the Olympic dream within reach
The Olympic future of synchronized figure skating is being played out today in the Normandy capital, on the occasion of the Coupe de France 2022, with the Elite 12 competition, under the eyes of the International Skating Union.
More “kissing” than “crying” today at the Nathalie Péchalat ice rink in Rouen. 90.81 points. This is the score obtained by Team Jeanne d’Arc. Solid and moving on the theme of mourning, they beat, by far, their record of 76 points. And it’s the silver medal for the Rouennaises. ” It’s great that it’s at the Coupe de France, where the jury is known to be tough enthuses Clara Levieux, coach of the Rouen team. ” We had a blast, we gave it our all! exclaims Lorrena Calabrese, the team’s skater, ” it would be cool if synchro finally arrived at the Olympics “.
Because yes, that’s the goal. Go to the Olympics.
The The Joan of Arc team for France, United Team 12 for the Netherlands and Hayden Select for the United States. Three teams of twelve skaters to convince. Convince that synchronized skating has its place in the Olympic Games. This is the first and only international competition of the season for this new Elite 12 category.
In 2015, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) visited the French Cup to decide the Olympic future of this sport. Conclusion: no synchro at the Olympics. There are too many athletes and the sport is not publicized enough. But the ISU (International Skating Union, Union internationale de patinage in French) is not letting go. And coming out of the health crisis, the Rouen Olympic Club (ROC) is embarking on a new adventure.
There is therefore no longer a Joan of Arc team in junior and senior, historical categories that are skating to be seized. A bet for the Rouen team, always ready to take up challenges. ” Anyway, with the covid, everything had been cancelled… the team was demotivated, there was no longer any prospect “says their trainer Clara Levieux.
A new breath and a new program at twelve. Twelve skaters, aged 15 to 26 to write a new page in the history of synchro. “The Olympic Games have always been my goal and it’s always in a little corner of my head. says Amélie Hervé, skater for Team Jeanne d’Arc. Her teammate Alicia Buquet, 26, is also working to take her sport to the Games. But the road is still long. Perhaps the Olympic flame will only burn for future generations. “We always want to dream, but it’s still only a project. Even if it’s not for us, we will have gained by getting things done », Enthuses the athlete.
Recognition of synchronized skating as an Olympic sport is essential for it to be considered a high-level sport… and to raise its level. ” It could make it possible to set up a training center, adapt school timetables or more simply have more hours of ice “, explains Sandrine Devaux, president of the Coupe de France and the Rouen Olympic Club (ROC). Today the young synchro skaters train from 6am to 8am.
Olympic sport also makes it possible not to stop training in the event of a health crisis, as has been the case for synchronized skating in recent months.
To go from a grab program to twelve skaters, it took a lot of work for the coach and her team. ” Some elements no longer make sense, such as the “whip intersection” which relies on centrifugal force “says Clara Levieux. The program thinks differently. Not necessarily in terms of technique, but the skaters will be more creative, with more acrobatics. ” Skating will likely be faster with more diagonal work and will require more wear on the ice “, develops the coach of Team Jeanne d’Arc.
The Americans, the Hayden Select, have already understood this with an innovative twelve-man program. ” There is a beautiful research, they are creative “, explains Clara Levieux. On the side of the Dutch, according to the French coach, the program remains integrated as a program to be seized. As for the Joan of Arc, they reproduce between the two. ” It will be interesting to see how the judges will evaluate these three proposals “, she will end.
And the judges rightly rewarded creativity. 112.17 points for the Americans, 90.81 points for the French and 82.89 for the Dutch.
Philippe Maitrot, president of the technical committee of the ISU and member of the jury, takes part in the Coupe de France above all to assess the potential of this new category of twelve. “ We could see videos during the Covid but in reality it’s different. I’m very happy, there’s a lot of potential “, he comments.
The chair of the ISU technical committee offers the possibilities and changes to be made in the regulations. The imposed figures could therefore change. Some will disappear in favor of new ones. ” We would like to increase the artistic side with jumps, pirouettes or even twizzles. With fewer skaters, there is better homogeneity therefore more power and speed “, explains Philippe Maitrot.
Synchronized skating’s bid for the Olympics was submitted to the International Olympic Committee in November 2021. The verdict is expected this summer. And yet another first, expected for the 2022-2023 season: the Elite 12 Synchronized Skating World Championships. The appointment has been made with Team Jeanne d’Arc.
The Coupe de France continues on Saturday February 5 in Rouen with the long program for the junior and senior categories from 4:30 p.m. Team Elite Junior (USA) is first after the short program in the junior category and Team Helsinki Rockettes (Finland) won the short program in the senior category.