Angela Nikodinov

Angela Nikodinov (born May 9, 1980), is an American figure skater. She is the 2000 Four Continents champion and won four medals on the Grand Prix series, including gold at the 2004 Skate America

Angela Nikodinov
Nikodinov completes her short program at the 2004 Four Continents Championships in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Personal information
Country representedUnited States
Born (1980-05-09) May 9, 1980
Spartanburg, South Carolina
ResidenceSan Pedro, California
Height1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)
Former coachIgor Pashkevich
Frank Carroll
Elena Tcherkasskaia
Richard Callaghan
Skating clubAll Year FSC
Began skating1985
Retired2006
ISU personal best scores
Combined total149.50
2004 Skate America
Short program53.62
2004 Skate America
Free skate95.88
2004 Skate America
Medal record
Figure skating: Ladies' singles
Representing the  United States
Four Continents Championships
2000 Osaka Ladies' singles
2001 Salt Lake City Ladies' singles
1999 Halifax Ladies' singles

Personal life

Born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Angela Nikodinov moved with her family to southern California when she was a child.[1] She was raised in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California. She is the daughter of Bulgarian immigrants and speaks Bulgarian fluently.[1][2]

Nikodinov and Bulgarian figure skater Ivan Dinev were married in July 2008.[3] Their daughter, Audriana,[4] was born in May 2012.[5]

Career

Competitive

Nikodinov began skating at about the age of five.[6] She trained in Lake Arrowhead, California.

Nikodinov won the bronze medal at the 1999 U.S. Championships. She was sent to the 1999 Four Continents Championships, where she won bronze, and the 1999 World Championships, finishing 12th in her debut.

Nikodinov trained in Detroit during the 1999-2000 season. She finished 4th at the 2000 U.S. Championships and won gold at the 2000 Four Continents. Originally an alternate for the 2000 Worlds, she received the assignment after Sasha Cohen finished 6th at Junior Worlds and thus failed to meet the requirement for an age loophole.[7] Nikodinov finished 9th at the event.

Nikodinov moved back to California in fall 2000 due to homesickness.[2] She withdrew from the 2001 Goodwill Games due to blurred vision in her left eye caused by viral conjunctivitis.[8] Her coach, Elena Tcherkasskaia, with whom she was very close, died of pancreatic cancer in November 2001.[8] Nikodinov won bronze at the 2001 U.S. Championships and silver at the 2001 Four Continents. She placed 5th in her third appearance at the World Championships.

Nikodinov missed the entire 2002-03 season. She dislocated her shoulder in February 2002 and again in September, and then had a virus which sapped her strength.[9] She withdrew from the U.S. Championships after the short program.[9] She had shoulder surgery in February 2003 and was off the ice for seven months.[2] After missing two Grand Prix seasons, Nikodinov returned to win the 2004 Skate America.[10]

While in Portland, Oregon, for the 2005 U.S. National Championships, she and her family were involved in a car accident that killed her mother.[1][11] Nikodinov did not return to competition following the accident. During her career, her coaches included John Nicks, Peter Oppegard, Frank Carroll, Elena Tcherkasskaia, Richard Callaghan. Choreographers, Anastasiya Sharenkova, Lori Nichol, Nikolai Morozov.

Post-competitive

Nikodinov coached Bulgarian figure skater Ivan Dinev in the 2005-06 season. As of 2014, she is the skating director at the Skating Edge in Harbor City, California and coaches alongside Dinev.[4] She occasionally skates in shows and was a guest skater on the Stars on Ice tour. The pairs team of Bianca Butler / Joseph Jacobsen and Tenile Victorsen are among her and Dinev's former students that have qualified for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the senior level. In spring 2016, they became the coaches of Kaitlyn Nguyen, who won the 2017 U.S. junior ladies' title.[12]

Programs
Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
2004–05
[2]
2003–04
[13]
  • Just for You
    by Giovanni
  • Her Gypsy Heart
2002–03
[14]
  • Just For You
    by Giovanni
2001–02
[15]
2000–01
[16]
  • Serenity
    by Giovanni
1999–2000
[17]
1998–99
[6]
1997–98
[17]
1996–97
[17]
  • Themes from Broadway
    by ?
  • Cinderella
    by Sergei Prokofiev
1995–96
[17]
    • Fantasy
      by ?

    Results

    GP: Grand Prix

    International[18]
    Event 95–96 96–97 97–98 98–99 99–00 00–01 01–02 02–03 03–04 04–05
    Worlds12th9th5th
    Four Continents3rd1st2nd7th
    GP Cup of China8th
    GP Cup of Russia4th3rd
    GP NHK TrophyWD4th4th
    GP Skate America4th3rd7th5th1st
    GP Sparkassen3rd
    Goodwill Games4thWD
    Finlandia Trophy11th
    Nepela Memorial3rd
    Blue Swords2nd
    International: Junior[18]
    Junior Worlds11th
    National[8]
    U.S. Champ.8th4th5th3rd4th3rd4thWD5thWD
    Pacific Coast3rd1st1st
    WD = Withdrew

    References
    1. Elliott, Helene (January 13, 2005). "Nikodinov's Mother Is Killed in Auto Accident". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 27, 2011.
    2. "Angela NIKODINOV: 2004/2005". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on October 29, 2005.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
    3. Article, Skating magazine, April 2010, p. 8
    4. Elfman, Lois (November 13, 2014). "Nikodinov making seamless transition after skating". IceNetwork.com.
    5. Brannen, Sarah S.; Meekins, Drew (June 8, 2012). "The Inside Edge: Young Artists Showcase". IceNetwork.com. Archived from the original on 2012-06-21. Retrieved 2012-06-08.
    6. Mittan, J. Barry (1999). "Nikodinov Shows She's a Contender". Archived from the original on May 13, 2012.
    7. Loosemore, Sandra (March 16, 2000). "Junior skaters shouldn't face senior pressure". CBS Sportsline. Archived from the original on October 13, 2008.
    8. "Angela Nikodinov". U.S. Figure Skating. Archived from the original on August 30, 2005.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
    9. "Skater's mother killed in car accident". Associated Press. usatoday. January 13, 2005. Retrieved April 27, 2011.
    10. Klimovich Harrop, JoAnne (October 24, 2004). "Skater injured at Skate America". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
    11. "Angela Nikodinov's Mother Dies in Car Accident". U.S. Figure Skating. January 12, 2005. Archived from the original on November 9, 2005.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
    12. McKinnis, Mimi (January 20, 2017). "Nguyen rallies from third to win junior ladies title". IceNetwork.com.
    13. "Angela NIKODINOV: 2003/2004". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on February 7, 2004.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
    14. "Angela NIKODINOV: 2002/2003". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on July 24, 2003.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
    15. "Angela NIKODINOV: 2001/2002". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on August 11, 2002.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
    16. "Angela NIKODINOV: 2000/2001". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on March 31, 2001.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
    17. "Programs". Official website of Angela Nikodinov. Archived from the original on October 3, 2005.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
    18. "Angela NIKODINOV". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 2017-01-20. Retrieved 2017-01-20.

    Media related to Angela Nikodinov at Wikimedia Commons

    This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.