December 2008 at the Grand Prix Final in Goyang, Korea
Q: How do
you feel about the start into this season for you?
Massimo:
After last year we wanted to go even more for a medal and for making the Grand
Prix Final. So we started the season, we worked very hard in the summer. We
started to work right after the World Championships last year, because we
wanted to be ready for our first event, for Paris (Trophee Bompard) and of
course for Japan (NHK Trophy) in order to really make the Final. It has been two,
three years that we were close to the Final, but we never got the chance (to
compete there). Our two Grand Prix events were great, we got a second place in
Paris, which was our goal actually and first place in NHK. So we got to the
Final, finally. This beginning of the season was a great start for the European
and World Championships. It was really important to be in the Final, especially
since we are getting close to the Olympic season and so it was really important
that we prove that we belong to the top skaters for the Olympic Games. We start
to think about this season and next season, but of course in the view of the
Olympic games. A lot of firsts – a first silver medal, first gold medal, first
Final, and we hope that we can keep going in this way at the European and World
Championships.
Q: How did
you like being at the Final for the first time?
Federica: I
think it’s a different competition. We’ve never been in the final. In the first
practice we were with the top skaters, and we were so proud. As Massimo said,
we’ve worked a lot this summer, because we wanted to be here and to be as much
competitive as possible. I think it’s a great opportunity and it was a great
feeling.
Q: You were
third in the Original Dance, which was a success for you.
Massimo: Yes,
it was very successful. Especially for the Original Dance we didn’t get the
level of technical marks we wanted tot get. Finally in the GPF we got the levels. I
think our dance is a good program, we really get into the character of the 30s.
We really found a way to bring on the ice what the 30s mean. We decided to
bring on to the ice a movie of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, with the music,
the costumes and with the style. We were really proud of the OD and we thought
we could get even more support from the judgesand finally for this competition we got it.
Q: As you
said, you picked music from the movie “Follow the Fleet”. Have you watched the
movie?
Massimo: Oh
yes, a thousand times! We know every part of the movie. It was really important
to get into the character so we watched the dance part like a million of times
in the summer. There was a point during the summer when we felt we still didn’t
get the character of the 30s. So we restarted to watch everything again,
especially the dance part, but also other movies of Ginger Rogers and Fred
Astaire, because we felt it was really important to arrive at that point to get
that feeling that you are really dancing in the 30s. So we know that movie by
heart.
Federica:
Last year we wanted to do something that we feel. When we heard that the theme of the
OD isthe 20s, 30s and 40s, we thought,
oh no, we don’t like this style, we don’t want to do the Quickstep in ballroom
style. So we started to think about doing something different like last year
with the Pizzica (Italian dance for the OD). At the beginning we want to enjoy
when we skate and what we feel. We talked with our coaches Pasquale
(Camerlengo), Paola (Mezzadri) and Anjelika (Krylova). We think that Follow the
Fleet was the compromise between the rhythms for this season and the style that
we like on the ice.
Massimo:
It’s very important especially now when we have so many rules in the program
and every program pretty much looks the same that teams have a big research in
what they are going to do on the ice. Otherwise were are really going to loose
the meaning of ice dancing. We just would be performers and we don’t just go on
the ice and do elements. We still have to think and work on this way to still
be ice dancers. That’s what we are really trying to do, especially this season
and last season.
Q: The free
dance is really different in style and spirit from the Original Dance. How did
you pick this free dance?
Massimo:
The idea of the Pierrot came from Paola Mezzadri, our Italian coach She came with
this idea and we thought it was a great idea, because nobody ever did that,
represented the Pierrot on the ice. The trouble started when we started to
think of the music, because the Pierrot doesn’t really have a music. The choice
was to pick something that reminds a circus that is where Pierrot the mime came
from or the other way would be to keep the classical style that we had last
year. In the end we thought that the classical music for us, the way we skate
is much better, for our line. The idea of the moonlight sonata came when we
thought of the story of the Pierrot. The story is that the Pierrot is in love
with the moon and it is sad –that is why he has the tear – because the Pierrot
never will reach the moon. We thought that the best choice of music would be
the “Moonlight Sonata” as this piece of music is dedicated to the moon. As soon
as we put the theme of the program and the music together everything came
together really fast. We really feel this program and we enjoy it. I think it’s
something really deep inside that we feel and we are really proud of this program.
Q: Would
you say that it is one of your favorite programs that you have done so far?
Federica: I
think so.
Massimo:
Last year after the success with the Butterfly program we started to think
about a new program and we didn’t know if we can do something that would be
even better, because that was such a good program. But I really think that this
is even better than last year, more mature, more into the program and I think
the idea is great. We are really happy with this program.
Q: So
overall you had a positive Grand Prix experience, although you said after the
free dance that you were disappointed with some levels for the elements and you
slipped to fourth place.
Federica:
We came here not thinking about the results. We just want to skate and geet the
feeling of this big competition. Of course we were upset after the free dance,
but at the end we told ourselves we did our best so we can’t do more. Of course
we still need to work a lot, but for now, for this competition, we are really
proud of what we’ve done.
Q: You also
cut your finger in a practice accident and had stitches. How difficult was it
for you to skate with this injury?
