Olympic champion Petrenko returns for pro skate in Ukraine

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - Leading a coterie of entertainers on ice, including six Olympic medallists, on December 13 Viktor Petrenko, former world men's skating champion and Olympic gold medal winner, put on his first professional show in Ukraine since leaving his homeland 11 years ago to work in the United States. The results were impressive in an event that is a novelty in Ukraine.

"I grew up in Ukraine, I learned to skate in Ukraine, it was time to show Ukraine what I learned," explained the 34-year-old former resident of Odesa in an interview with The Weekly several days before the show.

Since winning the gold medal at the Albertville, France, Olympics in 1992, Mr. Petrenko has been very active. He turned professional, went amateur again before going back, married his teen-age sweetheart, become a father and built a home in Simsbury, Conn. He has also given financial and moral support to upcoming Ukrainian skating stars - including future Olympic champion Oksana Baiul - while skating with several ice shows.

In the last several years, he has organized his own shows, including several fundraisers for the Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund, inviting his wide circle of skating friends to perform. The last one, held in October 2003, netted the charitable organization some $50,000.

Now he has taken his show to Ukraine.

"I have done a lot of charity work, including for CCRF. This event is more commercial, however," explained Mr. Petrenko. "I have done shows in Europe, Asia and the United States, and I decided it was time to bring it to Ukraine."

The ice show, which Mr. Petrenko organized in partnership with U.S. businessman Joseph Lemire, who owns Gala Radio, a popular radio station in Kyiv, is called "We, The Champions." It is a deft combination of dramatic skating, acrobatic stunts and pure physical comedy with some elements of the Las Vegas show style. Mr. Petrenko, who choreographed much of the performances himself, said he wanted to make the Kyiv performance an annual event and would like to organize a similar program in Odesa. "We, The Champions" has performed in St. Petersburg annually for the last three years, and Moscow is on the itinerary for next year

Mr. Petrenko said that ice shows, a display of artistry and athletic prowess, dazzling costumes and stimulating laser light shows, are not familiar to Ukrainians simply because there is no tradition for such programs in Ukraine. But if Mr. Petrenko has his way and given the manner in which the crowd in Kyiv reacted to this first ever event, they soon will.

A packed house at the Kyiv Palace of Sport, including many youngsters, exhibited unbounded enthusiasm as Olympic and World Champions from Ukraine, Russia and France, including 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic ice pair champions Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze of Russia, European champion from Ukraine Vyacheslav Zahorodniuk, five-time European champion Suriya Bonali of France, fellow Frenchman and 1994 men's Olympic bronze medalist Phillipe Condeloro, along with 1999 world champion Maria Butyrskaya of Russia, whirled and whipped their way around the ice.

They applauded the dramatic exhibition given by Mr. Petrenko, who seemed at the top of his abilities and laughed to the comedy antics of Ukrainians Vlad Besedin and Alexei Polischuk.

Ivanka, a five-year-old girl in the audience, however, said the highlight of the show for her was the acrobatic act of Irena Grigorian, whose unique talent included the ability to gyrate and swing hula hoops around nearly all her limbs and joints simultaneously as well as to dance inside a giant slinky.

Mr. Petrenko and Mr. Lemire said that a percentage of this year's gate fee has already been earmarked to further support CCRF as well as to give financial help to the Ice Skating Federation of Ukraine and Ukraine's Olympic ice skating program. The partners acknowledged that this year's Kyiv show was a money loser, but expressed no disappointment in as much as this was the initial year of their project. They said that once word got out more shows would be added to the single performance given this year.

"We look at this year as a building year," explained Mr. Lemire. "We will return next year, and eventually hope to do three or so performances a year."

In all likelihood, that will make Ivanka very happy.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, January 4, 2004, No. 1, Vol. LXXII

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