U.S. pairs skaters Nica Digerness and Mark Sadusky started the season with a win and a personal best score at Cup of Colorado and then headed to New York City for the John Nicks International Pairs Challenge, their first international competition as a team. The 15-team field at SkyRink at Chelsea Piers included pairs from the U.S., Canada, Uzbekistan, Italy, Finland, Japan, the Philippines, Sweden and Austria. Digerness and Sadusky placed 10th. “This is the biggest competition we’ve done, so a little bit more nervous,” said Digerness after last week’s competition. “We did pretty well for our first international. It was very exciting.”
“This competition was a little bit nerve-racking,” said Sadusky. “It was different than competing at domestic competitions. There was so much high level skating going on. It was a step in the right direction for our international experience.”
It’s been a somewhat tumultuous year for Digerness, 24, and Sadusky, 26. After a seventh-place finish at the 2024 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the duo changed coaches in the spring, moving their training base to Colorado Springs to work with Drew Meekins and Natalia Mishkutenok.
Although sightseeing came after the competition—including a trip to the U.S. Open—Sadusky appreciated walking around the city instead of driving. They even rode the subway, which felt familiar to Sadusky, who grew up in Oakland, California, with public transit. “I love the culture of New York, I love the food especially,” he said.
The pair is now back to training. While both appreciate Meekins’s high standards and attention to detail, the first month was a big adjustment. Now, Sadusky appreciates her coach’s guidance and focus on improvement as well as training among top pairs teams.
“We’re growing tremendously as a team,” said Sadusky. “He’s always striving to make us better, to make the elements stronger, improve the presentation side, everything is always push, push, push. There is always more work to be done. Having that type of coach is really important.”
Sadusky coaches in the early mornings before heading to training. Whenever he is on the ice, he hopes his presence leads to more diversity in the sport. “Even on the international scene, I’m the only African American male,” he said. “I hope one day I get that chance to make Skate America (an annual Grand Prix event held in the U.S.) so that people can see this is a sport for everyone.”