Belgium emerges on the ice dance scene

Part 1: Sofia Beznosikova and Max Leleu

November 5, 2024
By Maria Bagdasarova
Photo © Sofia Beznosikova & Max Leleu, Daphne Backman/ice-dance.com, Robin Ritoss

In recent decades, Belgium's figure skating scene has been dominated by single skaters, with notable highlights including European medalists Kevin van der Perren and Nina Pinzarrone, two-time Olympian Jorik Hendrickx, and reigning European champion and multiple-time World medalist Loena Hendrickx. But in the past two seasons, Belgium has begun to make strides in ice dance as well. Thanks to two ice dance teams, Sofia Beznosikova/Max Leleu and Olivia Schilling/Léo Baeten, now competing at both junior and senior levels, Belgium is gaining recognition in this discipline. This past summer, Absolute Skating sat down with both teams to discuss their journey to representing Belgium in ice dance. Here is the first of the two profiles, dedicated to Sofia Beznosikova and Max Leleu.

Sofia and Max have completed their two Junior Grand Prix events, finishing 8th in both Ostrava and Ankara. We met with the duo and their coach, Elizaveta Nemtseva, to discuss their journey from early days in figure skating to training with the team of Olympic coach Igor Spilband in the United States, their experiences at the two World Junior Championships, favourite places in Belgium, and Belgian chocolate.

Early skating journeys

When Sofia Beznosikova was four years old, her grandmother enrolled her in various sports lessons including figure skating, rhythmic gymnastics, and swimming. Within a year, Sofia realized that she preferred figure skating to the other activities and focused exclusively on it. Like many young skaters, she started as a single skater. At the age of eight, she was proposed to try ice dancing, and instantly fell in love with it. "I wasn't the strongest jumper, and ice dancing allows more room for artistic expression through dance, which I adore," Sofia explains.

Max Leleu was born in Belgium and started figure skating at four years old, following in his older sister's footsteps. It all started when his mother used to bring Max along to his sister's sessions at the rink. One day, Max tried it out as well, enjoying it from the start and occasionally skating for fun. Eventually, he joined group sessions, started formal training, and continued even after his sister stopped.

Max was a single skater until he was 12 years old. He became the Belgian national advanced novice champion in 2018, coached by Kevin van der Perren and Jenna McCorkell. In an interview with Absolute Skating ahead of the PyeongChang Olympics, Kevin mentioned Max as one of the Belgian skaters to watch in the future.

During a training camp abroad, while working on turns and steps, Max was struck by the idea of trying ice dance. "I realized I preferred footwork to jumps and told my mother the same day that I was interested in ice dance and wanted to give it a try," Max recalls. Since there were no ice dance coaches in Belgium, in 2019 Max and his mother, Katerina, relocated to Moscow, Russia, to pursue his new venture in ice dance.

After Max learned the basics of the new discipline, he teamed up with Sofia in 2021. Their young coach Elizaveta Nemtseva has been by their side from the very beginning, accompanying the duo to all the competitions and supporting them through their transitions between coaching teams.

Elizaveta Nemtseva's coaching journey began after an injury ended her competitive career. She was encouraged by experienced coaches like Alexey Gorshkov and Oleg Volkov to pursue guiding future talents. By 2016/2017, Elizaveta decided to transition into this new role. When she first started working with Sofia and Max, she was still relatively new to the profession but was driven by a strong desire to grow and make a meaningful impact. Reflecting on her path so far, Elizaveta says: "Coaching requires a deep dedication and heartfelt investment. You grow with your athletes, from their successes to their setbacks. It's a path that demands not just skill but a lot of heart and commitment."

Breakthrough on the international junior scene and overcoming obstacles

In January 2023, the team made their international debut representing Belgium at the Bavarian Open, where they impressively secured TES minimums on their first attempt. This achievement made them eligible to compete at the 2023 World Junior Championships in Calgary the following March.

The team competed in two more events, including a podium finish at the Challenge Cup in the Netherlands. However, Russian national Sofia had to leave Europe after her short-term Schengen visa expired, and the Canadian visa was still pending. The process was delayed because the Belgian figure skating federation hadn't anticipated the team would qualify for the World Championships so quickly.

