An Eastern European ice skating influence is being seriously felt in New York City as Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers experiences an influx of Russian and Ukrainian talent to its teaching corps.

There are now three Russians and two Ukrainians on the Sky Rink pro staff. One of them, Samvel Gazallion, was born in Odessa, Ukraine, and is a product of the prestigious Odessa Figure Skating School. Sam competed in the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, where he placed 24th; finished 11th at the 1994 Winter Olympics; and won the Belorussian Championships three times in a row (1993-95). Another newcomer, Slava Rozanskia, is also from Odessa, and attended the same school just a few years before Samvel. He moved to the United States a little less than a year ago, and spends a lot of his time traveling between Sky Rink and his home in New Jersey. He is a well-known coach who lead an Israeli skater to an 18th place finish at the 1998 Olympic Games. The three Russian pros are Dimitre Gromov of Saint Petersburg, Katya Semoukhina of Ekaterinburg, and Marina Golovenkova of Moscow.

In addition to the everyday presence of these highly-qualified coaches, many Eastern European medalists frequent Sky Rink, oftentimes giving pointers to the younger skaters who share the ice with them. Olympic and World Champions Ekaterina Gordeeva, Oksana Baiul, Maya Usova, Yevgeni Platov, Alexei Urmanov, and reigning men's Olympic Gold Medalist Ilia Kulik practice at Chelsea Piers when they're in town, and some of them have performed in ice shows at Sky Rink.

Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers is the only year-round, indoor ice skating arena in Manhattan. It features two rinks, one with seating for 1,600 spectators, locker facilities, a BLADES Board and Skate pro shop, skate rental, a Famous Famiglia cafe, dance and fitness studios, plus two lounges, two sky boxes and a beautifully-appointed 6,000-sq.-ft. sun deck with its own bar, all available for special events.

The response to the infusion of talent from abroad has been tremendous. Many skaters, such as Russian immigrant, 16-year-old Anastasia Pelkevina, have flourished under the guidance of the new coaches. "Since I came to Sky Rink, and started to work with Sam(vel) and Slava, my skating has gone to a whole new level," says Anastasia. Another rising star to watch is 6-year-old Russian-American, Ester Ishkova, who also trains at Sky Rink.

Despite a language barrier and a somewhat-different teaching style from that typically used in the United States, Sky Rink's five Eastern European-born coaches are having great success. Beginning skaters to Olympic hopefuls are now influenced by the teaching of Samvel, Slava, Dimitre, Katya and Marina, and are taking ice skating in New York City to brand-new levels.