INTERVIEW ANGELA MAXWELL

Can you introduce yourself to our readers tell us what do you choose to practice figure skating?

Well I really like skating to very dynamic and unique music to fit my different style of performing. I enjoy skating my program with all the emotions, and I feel that when you don't skate your program with your whole soul then the program is lifeless, and slightly boring. I love to keep entertained throughout my performance and hope to accomplish that with every skate.

You won the 2007 U.S. novice championships, it was your first victory at a major event what was your feeling about this experience?

Wow, winning novice was the biggest turning point in my skating. I was in complete shock when I found out and I never expected to win.

You was silver medalist at the 2008 U.S Junior championships, what was your feeling about this performance?

I was very thrilled to earn silver. However performance wise, my freeskate didn't go as well as I wished, but that's okay!

Last season you finish 5th at the JGP final, what was your feeling about this competition ?

I was honestly just happy to make it to the finals, and to be in Korea.
I've always wanted to go there and it was a lot of fun. My freeskate could have been better even with being a bit sick, but just being there was amazing.

What are the theme/music of your program this season and why do you choose it ? What do you want to express thorough the music?

I chose tango music for my short and dark, dynamic music for long.
I feel that both programs bring out a mature look, and a new side to my skating.
I've very excited to have these programs and continuing to perfect them.


You was 2nd at the JGP in Dresden, how do you analyse your performance during the short and the long program ?

It was a definite step up from Budapest, and that's what I'm constantly aiming for; progression. I mean, it wasn't near my best, but I got through it.

You was 2nd at the JGP in Budapest, how do you analyse your performance during the short and the long program ?

Budapest was a bit of a struggle. I was actually quite nervous for the first international of this season. I did the best I could do both days, and earning silver was beyond what I thought I would get with my performances there.


What will you work on for your next competition and upcoming events this season ?

Definitely consistency in my jumps, and levels. I will also continue working on my skating and programs; pretty much everything could use improvements.

 

If you look at your competitive history, which competition was the most and least memorable and why?

Honestly none. Each competition I feel is just as memorable as the next, for different reasons. There is always something new to gain from every time I compete.

What is your favorite part of skating? What is your favorite jump/element to perform and which do you feel is the most difficult?

My favorite part is definitely traveling and meeting people all over the world.
Favorite element, definitely my backflip; however it's unfortunately illegal in competition.
Most difficult is getting all the levels in spins for me.
I have a tendency to rush through them, and I need to work on holding them.

What is typical day of training ?

I don't do very much off ice, but normally I skate around 3-4 hours a day.
Usually my off ice consist of mainly dancing, and a tad of stretching.

How do you conciliate high school and training ?

It's very difficult to keep up with both. I have to do homework alot in between skating, and it gets very hectic.

When you are not skating what do you like to do ?

I like to go out with my friends, read, write, listen to music and just be a normal kid.

What motivates you go to the rink day after day and train long hours?

My motivation is my desire to really want to be better everyday. I really want to prove myself in this sport. Hopefully one day all the hard work will pay off.

How do you work with your coach and your choregraph ?

My coach is very awesome, and I loved that he's always relaxed and can make any situation fun. He constantly is making me laugh and it makes this sport more enjoyable.

Who are your favorite skaters and why?

I have so many. I really like Mao Asada, even though she seems to be having a little bit of a tough time, she is still amazing and always will be.
I love Nobunari Oda and Miki Ando, because not only are they phenomenal skaters, they are such awesome people. I'm glad that I got a chance to train with them.
And Yuna Kim, because she is absolutely flawless, and just the epitome of skating.

Who would you consider to be your greatest influence in your skating?
Probably my mom, my auntie, and my coach. They are always there through thick and thin to keep pushing me and supporting me. Without them I doubt I would get through this.

Do you want to add something to our readers in english or in french ?

Souhaitez-moi bonne chance. Merci!

Tribute to Rachael Flatt : Fire on Ice

America has been a real in a country famous for it's great ice battles. Being of the american ice godesses among a generation of new talents such as Ashley Wagner Mirai Nagasu Alissa Cizny and the come back ot the retired ice queen Sasha Cohen.

Because talent not depend of age, she has already an amazing career at only seventeen. In the last 3 years, the two-times U.S. Senior Silver medalist (2008 and 2009), won 2008 Word Juniors Worlds and placed at he 5th rank of the 2009 World Championships for her first Senior season.


