TESTIMONIALS

Over the past 7 years I have had the opportunity to get to know Ivan on a personal and professional level. Ivan is a very committed and devoted coach on and off the ice and I respect the discipline he encourages his students to have, to build and achieve their own goals. He is a generous human being, with a friendly heart, and a strong spirit. 

Katie Orscher
2005 U.S. National Champion and 2005 Four Continents Bronze Medalist

I have known Ivan for the last three years. He is a passionate & extremely knowledgeable coach. Any athlete having the opportunity to work with Ivan would gain in technique, but most importantly gain in self confidence.

Evelyn Kramer 
Professional Figure Skating Coach
Former Coach Of Olympian Michelle Kwan

Ivan has amazing coaching skills – and a compelling PERSONALITY – that everyone loves. He has an amazing balance of relating as a big kid when teaching kids, but make no mistake. At the same time he is every bit as professional and demanding as an elite skater and coach can and should be. He can totally relate – and he knows which buttons to push to make kids WILLINGLY work harder.

Ivan has been our coach for almost three years. Working in tandem with some of the most recognized Olympian skaters and coaches, he was instrumental in helping propel my (then) 6 year-old from Basic 2 to Freestyle 1 level in the most recent competition season. We have had two very successful competition seasons thanks to him!

Ivan is just a natural at what he does so well, and this makes him absolutely unique.

KS
Simsbury, CT

I have known Ivan since 2006 when he arrived in Connecticut to train with his new pair partner, my good friend and professional colleague Katherine Orscher. I have witnessed his transition from a disciplined elite skater to his current established place in the skating world as a gifted coach to those fortunate enough to work with him. Ivan is zealous in motivating students to meet their set skating goals; it’s so rewarding to see their radiant smiles as they share with others how well they have done at the competitions, and how much they enjoy their times skating in the ice shows. I have found that in Ivan’s time as a talented skater and determined coach, he has always been hard working, serious, and passionate in anything that he sets himself out to accomplish. I especially love his charismatic personality in some of the warmhearted caring moments that he has with the little ones who adore him. I appreciate Ivan for his supportive friendship; I find him reliable and dependable and I hold him in high esteem for his great dedication and devotion to the sport.

Grace Johnson
Professional Figure Skating Coach

My daughter began in the learn-to-skate program when she was almost 11. Shortly after, she started taking private lessons with Ivan after he recognized her potential and interest in pursuing the sport almost immediately. Now, at age 15, she is skating at the intermediate level, landing double and triple jumps and is really thriving as a figure skater!

Ivan is a coach of the highest caliber. He has high expectations for his athletes, but always seeks for them to find joy —and yes, even fun! — in what they are doing and to remember, at the end of the day, their only real competition is themselves. Focused, determined and exacting, Ivan is also kind and motivates his athletes with intent. My daughter has grown tremendously both as an athlete and as a person with Ivan’s guidance. She has learned the value of hard work, that natural talent will only get you so far, and that dedication to any endeavor is what gets you there.

I’m very glad Ivan found us 5 years ago. We would be hard-pressed to have found a better coach for our daughter.

MF
Windsor, CT

Working with Ivan Dimitrov has been an amazing opportunity to enable me to develop the skills and discipline necessary to achieve my personal skating goals. As an adult skater, Ivan is able to adapt his coaching style through a well-balanced learning plan of demonstration, analysis, and skating exercises to build skills and confidence in my skating. Ivan’s ability to motivate and inspire, problem solve, communicate effectively and provide honest feedback are only some of his leadership qualities that stand out. Ivan’s love and knowledge of teaching skating has truly been inspirational!

SB

Dear Ivan!

We wish you great success in teaching the younger generation of figure skaters.
We know that this is a very complex process: to understand and teach the beauty of figure skating. Only one skater will succeed, which, along with high technique and musicality, will beautifully and without error to fulfill his program. Dare for the benefit of figure skating.

