Zingas/Kolesnik Fan Thread - They Have “It”

TanithandBenFan said:
I love that Nick Verreos is a fan of their FD costumes! Those costumes might be my favorites of the season in all disciplines.

www.instagram.com

Nick Verreos & David Paul on Instagram: "Obsessed with this Romeo and Juliet ice dance! Costumes were elegant and subtle, such a beautiful skate! Watch or Listen to our FULL PODCAST! Link in BIO #IceDance #RomeoAndJuliet #FigureSkating #CostumeDesign

96 likes, 8 comments - thefashiondaddies on December 15, 2025: "Obsessed with this Romeo and Juliet ice dance! Costumes were elegant and subtle, such a beautiful skate! Watch or Listen to our FULL PODCAST! Link in BIO #IceDance #RomeoAndJuliet #FigureSkating #CostumeDesign".
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com
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I love this! Nick sat next to me for some of the events at 2018 Nationals. Several of the men's costumes were "too JCPenney" for his taste. I'm making something special for Emi and Vadym to give them in St. Louis. I hope it comes out ok! But I'm really just happy to have a chance to see them skate live again.
 
I keep forgetting to make note that Emi/Vadym have earned 2026-27 USFS envelope funding for Team A - Tier 2, because they qualified for GPF.
It will be a step up from Team B - Tier 1 in 2025-26 season (for which they met multiple criteria, including fourth at Nats, first alternate for Worlds, and top 12 SB).

kwanette said:
FYI..today at 3 pm..ET..or you can catch the interview later.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_otlaspG8Ow&list=PLysjOQnq7hMGO-O_6S1DHFROJtJwQJnyL
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Thanks to you for the FYI, and to Nolan Carney and Clayton Gates of Blades & Banter Podcast for the interview.
ETA: Length is 1:25:08. And thanks of course to Emi and Vadym for sharing their time and responses.​
 
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TanithandBenFan said:
The Blades and Banter podcast was so good! I love Vadym’s love for Costco. 😂 There’s one right across the highway from me and every time I go there I also come out with five things I don’t need.
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DH has a Costco addiction. I’ve already informed him that his retirement job will be there so he can sample all the things in the break room and he can just hand his earnings back to his employer. 😂
 
kwanette said:
you can catch the interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_otlaspG8Ow&list=PLysjOQnq7hMGO-O_6S1DHFROJtJwQJnyL
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Thank you so much for this! I loved it! That's a really fun interview. I can't count how many times I laughed out loud. So Emi ended up figure skating because she was kicked out of hockey 🤣 Vadym was initially rejected by his first coach because he was too chunky. They have undeniable affection for each other in those banters. They seem so happy and that made me smile.
 
aprilediv said:
Thank you so much for this! I loved it! That's a really fun interview. I can't count how many times I laughed out loud. So Emi ended up figure skating because she was kicked out of hockey 🤣 Vadym was initially rejected by his first coach because he was too chunky. They have undeniable affection for each other in those banters. They seem so happy and that made me smile.
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They were darling.
 
ice coverage said:
I keep forgetting to make note that Emi/Vadym have earned 2026-27 USFS envelope funding for Team A - Tier 2, because they qualified for GPF.
It will be a step up from Team B - Tier 1 in 2025-26 season (for which they met multiple criteria, including fourth at Nats, first alternate for Worlds, and top 12 SB).
Click to expand...
I've meant to ask, does anyone know exactly what the tiered envelopes mean? Do Team A teams get more monetary funding than B and C teams? Or are the tiers primarily just an internal status ranking?
 
Metro Detroit skaters compete for Team USA at national figure skating event
Click On Detroit | Local 4 | WDIV

Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik, an ice dance team from Novi, are competing in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Saint Louis, aiming for a spot on the Olympic roster. Emilea transitioned from hockey to ice dancing, finding a successful partnership with Vadym, who moved to the U.S. to train with renowned coach Igor. Despite facing injuries, the duo placed fourth at nationals and second at the Cup of China, driven by their passion and dreams of Olympic glory. The competition concludes with the Olympic team announcement, and they hope their dedication will secure them a place.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAcPOBG1o78 (Jan 6, 3:45)
 
Debbie S said:
"Emilea transitioned from hockey to ice dancing"? Um.... :shuffle: :rolleyes:

Can't these media people do basic research?
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The blades and banter interview kind of goes into this. She started in hockey but was kicked out because she was too interested in tripping people. 😂.

this interview definitely seems to skip her high level singles career though.
 
ice coverage said:
They did not get it quite right, but before transitioning to figure skating, she was a very young hockey player.
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And hasn’t she said she got kicked out of hockey so had to move to figure skating?

