Author: Matteo Morelli | Photography on Ice: Junko Suzuki
In July this year, we visited the 2024 Ice Dance Summer Camp in Lipa, a small town about 1.5 hours’ drive from Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. I was joined by our photographer, Yoriko Suzuki, who took some amazing photos that you can view at our website.
Under the leadership of coach Matteo Zanni, the Italian Young Goose Academy returns to Czech Lipa for the second consecutive year, but this time they cooperate with the school of Maurizio Margaglio of Finland and the school of Luca Lanotte of Italy, gathering a team of 14 coaches and a team of experts including, to name just a few, Barbora Řezníčková, Katharina Muller and Michal Češka.
With such a professional team, it’s no surprise to hear that this summer camp features an astounding 35 ice dance teams, making it probably one of the largest summer camps of its kind.
17 countries were represented: Cyprus, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Georgia, France, Finland, Italy, Poland, Ukraine, Switzerland, Sweden, United Kingdom, Hungary, Estonia, Germany, Austria, Spain.
The skill levels on campus are very diverse: from junior skaters to experienced skaters who have competed on international tours and major competitions, as well as solo ice dancers and newcomers who are training to become the next generation of skaters.
“Being with the best couple in the world is a new experience for me,” said Ukraine’s Artem Koval.
“It’s interesting to be with more experienced couples and watch their plans and the process of how they work with their coaches,” added Koval’s partner Irina Pidgena.
summer camp jobs
During the off-season, we know skaters will continue to train to improve their skills and focus on music selection and building new programs. Summer camps offer them the opportunity to intensify their training regime, thereby benefiting from more focused collaboration with a multidisciplinary team to support them.
“This season, we’re training to get better, more powerful, get better skating skills and add better elements,” Slovakia’s Aneta Vaclavikova (right) Picture) shared.
She was there with her partner Ivan Morozov. The pair are preparing for their first Junior Grand Prix.
Daniel Mrazek and Kateryna Mrazkova are excited to return to their home country to prepare for their second year as senior ice dancers.
“When we came to the camp there was no program, so we focused on that together with Matteo (Zanni), who was responsible for choreographing and perfecting the program,” Mrázek said. “We’re looking at different aspects to add more difficulty.”
Teams from Czech Lipa have the opportunity to participate in the entire 5-week summer camp. Due to the non-stop schedule from Monday to Friday, the schedule is quite tight: many times, classes start in the early morning and continue until late at night.
Every day, they do a lot of activities on and off the ice. On the ice, a lot of work goes into improving skaters’ skills, refining what they already know and adding new ones, while also developing plans for the new season that are improving for some, or reinventing for others. create.
Away from the ice, we do a lot of work with different experts, from dance classes in the studio to targeted physical preparation with on-site experts, and some with the support of us and Daniel Linden of The Ice Capture Media training.
“Training is very intense, but the training environment is really good,” shared Finnish player Juulia Turkkila (pictured, left).
The Zimní Arena in Lipa, Czech Republic allows organizers to provide participating teams with everything they need to train: in addition to exclusive use of the ice surface throughout the day, skaters will also have access to the wider infrastructure provided by the dance studio, gym and arena.
Matthias Versluis from Finland said: “We also have a physiotherapist with us all the time and if you have a problem you can book an appointment and have it sorted out on the same day, which is really helpful. good.
Benefits of training together
I already knew that these athletes put in a lot of hard work during games that we only get to appreciate for a few minutes, but seeing firsthand the effort they put in and their incredible dedication to training was certainly eye-opening.
The skaters I spoke with said they were excited for the opportunity to work with such a large group of athletes.
“We often stay in Finland in the winter, there are four couples in our group,” Juho Pirinen said. “Sharing the ice with other people is a big motivator and it’s something new for us too. In Finland we can always use music, but here we have to let other people do the same. All these skaters and We are together and this is very positive.”
“We are very happy to be here, we work a lot and are very nervous, but we love it,” shared Natacha Lagouche of France. “It’s very different for us, but it’s fun. We have some bonding moments and see what other people are doing for the upcoming season. Sometimes it feels like there are too many of us, so we have to be very efficient. If we have to If you go on the ice at 10:00, it must be 10:00, not 10:01!
A mixed team with varying experiences brings different learning opportunities to the ice.
“It’s interesting for us to see how other couples perform and see how they approach the new season,” Daniel Mrazek said.
