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Marigold IceUnity (FIN): "Our short program deserved a second chance"
News
Marigold IceUnity (FIN): "Our short program deserved a second chance"
MIU's short program this season is "Northern Spirit". (Credits: Ville Vairinen - 2020)
With a slightly modified coaching staff, Marigold IceUnity has 23 skaters this season. The Senior Finnish team decided to keep its short program from last year to let everyone discover it.
Marigold IceUnity, it's been a while since we've seen you competing. How are you doing?
Hi, and thank you for asking. We are doing great. We are super excited about finally being able to compete again. The wait has been a long one, and we are so ready to show our beautiful short program to the judges and crowd. We have trained super hard and evolved our skating skills and unity as a team throughout the season, and we really love our programs this season.
How was summer in Finland?
Summer here in Finland was amazing. Temperatures were high and we got to enjoy the prettiest of summer days. We were off the ice for six weeks in which we had a two-week holiday without any physical training. We improved our speed features with different drills, muscle endurance at the gym, balance and flexibility.
Hi, and thank you for asking. We are doing great. We are super excited about finally being able to compete again. The wait has been a long one, and we are so ready to show our beautiful short program to the judges and crowd. We have trained super hard and evolved our skating skills and unity as a team throughout the season, and we really love our programs this season.
How was summer in Finland?
Summer here in Finland was amazing. Temperatures were high and we got to enjoy the prettiest of summer days. We were off the ice for six weeks in which we had a two-week holiday without any physical training. We improved our speed features with different drills, muscle endurance at the gym, balance and flexibility.
Can you present to us your short program that you will skate in Espoo this weekend?
Our short program this season is "Northern Spirit". We decided to keep our last year’s short because we loved it so much and felt that there was something magical in it. It was a shame that we could not perform that for an international audience, so it deserved a second chance.
This program is a story about letting go, the path from endless sorrow to the hope of seeing each other again. A beautiful "joik" (a traditional song) leads us through the scenic nature of Lapland and honours the memory of lost loved ones. In the end, we have all those happy memories, inner peace, the joy of life and the gratefulness of time we had together.
Our short program this season is "Northern Spirit". We decided to keep our last year’s short because we loved it so much and felt that there was something magical in it. It was a shame that we could not perform that for an international audience, so it deserved a second chance.
This program is a story about letting go, the path from endless sorrow to the hope of seeing each other again. A beautiful "joik" (a traditional song) leads us through the scenic nature of Lapland and honours the memory of lost loved ones. In the end, we have all those happy memories, inner peace, the joy of life and the gratefulness of time we had together.
Marigold IceUnity at training (Credits: MIU - 2021)
Our short program music tells the story of losing your dearest friend. "Joik" is a traditional way of “singing” in Northern Scandinavia. You can feel the deep sorrow and the beauty of letting go.
We want to tell the story through the northern wind that has seen it all. "Joiking" is not technically singing. It is a way of revealing true feelings at their purest, which is the inspiration for our interpretation.
We want to tell the story through the northern wind that has seen it all. "Joiking" is not technically singing. It is a way of revealing true feelings at their purest, which is the inspiration for our interpretation.
How many skaters do you have this season?
We have 23 ambitious and talented skaters in our team this season. Last April, 6 new skaters joined us, and we have already become a close family. We had a strong base from last season, so it was easy to continue working towards our goals.
And you also have a new coach!
Our coaching team has changed a little. We got a former MIU skater, Maikki Merilehto, as a new coach to our team, and she has been an amazing support for us. Anu Oksanen is still our head coach and Maikki is one of the assistant coaches with Katariina Luotonen and Maikki Uotila-Kraatz.
We have kept some training methods from last season that we found effective as a permanent part of our practices. Covid-19 forced us to rethink the ways we were used to practising and surely left a positive impact on some training habits.
We have 23 ambitious and talented skaters in our team this season. Last April, 6 new skaters joined us, and we have already become a close family. We had a strong base from last season, so it was easy to continue working towards our goals.
And you also have a new coach!
Our coaching team has changed a little. We got a former MIU skater, Maikki Merilehto, as a new coach to our team, and she has been an amazing support for us. Anu Oksanen is still our head coach and Maikki is one of the assistant coaches with Katariina Luotonen and Maikki Uotila-Kraatz.
We have kept some training methods from last season that we found effective as a permanent part of our practices. Covid-19 forced us to rethink the ways we were used to practising and surely left a positive impact on some training habits.
How was the last season for your team with Covid and the cancellation of international events?
To be honest, last season felt very long without any big competitions. We were fortunate to continue training almost normally after last summer, and we are so grateful for that. Last season taught us to appreciate even the smallest things. Training with the team, skating on hold, sharing everyday life with each other. The moment we got to hold again was phenomenal. We did a pivoting block, and everyone just screamed from pure joy. Last season we obviously had more time to improve our skating skills and really get back to skating roots.
You'll participate in the Finlandia Trophy. How do you feel a few days before the competition?
We feel confident and excited about Saturday's competition. We feel like now is the time we really need a competition to get our performance to the next level. You can always train endlessly and improve programs that way, but competing is a whole other thing. It is an effective way to see where you really go with the progression at the moment. We want to enjoy every second of the day and skate for ourselves.
To be honest, last season felt very long without any big competitions. We were fortunate to continue training almost normally after last summer, and we are so grateful for that. Last season taught us to appreciate even the smallest things. Training with the team, skating on hold, sharing everyday life with each other. The moment we got to hold again was phenomenal. We did a pivoting block, and everyone just screamed from pure joy. Last season we obviously had more time to improve our skating skills and really get back to skating roots.
You'll participate in the Finlandia Trophy. How do you feel a few days before the competition?
We feel confident and excited about Saturday's competition. We feel like now is the time we really need a competition to get our performance to the next level. You can always train endlessly and improve programs that way, but competing is a whole other thing. It is an effective way to see where you really go with the progression at the moment. We want to enjoy every second of the day and skate for ourselves.
Marigold IceUnity - 2021/22
What about your free program?
Our free program is a new one. Beauty and power.... We don’t want to tell you too much about it yet, but we enjoy skating it and it fits perfectly for our team. New things are coming up so stay tuned.
At which competitions will synchro fans be able to see Marigold IceUnity this season?
We will be competing at Lumiere Cup, Eindhoven (NED) next January and Spring Cup, Milano, Italy, in February.
We are still not sure if we are able to compete in the Challenger Series event here in Finland, but we’ll inform you about that later. We want to be optimistic about the international season and the current state of the global pandemic. Our main goal is to return to Worlds held in Hamilton, Canada next April. Hope to see the international synchro community together again very soon.
Our free program is a new one. Beauty and power.... We don’t want to tell you too much about it yet, but we enjoy skating it and it fits perfectly for our team. New things are coming up so stay tuned.
At which competitions will synchro fans be able to see Marigold IceUnity this season?
We will be competing at Lumiere Cup, Eindhoven (NED) next January and Spring Cup, Milano, Italy, in February.
We are still not sure if we are able to compete in the Challenger Series event here in Finland, but we’ll inform you about that later. We want to be optimistic about the international season and the current state of the global pandemic. Our main goal is to return to Worlds held in Hamilton, Canada next April. Hope to see the international synchro community together again very soon.
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With Team Unique (FIN)...
With Team Unique (FIN)...
Results - TOP 3
Finlandia Trophy 2021
Espoo (FIN)
OCT 08, 2021 - OCT 10, 2021
| TEAM | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team Paradise (RUS) | 75.39 |
| 2 | Helsinki Rockettes (FIN) | 70.38 |
| 3 | Team Unique (FIN) | 69.47 |
