When two-time and reigning U.S. pairs champions Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov teamed up in the summer of 2023, it was as if they had leapt onto a treadmill running at full speed. Though the duo might have made it look easy to those on the outside, Efimova and Mitrofanov realize now, heading into their fourth season together, that things are not always what they seem. As the treadmill finally slowed down after the 2025–26 season, they realized it was time to sit down and enjoy the fruits of their labor.
 
"I think the approach that we have always had is to be in the moment and take things season by season," Efimova said. "After we had the opportunity to compete at the World Championships, the one thing that we really wanted was a little time off, because it was a long and exciting season for us. Despite all of our success, it was all very fast-paced."

 
Though the 2026 Four Continents champions knew that they wanted to continue on the competitive track, both Efimova and Mitrofanov wanted to take a beat to get their feet back underneath them. With a little time to recover, they hypothesized that their future goals and aspirations might come into focus.

"At the end of the season, we realized, 'Oh my goodness, we're pretty tired.' We're not going to complain, but we spent so much energy over the last few seasons that we just wanted to breathe, reset and figure out what we want to do next."
 
What the married couple discovered was that their commitment to the sport and to each other as a partnership was fueled by the hunger to reach their full potential. To do so, Efimova and Mitrofanov determined that they needed to step out of their classically refined style to explore new themes on the ice. The goal was, and is, to become fully realized artists who do more than just skate two programs. But even before preparations for this season took flight, Mitrofanov found himself hobbling toward the starting line with a series of unfortunate setbacks.
 
"I've been dealing with some injuries," he said. "My left knee has been bothering me for a while. I had to get some rehabilitation for it, and then we got sick. I also tweaked my neck and back, and then, to top it all off, my left skate broke."
 
Efimova added, "We intended to put the work in and get ourselves fully ready for the season. One thing came after another, so we are starting our season a little bit later as a result. But we are managing all that, and I feel we're also learning a lot about how to keep on going around those obstacles."
 
The first order of business was to work with renowned choreographer, Renee Roca, to help unearth a new look on the ice while maintaining their elegance and power. The former U.S. ice dance champion chose two very different themes to challenge the couple to take that next step into discovering their artistic authenticity. For the short program, Roca selected Donna Summer's "Last Dance" to push them to tap into their dance abilities.
 
"Entering the season, I felt I wanted an uplifting program, something happy, and this piece of music sounds good on the ice, and we enjoy skating to it," Efimova said. "It's a work in progress, and right now Renee is a person who can help us with that a lot. She constantly gives little details to add. It's not a bunch of stuff at the same time, but we keep an open mind that we'll add a little bit of salt here, a little bit of pepper there, and a little bit of chili flakes here. So, it's cooking."

The free skate is set to four pieces from Spanish vocalist Rosalía's latest album, which combines flavors of classical, opera, pop and folk music all in one.
 
"When Renee presented the idea, it was just different pieces of music that we had no clue how they were going to be combined," Efimova said. "Renee asked us, 'Do we like this idea? Can we see it? Is this too weird?' We were like, 'No, actually we really like it, and let's try to put the music together.' It was not easy, and she worked with Hugo Chouinard, who cuts the music. She did just an amazing job."
 
Because of Mitrofanov's injuries, the duo has not expanded their technical arsenal with what they hoped would include a quadruple throw. For now, they are focused on finding ways to rack up points, looking at the new choreographed spin prescribed by the International Skating Union to help in that pursuit.
 
"It is difficult because this is the first year, so we are all trying to figure out what's going on," Mitrofanov said. "We've talked with some officials, and they also are trying to figure out what they want to see. So, I think everybody's in that new state where there will be more understanding as the season progresses. It's difficult for us to say, 'This is our choreo spin, and it is super awesome', but what we can do is to continue to solicit feedback so that we can maximize it."
 
Now fully engaged with their training plan with coaches Olga Ganicheva and Alexey Letov again at the helm, Efimova and Mitrofanov are beginning to see the progress meter moving in the right direction.
 
"They are the ones helping us with the fine details right now," Efimova said. "We don't get to work with Renee right now, because she lives in California, but of course she is always in touch with us. It's important to (also) acknowledge the work that our home coaches do for us every day."
 
The duo has been assigned to Skate Canada this week in Kelowna, British Columbia, where they open this season's international campaign. They are also scheduled to compete next month at Skate America, in Everett, Washington, where they hope to clinch their first berth into the ISU Grand Prix Final.

"We haven't made it so far yet, but that's on our agenda. We would love to be there," Mitrofanov said. "And then we would love to make it to the World team because it's in Finland this year, which is where Alisa is from. So, to be part of Worlds, it would be like a second type of home Worlds for us, like how we had in Boston. That would be really nice."
 
While performing at their highest level is a top priority for Efimova and Mitrofanov, it is not the only one that they have in their sights. While Mitrofanov already has a degree in healthcare studies under his belt from the University of Texas at Dallas, Efimova has recently enrolled at the University of Massachusetts in Boston part-time.
 
"I've enjoyed it so much so far," Efimova said. "Being in just skating for so long, for me it was a shock when I came to the orientation. My brain was just like, "Where am I? Who am I here?" And that has been an amazing feeling, as surprising as it was for me."
 
And despite how busy Efimova and Mitrofanov seem to the rest of the world, they seem to be reinvigorated and ready to challenge the world's best.
 
"We are looking forward to competing. That's the stuff," Mitrofanov said laughingly. "We're just trying to approach it smartly so we can get there in the best possible shape. And the most important thing is then nationals, and that has always been one of the key moments each season. So, we want to perform well there, qualify for the World team and go on from there."