Federica: They
gave me painkiller shots. So I didn’t really feel my finger until the night after
the free dance. We tried a few things in the warm up to see if I was in pain or
not,and I was ok. Of course, when we
got into the spin I thought, I’m here, I need to do the spin and also in the
twizzle as I have to grab my blade with my fingers. But it was nothing to much
to worry about. I was pretty sure that I can skate.
Massimo:
The important thing about the free dance after the accident was that we were
fighting until the end to get our place and that we didn’t give up. We were
actually really proud, because we did a good performance, we skated clean. I
was proud of Federica because she was reacting in such a positive way. The only
thing we were worried about was the spin, because we are doing a reverse spin,
she grabs me, and to get the spin spinning we have to pull into different ways, and this
could increase the pressure of the finger. We were not so much disappointed
with the low level, we still feel we could have gotten more in the spin, but we
know that we didn’t finish the third revolution in the first spin. I was really
proud that we did the spin.
Q:
Especially since the accident happened on the spin!
Massimo:
Right! And for the rest of the program I was really surprised because I think
we would deserve something more than that. I’m not talking about positions,
third or fourth, but to loose the place in that way is really painful. This is
a sport, sometimes you win, sometimes you loose, it’s not about that, but to
loose in that way wasn’t that nice for us. We are already thinking about
Europeans now. We’ll try to improve more on our technical marks so that we
won’t get any low level.
Q: When did
you move to America and how have you adapted?
Massimo: We
moved two years ago. Of course now everything is so much better. So when we
talk with our friends and parents in Italy about going home we don’t mean Italy
anymore, we mean America! We have such a great time there. We are really
focusing on our skating and we feel really comfortable now. After two years we
are more settled in now with friends, with everything. Our apartements are our
place now. We live in the same complex, just 30 seconds away from each other,
but in different appartements. I think that you can really tell when you see us
on the ice. We feel more comfortable with ourselves and with the performances.
The club – I never can stop saying thank you to the DSC (Detroit Skating Club).
It was really important to us. The club gave us everything and this great
opportunity to be there and to practice a 100 percent. It was probably the best
choice of our career to go there and to go with Pasquale and Anjelika. We are
also working with Natalia Annenko for the technical part and it’s going really
well.
Q: What do
you still miss most of all from home?
Massimo:
That’s her question! I don’t miss that much.
Federica: I
miss my family, my friends of course. But now probably because we get older and
we think about the future. I told myself I need to be here and I want to be
here. I already think about what I want to do after and of course I will go
back to Italy. I miss my boyfriend.
Q: What
about you? Do you want to return to Italy later?
Massimo: I
don’t think so. I’m planning to stay there (in the USA). Of course, I miss my family, my
friends. We have two different characters. I miss the people I love that are still
in Italy, but I like to discover new things and I actually really enjoy staying
in America. For what I want to do in the future, it’s good for me to stay
there.
Q: What do
you want to do after your career?
Massimo:
That’s a good question!
Federica: I
have been thinking about it,but I don’t know. Now we are focusing on what we
are doing now. I want to be a mother and I want to have a family, but I want to
work, too, but I don’t know what. I probably don’t want to stay in the figure
skating world. It’s enough.
Massimo: I
have a project, but we will see what’s going to happen. I probably will stay in
the figure skating world for a little while, because this is actually the only
way for me to earn some money. I don’t know yet if it will be in shows or
coaching, but I will stay in this world for a couple of years. At the same time
I want to do something else. I would like to restart studying. I have two
dreams. I would love to be an interior designer and I would love to keep
dancing, though not on the ice. I would love to move to NY because I think it’s
a great place with a lot of opportunities there. I would love to do both – I
will keep skating for a while and then who knows, life is sometimes so
unpredictable.
Q: You are
still young and can try many things.
Massimo:
Thank you, but I don’t feel that young anymore after my birthday. We’ll see.
I have a lot of dreams. I am pretty excited for the two years that are coming,
because I think we are at a good level and can do well, but I am also excited
for the future, because I love to change, I love to do different things.
Q:
Obviously you are focusing on skating right now. What else do you do besides
skating?
Federica:
There is not much time.
Massimo:
Actually I was always the one in the team who enjoyed the nightlife and
parties. Now we are so focused on what we are doing. It is really strange for
me to say, but I go to sleep like at 21.30! Actually it’s fine. Just three or
four years ago if I had thought about that I would have been dying! Now it’s
fine. We teach a little bit, just to pay the rent, but that’s all. We don’t do
that much.
Q: How are
you suppported by the Italian Federation?
Massimo:
They don’t support us for personal things like the house, the car or food, but
we are completely covered for skating, costumes, stage with choreographers,
travelling and everything. They help us, of course.
Q: If you
were sent to an isolated island and could take three things, what would you
take?
Massimo:
Wow, that’s a difficult question. I would bring a book for sure, I would bring
... that’s a hard question. I never thought about that! I would bring my best
swim suit, if it’s Gucci, it’s better, and I probably would bring my ipod.
Federica:
The ipod for sure. Can I bring my computer, there is internet? So I bring the
computer to stay in touch with the outside world.
Q: And what
about the third thing?
Massimo:
Her boyfriend, I know that.
Q: Thank you very much for the interview and all the best for the future!
