Galit Chait
Encyclopedia
Galit Chait is a former Israeli ice dancer
with partner Sergei Sakhnovski
. They competed internationally for Israel from 1995 to 2006.
as a child with her parents. When she was 8 years old, her parents took her to the skating rink at Rockefeller Center
in New York City
for fun and she fell in love with skating.
Her father, Boris Chait, is president of the Israeli Ice Skating Federation since 2002.
On August 23, 2008, Chait married former Italian military policeman Francesco Moracci in New Jersey
and then on September 13, 2008 they had the second wedding in Florence
, Italy
. The two met at the 2006 Olympic Games in Torino, Italy, where Moracci was a member of the security detail assigned to protect the Israeli team. They have two daughters, Raffaella, born in 2010, and Gabriella, born in 2011.
Chait has been a resident of Paramus, New Jersey
.
with her father, who had organized a sports camp; while there, she was introduced to ice dancing
and found she enjoyed skating with a partner.
She initially competed with Max Sevostianov. They competed at the U.S. Nationals in 1992 and 1994. They were involved in a collision with Renee Roca
at the 1994 U.S. Championships
. Chait and Sevostianov finished 6th at the U.S. Nationals and 28th at the World Championships
(representing Israel) in 1994.
While attending the University of Delaware
in the mid-1990s, however, Chait met and teamed up with Sergei Sakhnovski. Chait and Sakhnovski debuted as a team in 1995 and steadily rose in the international rankings. The highlight of their career was winning the bronze medal at the 2002 World championships
.
Sergei Sakhnovski suffered a foot injury that forced the pair to miss the entire 2006–2007 season, and they subsequently announced their retirement.
Chait was the flag bearer
for Israel at the 2002
and 2006 Winter Olympics
.
Chait is an ISU Technical Specialist.
. She was the head coach of the Israeli brother-and-sister team Alexandra Zaretsky and Roman Zaretsky, as well as Tamar Katz
. In October 2008, Chait and the Zaretskys filed a lawsuit against the Ice House training rink in Hackensack, New Jersey
, claiming that officials at the rink discriminated against them on the basis of their Israeli nationality, denying them prime skating time and threatening to ban them from the rink. Under her coaching, the Zaretskys, won the gold medal at the 24th Winter Universiade Games in Harbin China, the bronze medal at Skate America 2009 and they qualified for the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver Canada.
Chait has also coached:
Ice dancing
Ice dancing is a form of figure skating which draws from the world of ballroom dancing. It was first competed at the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, but did not become a Winter Olympic Games medal sport until 1976....
with partner Sergei Sakhnovski
Sergei Sakhnovski
Sergei Sakhnovski is an Israeli ice dancer with partner Galit Chait. They have been competing internationally for Israel since 1996. In 2002 they were the first Israeli ice dance team to win a medal at World Championships...
. They competed internationally for Israel from 1995 to 2006.
Personal life
Chait was born in Israel and moved to New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
as a child with her parents. When she was 8 years old, her parents took her to the skating rink at Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering between 48th and 51st streets in New York City, United States. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was declared a National...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for fun and she fell in love with skating.
Her father, Boris Chait, is president of the Israeli Ice Skating Federation since 2002.
On August 23, 2008, Chait married former Italian military policeman Francesco Moracci in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and then on September 13, 2008 they had the second wedding in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The two met at the 2006 Olympic Games in Torino, Italy, where Moracci was a member of the security detail assigned to protect the Israeli team. They have two daughters, Raffaella, born in 2010, and Gabriella, born in 2011.
Chait has been a resident of Paramus, New Jersey
Paramus, New Jersey
Paramus is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 26,342. A suburb of New York City, Paramus is located between 15–20 miles northwest of Midtown Manhattan and approximately west of Upper Manhattan.Paramus is one of...
.
Career
In the early 1990s, she went to RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
with her father, who had organized a sports camp; while there, she was introduced to ice dancing
Ice dancing
Ice dancing is a form of figure skating which draws from the world of ballroom dancing. It was first competed at the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, but did not become a Winter Olympic Games medal sport until 1976....
and found she enjoyed skating with a partner.
