Poland's Domanski Starts Strong

Przemyslaw Domanski

Oct. 1, 2007
Article & Photo © J. Barry Mittan 

Two-time Polish senior men's champion Przemyslaw Domanski is hoping to improve on last season's results as the 2007-08 season gets underway. "I want like always to be better than last season," he said. "So I want to be before 20th place at Europeans and maybe get to the final round at Worlds. I want to be known as a good skater and I want to know that my skating gives someone a lot of emotions."

He's off to a good start this season. Domanski won the Masowia Cup in August and placed tenth at the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany in September in a large field with a strong showing of sixth in the short. He will also be competing at the Golden Spin of Zagreb in November.

Domanski finished 33rd in his first World Championships in 2007 after placing as high as 14th at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships in 2005. He has moved up steadily at Europeans from 33rd in 2004 to 20th last season. In 2006, he won his only international medal, taking the silver at the Coupe International in Nice, France.

A native of Warsaw, Domanski began skating when he was five years old. "I had problems with bones in my feet," he said. "They were growing up in wrong direction. The doctor said that I had to do a sport using inflexible boots or wear orthopedic boots until I was 18. My parents chosen the first option and took me to skating. When I started skating, I also started gymnastics. I also played soccer and basketball in school, but I wasn't a champion there. In fact, I didn't have to be in physical education lessons. I got the maximum grade just for being a skater."

He landed his first triple jump, a triple salchow, when he was 13. This season, he is using a triple flip-triple toe loop combination in the short program as well as a triple lutz. In his long program, Domanski will attempt three double axels and three solo triple jumps as well as the following combinations: triple flip-triple toe loop and triple lutz-triple loop. He has tried a quadruple flip in practice but has yet to land one. The 21- year old enjoys the emotions involved in skating. "Skating is the perfect connection between physical work and art," he explained.

Maria Domagala has coached Domanski for the last six years where he trains in Katowice. "During the season, I have afternoon practice for one hour five days a week and three times in the morning on ice," he said. "Also two times a week I have ballet classes, running, riding a stationary bike and strength training."

Frantisek Blatak choreographed his programs for the 2007-08 season - selections from the soundtrack of the movie, Alexander, by Vangelis for the short and a jazz mix for the long. "I just heard the Alexander soundtrack the first time and I knew I could make a great program with it," Domanski said. "I feel this music. Mostly I prefer soundtracks, but I also like blues and jazz. Generally I like music that I can feel and put emotions into."

Domanski does a little of his own choreography. "Mostly I' putting my own choreography in my show programs," He said. "But when we are making new competition programs and I have some ideas what I can do in it, I'm showing it and sometimes choreographer likes it."

The Polish champion has graduated from high school and is in his second year at the Academy of Physical Education, studying physical education. After he finishes competing, he said, "I want to skate in skating revues and see the world. Later, maybe I can be a coach because I know something about it."

Off ice, he has a variety of interests. "I ride a motorbike, watch movies, and play a strategic game, Combat Mission, on-line on my computer. I like action movies, thrillers and science fiction, sometimes comedy. I also like movies which bring me some reflections about life. I like tinkering, changing something in my car or bike, generally pimping my ride. I like to ride my bike and do sightseeing, searching for ruins of castles and beautiful views."

Domanski enjoys many kinds of music. "My favorite is rock, hard rock, sometimes metal, blues and jazz," he noted. "I don't have a favorite band but I like Rammstein, Offspring and Polish blues band Jam J. I used to play keyboard when I was younger." He also likes to read, thrillers mostly, but sometimes something connected with philosophy or history, especially World War II.