Galit Chait

Galit Chait

Chait/Sakhnovski at the 2003 Skate Canada International
Personal information
Full name Galit Chait Moracci[1]
Country represented Israel
Born (1975-01-29) January 29, 1975
Kfar Saba, Israel
Residence Paramus, New Jersey
Height 1.58 m (5 ft 2 in)
Former partner Sergei Sakhnovski
Maxim Sevostianov
Former coach Nikolai Morozov
Alexander Zhulin
Evgeni Platov
Tatiana Tarasova
Natalia Dubova
Natalia Linichuk
E. Maslenikova
Former choreographer Tatiana Druchinina
Skating club Bat Yam Club
Began skating 1984
Retired 2007
ISU personal best scores
Combined total 204.42
2004 Cup of China
Comp. dance 40.98
2004 Skate America
Original dance 63.07
2004 Cup of China
Free dance 106.46
2005 GPF

Galit Chait (Hebrew: גלית חייט‎‎, Galit Hayat; born on January 29, 1975) is an Israeli former competitive ice dancer. She and her partner Sergei Sakhnovski competed internationally for Israel from 1995 to 2006, becoming the 2002 World bronze medalists.

Personal life

Chait was born in Israel. The family moved to New Jersey when she was young, and she first skated at age 8.[2]

Her father, Boris Chait, is president of the Israeli Ice Skating Federation[3] 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.[4][5] 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.[6] They have two daughters, Raffaella, born in 2009, and Gabriella, born in 2011.[7]

Chait has been a resident of Paramus, New Jersey.[8]

Career

She first tried ice dancing in the 1990s when she travelled to Russia with her father, who was teaching there at a sports camp.[9]

She competed with Max Sevostianov at the U.S. Nationals in 1992 and 1994.[9] They were involved in a collision with Renée Roca at the 1994 U.S. Championships.[10] In 1994, the pair placed 6th at the U.S. Nationals and 28th at the World Championships (representing Israel).[9]

Chait met Sergei Sakhnovski while they were both students at the University of Delaware.[9] Partnered since 1995, they trained initially in Russia with Ludmila Buytskova and Elena Maslenikova before moving to Monsey, New York.[2] They rose steadily 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. Their coaches included Natalia Dubova, Tatiana Tarasova, Evgeni Platov, Natalia Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov.[11]

Chait was the flag bearer for Israel at the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics.

Chait is an ISU Technical Specialist.[7]

Coaching career

After her retirement as a competitive skater, Chait began coaching ice dancing. She was the head coach of the Israeli brother-and-sister team Alexandra Zaretsky and Roman Zaretsky, as well as Tamar Katz.[3] 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.[12] 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:

Programs

(with Sakhnovski)

Season Original dance Free dance Exhibition
2005–2006
[17]
  • Cha Cha
    by Manhattan Transfer
  • Rhumba
    by Mambo Kings
  • Samba
    by Crazy Brazilians
2004–2005
[18]
2003–2004
[19][20]
  • Rock'n Roll: Keep Knocking
    by Little Richard
  • Blues: Minnie the Moocher
    by Nino Rota
  • Rock'n Roll: Keep Knocking
    by Little Richard
2002–2003
[20][21][22]
  • Polka from the Bartered Bride
    by Bedřich Smetana
  • Waltz
    by Dmitri Shostakovich
  • Polka from the Bartered Bride
    by Bedřich Smetana
  • Stranger in My House
    by Tamia
2001–2002
[20][23]
  • Flamenco
  • Paso Doble: Malaguena
    by Antonio Carrera
  • Tango: El Tango de Roxanne
    (from Moulin Rouge!)
    by Jose Feliciano
2000–2001
[20][24]
  • Quickstep: "Sing, Sing, Sing"
    by Louis Prima
  • Foxtrot: "Bei mir bist du schön"
    by James Hopiner
  • Variations on a Theme of Paganini
    by Andrew Lloyd Webber
  • Unforgettable
    by Natalie Cole, Nat King Cole
1999–2000
[20]
1998–1999
[20]
  • Waltz
  • Russian folk
1997–1998
[20]
  • Jewish music
1996–1997
[20]
  • Tango
1995–1996
[20]
  • Paso Doble

