World-renowned coach Marina Zoueva has left her home base of Canton, Michigan, and relocated the International Skating Academy, its students and staff, to Estero, Florida.
"It's something I've been thinking about for quite a long time," Zoueva said. "It sounds like I'm moving, but it's not just that. I relocated the whole International Academy. Everyone came with me. We looked at several rinks, but this one will provide our students with a really special experience."
Zoueva's new program will celebrate its official opening day on Feb. 25 at Hertz Arena — a facility that boasts a 7,186-seat main arena and two smaller practice rinks. While the arena is less than 20 minutes from the Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, Florida, a location Zoueva notes is a draw for athletes and teams flying in for training, the rink was ultimately chosen for its close-proximity to training facilities for a variety of other sports — all of which Zoueva plans to incorporate into her new program.
"We're going to use all of these different sports to create stronger, healthier athletes," Zoueva said. "I'm looking forward. We're starting over to train for a new Olympics. By incorporating these sports, we're going to learn and train things like quicker footwork, better coordination and faster reaction times, and we can do it all outdoors. In my new program, I want our off-ice training to happen outside in the sun."
In addition to the International Skating Academy's existing staff and programming, which includes strength training, ballet, ballroom and modern dance, Zoueva will use the area's resources to incorporate elements of tennis, soccer, biking and kayaking into her training program, all of which she hopes will work together to create more well-rounded athletes.
"For such a long time, we've been doing the same things over and over," Zoueva said. "I wanted to do this to add new ways of training to my program. Athletes show more improvement, faster improvement, with a new routine, and this facility has access to so many different ways to train. The most important thing to me is that my students are happy and healthy. Incorporating these new elements in the sunshine will be beneficial for everyone."
Joining Zoueva on her staff of coaches will be Johnny Johns, Ilya Tkachenko and Alper Ucar; Massimo Scali and Oleg Epstein will serve as part-time coaches.
