Recap: 2022 Grand Prix Espoo

by Matteo Morelli

Finland welcomed again a Grand Prix occasion after final internet hosting one in 2018. Grand Prix of Espoo, that changed Rostelecom Cup, was the final occasion of the collection and closed all of the {qualifications} for the Grand Prix Ultimate, with Canada’s Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier and USA’s Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker securing the remaining two spots out there.

Rhythm Dance
The rhythm dance ended with a number of season bests and private bests achieved by the groups that skated on the obligatory Latin type for this season.  

Finland’s Yuka Orihara and Juho Pirinen entertained the native viewers with their rhythm dance, scoring 69.13, a season greatest. They actually loved skating in a rink that they’re very conversant in, and shared that they might really feel all of the love coming from the general public. 

China’s Shiyue Wang and Xinyu Liu have been total proud of their rhythm dance, though they know that extra work must be performed. 

Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier (CAN)

“We all know we will enhance our rhythm dance,” Wang shared. “It isn’t a straightforward one, however we’ll hold engaged on it to indicate what we will do.” 

Czech Republic’s Natalie Taschlerova and Filip Taschler have been total happy with their participating programme primarily based on music by Shakira and Enrique Iglesias. 

“We love performing this rhythm dance quite a bit, actually generally we get an excessive amount of into it!,” Taschlerova mentioned. 

After the not so profitable rhythm dance they’d at Grand Prix de France, Finland’s Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis may redeem themselves delivering a private greatest in entrance of their house viewers and ending in fourth place. 

“We have been a bit shaky in the beginning, however then in direction of the tip we actually loosened up and tried to benefit from the house viewers as a lot as attainable,” Versluis mentioned.

“We all know this rink very nicely, it feels so comfy for us to skate right here,” Turkkila added. 

USA’s Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko led to third place with a season better of 76.20. 

“We’re actually proud of at present’s performances, we needed to come back in and capitalise from the momentum we created in Sheffield a number of weeks in the past”, Ponomarenko mentioned. 

“We had a brief time frame between the 2 grand prix occasions, we needed to settle within the programme, develop the velocity and efficiency and hold bettering,” Carreira added. “We have been actually excited once we realized Latin was the type for this 12 months, we each actually prefer it.” 

At their second look on Espoo ice in six weeks (after Finlandia Trophy), Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker secured a season greatest and private greatest with 80.93 and a second place end.

“We actually loved the efficiency and we needed to search out particular moments for each other inside it,” Hawayek mentioned. “We’ve got obtained actually optimistic suggestions concerning the characters that we infuse into the programme, and we modified the elevate to painting these characters much more, receiving higher GOEs.”

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier took the lead within the rhythm dance with a rating of 87.80, a brand new private greatest for them.

“We strive to not concentrate on the scores this season. The weather are completely different and it’s troublesome to check,” Poirier added.

Kaitlin Hawayek & Jean-Luc Baker (USA)

“Getting back from skate Canada we needed to up the extent, and at present’s efficiency took plenty of psychological fortitude,” Gilles shared. “We settled in and gave the whole lot we now have, we’re actually proud of the event of the programme.”

“That is the third time we do Latin for the quick dance,” Poirier shared. “We actually needed to take a distinct method to it, do one thing extra subtle and ballroom feeling, and by far that is the time I’ve loved skating Latin probably the most in my profession.”

Free Dance 
The free dance noticed some adjustments of positions from the rhythm dance outcomes. 

A mistake on the rotational elevate for Shiyue Wang and Xinyu Liu meant they might not equal the rating they obtained at NHK Trophy and so they dropped a few locations total. 

A mesmerising efficiency from Yuka Orihara and Juho Pirinen allowed them to safe one other season greatest with 104.04 factors for his or her free programme and climb up one place within the total ultimate rating. 

Natalie Taschlerova and Filip Taschler delivered a strong skate on their programme that sends a message about our planet and nature. They secured 111.79 factors for it and a brand new private greatest, ending with an total complete of 186.39.

Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko’s stylish ‘Summertime’ programme rating was barely increased than what they achieved in Sheffield, however that wasn’t sufficient to retain their third place on the rostrum. 

Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis actually felt their free programme primarily based on a piano sonata by Schubert and earned a private better of 116.73 and total 191.79 factors, permitting them to get a historic first grand prix medal in ice dance for Finland. 

“The house crowd gave us plenty of vitality to skate via the free programme, we loved each second of our skate at present,” Versluis shared.

Juulia Turkkila & Matthias Versluis (FIN)

“We all know what we’re able to, we need to obtain much more and that is only the start!,” Turkkila added.

Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker’s free dance allowed them to earn 121.53 factors and a silver medal that secured their place right into a grand prix ultimate for the second time of their profession.

“Immediately there have been many moments once we needed to zone in on one another and focus our vitality, however we have been actually pleased with exhibiting the enhancements that we now have made this season,” Hawayek mentioned. 

“The grand prix ultimate goes to be very thrilling, it has been fairly a very long time since we now have seen a lot motion within the high six space in ice dance,” Baker added.

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier’s Evita satisfied as soon as once more, permitting them to earn 131.69 factors, one other private greatest and the very best qualification marks for the Grand Prix Ultimate. 

“Evita is a programme which have been developing for 11 years now, however by no means felt prefer it was the proper time as it’s fairly a troublesome one to choreograph”, Gilles shared. “Every second we step out on the ice we’re not searching for scores or medals, we want to create moments and this takes plenty of strain off of us.”

“The subsequent two weeks will likely be about managing our vitality and ensuring that we’re not too drained getting into the Grand Prix Ultimate,” Poirier added.

Grand prix ultimate official {qualifications}
Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier and Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker took the final two spots out there to qualify for the Grand Prix Ultimate to happen in Turin, Italy. Already certified are Italy’s Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri, USA’s Madison Chock and Evan Bates, Canada’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Sørensen, and Nice Britain’s Lilah Concern and Lewis Gibson.