On msn with Leonie Krail & Oscar Peter
By
Helga
Dobor &
Mireille Geurts
Photos by Bernhard
Schwall
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Sometimes
all it takes to get to know a young icedancecouple is a set
of computers with msn-messenger installed. Swissies Oscar
and Leonie sat down with us, to talk about their skate-lifes.
As far as we could tell there were no real fights over the
keyboard, Oscar controlled it but "allowed" Leonie
to answer a lot of questions as well. When did you start to skate? What are your first memories on the
ice? |
Leonie, you have skated with someone else
before you paired up with Oscar, how was that different from skating
with him?
My former partner, Marc Fausch, was not really a "sportsman",
he started ice skating with twelve and did it "just for fun",
he realized this when the training started to get harder and harder..
that's why he decided to quit skating. Oscar is very different;
he gives everything for skating and he wants to learn more and more,
same as I do.
And Oscar you skated singles, what made you
make the switch to icedance? Can you compare the 2 disciplines?
One day I got an email from Leonie's mother and she asked
me if I would like to do ice dancing with Leonie. Because I had
an injury before which lasted for a long time. I thought about it
and decided to try it... I liked it at once.. and changed immediately.
You already knew each
other? What are your goals in skating? You work(ed) with more coaches, among
others also with Natalia Linichuk. She trains with more icedancers,
is she coaching you full time? |
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How is is to work with her?
It's hard but very good. We love the programs she does
and we want to work with her as much as we can.
Is she strict? What is her
coaching 'style'?
Yes she is strict, but without this you can't get anywhere, we think.
But when there is a physical problem she tries to help you, she
knows where the limit is. And with her you learn to give more than
you think you can.
Where does she train with you?
We train with her in Newark Delaware, USA, at the University of
Delaware. Where she trains all her couples.
Are you in good connection with her other
skaters?
We like the other couples and we are happy to train with
them because we can learn a lot from them. They are all very nice
and we enjoy the time with the skaters when we train there.
Off ice we sometimes meet for lunch or dinner.
Only icedancers or also
others who train also with Natalia Linichuk?
We know the skaters who train there, but not everybody very well.
We know Shaun Rogers. we met him at the Nebelhorn-Trophy in Oberstdorf.
It was nice to see people from Delaware. We also know some other
single and pair skaters, like Albena Denkova/Maxim Stavisky, Kimmy
Meissner, Tiffany Scott and her partner, Lindsay, Sasha Cohen and
Evan Lysacek, Julia and Phillip Rey (quit skating last season).
Can there be friendship in skating? Are any
of them your friends?
I think we don't know the most of them enough to say we are friends,
except Julia and Philip Rey. We lived at their home and did a lot
of things together. We had a lot of fun and we are happy to know
people over there which speak our language. *smile*
...and we almost forgot to mention the Israelian team that quit
(Natalia Gudina and Alexej Beletsky) and the Japanese team Nazomi
Watanabe and Akido Kido.
And at home?
At home we know the Hugentoblers, Sarah Meier, Stephane Lambiel,
Jamal Othman and Victor Pfeiffer from Austria very well.
And who is your coach
in Switzerland? Is she very different to work with
compared to Linichuk? Can you tell us how your ‘team'
works ? |
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Where do you train exactly?
In Frauenfeld. its a half an hour from Zurich.
Ok, lets skip from training to competitions.
What is your most memorable competition and why?
Our first Europeans together. Because it was very good experience.
It pushed us.
Were you satisfied with the result?
No, we want to do a lot better next time
Did you like the atmosphere in Lyon?
Yes we liked it a lot. There were also a lot of fans. That
was pretty cool. The French people know how to show how they feel.
(Also if they don't like how the judges decide, *smile* but it was
fun).
Your first result on the Swiss Nationals was
the 3rd place in 2005. Next year, at your second Nationals you were
first. It shows a fast advancement, how do you feel about it?
We felt good about the result at the Nationals. We weren't
sure how the other couple skated and we tried to do our best. We're
very happy and we want to win again this season!
And what would be the most important result
so far, to you?
Again the Swiss Nationals, because its the key to go to Europeans.
Our goal for the new season is to qualify for the Worlds.
You also skated at the German Nationals. Was
that about getting new experiences?
Yes, we didn't have enough international competitions and it was
a good chance to get more experience.
Did you follow the Olympics? Who were your
personal favorites and what did you think of the final outcome?
Yes, we spent every free minute on the tv for watching.
In ice dancing our favorite was the Bulgarian team, because we train
with them the summer before and loved their programs. In single
skating men Stephane Lambiel was our favorite of course. We were
very happy for him that he got the silver medal. At the single ladies
we didn't really have a favorite, but wished Sarah all the best.
It was very cool that Arakawa won. In pairs our favorite was the
German-team Aliona and Robin. We are happy about the final outcome.
Also in icedance? (as the Bulgarians were
your favorites)
We thought from the beginning that Navka/Kostomarov would win and
we hoped for the Bulgarian team that they would get a medal. We
were not so happy, that the American team were on the second place,
because we liked other teams (Dobriazko/Vanagas for example) more.
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Some pairs have been criticized
for following the rules strict enough to get high marks, but
lose all originality and innovation. (e.g. Navka/Kostomarov,
Grushina/Goncharov). What is your perspective on this? Did the Code of Points change icedance
much for you personally?
|
We learned that at the Nebelhorn Trophy you
were handed some rattles from fans sitting behind you during the
ladies LP, so you could cheer for Sarah (Meier), were you very surprised
by that?
Yes it was a surprise and very nice of them. We cheered as loud
as we could for Sarah.
Leonie, how would you describe Oscar as skater?
Leonie: He's a very good skater and i can learn a lot from him.
He can do good moves.
And as a person?
Leonie: *smiles* He's a very nice person and tries to help
wherever he can. He has his own goals and knows what he wants.
Oscar, how would you describe Leonie as skater?
Oscar: She has a lot of goals on ice. She works really
hard for reach them. She has many ideas for things we can use on
the ice.
And as a person?
Oscar: I can talk very good with her. She is a creative
and open person.
How important is the support of the audience
for you?
Its very important. You feel much more strong when the
people on the tribunes support you when you're skating.
Do you work or study next
to skating? Oscar, you work as DJ too. Is it a job
or a hobby? |
 |
If you should choose between skating and music,
what would you choose?
SKATING OF COURSE, its my life!!!
!And last but not least, can you both answer,
why is it easy to work with your partner and why is it hard?
Leonie: With Oscar its easy to work on
steps, movements and special things because he's very good in that.
There's nothing really hard to work with him, there are just the
usual things that we sometimes don't have the same opinion, but
I really like to work with him.
Oscar: It's easy to work with Leonie on the free programs (original
and free dance) because she know the movements at once. She likes
to do it every time and she gives that feeling to me. It's sometimes
hard when we try some difficult lifts(like upside-down) she is a
little scared in the beginning.
Thanks for answering our questions Oscar and Leonie!
You can find more information about them on their official website:
leonie-oscar.com