Sofia and Max were eager to compete on the biggest stage and, with the support of Rita Zonnekeyn, a member of the Belgian NOC's Officials Commission and former member of the ISU Technical Committee, decided not to withdraw from the championships despite Sofia's visa arriving just two days before the ice dance event. Sofia had to make a long journey with two connections in New York and Toronto, arriving in Calgary only two hours before the competition. Having not skated together for over a week and with only a six-minute warm-up on the ice, the team couldn't deliver a strong technical performance but tried to compensate it with artistry and presentation. They didn't qualify for the free dance, but saw the experience as a stepping stone for the following season. It gave them the chance to feel the atmosphere of a major championship and observe the top competitors in their field.

2023/2024 was the team's first full international season, during which they competed in two Junior Grand Prix events in Linz and Budapest, culminating in a respectable 18th-place finish at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Taipei.

"This was our first full junior season, and competing in our first Junior Grand Prix was an unforgettable experience. It's something you work towards from the moment you step on the ice as a young kid. One of the main goals for that season was to show who we are and what we can do, and I believe we did that successfully. Competing at the Junior Worlds was a dream come true - being on such a big stage, meeting athletes from all over the world. It was also our first time in Asia and experiencing this new culture. The adrenaline and atmosphere were incredible, and it was just a great season overall," Max reminisces.

"The Junior Grand Prix events were a solid debut for the team, giving them valuable experience and helping them grow more confident on the ice. By January, they had gained more experience, especially at international competitions, which demand a different level of performance. We've been through so much together - training, traveling, and living alongside one another - which has really strengthened our bond and helped in their preparation. Working with top experts in the U.S. was a great decision and contributed to their progress," sums up Elizaveta Nemtseva.

Training under a leading coaching team in Novi, Michigan

After their first international season, Sofia and Max aimed to establish a training base in either Europe or North America. In the summer of 2023, they chose to train with the renowned coaching team led by Igor Shpilband and Pasquale Camerlengo in Novi, Michigan. Their coach, Elizaveta Nemtseva, also made the journey across the Atlantic to support her promising students and to leverage the experience of her esteemed colleagues to help her grow as a young coach.

At an elite training base at Novi Ice Arena, the daily schedule of Sofia and Max is highly structured and tailored to their specific needs, maximising their time on the ice. "We receive our schedule every evening for the next day, outlining the times and which coach we'll be working with," Max explains. "Each session is with a specialist for about 30-45 minutes, and then we add extra time with Elizaveta to fine-tune and improve everything."

Elizaveta Nemtseva highlights the collaborative nature of their training setup: "Igor Spilband and I work closely together on the schedule ensuring Sofia and Max get what they need most from this large team of specialists. Since I've worked with the duo the longest and know them a bit better, I can provide specific input on what I believe they should focus on at a given moment. With so many experts involved - Pasquale Camerlengo, Oleg Ushakov, Renee Petkovski, Natalia Deller, and Adrienne Lenda - the skaters benefit from a comprehensive approach."

At Novi, Sofia and Max benefit not only from the expertise of top-level coaches but also from a supportive and dynamic training environment, where they are further motivated by their talented training mates. Max particularly values the positive atmosphere among the skaters: "We have a great climate here - everyone is friendly, supportive, and encouraging. I really look up to skaters like Vadym Kolesnik and Jonathan Rogers, and it's a huge opportunity for me to share the ice with them. I especially admire Vadym's work ethic and strive to reach that same level of skill. It's inspiring to be surrounded by such talent, and I'm grateful for the chance to train here."

Elizaveta Nemtseva points out that the narrow age gap between skaters of the group fosters a particularly positive and supportive environment, where younger skaters can draw inspiration and advice from their more experienced peers. She notes: "It's great for younger skaters to look up to their slightly older training mates, especially when the age difference is just about six years. When it took us long to decide on new lifts for this season, we asked Vadym Kolesnik and Logan Bye for tips. Having such support creates a fantastic setting for the skaters and motivates everyone to improve."

Inspirations and crafting programs for the 2024/2025 season

When asked about their role models from the past, Sofia looks up to Russian teams Viktoria Sinitsina/Nikita Katsalapov and Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitry Soloviev, while Max admires Canadian two-time Olympic gold medalists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. "When it comes to my idols, it's always been Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. I love watching them, especially their 2018 Olympic free dance - it's a program I can watch almost every day. They really inspire me," Max shares.

Music selection for their programs is a team effort, with Sofia and Max being actively involved. After agreeing on a general theme, each of them, along with their parents and coaches, searches for tracks. Once options are gathered, they come together to choose the best fit for the season's choreography.

For the current season, Sofia and Max have chosen a 1970s subject for their rhythm dance, reflecting on the theme of social dances and styles of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s set by the ISU. Their program is to "Brickhouse" by The Commodores and its remix. "We mixed two different versions of the song, and it came together really well. I love this program and can't wait to perform it," Max explains enthusiastically.

