By Matteo Morelli
Olivia Good and Tim Dieck accomplished their second season after becoming a member of forces as a brand new partnership representing Spain. With each of them being skilled ice dancers, they rapidly went from a primary season understanding how their partnership may work, to attaining essential outcomes on this second season simply ended.
Tim Dieck (TD): We’re actually completely satisfied and actually happy with our efficiency. It was a little bit extra nerve wracking than standard, however the crowd helped a lot.
Olivia Good (OS): It was a dream come true second. It has been some time since we have now competed on the Europeans, and to be amongst all the highest groups as such a brand new workforce is sort of a blessing. We need to be up there the place we need to combat for a podium.
Listening to them and seeing their enthusiasm, one nearly forgets that their partnership remains to be fairly new. The thought of turning into a workforce began to form up round three years in the past, however in a little bit of an uncommon method.
TD: It’s a good story, really. It began with a no from Olivia: after I heard that she stopped skating with Adrián (Díaz), I knew that I needed to skate together with her. I had a tryout deliberate in Montreal, and I knew that she was nonetheless there. Earlier than that tryout, she was the primary one I texted, however again then she was in a unique temper, as if she stopped together with her profession. However then, after I went to Montreal, the coaches noticed me skating and determined to maneuver issues ahead.
OS: I used to be invited over for dinner at Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon’s home. After a few glasses of wine, they stated I wanted to have a tryout with Tim. Every week prior, I simply signed my Dancing on Ice contract, so I requested why they thought I wanted to have a tryout with Tim, they usually informed me that he was in Montreal and regarded very sturdy, and this could possibly be my alternative if I needed to proceed skating. I stated I might do the tryout, but additionally talked about I used to be going to do Dancing on Ice and go away for eight months, which meant no coaching. So, we had our tryout, and it was a no brainer for us each to proceed, even when we each needed to sacrifice the time of me being away doing Dancing on Ice, which gave us a later begin into our first season collectively. It was a sluggish however regular begin, and an uphill climb from there.
Contemplating how a lot they achieved already, it has certainly been fairly a fast climb!
TD: To say that we didn’t qualify final season for the Europeans, and now we’re within the high 5! It’s nice.
OS: We name it our “accelerated programme”. We’re each very sturdy personalities and we’re each Aries, so we bump heads typically, however we have now probably the most superb workforce that has taught me for years how you can handle my feelings and power. Now Tim is on board and he’s studying himself: it’s cool to look at any person you’re so near going via the identical studying course of you probably did, and I’ve realized loads watching him be taught and develop as properly. We have gotten an excellent powerhouse collectively, utilizing our weaknesses as strengths.
After the European Championships, they focussed on coaching to enter the World Championships in Boston in one of the best form attainable: their sixth-place end there in all probability exceeded their expectations, however confirmed how their “accelerated programme” is already paying them again for all of the laborious work they’re placing in. After their small bronze medal within the free, they couldn’t fairly imagine what they achieved.
OS: I’m speechless. I’ve by no means had a smile on my face like that! The sensation of it, the connection we had collectively: I used to be so emotional all day. If you happen to would have requested me two years in the past after we first held one another’s palms that we’d be right here right now, I might have laughed in everybody’s face. However we made it!
TD: Each second, I actually felt the reference to Olivia on the ice.
OS: We now have constructed so many followers and relationships via this (free) programme.
From their storytelling to their characters impersonation, their free dance on music from the film Dune was certainly probably the most fashionable of the season.
TD: It was really Olivia’s concept. She got here into the ring someday and instructed Dune. Then we each went to look at the film once more with our dance coach (Sam Chouinard).
OS: I used to be on the lookout for a bit of music with sturdy feminine vocals. I really like listening to sturdy, ethereal feminine vocals, one thing very whimsical that offers you chills. After which I watched the film and thought it was precisely it. I assumed that possibly it’s too cliché to do Dune, as a result of it had simply come out and possibly lots of people had been going to do it. Nobody did it in ice dance, and some different individuals did it within the different disciplines, however it turned the film of the 12 months for individuals to make use of. I’m very proud that we could possibly be the ice dance workforce to place it ahead.
Their costumes, designed by Madison Chock and Mathieu Caron, stand out all through your entire programme, and earned them the 2025 ISU Skating Award for Finest Costume.
TD: Mine was by Mathieu, I caught with the primary model of it.
OS: We had two variations of mine. A superb programme wants a complete vibe and power, together with the costumes and the look. That’s what ice dance is, the look is an enormous a part of it. After Nebelhorn Trophy, I spotted that I wasn’t 100% positive of what my costume was and I used to be going to alter it anyway. I had these concepts on paper and photos, however I couldn’t put all of them collectively and make up a design, so I went to Madison for assist. She already helped me with my Olympic season costume, and she or he nailed it with this one.
