Danish ice dancer Nikolaj Sørensen has discovered a lot to mirror on after ending eleventh on the World Championship—and ninth within the quick dance—with associate Laurence Fournier Beaudry.
“Again in 2004, I bear in mind sitting down and having a gathering with the federation,” he stated. “I used to be 15 and we [Sørensen and then-partner Anna Thomsen] did our first Junior Grand Prix [JGP Pokal der Blauen Schwerter] that 12 months, and I bear in mind setting my long-term objectives. And , my long-term objective was to be high ten at Worlds.”
It was a outcome Sørensen, who completed fifteenth at that early JGP occasion earlier than a sequence of lower-tier placements on the Junior World and World Championships with Thomsen and subsequent companions, as soon as thought-about distant.
“It’s been bizarre to only take into consideration the place can we set the bar for subsequent season after this, as a result of that is the place I believed I used to be going to finish up after I was able to stop, ?” he continued. “Adriá Diaz instructed me straight after the quick dance, he stated ‘Effectively, Nik, it seems such as you’re going to be quitting lots ahead of you thought, as a result of proper now you’re high ten on this planet.’”
Of their debut aggressive season of 2013-14, Fournier Beaudry and Sørensen completed 18th at Europeans and missed qualifying for the free dance at Worlds. Targets for 2014-15, then, had been modest however forward-thinking: high 15 at Worlds, high 12 at Europeans—an occasion at which they might truly end ninth, a best-ever achievement for a Danish group.
Whereas the group had but to finalize subsequent season’s particular objectives with coaches Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon—“I believe they all the time purpose somewhat increased for us than we do for ourselves, as a result of we possibly hadn’t realized that we had the potential of being as excessive as we had been this 12 months,” Sørensen stated —the achievements of final 12 months have already begun to pay dividends within the type of a first-ever Grand Prix spot, courtesy of a berth in 2014-15’s ISU high 24 Season’s Greatest scores.
“We’re each very excited to be becoming a member of the Grand Prix circuit,” he stated of the group’s project to Skate Canada Worldwide. “Evidently, we’re very completely satisfied and naturally we hope to possibly get a second!”
The 2 particularly respect the Grand Prix’s impression on World Standing, with the group sitting twenty eighth on the present listing. “We actually want these, as a result of we’re not getting sufficient factors proper now,” Sørensen stated. “We solely get factors from two Senior Bs and a championship, the place the opposite groups that we’re competing towards are getting two Grand Prix [events], two Senior Bs, and a championship. It’s robust to make up the hole.”
And in preparation, they’ll kick off their season at August’s Québec Summer season Championships, an occasion scheduled to characteristic a number of of their Montréal rink mates and which can function a superb testing floor for his or her present coaching emphases. One key technical focus has been the dance spin—“It’s one of many parts the place we’re simply kind of surviving, based on our coaches, so we have to enhance it lots,” Sørensen stated —whereas they’ve additionally added new lifts to their arsenal and are persevering with to refine what they contemplate one among their biggest strengths.
“We’re doing quite a lot of obligatory dances, lots,” stated Sørensen. “Final 12 months we acquired degree 4 on the Paso Doble at just about all of the competitions, and that’s a objective of ours. We did it within the Finnstep, too—regardless that we didn’t even qualify at Worlds, we had been one of many groups to get a degree 4 on the Finnstep. And it’s one thing we have to maintain us within the competitors. Our elements are somewhat bit behind; we are able to’t afford to lose the technical facet.”
However they’re, too, sharpening these facets extra centered on by judges.
“We have to enhance our main and following,” Fournier Beaudry stated. “I believe that is among the qualities our coaches are attempting to make us work on essentially the most.”
“We’re not one of many loopy gymnastic groups with loopy lifts,” Sørensen continued. “We’ve got a fairly good proportion in dimension and we’re each very, very robust skaters, so for us, it’s essential to actually develop the connection and the dance facet between the 2 of us. I believe that’s what folks noticed the largest distinction from 12 months one to 12 months two—that we seemed like a group that skates collectively much more than we did. It’s like that first 12 months, it’s all the time robust, you may have a brand new associate, every little thing is new. So we’re simply working in the direction of the identical factor. I believe you simply grow to be much more blended collectively as one.”
