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[wanderlustinwonderland18]

Turkkila & Versluis: “It's Good That The Age Limits Are Being Raised”

Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis have been training intensively for the European Championships taking place soon. The duo's cooperation started on April Fool's Day 2016, but it wasn't a joke. In fact, their partnership has progressed steadily to this day.

Long before they switched to ice dance, Juulia and Matthias already skated on the same ice at Myllypuro rink years ago. When they were ten years old, they even had the same coach but were placed in different groups.

“Matthias was in a better group,” Juulia says with a laugh.

Matthias’ Dutch father and Finnish mother studied and worked in Switzerland during the early 1990s. The family moved to Finland when Matthias was a few months old. Matthias says that he tried different sports when he was younger, but ended up with figure skating. Aside from sports, he also learned how to play the guitar, a hobby that has remained to this day.

“The musicality is helpful because Matthias mixes and builds our music,” Juulia shares.

Behind the couple is a wider group of people who participate in the planning of new programs. When it comes to music, the athletes have the final say.

“Our coach (Maurizio Margaglio) wants the initiative to come from us because then he knows we really like the music,” Matthias explains.

This season, they skate their free program to the music of Schubert, which was Juulia’s idea.

“After last season, we only had a week to prepare for new programs so we had to come up with music quickly,” Juulia shares.

“Creating the right sound from long pieces of classical music is not easy,” Matthias says about his “side job.”

Some skaters cut a raw version of the pieces, from which a professional works on creating the final music, but Matthias handles the process from start to finish.

The music has to fit the choreography, so it is refined throughout the season. When the coach's eye detects a section where more seconds are needed, the music is altered.

After competitions, the coach asks the judges how his skating pair can improve their program even more. Scores and comments are then scrutinized.

This past summer, Juulia and Matthias were not able to train together as much as usual, because Matthias was doing his military service at the Santahamina sports school. In practice, he had to smile broadly at every turn but in the barracks, he had to control the smile.

In the fall, the couple used breaks between competitions to "finish" the programs and based on the results, they have succeeded in their goal. The Finns won bronze in Grand Prix Espoo with a personal best score.

When we followed the pair's ice training in Pirkkola hall, coach Margaglio paid attention to the skaters' gaze and hand movements.

“Our coaches sharpen the overall presentation of the program. We have to enjoy our performance and it has to show all the way to the stands,” Juulia says.

Margaglio wants the Finnish couple to forget their modesty.

“You don't slide onto the ice apologizing, but flaunting self-confidence like opera stars! Juulia, be like a diva,” Maurizio instructs.

Juulia and Matthias have been skating since they were kids so they know the sport's coaching culture. Choosing to continue skating for 20 years, they did not encounter horror experiences with coaches.

“There are no traumas from single skating,” Juulia shares.

Having a wealth of experience, they both have great insight into the age limits of elite skating. There have been 15-year-old participants and medalists in prestigious competitions. For the Finnish couple, this is not a healthy phenomenon.

“It's good that the age limits are being raised. 17 to 18 years would be a good age to enter value competitions,” Juulia and Matthias agree.

A person develops at a rapid pace during adolescence.

“A 15-year-old's body is different from an adult's,” Matthias describes.

Juulia emphasizes the mental aspect and maturity.

“When I was competing in the senior level at 16 years old, I was not thinking like an adult,” she shares.