The ice dance subject they left of their earlier partnership isn’t precisely the one they discovered after teaming up: from displays to costumes and music types, the self-discipline is evolving in many various methods, with new instructions of journey being explored.
OS: I might undoubtedly say that the inventive individuals are pushing the boundaries. Yearly, individuals should suppose exterior the field and the creativity is shifted, not simply from the youthful groups but additionally from the highest ones: you may have Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri doing a really trendy, robotic programme, Evgeniia Lopareva and Geoffrey Brissaud doing a techno one like what we hear after we exit at golf equipment, Lilah Concern and Lewis Gibson skating to Beyoncé. Issues are so totally different to what we had been used to, however individuals pushing the boundaries additionally signifies that everybody pushes one another due to that. It’s attention-grabbing as a result of, for instance, how do you choose a Beyoncé programme towards a robotic programme? It’s actually troublesome, however I assume that’s what makes our sport attention-grabbing to look at as properly. It’s not simply tango after tango after tango, and I do know there are lots of people which might be lacking that primary dance idea of waltzes, tangos, and foxtrots. I’m not going to lie, I’ve by no means finished a golden waltz or something like that and I might like to in some unspecified time in the future. It will be cool for the rhythm dance to see that come again a little bit bit after which have full inventive area for the free dance, however I do know they’re attempting various things yearly with the rhythm dance, and it’s good. We are going to see the way it evolves, with the theme altering yearly it actually retains us on our toes. However with the free dance, I believe individuals are simply going to maintain pushing boundaries of what they’ll do to not simply entertain the crowds but additionally to get the judges consideration, as a result of if the judges don’t like your programme, you aren’t going to be getting the scores you need. You need to please everybody, not simply your self.
The best way the rhythm dance is evolving is especially attention-grabbing, however appears like it’s posing some challenges on the identical time.
TD: Particularly in relation to the Olympic season, the place more often than not the ISU is attempting to grasp what crowds would love. It is vitally troublesome, however I agree with Olivia that it could be good to take a step again once more, again to the “classical” half the place you may actually examine one another’s skating expertise, after which you may have full freedom for the free dance.
One other change we’re witnessing within the subject is the longevity of some groups on the market. With Olivia and Tim of their late twenties, may we count on to see them for some years to come back?
OS: Our important objectives because the workforce is, after all, to compete on the Olympic Video games collectively, so that’s our subsequent long-term objective for 2026, the Olympics. We did say we’d actually re-evaluate 12 months by 12 months how we’re doing and the way we’d need to put together for the subsequent season. We love what we do, and with the uphill climb we’re having proper now, it will likely be laborious to step away from it after the Video games. Each of us additionally know that there’s life past skating, however we each have an excellent stability for the time being and we’re simply going to maintain one another in line and in examine with how we really feel and the place we’re at, taking it season by season. If we see there’s a gap there for us, I don’t suppose we’ll miss that likelihood.
That is very true for each of them, however notably for Olivia, when fascinated with her determination to simply accept the chance to enter the Dancing on Ice expertise within the UK (and win it!).
OS: I realized loads doing that present. One of many largest the explanation why I did it was as a result of Marie-France informed me that I might be taught a lot from it, from partnering expertise to persistence and power administration. I might say the most important studying I had was persistence: it took time, work and persistence to enter a brand-new partnership the place each of us have very totally different skating expertise and mindsets and attempting to get these aligned. I used my expertise from competing in a workforce sport with my superstar associate Nile (Wilson), as a result of he was used to compete alone (he’s a former creative gymnast for Nice Britain, winner of an Olympic bronze medal on the 2016 Video games in Rio de Janeiro). I’ve additionally realized loads when it comes to efficiency expertise on the ice, that irrespective of how you’re feeling, how nervous you’re, you simply do your job. I had lots of these moments on Dancing On Ice: for instance, after I lifted Nile, I used to be probably the most nervous I’ve ever been, and I used to be on stay tv however I needed to do it, and I simply did! Once I go into competitors now, even when I’ve all these ideas or I’m nervous, I believe that I’ve to do it. And if I don’t do it, I don’t do it, however I do know I can and I’ve to do it.
It’s clear that Olivia and Tim have discovered their stability and are actually having fun with their partnership, on and off the ice. I needed to conclude our chat by asking a key query: Olivia is well-known to like canine, together with her personal Linda in Montreal and the various canine in her household. Is Tim additionally an enormous fan of canine?
TD: In fact! I’ve a canine at dwelling in Germany, and every time Olivia is busy in Montreal, I deal with Linda. I completely love canine!
Thanks a lot to each for the time spent speaking with us, and better of luck with the subsequent season.
