Carreira/Ponomarenko Need a Cheer Thread

[chameleonster]

She has her citizenship AND her passport so we don't have to worry about that either! And very sweet for Anthony to accompany her to her appointment, it's been a long time coming for both of them.

 

[litenkyckling]

I'm so pleased for them!! Feels weird to say that this has made my day because I don't know them but it really has!

 

[Rukia]

I'm so pleased for them!! Feels weird to say that this has made my day because I don't know them but it really has!

You're not the only one this has totally lifted my spirits hahaha

 

[Sylvia]

NBC Olympics article by Talia Barrington today (Nov. 20. 2025):

Christina Carreira earns U.S. citizenship, takes one step closer to her Olympic dream

Two-time national silver medalists, Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko spent years navigating the citizenship process so the pair could represent the United States at the Olympics. This week, their immigration struggles concluded.

www.nbcolympics.com

Excerpts:

The only way Carreira wouldn’t lose her Green Card was if she trained in Canada, but lived in the United States. Thus would begin the next four years of hours-long drives over the border five days per week as Carreira drove from Saint Clair, Michigan to train.
“The mileage on my car is crazy,” Carreira said. “I had a three-year lease, and I got the car right when I moved to London, and when I returned it, the kilometers were over 100,000 (62,000 miles). They were like, ‘What did you do?’ I now have another one that's like a year old, and I think I'm already at like 60,000 kilometers" (over 37,000 miles).
The impact hasn’t just been on her car. The drive can be exhausting, and the physical and emotional toll has not been a small matter.
“It's definitely less than ideal, especially in the winter,” she said. “That highway is basically all fields, so it's super windy, and if it snows, it's just really scary.”

But living in a small town far away from family, from her skating partner and friends, spending hours alone in the car has been isolating. “There's not much around. And there's also no one around,” she said.
Carreira said she now has her citizenship and she can’t wait to be able to move closer to the rink. “That's going to be so amazing. It's going to change my life.” [...]
Carreira says she was honored to finally memorialize her status as an American athlete.
“It's really going to be an honor to represent the U.S. as an American,” she said. “I think with the driving and all the sacrifices I'm making, it's made becoming American even more meaningful. I really feel like it's my home here.
I've lived in America more than half my life at this point. Going to a competition being American is going to feel so special."

 

[DreamSkates]

The RD isn't good. I've said it all season since they debuted it at the Summer Sizzler and I'm sticking with that view. Now, they've got 7 weeks before Nats to scrap it and go in a completely different direction.

The judges seem to agree with you. Surely they are working hard on making needed upgrades.

 

[ccpompom]

Been waiting for this day since 2018! We might not get the scores they want or need, but this has been so long overdue. I’m just so happy Christina can finally take this pressure off her shoulders and stop commuting two hours for training. my girl is finally freeee!!!