SynchroNice / Third Edition / 2018

SYNCHRO NICE 131 it’s easy to share thoughts with them because we get along just great. The best things about Musketeers are that every girl is ready to do a lot of work, we always have so much fun together and the team spirit is just perfect. Despite our team consisting of many different personal- ities, when together we’re one big family where everyone supports and encourages one another. And working with one of the most talented and famous coaches in the World? Our team is indeed coached by the one and only Anu Oksanen. Through the years her work has touched and influenced many Synchro cultures. We do believe she’s the best because her ability to always surprise us season after season with an amazing creative approach and smashing new ideas. Anu, furthermore, is someone who always works with a big heart. On the other hand, she’s probably a good coach because she demands a lot from every skater, she really pushes everyone forward. Anu always finds the right solutions to every situation. But even Anu can’t do it all by herself, so in addition to Anu we have some other coaches as well and together they form a strong, solid and reliable coaching team. Any favourite kinds of music to skate to? I actually like to skate to any kind of music and I find it important to be able to challenge myself by using different genres of music. My all-time favourites I’ve skated to in my total skating career both happen to be Finnish. One is last season’s short program”The sunbeam and the troll” which I really enjoyed to skate to and the other one is my final Free program in figure skating called ”vanhoja poikia viikse- kkäitä”. Skating abroad to these Finnish pieces of music has been very special to me and an honor. Do you like it, going abroad with the team? Oh yes, very much. I feel that all competition travels are always unforgettable experiences, regardless of the country or city we travel to. However, I have to be honest, the most memorable competition trip, would be last year’s Junior World Championships in Canada. Toronto was a such and awesome city to visit and it felt very inspiring to be skating in a competition at such high level. team spirit. I remember that moment when I had my first long injury.My parents, just meaning well, asked me if I wouldn’t want to switch to synchro. I even got really angry because I thought it was mean of them to ask something like that of a figure skater. Hahaha. All my life I just had the wrong image of what Synchro Skating was. However, I’mmore than happy about my final 3 years as a single skater and everything I had to go through. This really sculpted my character and it has made me what I am right now and I’m proud of that. On the other hand, If it wasn’t for the bumps and those adversities I wouldn’t have been here and I would have missed out on many wonderful experiences. So, you started out in Musketeers? No of course not, I skated my first synchro season in Starlights which is our club’s advanced novice team. After my first season, I was selected to join Musketeers and I’m forever thankful for it. I am now skating my third season in teamMusketeers. Unfortunately, I have an ankle injury right now, but I will be back on the ice soon and stronger than ever of course. In this amazing team sport, I’ve learned to trust myself and I’ve got rid of my shyness. Few people nowadays would believe that I was a really shy person when I was younger. I guess you ever being a team captain in Synchro would have been a ridiculous thought? Probably, but nowadays I take my role very seriously. What does it mean to be a team captain? As our team’s captain I am to lead, for example and to cheer our team always to the best. One of the captain’s more important tasks, among others, is the communication between the team and the coach. Then there are smaller tasks of course, like for example making packing lists for my team for camps, competitions and other events. Working as a team cap- tain isn’t always easy, because our team strive for better results every day (progress stops upon satisfaction). Being a captain is of course a completely new experi- ence to me, which at first felt exciting, but bit by bit felt more natural. Now I’m just very proud to be captain. The best way to do things as captain is to just be yourself. Of course, I get help from our amazing vice captains and “ SYNCHRO WAS JUST A WEIRD SPORT” And after that… there’s Summer break, what do you do then? Over the summer break between the competition seasons I vacationing with my family and spend time with my friends, but I also usually spend time at the rink regardless whether we have any common ice-practices or not. I also train a lot off-ice and focus on those things I need to develop the most. One thing is for sure though, every summer I really look forward to all the challenges and experiences of the new season. Do you see yourself on an Olympic podium…ever? Whether I’m on it or not is not very important. I do believe though, that someday synchronized skating will be an Olympic sport. I really do believe we are on the right track and get closer to it year after year. When this will finally happen, I really don’t know, I can’t but hope soon! I do remember when I was 10 years old I was with my figure skating coach Alisa Drei on a ISU semi­ nar. I didn’t know the girl who was my roommate and because I was infinitely shy, I was pretty much alone all the time. You can probably guess that I got homesick soon, so Alisa came for a while to my room. There she told me that she was all alone too, without parents, when she was out representing Finland at the Olympics in Nagano 1998. I’ll never forget she said to me that that moment was a good exercise for me for when I had to skate at the Olympics. :) That’s when I made up my mind, to do as much work as possible so that one day I would get to skate in the Olympics. I still hold on to my memories of that moment despite the fact that synchronized skating isn’t even an Olympic sport (yet). You’ll reach your destination by believing in yourself… even if no one else does. That’s a quote to keep in mind and perfect to end this interview. It didn’t hurt, did it? Nope ;-) Musketeers and Finland can be proud of such a team captain. Good luck this season Jasmine and thank you very much for this interview.  Junior teamMusketeers