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Nora Hoffman and former partner Attila Elek perform their original dance at the European Figure Skating Championships in 2007. (Getty Images)

By Lynn Rutherford, special to icenetwork.com

(07/23/2008) - When they squared off against each other at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships in 2004, Nora Hoffmann and Maxim Zavozin never dreamed they would one day compete together.

"I never wanted to end my partnership, because I had grown up with my partner and he had put in the same hard work as me," the vivacious, 23-year-old Hoffmann said. "Maybe we should have broken up a few years sooner than we did, because once we did break up, I felt so free."

In 2004, Hoffmann won a world junior silver medal for Hungary with Attila Elek, while Zavozin and Morgan Matthews took home bronze to the U.S. The following season, Matthews and Zavozin won gold.

Both of these long-term partnerships dissolved a few years later. Matthews and Zavozin called it quits in February 2007, following disappointing finishes at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Hoffmann and Elek stopped skating together around the same time, after Elek's injury at the 2007 European Figure Skating Championships forced them to withdraw from the event.

"In a way, things happen for a reason," Zavozin, also 23, said. "If Nora and her partner had broken up earlier, I would not have needed a partner, and we wouldn't be skating together today."

The couple, who have yet to make their competitive debut, teamed in October 2007. They train with Nikolai Morozov and Zavozin's mother, former Soviet ice dance competitor Elena Garanina, at the Ice House in Hackensack, N.J.

"After my partnership with Attila ended, I wasn't really searching," Hoffmann said. "Nikolai said if he found someone, he would let me know. So Nikolai talked to [Garanina] and found out Max would like to skate with me.

"I had a few other tryouts over the summer and then finally, I tried out with Max at the rink in Montclair [New Jersey] at midnight with Nikolai and Elena."

The skaters said they were compatible both on and off the ice.

"We're very good friends," Zavozin said. "It's important to get along off the ice, so when you get to the rink in the morning, you're not already annoyed with each other. It makes a huge difference."

"We both respect each other and listen to each other," Hoffmann added. "We can talk and understand each other. If you skate with somebody, it doesn't make any difference who is the better [skater]. Most important is to try to match with the other. We are both open to change, our personalities are good together."

Morozov, who also coaches ice dance teams Anna Zadorozhniuk and Sergei Verbillo of Ukraine, Cathy Reed and Chris Reed of Japan and Kristin Fraser and Igor Lukanin

"Even when Nora first came to me years ago with Attila, I was surprised how talented she was," Morozov said. "At that time Shae-Lynn [Bourne] and Elena Grushina were still skating and she was kind of the same level, [in terms of] what she could do on the ice. There is more opportunity for her to show that now."

Once the couple decided to form a partnership, they knew they would represent Hungary.

"My switching of federations wasn't because I was unhappy with the U.S.; I loved competing for the U.S., I love this country so much," the Russian-born Zavozin, who became a U.S. citizen in December 2005, said.

"But I went through the whole naturalization process [to become a U.S. citizen] and I knew it would have been too difficult for Nora. I haven't competed [internationally] for the U.S. in almost two years [since 2006 Cup of Russia], so I've met the [ISU] time restriction. In Hungary, it's a little easier to get citizenship, and that was the decision, so that we could maybe start to compete this season."

Hoffman sighed when she enumerated the paperwork and meetings required.

"When we started, we had no idea [how to proceed]," she said. "We were so lost. Thanks God, we had connections that could help. The Hungarian Olympic Federation helped; without them, we could do nothing.

"We put in for [Zavozin's] citizenship. The Hungarian President [László Sólyom] can [award] 15 or 20 people citizenship every year. He can decide for special cases. For me, there was no one in Hungary I could skate with, so Max meets [the criteria]. I signed some papers for the sports ministry; I even had to write a letter [to the President]. I really want to do it the right way."

The couple said Zavozin had a Hungarian green card and resident status. he is still waiting for his citizenship. They split their training time between Hackensack and Budapest, where they train under Hungarian ice dance coach Sandor Nagy.

"We still have work to do but we believe we will compete this season," Hoffmann said. "We want to do smaller competitions; Nebelhorn Trophy [in September] is too soon, but we'll probably do some smaller events."

They hope to compete at the 2009 European and world championships, but first, there is work to be done on their programs.

"We took a few short breaks [in training]. There was a lot to do -- paperwork with my federation and moving to Hackensack -- a lot of expenses and a lot of scheduling," Hoffmann said.

They began working on a hip-hop free dance with Morozov last fall, but it's "still not completely done," Hoffmann laughed. "Nikolai keeps getting new ideas, and of course the rules change.

"I can't wait to compete. We know we will have a hard time in the beginning, because we are a new couple. In ice dance, that's still a bit hard, but we want to show people what we can do."