Maybe she could be as the mirror of California. Between a vibrating landscape with beautiful beaches and dazzling lights of Hollywood. From California to Colorado, Rachael Flatt has become a real fighter on the ice and is one these ice queens that America cherishes. She can execute jumps perfectly and offer a festival of triples. She couples enthusiasm, simplicity and performance with a strong mental. But before all, it's her spontaneous smile of hapiness which make her so unique, remembering the sun of of California, her hometown. As the red carpet for the stars of the cinema where all the dreams can come true, Rachael has acheive her one's on the white capet.

Generosity, modernity fighting and performance, in a few words, she is the new american Ice queen

She just celebrates her 18 years old and ends a fantastic season where she realised two dreams : becoming the new U.S. Senior Champion and accomplishing her olympic dream (7th place) with a tremendous performance in Vancouver. Two objectives that she acheives with sucess !!!! She now takes part of the top 10 ladies in the world;

More about Rachel 

 Rachel is also a brillant student. She was just graduating from High School.When she is not on the on the ice Rachael has a particular interest for reading. Her favorite's are «Da Vinci Code» and «Angels and Demons». Generosity is also a quality of this girl on ice when she skates for «Skate for Hope» and other shows dedicated to a cause. Off-Ice too, Sharing his passion for books, she is a spokesperson for "Reading is Fundamental" the largest non-profit reading organization in the USA.  Except reading, She loves being with friends, Piano, the beach but maybe much more her mom's homemade gnocchi and four-cheese ravioli with pesto sauce.

She has 2 dogs named Fred and Ethel and has moved from Calofornia to Colorado to get better conditions for training. Triple Flip and Triple Salchow are jumps she loves the most. Her figure skater models are Scott Hamilton and Michelle Kwan. She also admired Michael Phelps (swiming) and Lance Amstrong (cycling) .


By Vanessa SAKSIK On July 21,2010

INTERVIEW VANESSA CRONE PAUL POIRIER

Can you introduce yourself ? Why do you choose to pratice Ice Dance ?
My name is Paul Poirier, I'm 18 years old and an ice dancer from Canada. I have been ice dancing with my partner, Vanessa Crone, for 9 years now. We both love Ice dancing because it allows us to explore different types of dance and movement and music. It's a liberating experience to be able to display your emotions through dance.

Last season you participate to your first World Championship at senior Level ? How was this experience andv how it help you to improve your level ?
Worlds was an amazing experience for us, and it is most definitely something we will never forget. Last year was our first season as seniors internationally. It was a great learning experience for us, we got to watch the top teams in the world and see how we could improve ourselves to someday reach that level.

What are the theme of your programs and why do you choose to skate on ? What do you want to express thorough the music ?
Our OD is a flamenco dance. This style appeals to us a lot because we really get to show the connection between us and we enjoy the intensity of the dance. Our freedance is a contemporary piece, and we are telling the story of a man trying to save his wife from the underworld; but to do so, he cannot look back at her. At the end, I decide to look back and I lose her forever. It's a very dramatic program.

Your first major event was the Cup of Russia What is your feeling on your season start ?
Rostelecom Cup was a great start to our season; we definitely had some small mistakes and things to fix. It was perfect to start the season this way, leaving us lots of room for improvement for later in the season.

You took the bronze medal at the NHK Trophy, how do you judge your performance ?
This was very exciting for us to get our second Grand Prix medal. We felt our performances were a lot stronger here than in Russia; we hope to keep building this way until the end of the season.

What is your next competition and what are the elements you will work on ?
Our next competition is the National Championships. We are hoping to get all our technical levels. We've also worked very hard on increasing the level of performance and expression.

This season what are your goals ?
We hope to qualify for the Olympic Games in Vancouver. This si our main focus for the year.

PART 2 : YOU AND FIGURE SKATING

If you look at your competitive history, which competition was the most and least memorable and why?
I think our most memorable competition was our first World Championships. It's been one of our dreams to be there and to finally qualify was somehing amazing for us. We really enjoyed it.

What souvenirs did you keep from te Trophee Eric Bompard last season ?
We really enjoyed our time in Paris last year. We had great performances. Afterwards, we got a chance to visit the Eiffel Tower and walk along the Champs-Élysées, a truly memorable experience.

How will you describe each other ?
Vanessa is my best friend, we get along so well. She is a lot of fun to be around, has tons of energy, and is very scattered sometimes (which is funny). Vanessa sees me as very lovable, though I can be very stubborn at times.

I am Kiri Baga and I’m fourteen years old. I’ve always loved figure skating and I can’t stand to be away. My favorite thing about it is that it’s not just a sport, it’s a sport and an art 

What motivates you go to the rink day after day and train long hours?