Oops didn’t see the above post…
 
Tinycities said:
The blades and banter interview kind of goes into this. She started in hockey but was kicked out because she was too interested in tripping people. 😂.

this interview definitely seems to skip her high level singles career though.
Click to expand...

The newly published WDIV interview does mention her singles career, after showing the cute photo of little Emi the hockey player as adult Emi spoke about hockey (as she also did in Blades and Banter podcast).

I'm not transcribing all of her humorous comments from the WDIV interview about her hockey behavior, but here is an excerpt from the WDIV report:

Emi: I was a hockey player first. I started in Mini-Mites at St. Clair Shores Arena in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, and was not a fan of it. I don't think I was very good at it. .... I ended up switching sports with my older sister Elana.
Reporter voiceover: And so began a love story with skating, first as a singles competitor representing her grandfather's native Cyprus, then as a partner for Ukrainian-born Vadym Kolesnik.​
 
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ice coverage said:
They did not get it quite right in the text of the video description, but before transitioning to figure skating, she was a very young hockey player.
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Right, I remember that from the podcast, but their description seemed to skip about 10 years of her skating life. That's what I was noting. :) But glad the interviewer/voiceover got it right.
 
ice coverage said:
Emi: I was a hockey player first. I started in Mini-Mites at St. Clair Shores Arena in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, and was not a fan of it. I don't think I was very good at it. .... I ended up switching sports with my older sister Elana.​
Reporter voiceover: And so began a love story with skating, first as a singles competitor representing her grandfather's native Cyprus, then as a partner for Ukrainian-born Vadym Kolesnik.​
Click to expand...
It's funny that she started with hockey and then ended up with figure skating. Usually it's the other way around, especially with boys who were told to figure skate to improve their hockey. How awesome!
 
Z/K have improved so much this past year, not just in their skating skills, but in their consistency, polish and delivery. I do not think I have seen a transition from singles to ice dance quite as successful and fast as Emilea Zingas. That girl has grit! It is also great to see USFS fully backing a promising team even if they're newer. I think the "wait your turn" mentality in ice dance tends to stagnate young talent.
 
I think Vadym is just joking because they had an assisted axel called as an illegal move in the choreo of their RD at the GPF.
 
New GoFundMe (created one day ago):

Support Vadym’s Olympic Dream​


www.gofundme.com

Donate to Support Vadym’s Olympic Dream, organized by Vadym Kolesnik

Hello all, My name is Vadym Kolesnik, and I am a Ukrainian-born figure skater pro… Vadym Kolesnik needs your support for Support Vadym’s Olympic Dream
www.gofundme.com www.gofundme.com

Excerpts from Vadym's heartfelt message:

My name is Vadym Kolesnik, and I am a Ukrainian-born figure skater proudly representing Team USA in ice dance at the 2026 Winter Olympics. .... Growing up in Ukraine shaped who I am, both as an athlete and as a person. In recent years, my journey has carried extra weight as my homeland continues to face unimaginable hardship. While I train and compete internationally, my family remains in Ukraine, and being separated from them during such a pivotal moment in my career has been incredibly difficult.

As I prepare for the Olympics, I am facing significant financial challenges. Elite-level training requires extensive resources, including coaching fees, ice time, choreography, travel, and competition expenses. In addition, my greatest personal hope is to be able to bring my family from Ukraine to safely attend the Olympic Games—to finally have them in the stands after years apart, witnessing the dream we’ve all sacrificed for together.

Your support will go directly toward:
• Coaching and training expenses as I prepare for the 2026 Winter Olympics
• Travel and logistics related to elite international competition
• Helping my family travel safely from Ukraine to be with me at the Games

Every contribution, no matter the size, helps relieve the financial burden and allows me to focus fully on training, competing, and honoring both the country that raised me and the country I now represent. Thank you for believing in my journey, for supporting Olympic dreams, and for helping turn this once-in-a-lifetime moment into something I can share with my family. Your generosity means more than words can express

With great thanks,
Vadym​
 
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