Competitive highlights

With Sakhnovski

Results[17][18][19][21][23][24]
International
Event 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06
Olympics 14th 6th 8th
Worlds 23rd 18th 14th 13th 5th 6th 3rd 6th 7th 6th 6th
Europeans 14th 12th 10th 6th 5th 5th 6th 5th 4th 5th
Grand Prix Final 4th 5th 5th 4th 4th
GP Cup of China 2nd 2nd
GP Cup of Russia 7th 3rd 2nd 3rd 2nd
GP Lalique 5th 6th
GP Nations/Bofrost 7th 5th 2nd
GP NHK Trophy 7th 5th 3rd 3rd
GP Skate America 4th 2nd 4th 2nd
GP Skate Canada 2nd 2nd 4th 3rd
Goodwill Games 2nd
Nebelhorn 9th
Skate Israel 6th 2nd 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st
Vienna Cup 3rd
Lysiane Lauret 1st
National
Israeli Champ. 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st
GP = Part of Champions Series from 1995–1996, renamed Grand Prix from 1998–1999

With Sevostianov

Results[24]
International
Event 1993–1994
World Championships 28th

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Ekaterina BUGROV / Vasili ROGOV". International Skating Union.
  2. 1 2 Mittan, J. Barry (1996 with 1998 update). "Galit Chait and Sergei Sakhnovsky". Archived from the original on May 12, 2012. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. 1 2 McGrath, Charles (January 19, 2010). "Israel's Winter Athletes Come to U.S. Seeking Ice and Medals". The New York Times.
  4. ↑ "Wedding". Israel Ice Skating Federation. August 2008. Archived from the original on February 18, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Le nozze "italiane" di Galit Chait". ArtOnIce.it (in Italian). September 3, 2008.
  6. ↑ Elfman, Lois (September 8, 2008). "Famous ice dancer Chait marries Olympic sweetheart". Icenetwork.
  7. 1 2 Golinsky, Reut (November 11, 2011). "Galit Chait: "My dream is to have a big school"". Absolute Skating.
  8. ↑ Wilner, Barry (January 12, 1992). "Boundaries melt as skating pair unites". Associated Press. Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved February 8, 2011. Galit Chait, a 16-year-old from Paramus, N.J., and Maxim Sevostianov of Cheljabinsk, Russia, weren't close to the best dancers at the event. They were among the most intriguing.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Chait, Galit". Jews in Sports. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  10. ↑ Longman, Jere (January 6, 1994). "OLYMPICS; Roca, Ice Dancer, Breaks Arm But Comes Back to Skate On". The New York Times. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Galit Chait". ice-dance.com. December 2004. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007.
  12. ↑ Ben-Ali, Russell (October 30, 2008). "Skaters, coach sue Hackensack rink". New Jersey Star-Ledger.
  13. ↑ "Cathy REED / Chris REED". International Skating Union.
  14. ↑ "Siobhan HEEKIN-CANEDY / Alexander SHAKALOV". International Skating Union.
  15. ↑ "Allison REED / Otar JAPARIDZE". International Skating Union.
  16. ↑ "Siobhan HEEKIN-CANEDY / Dmitri DUN". International Skating Union.
  17. 1 2 "Galit CHAIT / Sergei SAKHNOVSKI: 2005/2006". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on February 4, 2007.
  18. 1 2 "Galit CHAIT / Sergei SAKHNOVSKI: 2004/2005". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on March 23, 2005.
  19. 1 2 "Galit CHAIT / Sergei SAKHNOVSKI: 2003/2004". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 3, 2004.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Programs". Official website of Chait & Sakhnovski at ice-dance.com. Archived from the original on May 15, 2012.
  21. 1 2 "Galit CHAIT / Sergei SAKHNOVSKI: 2002/2003". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 18, 2003.
  22. ↑ "Galit CHAIT / Sergei SAKHNOVSKI: 2002/2003". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on December 16, 2002.
  23. 1 2 "Galit CHAIT / Sergei SAKHNOVSKI: 2001/2002". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 2, 2002.
  24. 1 2 3 "Galit CHAIT / Sergei SAKHNOVSKI: 2000/2001". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 18, 2001.
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