A lot of my motivation is just there. I want this to be my life more then anything else, and I love almost every moment. I get to do what I love all the time, and although it can get hard, I most always push through. Some of this motivation I have to thank my coach Lorie Charbonneau for, without her pushing me and supporting me throughout, I wouldn’t be where I am today. My friends and family are so supportive also, and they always motivate me to do better. The other skaters I train with are so amazing, I love my club.

How do you work with your coach and your choregraph ?

About five years ago I started working with my coach Lorie Charbonneau, and about three years ago I started working with my choreographer Kelly Benzinger-Grelle. Kelly lives in Boston, Massachusetts and she flies out to Minnesota to work with a lot of my skating club. Kelly, my coach, and I work very hard together to craft my programs. I like to have input and so does my coach, we make a good team.

This year, you won the U.S novice championships what was your feeling about this victory and your performance (long and short programs)?

Becoming the national champion was a great experience. Going into nationals I felt confident in myself, and I felt very ready. After the short program I was happy with the outcome and I felt very ready for my long program. I had one mistake in my long but otherwise it went very smoothly. Overall I had a great week and I had done what I wanted, I had shown everyone what I could do and had a great experience.

Your Free skate last season was on a selection of Charlie Chaplin, how did you work on this program ?

My novice long was probably one of my favorite programs I’ve ever had, and it was so fun and I could play it up. My coach picked the music because she thought it really suited my style. I watched movies to capture the time scenario, and I worked with my choreographer, Kelly Benzinger-Grelle, for many hours throughout two years to really get it right. I think it turned out well.

What are the theme/music of your program this season and why do you chose it ? What do you want to express thorough the music ?

This year my short program is Danse Macabre, it’s spooky and exciting, and I love the new edge. I had to prove to my coach I could mature my skating enough to use the piece. Through this program I want to show everyone a more mature, yet fun, side of me and I hope I portray the mood well. My long program is Carmen. The beginning of my program is very serious and as it goes on it becomes more playful, which I love. When I heard this music my first thought’s were “this is so common, but I love it”, so what I hope to do this year is make it my own, and show it off in a new way.
 

You won the JGP in Dresden, what do you think about your performance during the short and the long program ?

Going into my first Junior Grand Prix event I made sure I was in the correct mind set, which I think really paid off. I decided I would go out and show what I could do, and I’m very pleased with my performances. I thought I came and did what I wanted to do.

You are only fourteen, you participate to your first junior grand prix, what is your feeling about this experience?

Germany was all sort of a whirlwind. Although placement wasn’t priority, it was really nice to go out and see that I was right up there. I’m so thankful for all of this, I worked very hard and seeing it pay off in this way is beyond amazing.

What will you work on for your next competition and upcoming events this season ?

For upcoming events I will be focusing on making my programs mine and getting very comfortable with them. This season I’ll also be focusing a lot on getting all of my triples consistent, and hopefully incorporating them into my programs.
 

My goals for this season are to get all of my triples consistent, and to compete in nationals in January.

You skated for Hope to raise money for breast cancer research, can you tell more about it ?
 
Skate for Hope was a great experience. Skating to raise money for a cause is something I’ve always wanted to do, and I love skating in shows. I was really inspired by the cause and the people I was skating with, it was really a fantastic event.

If you look at your competitive history, which competition was the most and least memorable and why?

The most memorable competition was probably my Junior Grand Prix trip to Germany this year. Germany was amazing, and I was so lucky to have the chance to go. It was different then any other competition. Representing a country instead of representing a small club was a huge jump for me, it was a great feeling. My least memorable competition well… that would be one I don’t remember.

What is your favorite part of skating? What is your favorite jump/element to perform and which do you feel is the most difficult?

My favorite part of skating is jumping. I love to jump, it’s so fun to fly through the air like that. My favorite element is the triple toe, it feels great and I can skate into it as fast as I can. I think the most difficult element to perform is butterfly, it’s a spin where you practically do a cartwheel in the air, so many people have tried to teach me and I just can’t get it.

One of your speciality is the Bielmann, what is your secret ?

I love Bielmanns. I wouldn’t say I have a secret, I work on pilates and stretching almost every day which is great for difficult spins.

How is a day of training (schedule)?

I start skating around ten o’clock every morning, and I skate for about an hour. I stretch on my breaks and do school work and then I skate again around one, and then another hour at three. After my skating I do off-ice, which includes ballet, cardio dance, pilates, or just off-ice jumping and stretching.

How do you conciliate school and training ?

To be a full time student and full time athlete proved to difficult a couple of years ago, so now I got to an online public school called Connections Academy. I can do my work whenever I have the time, and I still have the honors courses and interaction with teachers that I want. 

Interview realised by Vanessa Saksik On October 20,2009 .Special thanks to Kiri Baga for answering my interview. Photos copyright Kiri Baga