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Nechaeva and Chesnichenko built their dance school from the ground up. They are the only coaches that Samuelson, 19, and Bates, 20, have ever had, and the ice dancers are their first Olympians.
"We are very proud for us and the club," Nechaeva said.
Punsalan and Swallow had captured one U.S. ice dance title (in 1991) when they moved from Colorado Springs to Bloomfield Hills in the summer of 1992 to be coached by Shpilband and his collaborator at the time, British-born teacher Elizabeth Coates. Shpilband was in the early stages of his coaching career after defecting from the Soviet Union. In Coates, he had the perfect technician to go with his strength, artistry.
Punsalan and Swallow, married in 1993, were Shpilband's first major team.
"Liz and I were just talking about this the other day, about the deciding factor in why we went with Igor and Liz Coates," Swallow said. "One of the reasons is that they saw that we hadn't reached our potential yet. We were wrapped up in the political depression of it all, of working so hard and not moving up, that they helped our focus. They were like, 'Let's focus on what you can improve -- your skating -- and we'll be able to sell your talent to the rest of the world.' "
Punsalan and Swallow won four U.S. titles under Shpilband, and competed in four world championships and the 1994 and 1998 Olympics. They were seventh at the 1998 Nagano games. That was a bonanza year for the Detroit Skating Club. Shpilband also coached the second America ice dance team, while Richard Callaghan coached Tara Lipinski to the Olympic ladies gold medal and Todd Eldredge to a fourth-place finish in the men's event.
"He's always had a unique, creative eye," Swallow said of Shpilband, now a U.S. citizen. "When he puts a program together, it stands out as compared to other ice dancers. It's a distinctive look that he can produce."
For the last nine years, Zoueva has been working with Shpilband, and her influence -- and organizational skills -- have strengthened the quality of their teams in Canton.
"We have a common goal," he said. "We want our skaters to be the best. That is what we strive for every day together."
Swallow said he always was amused when coaches and others associated with the sport think that there was a rivalry among metro Detroit's three top clubs.
"Everyone has grown strong enough that we all can stand on our own," he said. "There's a respect there between each of the clubs because of the quality that's being produced. There's a good history among all of us.
"From an international point of view, I'm sure people think that because of our unique situation, they wonder why there's not more competition. Well, we don't have to play those games.
"We know how hard we all work."
Contact JO-ANN BARNAS: 313-222-2037 or jbarnas@freepress.com.
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