One would think, that Dortmund-2004's mistakes have already been corrected. One would think, that at World championships in Moscow places in Ice-dancing are arranged the way it will be and in Olympic Torino, if Tanith Belbin will be naturalized as american though. If she won't then second place will be scored by ukranians, and third they could give to frenches. For long and meritorious service. And ICCD - Interjudging comitee of Corruption in Dancing has already begun to work in this direction.

But suddenly bulgarians, whose grave of buried hopes has already been rhythmically trampling down with their own mentors - choreographer and coach, did intervene in "plays on mind". One of the most talented dancing couples of the last years has decided not to go to the bottom to the loud sounds of the song about proud Varyag, but to search for another expert to block up the holes and remain "swimming".

It seems now and then, that places in Ice-dancing depend not on the class of skating, but on belonging to some concrete country. For more than half-century of history of World championships in this kind of figure skating medals were taken at first by sportsmen from Great Britain, USA, Canada and France, then USSR left behind everyone. Several awards were given to dancers from Czechoslovakia and the German Federal Republic. Three medals fell to hungarians' lot and two - to italians lot. Bronze medal of lithualians only confirm this rule, as sort of their skating deserved better. About the same medal of duet from Israel they wrote too much and we are not going to resume this theme. As for "bronze" of ukranian couple, this award is also for exploits done long ago. Grushina and Gonchrov have deserved it still when they trained with Natalia Linichuk. Those years Tatiana Navka and Samvel Gezalian - ukranian couple put together in Moscow, who represented Belarus, had all rights to be at first three of World Dancing. But dancing hierarchy don't like surprises, especially from small contries, which don't have any weight in ISU, so always switch on system of ACD - Anti-champion defence in time. This system clearly divides talanted dancers into categories "their" or "strange" and brings down strangers still they're coming from juniors to seniors.

But apparently somewhere in the system happened some defects and on the podium at WC-2003 in Wasington did ascend representatives Bulgaria Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski, left Navka with Kostomarov and Grushina with Goncharov and Belbin with Agosto and Chait with Sakhnovski behind. For the first time in history of World figure skating they did show lifting of bulgarian anthem in large.

Their main opponents considered success as chance and specially did not program ACD system against bulgarians. But next year, at WC in Dortmund they understood their fault. They hardly could push Denkova and Staviski down to the second place, although and specialists, and journalists, including russians, have announced just them as the best duet of championship. As the same did happen about two months before at EC in Budapest, Russian Figure Skating Federation saw in "bulgarians' take-off" the right menace for those, who it considered to drag first place at OG-2006 in Torino and striked all the bells. They elaborated absolutely not secret plan "Bulldozer and cake". As bulgarians were training not only with russian coach, but also in russian town Odintsovo, where post of principal of Figure Skating School is held by president of RFSF's wife, referee (ISU) and former Gorshkov's club-mate in Sverdlovsk in the same person, so it was not difficult to hang the cake on the knife of bulldozer. They made the coach an offer to take part in operation called "swing": the lower would be placed Denkova and Staviski, the higher would be raised his couple just hatched from Juniors Oksana Domnina-Maxim Shabalin. Otherwise the team will be driven out from Odintsovo, new-come Junior World champions will be thrown under their opponents' blades, the coach will be declared as talentless and will be out of work. Clair future in opposite to present with doubtful result.

At the beginning of working together with Alexei Gorshkov, little known coach then, Albena and Max went through fire, water and bronze pipes to the silver ones for these almost eight years. But they wanted gold, which Gorshkov and Sergei Petukhov, who have become coach-many-machine-tooler and mass-choreographer, could not already ensure. As soon as he has become up to date mentor, master from Ural treads on the same rake that Natalia Linichuk did hurt herself in one time. He did forget the immortal notice of Kozma Prutkov: it is impossible to embrace the immense. Creative couple Gorshkov-Petukhov has taken too much students: ones - for money, second - for career, third - for soul. Evidently that was the reason the programmes of their best couple did get lose the originality and individuality, which have always told champions from the contender.

Idea of changing the coach did appear with Albena and Max during they were preparing for the season 2004-2005, although many specialists, including journalists, had adviced them to do it just after World championship in Dortmund. Advices like that they've got also at Grand-Prix series 2004-2005, when foreign journalists did notice that the dances prepared for Torino and Moscow showed bulgarian dancers not from the best side. One of those journalists was Zepp Shoenmetcler, former GFR's champion, docent of the chair of figure skating in Higer Sports school in Keln, editor of specialized magazine „Eissport-Magazin“.

