The Zaretskis in 2006
Alexandra "Sasha" Zaretski (born December 23, 1987) is an Israeli ice dancer. She competes with her brother Roman Zaretski.
Personal life[]
Alexandra Zaretski was born in Minsk, Belarus SSR, Soviet Union.
The Zaretski family moved to Israeil as soon as the borders opened. Alexandra Zaretski was three at the time. She was raised in Metula, Israel where her parents work as coaches.
Alexandra Zaretski speaks fluent Hebrew, Russian, and English. She currently lives and trains in New Jersey.
In October 2008 the Zaretskis and their coach Galit Chait filed a lawsuit against the Ice House training rink in Hackensack, New Jersey, alleging that rink officials discriminated against them on the basis of their Israeli nationality by denying them prime training time and threatening to ban them from the rink.[1]
Career[]
She originally skated as a single skater, winning age group medals. When Roman wanted to switch to ice dancing, his sister was the only available girl at the rink, so their parents teamed them up together.[2] They have been skating together ever since.
She and her brother Roman were originally coached by their parents. They were later coached by Irina Romanova and Igor Yaroshenko in Wilmington, Delaware.[2] In 2005 they started training under Evgeny Platov.[3] They temporarily went back to being coached by their parents when Roman's army service kept them in Israel. In the summer of 2006, the Zaretskis briefly trained in Moscow because Platov was taking part in a skating reality show. They then returned to Montclair, New Jersey where they still train.
The Zaretskis are the first Israelis to medal at the Junior Winter Olympicsref>The Jerusalem Post: Man of the Year</ref> as well as the first Israeli figure skaters to medal internationally on the junior level. In the 2005/2006 Olympic season, the second-ranked Israeli dance team retired. Israel had two spots to the Olympics because of the placement of Galit Chait and Sergei Sakhnovski at the 2005 World Championships. The Israeli Olympic Committee said the Zaretskis would be sent to the Olympics if they placed at least 15th at the 2006 European Championships.</ref>:: Welcome To The Jewish Ledger ::</ref> The Zaretskis accomplished this and were sent to Torino, where they placed 22nd.
Following the Olympic season, Chait and Sacknovski took some time off and eventually retired, leaving the Zaretskis to carry the torch of Israeli ice dancing. They won the bronze medal at the 2006 Nebelhorn Trophy, a senior "B" international, and placed just off the podium at the Cup of China. The Zaretskis nearly won Israel a second spot to the 2008 European Championships, finishing in 11th place at the 2007 Europeans. However, this point would have been moot because they are the only Israeli senior-level ice dance team. They were 14th at the 2007 World Figure Skating Championships.
The Zaretskis competed at both the 2007 Skate America and 2007 Cup of China Grand Prix competitions, repeating their 4th place finish in China. They finished 8th at the 2008 European Figure Skating Championships and 9th at the 2008 World Figure Skating Championships.
Programs[]
The Zaretskis during their Phantom of the Opera free dance.
| Season | Original Dance | Free Dance |
|---|---|---|
| 2008-2009 | Summertime by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald |
Jesus Christ Superstar by Andrew Lloyd Webber |
| 2007-2008 | Shick, Shack, Shock by Mustafa Sax |
Let my People Go by Louis Armstrong and Sing, Sing, Sing by Louis Prima |
| 2006-2007 | Assassin's Tango by John Powell |
Carmina Burana by Carl Orff |
| 2005-2006 | Samba, Rhumba, Mambo by Mambo Kings |
Caravan |
| 2004-2005 | Foxtrot and Quickstep | Phantom of the Opera |
| 2003-2004 | Bad to the bone by George Thorogood Americano |
Music from The Matrix and Matrix Reloaded |
| 2002-2003 | Skaters Waltz by J. Strauss Galop: St. Petersburger Sleigh Ride |
Moulin Rouge (soundtrack) by Jose Feliciano |
| 2001-2002 | Granada/ Torero Quiero | The Ukraine Dean Marshall |
Competitive highlights[]
(with Zaretski)
Post-2004[]
| Event | 2004-2005 | 2005-2006 | 2006-2007 | 2007-2008 | 2008-2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympic Games | 22nd | ||||
| World Championships | 20th | 14th | 9th | ||
| European Championships | 15th | 11th | 8th | 11th | |
| World Junior Championships | 4th | ||||
| Israeli Championships | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | |
| Cup of Russia | 5th | ||||
| Cup of China | 9th | 4th | 4th | 7th | |
| Skate America | 8th | 7th | |||
| NHK Trophy | 9th | ||||
| Nebelhorn Trophy | 3rd | 2nd | |||
| Skate Israel | 4th | ||||
| Junior Grand Prix Final | 8th | ||||
| Junior Grand Prix, Romania | 2nd | ||||
| Junior Grand Prix, Germany | 3rd |
Pre-2004[]
| Event | 1999-2000 | 2000-2001 | 2001-2002 | 2002-2003 | 2003-2004 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Junior Championships | 19th | 8th | 9th | ||
| Israeli Championships | 1st N. | 1st J. | 1st J. | 1st J. | 1st J. |
| Skate Israel | 4th | ||||
| Junior Grand Prix Final | 6th | ||||
| Junior Grand Prix, Poland | 1st | ||||
| Junior Grand Prix, Mexico | 2nd | ||||
| Junior Grand Prix, Germany | 3rd | ||||
| Junior Grand Prix, Belgrade | 3rd | ||||
| Junior Grand Prix, Italy | 8th | ||||
| Junior Grand Prix, Netherlands | 11th | ||||
| European Youth Olympic Days | 3rd | ||||
| European Criterium Brno | 1st | ||||
| International Polish Competition | 1st |
- N = Novice level; J = Junior level
References[]
External links[]
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