Within the course of, they’re taking over a pair of romantically-tinged trendy compositions with this season’s packages, from a waltz quick dance set to “By no means Tear Us Aside” by INXS to a free dance combining “Girl,” by folk-rock musician Shawn Phillips, with authentic materials from composer Karl Hugo.
“It’s very highly effective, somewhat bit up to date,” Sørensen stated. “I believe we’re going to attempt to carry it somewhat bit on the up to date facet, like our free dance to Peter Gabriel two years in the past. It’s not precisely the identical type, but it surely has some parts that you could possibly discover a resemblance like that.”
Additionally contributing to their ongoing improvement are instructors from the off-ice realm, together with theatre instructor Catherine Pinard and ballroom specialist Ginette Cournoyer, who assists from the boards. “She did choreography for Marie and Patch once they had been skating,” Sørensen stated. “She’s very large on this planet of ballroom. She’s a choose on the world championships and she or he got here to the States and taught there.”
The coaching routine and worldwide roster at Montréal’s Gadbois Centre have supplied a sound basis for the couple’s fast progress, however can serve, in its manner, as a double-edged sword for these competing on behalf of a far-off nation. Whereas skating for a small federation might imply apparent alternative—Fournier Beaudry and Sørensen had been the one contenders for Denmark’s senior dance title in 2014 and 2015—it could additionally imply restricted sources.
“Now you want minimal scores to go to Worlds, however , there’s all the time a spot to go to Europeans, to get to the massive competitions. You’re going to have the ability to go to worldwide competitions,” Sørensen stated. “What’s robust is that there’s not quite a lot of funding—they don’t have any cash. They attempt to do what they will, which isn’t lots.”
However with Fournier Beaudry a Canadian citizen, participation at one main worldwide occasion appears unlikely.
“Proper now, we haven’t exhausted all the choices, however from what historical past tells us, it’s just about not possible for Laurence to get a Danish passport,” stated Denmark native Sørensen, who relocated to Canada at age 20, of the couple’s Olympic odds.
“To start with, we gained’t be residing within the nation, not if we’re going to maintain coaching, so you possibly can overlook about that. And secondly, when you get your everlasting residency, you possibly can apply after ten years of residing in Denmark, and in case you’re married, it’s solely seven years. I imply, I don’t suppose we’re going to be planning to skate for an additional ten years.”
So whereas the profession continues, the 2 commit their restricted spare hours to work and leisure. “We spend quite a lot of time collectively,” Sørensen stated. “I spend quite a lot of time in entrance of my pc.”
Fournier Beaudry works as a coach, at one time balancing triple-duty with college research in biomedical science earlier than damage within the 2014 low season.
“I had a fairly severe concussion final summer season,” she stated. “I attempted to go to the college once more within the session earlier than Christmas, however then with the work I do teaching and coaching, it was actually arduous. I began to have the identical issues from my concussion coming again and it scared me, so I completed my periods after which I took a session off of faculty as a result of it was an excessive amount of. And the coach additionally instructed me that if I used to be going to highschool, then I used to be not centered in the direction of Worlds, and it was going to be a lot simpler to realize my objectives if I used to be specializing in skating.”
For each companions, the rink is commonly its personal diversion.
“We’re kind of a group that hangs across the area,” Sørensen stated. “We’ll go upstairs and do some lifts, stretch, watch the opposite groups on the apply, simply hang around, go to the health club, get house late. Simply since you go house early from the world and you’re feeling such as you’re solely skating the 4 hours in a day—the day is lengthy afterwards to only be sitting at house doing nothing.”
And after a wide-open Worlds with few expectations, the duo shall be utilizing that point to prepared themselves for brand new aggressive territory.
“It’s a type of issues the place after Europeans, I used to be so nervous, being high ten at Europeans was already a shock after which being in that second-last warm-up group, I believe we had been each able to pee our pants,” Sørensen stated. “So simply getting used to that, additionally, is a objective. Getting used to being within the group with the most effective, believing that you just belong there, is one thing that I believe we’ve a tough time doing. It’s actually simply opened up a brand new world.”
