Nikodinov, Carroll Agree to Join Forces

Figure skater Angela Nikodinov of San Pedro had lost her coach. Figure skating coach Frank Carroll had lost his star pupil.

It could hardly have been more logical, then, for Nikodinov to seek Carroll’s help as she prepares for next month’s U.S. championships at Staples Center.

Nikodinov’s agent, David Baden of IMG, said Friday that Nikodinov and Carroll have agreed to work together. Their first on-ice session was Thursday, in advance of Friday’s Hershey’s Kisses pro-am event at Auburn Hills, Mich. Neither could be reached for comment Friday.

Nikodinov, 21, blossomed the past year under the guidance of former Bolshoi ballerina Elena Tcherkasskaia, finishing third at last season’s national competition and fifth at the world championships. They were based at HealthSouth in El Segundo--Carroll’s home rink--and at Lake Arrowhead.

However, Tcherkasskaia became ill in September and died Nov. 12 in her native Moscow of complications related to pancreatic cancer. As Nikodinov struggled to recover from the death of the woman who had become virtually a second mother, three-time Olympic pairs gold medalist Irina Rodnina accompanied her to competitions in Germany, Russia and Japan. Their arrangement was temporary, because Rodnina has other coaching commitments.

Nikodinov, who is expected to vie with Sasha Cohen of Laguna Niguel for the third women’s singles spot on the Olympic team, finished third at Nations Cup and the Cup of Russia and fourth at the NHK Trophy competition after faltering in the long program on all three occasions.

Carroll coached four-time world champion Michelle Kwan for nearly 10 years, the last few at HealthSouth Training Center in El Segundo. Their relationship ended in October, when Kwan decided to train without a coach. Although Kwan was Carroll’s premier student, he has worked for the past year and a half with Timothy Goebel, who won the U.S. men’s title last year.

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A memorial service for Tcherkasskaia will be held Thursday, Dec. 20 at 11 a.m. at the Lodge at the Ice Castle International Training Center in Lake Arrowhead.