She initially competed with Max Sevostianov. They competed at the U.S. Nationals in 1992 and 1994. They were involved in a collision with Renee Roca
Renee Roca
Renée Roca is an American ice dancer and choreographer. She is a three-time U.S. national champion with different partners. Competing with partner Donald Adair, she is the 1986 U.S. national champion. She later teamed up with Russian skater Gorsha Sur, with whom she is the 1993 and 1995 U.S...
at the 1994 U.S. Championships
1994 United States Figure Skating Championships
The 1994 United States Figure Skating Championships was the United States Figure Skating Championships of the 2009-2010 figure skating season. They were the national championship to determine the national champions of the United States. They were held in Detroit Michigan. In addition to determining...
. Chait and Sevostianov finished 6th at the U.S. Nationals and 28th at the World Championships
1994 World Figure Skating Championships
The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion. This event is considered the most prestigious of the ISU Championships...
(representing Israel) in 1994.
While attending the University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
in the mid-1990s, however, Chait met and teamed up with Sergei Sakhnovski. Chait and Sakhnovski debuted as a team in 1995 and steadily rose in the international rankings. The highlight of their career was winning the bronze medal at the 2002 World championships
2002 World Figure Skating Championships
The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion. This event is considered the most prestigious of the ISU Championships. The 2002 Worlds were held in...
.
Sergei Sakhnovski suffered a foot injury that forced the pair to miss the entire 2006–2007 season, and they subsequently announced their retirement.
Chait was the flag bearer
2006 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony
The Opening Ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics was held on February 10, 2006 beginning at 20:00 CET at the Stadio Olimpico in Turin, Italy....
for Israel at the 2002
Israel at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Israel competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, United States.The Israeli delegation included 5 athletes. 2 pairs of ice dancers: Galit Chait and Sergei Sakhnovski, who were ranked in 6th place, and Natalia Gudina and Alexei Beletski, who were 19th...
and 2006 Winter Olympics
Israel at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Israel competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.Five Israeli athletes participated in the Games, the same as in Salt Lake City in 2002. They included two ice dance couples: Galit Chait and Sergei Sakhnovski, who made their third participation in the Olympics, and the brother-sister team...
.
Chait is an ISU Technical Specialist.
Coaching career
After her retirement as a competitive skater, Chait began coaching ice dancingIce dancing
Ice dancing is a form of figure skating which draws from the world of ballroom dancing. It was first competed at the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, but did not become a Winter Olympic Games medal sport until 1976....
. She was the head coach of the Israeli brother-and-sister team Alexandra Zaretsky and Roman Zaretsky, as well as Tamar Katz
Tamar Katz
Tamar Katz is an Israeli figure skater. She is the 2005, 2007, and 2008 Israeli national champion.- Career :...
. In October 2008, Chait and the Zaretskys filed a lawsuit against the Ice House training rink in Hackensack, New Jersey
Hackensack, New Jersey
Hackensack is a city in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States and the county seat of Bergen County. Although informally called Hackensack, it was officially named New Barbadoes Township until 1921. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 43,010....
, claiming that officials at the rink discriminated against them on the basis of their Israeli nationality, denying them prime skating time and threatening to ban them from the rink. Under her coaching, the Zaretskys, won the gold medal at the 24th Winter Universiade Games in Harbin China, the bronze medal at Skate America 2009 and they qualified for the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver Canada.
Chait has also coached:
- Cathy ReedCathy ReedCathy Reed is a Japanese ice dancer who represents Japan. She competes with her younger brother Chris Reed. They are the 2008-2010 Japanese national champions.-Personal life:...
/ Chris ReedChris ReedChris Reed is an American-Japanese ice dancer who currently represents Japan. He competes with his older sister Cathy Reed. They are the 2008-2010 Japanese national champions.-Personal life:... - Siobhan Heekin-CanedySiobhan Heekin-CanedySiobhan Heekin-Canedy is an American ice dancer who competes with Dmitri Dun for Ukraine.- Career :...