Ludmila and Oleg Protopopov

As her coach, Ivan helped develop M.’s technical skating skills, stamina and attention to detail throughout various levels of competitions from ages 8 to 11. Over that period of time, her skills advanced several levels and she won numerous medals at competitions throughout New York and Connecticut.

Ivan was extremely supportive during competitions. As part of her preparation and to put her further at ease, he would have M. complete warm ups and practice runs of her routine — all the while offering quiet instruction and encouragement. As a result, M. was always relaxed and confident when she got on the ice during competitions, and was able to succeed.

TC

I have had the pleasure of working with Ivan for 6 years now in both group and private lesson settings. I frequently have sent my private students to work with him on technique and footwork, as well as jumps.Ivan’s coaching style is thorough, encompassing all aspects of the sport, from off ice conditioning to nutrition and on ice training.

Ivan brings a refreshing, progressive, positive energy to each lesson and I would highly recommend him to anyone looking to enrich their love of the sport or advance their training. This coach has it ALL!

Sarah Watson
Professional Ice Skating Coach

I am a competitive figure skater, training and competing at the Senior Ladies level. I first stepped onto the ice at age 7, and for the past 14 years have dedicated every aspect of my life to advance my skating to Olympic level. I have traveled throughout the nation and trained in several different skating facilities, which exposed me to a variety of personality types.

I was blessed to first meet Ivan when he was competing as a Pairs skater. From the beginning, I have had the utmost respect for his honest, straightforward personality. During some of the most devastating times in my life, including the passing of my best friend and game-changing personal injuries, Ivan has always stayed number one on my speed dial.

As full-time athletes know, mental support is certainly just as important as a physical training program when it comes to achieving professional success. Ivan is incredibly strong in his ability to provide both equally. His knowledge of biomechanics, in terms of how to best condition your body both on and off the ice, is pure natural talent. He also shares his personal life experiences and insider knowledge as a national competitor, which helped me feel comfortable in discussing, confronting and overcoming my own mental blocks.

In the skating world, accountability, devotion and loyalty are hard traits to come by. These are areas where Ivan had gained my trust.

After having been sidelined and off the ice for 4 months, I flew back home to Connecticut for the holidays, with the specific hope of having Ivan help jump-start my training and get me back up to full speed. With less than a week’s notice, Ivan cared enough about me and my recovery to set time aside for me every day during some of the best ice times available.

During the month I spent training with Ivan, I admired his natural ability to be able to change an exercise on the ice that wasn’t working for me, and to counteract instantly and on the spot with a different, more effective approach that was just right and helped me gain results. This talent is one you hardly ever see in professional coaches. Instead it is more typical that coaches use the same, identical approach for every athlete, and assume that if it doesn’t work it’s because of you, the athlete, not the approach.

This is why Ivan is on the next level. His life experiences as a competitive athlete and his talent make him a life-changing professional. I’ve gained the majority of my knowledge and mental strength from Ivan, based on having worked with him personally. I sincerely could never be sitting where I am, chasing an Olympic dream, without his physical training and mental support.

AA

Ivan is a wonderful coach and I cannot sing his praises loudly enough.  He’s incredible with kids.  He’s patient without being a pushover and pushes them to excel without ever taking the fun out of the sport.  He demands that his students be respectful to him, to one another, to their parents and they love him.  My son absolutely loves working with Ivan and I’m grateful that Ivan is a mentoring influence in his life.  

ST

My 7yr old daughter started skating at 4 yrs old. She went through 2 coaches before we found Ivan in March of 2014. Ivan has been such a wonderful coach for A. She was very shy and nervous when she started with him. He was very patient while she adjusted to being with a new coach. She has learned so much from him. He takes the time to make sure that she is comfortable with what she is learning. He has high expectations for his skaters.

She has definitely learned discipline and respect from Ivan. After only being with him for a few months, she competed at the 2014 Nutmeg State Games in July 2014 and placed Silver in her 2 events.

She absolutely enjoys her time on time on the ice with him. And I highly recommend him to anyone that either wants to sharpen their ability for enjoyment or competition.

JB