterns. I believe it’s nice!”
“It’s tremendous necessary to skate in nearer maintain. That’s what ice dancing is. What separates us from pairs and the opposite disciplines is the truth that we will skate so shut collectively and simply be extra linked whether or not emotionally, bodily – all of that. I’m at all times prepared for it.”
Rhythm Dance
The 2026-2027 Junior Rhythm Dance requires One (1) Sequence of the Westminster Waltz evaluated as two (2) sections. Following the up to date July 2026 world seminar amendments, the normal prescribed sample mapping on the ice is now optionally available. Groups can design their very own routing throughout the ice so long as the steps are executed consecutively.
“Westminster is far more durable than what we did final yr with the rhumba / quickstep,” Chen mentioned. “It’s rather more difficult with extra maintain modifications, however I believe that’s an important factor. You don’t need the game to be stagnant. You need it at all times to develop and problem your self to be higher.”
“We went to Dallas for out first competitors,” Chen mentioned. “It was positively attention-grabbing. We got here again and made fairly an enormous change. As a substitute if closing the sample historically, we don’t try this anymore. We’re making an attempt to actually fill out the area and have much more circulation and pace that the normal sample was limiting.”
“We’ll see the way it works. If it shakes out? Tis the season for experimenting, I believe.”
The crew’s Rhythm Dance is about to “I See Purple” and “Depraved Methods” by Everyone Loves an Outlaw.
Free Dance
“For our Free Dance we’re doing music from the Rio soundtrack, which is tremendous enjoyable,” Chen mentioned. “It’s very Latin, but in addition fairly a personality program, which is nice for us.”
“I’ve been doing Latin ballroom for a few years now; I really like to bop off-ice. I’ve been desirous to compete Latin for a very long time but in addition wished some form of story. I get pleasure from character packages fairly a bit. As a partnership, we have now enjoyable on the ice. We actually do get pleasure from singing with one another, so we wished to convey that to the viewers – to point out them.”
“This system has a carnival feeling from the music – an important tune and an important dance. Hopefully, the viewers will get the celebration vive and be happy to stand up and begin dancing.”
ICE CHIPS!
- Effie Chen skilled and competed with the Skating Membership of Boston’s Theatre on Ice program for eight years.
- In 2019, Chen’s novice crew, Encore of Boston, gained gold on the Nations’ Cup Ballet Sur Glace Worldwide Theatre on Ice competitors in Epinal, France.
- Gordei Chitipakhovian’s latest coach in St. Petersburg, Russia was Kirill Minov, who with accomplice, Rebeka Kim, skated for South Korea for 4 seasons. Their last yr as a crew (2015-16) the duo represented and skilled on the Detroit Skating Membership, in Bloomfield Hills, MI. The crew was coached by Pasquale Camerlengo who presently assists with Chen and Chitipakhovian’s coaching in Novi.
- Chen & Chitipakhovian attend on-line school courses. Chen is finding out psychology at Michigan State College. Chitipakhovian is finding out to be a coach by means of a St. Petersburg, Russia College.
- The crew has lately acquired their first Junior Grand Prix task for Ankara, Turkey (September 17-19).
- August 19-20 at Skate Detroit, the duo added a 3rd 2026-2027 season gold medal to its assortment.
