Interview Jorik Hendrickx

Oberstorf, July 2013

Q: You spent some time in training camps in the USA. What did you do there? Whom were you working with and what do you think you learned?

A: I went quite early to America this year, at the beginning of May to work on my skating skills and I was working with the same choreographer like last year, Shanetta Folle. I worked with her for two months. The first month we worked just on steps and just getting back in shape and improving my skating in general. In the second month we would be making my program. So if I improve my skating skills we put that into my new program. I trained in several places in America, first I was one week in Indianapolis training with the choreographer. Also Maxim Kovtun from Russia was there and some local American skaters and also like a new pair Dee Dee Leng and Timothy LeDuc. It was a very good group to train with. We did a lot of steps. And then we went to New York to train there with Maxim Kovtun and Shanetta Folle. Tatiana Tarasova was there as well, because Tatiana und Shanetta were making Mao Asada's Olympic long program and also working with Max and me on our steps. And afterwards I went to Chicago for two weeks without Maxim, just with my choreographer. We did a lot of steps and we started to work on my short program. So after those two weeks I went back to Indianapolis to train one month there. The first month was without injuries and then in second month I got an inflamed ankle and I couldn't skate so much. It was stupid because it happened with a bicycle. I made a tumble. So I fell and I hurt my ankle. So the second month there were a lot of injuries...back problems and several injuries. But my main goal was to have two new programs and I came back with two new programs. So we achieved my goal there.

Q: Please can you tell us about the programs? Who chose them?

A: The music like last year the choreographer chose, but she asked for my permission. When I came there she was ready with the music. Only the free program, we changed two times a music part, because Tatiana Tarasova had a suggestion to which music I had to skate. She told my choreographer, but it didn't work so well. So we changed it now to “Rhapsody in Blue” by Gershwin.

Q: What are you working on now specifically in Oberstdorf?

A: Now it’s general training, just to pieces of the music and to try to get my condition in better shape and to get my jumps very consistent again. I had a lot of problems with the triple Axel in Belgium and while I was in the USA as well. It's not there yet, but it's getting better.

Q: What are you planning? What competitions will you attend?

A: We didn't discuss the schedule yet. We will do that next week and we will see what competitions I’ll do. I'm still thinking about competing at Nebelhorn (Trophy) or maybe doing a week after Bratislava, Finlandia Trophy... for the competitions I really don't know. Obviously I want to go to Europeans and then get Belgium limit (qualifying requirement) for the Olympic Games and then hopefully I can go to the Olympics.

Q: Please tell us more about your little sister. Did she follow you into skating? How do you support her?

A: My two brothers did hockey and my sister I think she went on the ice when she was five, just in the club. But I was too busy and she didn't like it. So she didn't skate for a few months and afterwards she decided she wants to try it again, but more in private lessons. Now I try to support her like I try to give her advice... but that's not always easy between brother and sister. So I try to take her to camps and because I had contacts in Madrid, I sent her to a camp in Madrid. She was there without mum and without dad. She was just there to train. She stayed there with a family who took care of her. But she need to grow up and to get adult and be very independent, because as a skater you have to be alone on the ice rink, you have to show off. So you need to get a tough character.

Q: Would you like to skate pairs with her one day?

A: I'm not strong enough for pairs (laughs). My ambitions at the moment are for singles.

Q: Thank you and I wish you good luck.