/ Alexander ShakalovAlexander ShakalovAlexander Shakalov is a Ukrainian ice dancer.In his early career, he competed with Viktoria Polzykina and Julia Grigorenko for Ukraine. He also represented Uzbekistan with Olga Akimova from 2003 to 2007. The two were the 2004-2005 Uzbek national champions... - Allison ReedAllison ReedAllison Lynn Reed is an American ice dancer. She competed with Otar Japaridze for Georgia from 2009 to 2011.- Career :Reed started skating at the age of three...
/ Otar JaparidzeOtar JaparidzeOtar Japaridze is a Georgian ice dancer. With former partner Allison Reed, he represented Georgia at the 2010 Winter Olympics.- Career :... - Ekaterina Bugrov / Vasili Rogov
- Siobhan Heekin-CanedySiobhan Heekin-CanedySiobhan Heekin-Canedy is an American ice dancer who competes with Dmitri Dun for Ukraine.- Career :...
/ Dmitri DunDmitri Dun-External links:*...
Competitive highlights
(with Sakhnovski)| Event | 1995–96 | 1996–97 | 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–00 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | 2003–04 | 2004–05 | 2005–06 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympic Games Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating... |
14th | 6th | 8th | ||||||||
| World Championships World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion... |
23rd | 18th | 14th | 13th | 5th | 6th | 3rd | 6th | 7th | 6th | 6th |
| European Championships European Figure Skating Championships The European Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition in which figure skaters compete for the title of European Champion... |
14th | 12th | 10th | 6th | 5th | 5th | 6th | 5th | 4th | 5th | |
| Israeli Championships Israeli Figure Skating Championships The Israeli Figure Skating Championships is a figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of Israel. Winners are given the title National Champion. Over the years, the date of the competition has been moved for regional political reasons or for the lack of ice.... |
1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | ||
| Grand Prix Final | 4th | 5th | 5th | 4th | 4th | ||||||
| Cup of Russia Cup of Russia The Cup of Russia is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Figure skaters compete in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. It was held as the Rostelecom Cup in 2009 after... |
7th | 3rd | 2nd | 3rd | 2nd | ||||||
| Cup of China Cup of China The Cup of China is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. The location changes yearly. Figure skaters compete in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.The Cup of China is... |
2nd | 2nd | |||||||||
| Skate Canada Skate Canada International The Skate Canada International is an international, senior-level invitation-only figure skating competition organized by Skate Canada. It is the second competition of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. The location changes yearly. Medals are awarded in four disciplines: Ladies' singles, Men's... |
2nd | 2nd | 4th | 3rd | |||||||
| Skate America Skate America Skate America is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. It is organized by the United States Figure Skating Association. The location changes yearly... |
4th | 2nd | 4th | 2nd | |||||||
| Trophée Lalique | 5th | 6th | |||||||||
| NHK Trophy NHK Trophy The NHK Trophy is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Figure skaters compete in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.... |
7th | 5th | 3rd | 3rd | |||||||
| Bofrost Cup Bofrost Cup on Ice The Bofrost Cup on Ice was a figure skating competition held in Germany between 1986 and 2004. It was part of the Grand Prix series until 2003, when it was replaced by Cup of China. Following being booted out of the Grand Prix series, a new form of competition was introduced to the Bofrost Cup... |
7th | 5th | 2nd | ||||||||
| Skate Israel Skate Israel Skate Israel is a senior-level international figure skating competition, held in Metulla, Israel. Skaters compete in four disciplines: ladies and men's singles, pairs and ice dancing... |
6th | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | ||||
| Vienna Cup Karl Schäfer Memorial The Karl Schäfer Memorial is an annual elite senior-level figure skating competition held in Vienna, Austria. Skaters compete in four disciplines: men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice dance. The competition is named for figure skater Karl Schäfer. The competition is usually held in... |
3rd | ||||||||||
| Nebelhorn Trophy Nebelhorn Trophy The Nebelhorn Trophy is an international senior-level figure skating competition organized by the Deutsche Eislauf-Union and held annually in Oberstdorf, Germany. The competition is named after the Nebelhorn, a nearby mountain.... |
9th | ||||||||||
| Goodwill Games Goodwill Games The Goodwill Games was an international sports competition, created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s... |
2nd |