Magazine

Team Fintastic (FIN) is ready for the Worlds: ”We are definitely aiming for the podium”


Image

Team Fintastic in their short program "Sound of Silence" (Credits: Santtu Jaakkola - 2019)

Junior Worlds are just around the corner. World’s best Junior teams will compete at Nottingham, United Kingdom from March 13 to 14. Team Fintastic will be Team Finland 2 at the competition. Their team captains Emma Kaskinen and Karita Auvinen talk about their preparation for the event.

Your team won the Finnish Championship last weekend. What was your road to the victory?

Emma: Due to the high level in Finland, it is really challenging to win any competition, so we have worked hard for it.

Karita: We practice the same way we compete to get a routine for race.


The Junior Worlds will take place in Nottingham next week. How are you preparing for the competition?

Emma
: Just like for any other competition. In nationals, we didn’t reach the highest level in intersection element, so we are focusing on that, but nothing more serious. On Sunday, we get to perform our programs to our close ones.

Karita: We continue to maintain our level.
You were selected for Worlds based on the highest average score (192,98) of three competitions. These criteria are used for the first time this season. What do you think about it?

Emma: There are many different opinions about it. We were lucky as the third qualification went bad for us, but we had already succeeded [in previous competitions]. However, it is better than just season’s best based.

The winner of the third qualification (Team Mystique) was selected as FIN1 and FIN2 (Team Fintastic) was selected based on the average score of three competition, the qualification for Juniors and the two best scores at any ISU or Finnish Figure Skating Association competitions. In previous seasons, the second team was selected by the highest season’s best score.

During the season you have competed at two international competitions, one of which was Leon Lurje Trophy which is part of ISU Challenger Series. What do you like about the new series?

Karita: It is nice that there are bigger competitions other than just Worlds. Anyway, the programs and preparations are the same.

Emma: None of the Finnish Junior teams competed in more than one [Challenger Series] competition, so nobody got the chance to boast about results. It may be different for Seniors.

Team Fintastic earned 193.35 points in Leon Lurje Trophy in Sweden, and was placed 14th in Challenger Series ranking being the best Finnish Junior team.

Image
Last weekend, Team Fintastic won the Finnish Championship in Juniors. (Credits: Santtu Jaakkola - 2020)



Your team has participated in official Junior Worlds every year and has won silver three times. Last year you were placed fifth. What is your goal this year?

Emma: 
Our goal is to skate our two best performances. Definitely we are aiming for the podium, but let’s see what are good performances enough for. We want to improve the results from previous years.

MORE ABOUT TEAM FINTASTIC

Results - TOP 3

ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships 2020
Nottingham (GBR)
MAR 13, 2020 - MAR 15, 2020

Junior
TEAM Score
1Team Fintastic (FIN)205.94
2Junost (RUS)205.23
3Crystal Ice (RUS)200.09