By Matteo Morelli
Of their second yr as senior opponents, Loïcia Demougeot and Théo Le Mercier are a younger French staff that’s already exhibiting a novel type on the ice. We met with them on the European Championships in Espoo, Finland, the place they shared how they really feel concerning the present season and mirror on their transition from the junior to the senior discipline.
Loïcia and Théo, this was your second European championships. How do you are feeling after skating your programmes and securing a seventh place end on the occasion?
Théo Le Mercier (TL): we really feel fairly good, we did our new season finest within the rhythm dance and we’re joyful. We didn’t do one of the best efficiency however we’re nonetheless joyful. A seventh at Euros is a extremely good outcome for us.
Loïcia Demougeot (LD): We attempt to strategy the occasion with out an excessive amount of stress, exhibiting what we did in observe.
You’re each fairly younger: what age have been you if you began to skate?
TL: I used to be three once I put my skates on, I used to be with my father and my brother.
LD: And I began at 5 and a half years outdated. Theo and I began skating collectively once I was fourteen and Theo was fifteen, so it has been a number of years now.
2015 was the yr you began skating collectively, together with your coaching location in Villard de Lans, France. Have you ever at all times been ice dancers?
TL: I did a variety of sports activities, however on ice I’ve at all times accomplished ice dance.
LD: I additionally solely did ice dance, however and not using a accomplice first. Theo is my first accomplice.
TL: She is my second!
We perceive you additionally do “ballet sur la glace” or “theatre on ice”, a self-discipline that’s in all probability not very well-known to the broader audiences. May you inform us one thing about it?
TL: We do theatre on ice with a bunch of fifteen-twenty individuals. It’s virtually as if we do ice dance in a bunch, we attempt to create a extremely particular and authentic ballet. There’s a Nations Cup annually, virtually an equal of the World Championships, though there are solely few nations participating to it. You might say we’re world champions, however I choose to say that we’re Nations Cup winners. It’s a actually good occasion: this yr it’ll be in Boston, in the identical ice rink the place we did Skate America.
LD: You are able to do no matter you need on this self-discipline: for instance, you’ll be able to go on the ground, do one thing between individuals. There are usually not so many guidelines. In case you fall it’s okay, you’ll be able to go on the ice! It’s a variety of enjoyable to do it with different individuals, significantly as a result of we do it with the individuals we practice with.
You probably did a variety of competitions throughout your junior years, together with profitable two silver medals at Junior Grand Prix and qualifying for the 2019 Junior Grand Prix Last. What would you say was one of the best second for you throughout these years?
LD: Not the final yr!
TL: Once we certified for the finals in Turin, I believe that was one of the best second. Positively not the final yr, due to Covid we did nothing. However the yr earlier than was the second we bought found by these watching ice skating.
You then bought virtually catapulted into your senior profession, and in your second yr as seniors you will have already collected two fourth locations at each Grand Prix occasions (Skate America and Grand Prix de France).
LD: We had an opportunity to begin our senior profession in a short time, we’re joyful about that. We simply hope to develop increasingly throughout massive competitions and acquire good outcomes. We’re joyful we had an opportunity to do our first two Grand Prix this yr.
Fascinated about your type, you come throughout as fairly distinctive and with programmes that at all times attempt to convey one thing revolutionary on the ice.
TL: We at all times attempt to change our programmes and magnificence yearly. This yr, we went with Benoît Richaud, which is nice for us as a result of he modified what we do and allowed us to convey one thing new to the ice and to enhance on issues we couldn’t do earlier than. The programme is working very well and we’re very proud of that.
Have you ever bought any long run goals you’re working in direction of?
TL: We need to be in every part!
LD: We want to go to the Olympic Video games. We simply need to take it step-by-step and see what occurs.
Lastly, are there any ice dancers you have a look at and get inspiration from?
TL: In fact Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron, for sure. For me personally, Scott Moir was a mannequin, and likewise Nikita Katsalapov: I believe they’ve a method just like mine and I need to maintain working to grow to be nearly as good as them.