The coach’s job is to help students reach their potential, show them how to develop into the skaters they want to be, and work towards achieving their goals and ambitions. Athletes appreciate the opportunity to have access to the broad and diverse coaching staff at camp.
“I love working with other coaches because there are always different techniques and approaches, and it’s nice that we can collect all the advice and take it with us,” says Finland’s Yuka Orihara.
Different coaches bring different teaching techniques and styles to the ice, but it’s all been well-received by the rink. team At the campground.
“It’s cool to see every coach have a different perspective,” Philip Tashler said. “Sometimes it’s good to add something extra that our coaches don’t see, and this collaboration is really cool.”
“We listen to our coaches every day, but when other coaches share tips it helps us look better and move higher in the rankings” Iryna Pidgaina explain.
“It was a very good experience for us to work with other coaches,” shared Ilya Karankovic of Cyprus. “Everyone has their own coaching skills and I really enjoy this camp.”
“I like working with a lot of different coaches, we can learn different things from each of them. It’s more fun! Even the coaches can feel that the atmosphere is much more interesting.
Very positive atmosphere
One thing I noticed immediately upon arrival was the positivity and good vibes between the skaters and coaching staff. We are used to seeing skaters in competition where they are under pressure to perform and are at their best to ensure they are fully focused on their goals. Even though the training at the summer camp was tough, it was refreshing to see the skaters not nervous about competing. The atmosphere is very relaxed and they are having fun and supporting each other while working hard.
“We’ll be a little stressed and tired throughout the season, so it helps to hear different voices and opinions,” shared Italy’s Vittoria Manni. “The skaters talk to each other, the coaches talk to each other, so we all feel really good that we’re not alone.”
“We have fun every day and share the struggles and fatigue together,” Natalie Taschlerova said. “This is a new experience for all of us.”
On the ice, there’s a lot of support, a lot of clapping and cheering as the team thinks about their new plan.
“Everyone was helping out on the run and they were screaming, ‘Come on, guys, you can do this,’ and that was really helpful,” Pidgena said. “These guys really support us.”
Outside the rink, the atmosphere was equally beautiful, with skaters chatting, laughing and bonding together. In such a large group, old friends can reunite and spend time together, as well as make new ones.
“We met new people, some of whom we had met at big competitions,” Angelina Kudryavtseva said. “It’s nice to see how they work and become friends with them. We enjoy that and get something out of them.
New Rhythm Dance Theme
I also had the opportunity to ask about new rhythm dance topics: social dances and styles of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Overall the skaters seemed really excited about it and you could definitely feel the fun coming from all the teams.
With such a wide range, a lot of research goes into finding just the right music, but most people seem to enjoy the process of exploring it over the decades.
“It took a while to find the right music, but we got the best music ever!” says Aneta Vaczlavikova. “Our new RD is energetic and very disco.”
“I did a lot of research to understand the style, the dance, the vibe, the costumes and even the makeup,” shared Philip Taschler. “I really enjoy researching everything and learning as much as I can about the characters.”
“The range of themes is so broad and we can choose different styles, which is really fun,” says Mariia Pinchuk. “It’s really fun to watch, different couples show different things.”
After some reflection and watching some rhythm dancing at camp, I think we can see a fun season coming!
Summer Gala
During the second half of the training camp, the Summer Evening Show allowed the audience who came to the Zimní Arena to enjoy a variety of programs performed by skaters: from the beauty and sophistication of Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis to classics such as Natálie by Natacha Lagouche and Arnaud Caffa Madonna performance by Taschlerová and Filip Taschler, flight-themed evening program by Yuka Orihara and Juho Pirinen, and dynamic tango by Daniel Mrázek and Kateřina Mrázková.
It was a really fun night as the skaters watched and cheered on their friends, culminating with everyone on the ice closing the show to the famous song from the end credits of the movie “Dirty Dancing.” Photos of Junko Suzuki can be found in our gallery.
final reflection
You can definitely see that these camps are giving skaters what they need to get ready for the season and continue to improve themselves. However, they also provide them with an opportunity to network, support each other, share experiences and create wonderful memories. This is not only beneficial to their professional development, but also to their personal development.
Congratulations to Matteo Zanni and everyone on the management team for all the incredible work they do in organizing and running such a comprehensive summer camp.