Denkova and Staviski, who passed the biggest part of their way for the podium of glory together with Gorshkov, couldn't long decide to part with man, who has been for them and coach, and motor, and father, and the main, he has been their Leader (latter title, it is said, is considered as obligatory for using by all the students of Alexei Urievich) for those almost eight years. However, as they say, friendship by friendship, but job for job, and, as far as they understood, that the aims and tasks of sportsmen and the coach have differed, Albena and Maxim desided to try their luck in other place. The reason of their going away in many respects is behind some peculiarities of Alexei Gorrshkov's character, which are known only by students of this mentor, but this is the subject of another story.

However, before leaving one coach, it needs to find another. It goes without saying, that the couple needed not the teacher of dance, but the person, who can not only create spectacular program, irreproachable from the standpoint of new rules of ISU, but also show all the advantages just of that program for the most of judges. Specialists like that it can be counted on one hand. First of all, it is Tatiana Tarasova, of course. But the great director of theatre of figure skating decided to concentrate her attention only upon single skating next Olympic season. Besides TAT, the task was by force of Natalia Dubova, Alexander Zhulin, Natalia Linichuk, Nikolay Morozov, Igor Shpilband. Plus to thit great five, there were Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko olympic champions in Albertville, who were ready to struggle. But Zhulin and Morozov are leading for Torino their couples, and Shpilband is preparing there Belbin & Agosto for any case, and hopes for miracle, made by hands of american president. That's why Albena and Maxim have reached agreement about meetings on the ice with every of three candidates: Dubova, Klimova and Linichuk and in the end of April flew to the USA.

The first station of their trip was the univercity rink in Delaware, where Natalia Linichuk and Gennady Karponosov have taken up with the guys very seriously. So seriously and professionally that Denkova and Staviski decided not to go anywhere more. They liked very much there, in Delaware.

Linichuk seriously suffered once from seizing much more students she could arrange on the podiums. There were some championships, where she didn't literally leave "kiss and cry corner". Those years Natalia Vladimirovna, running after qauntity, even presented Tatiana Tasasova with the unique title of the coach of first two times olympic champions in Ice-dancing, Oksana Grishuk and Evgeny Platov. Naturally not in the least wanted to.

Nowadays, Linichuk and Karponosov are training wonderful duet from Israel, Natalia Gudina and Alexai Beletski. Also they are preparing and sportsmen from other countries. Matrimonial couple has learnt a lesson from their mistakes and strives for prove that it is early to write them off coach's Olymp. They not only were olympic champions themselves, but brought to the first gold Olympic medals Oksana Grishuk/Evgeny Platov. But then, still in Norway, Linichuk decided that Anjelika Krylova and Oleg Ovsiannikov must become next olympic champions and informed Oksana about that. The result of going away of Grishuk and Platov to Tarasova is known.

Is the choice right? Time will show. I would go another way like Volodia Ulianov. But as we know from our history the way of Ilich did not lead to the good either. Is it possible to believe, that Linichuk and Karponosov can help bulgarian couple to ascent the highest step of the podium in Torino? I think, it is possible. Natalia Vladimirovna and Gennady Mikhailovich are able, industrious and experienced mentors. Last years Linichuk has changed for better. Together with maturity, evidentely taste has come. To tell the truth, she hasn't completely got rid of soviet atavisms, but has already learnt to dress excelently and to look expensive. I hope, that close to perfect has become her skill to choose for her couple right, advantageous style and movements, according to this style.

The only hindrance on Denkova and Staviski's way to the victory in Linichuk and Karponosov's team I see in couple Gudina/Beletsky. As coaches of second israel duet, which will become the first after Olympiade, Linichuk and Karponosov depend on money and plans of president of their figure skating federation Boris Chait, Galit's father. And who did "daddy Boria" make a union with, it's not clear for a while. As it's not clear either what tasks he will charge with his jugdes. During World figure skating championships in Moscow, it is said, he didn't part with Alexei Gorshkov, who scarcely likely aspired to be the coach of his first couple. There is nothing for us but to hope that desire to become the coaches of olympic champions again with Linichuk and Kapronosov will come out to the first place. And as for diligence we can just borrow it from Albena and Max.