The music selection process for the rhythm dance took some time, as their coach Elizaveta Nemtseva recalls: "We spent a long time choosing the right music, and Igor Shpilband was the one who helped to ultimately pick 'Brickhouse.' We wanted something from one artist and something that wouldn't be too overused. It was a bit tricky because neither the skaters, nor me lived in that era. Their parents, however, were young at the time and could offer some insights about the way people dressed and moved to this music. Sofia and Max love this piece, and that's a huge plus."

For their free dance this season, Sofia and Max have chosen powerful tracks "Be Italian" and "Cinema Italiano" from the musical "Nine." "Those are really strong pieces of music, and the program came together really well. Sofia loved the idea of skating to 'Nine' when Elizaveta suggested it, and when I heard it, I knew it could make for a great program. We then looked for the right tracks from the musical that would work best for the choreography," Max explains.

Their coach, Elizaveta Nemtseva, also shares her vision behind the choice: "We had a clearer idea of what we wanted for the free dance this season. I already had a picture of how I envisioned Sofia and Max in this program. After discussing it with Igor and Pasquale, we decided to move forward with the choreography."

For this season, Sofia and Max aim to continue improving, gaining confidence, and make strides forward. As Max puts it, "Our goal is to perform better than last year, to reach a new level, and show that we're committed to serious work and achieving strong results."

Balancing passion and perseverance on the road upward

Max's journey from an up-and-coming skater to a Team-Elite member of the Belgian national figure skating team has not been the easiest. Limited infrastructure in the country means that practice time is often scarce and the commute to the rink is long. Despite these difficulties, Max's passion for the sport and the support from his family drive him forward. "I am deeply grateful to my family, especially to my mother, for their strong support. They are always there for me," he says.

Sofia faced a different situation taking up skating in a country where figure skating is one of the most popular and well-funded sports. Sofia's grandmother suggested taking her talent seriously and competing professionally, a notion Sofia embraced wholeheartedly. "I fell in love with skating from a young age, especially after my first competitions at age six. Preparing for these events is a long process, but those three minutes on the ice are the highlight of it all," Sofia recalls.

Sofia mentions that she doesn't feel the pressure of competition, while Max reflects on the adrenaline rush he experienced during their first Junior Worlds, heightened by their late arrival and the magnitude of the event. "I was lacing up my skates when it hit me. I was at the World Championships, the goal I'd been chasing for so long. It was only our fourth competition, and that's when the nerves really set in." Max explains that his approach changed last season: "All the work happens before the competition. When you're there, you need to enjoy it and take pride in everything you've done to get to that moment."

Due to visa issues, Sofia hasn't yet had the chance to spend much time in Belgium. "I loved the Grand Place and the beautiful streets and parks in Brussels. We also went to Brugge, which I adored," she says. The team's visa debacle continues, as Belgium has yet to issue a long-term multiple-entry visa for Sofia, even after her nearly two years representing Belgium on the international stage. With her current visa, Sofia can only spend a limited amount of time in the Schengen zone, forcing the team to arrive very late to competitions in Europe, as was the case at the Junior Grand Prix event in Ostrava earlier this season.

When asked what he misses most about Belgium while training in the United States, Max, like a true Belgian, immediately mentions chocolate. Belgian chocolate is a significant part of the country's economy and culture. "It's very difficult to find good chocolate in the US. I asked my mother to bring some from home when she visited us recently," Max recounts. "Of course, I also miss my family, friends, and dogs."

Max has been studying online for five years and is now in his final year of school. He admits that it hasn't been easy: "When you attend school, you have help from teachers and friends, which makes the process smoother." Now, he has to do most of the learning on his own, and he's preparing for his final exams in Belgium.

For Sofia, the experience of online learning feels more familiar. "I've always studied online, whether at the rink, in the car, or at home," she says. Her grandmother has been a great help with some of the subjects, and for the rest Sofia had to study textbooks. With just a year or so left until graduation, Sofia is used to balancing her studies with her intense training schedule.

Sofia finds relaxation in her hobbies of drawing and playing music. Having completed nine years of music school, she occasionally plays the violin and piano when at home, while drawing remains her preferred way to unwind.

Max, on the other hand, is an avid racing enthusiast. His fascination with cars extends to studying how they work, a hobby he pursues even during breaks from skating. He also likes going karting when his schedule allows.