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Team Berlin 1 kicks off the season in style
News
Team Berlin 1 kicks off the season in style
Team Berlin 1 won the Shanghai Trophy with 115.75 (Free Program only).
With an international gold medal around the neck, the season is well on track for Team Berlin 1. The German team won the Shanghai Trophy at the beginning of October. An event the skaters will surely remember for a long time to come.
Alongside Team Passion (HUN) and Team Unity (AUS), 2nd and 3rd respectively, Team Berlin 1 kicked off its season at the Shanghai Trophy in China. For this international event, teams competed solely with their free program.
"The Shanghai Trophy is definitely one of the best organised competitions we have ever been to. It can certainly compete with the organisation of the World Championships. What makes this competition so special is that all figure skating disciplines meet in one competition. It's a big step forward in the development of synchronized figure skating because it brings together all the world's skaters in all disciplines and you feel like you're part of something big," the team said.
"The organisers have thought of everything down to the smallest detail""The Shanghai Trophy is definitely one of the best organised competitions we have ever been to. It can certainly compete with the organisation of the World Championships. What makes this competition so special is that all figure skating disciplines meet in one competition. It's a big step forward in the development of synchronized figure skating because it brings together all the world's skaters in all disciplines and you feel like you're part of something big," the team said.
The German team was impressed by the care given to the athletes during the competition. "The organisers have thought of everything down to the smallest detail: meeting the teams at the airport, organising accommodation in a 5-star hotel, local transport, allocation of training and warm-up times, and an incredible award ceremony with medals specially designed for synchronized skaters. At the end of the competition, all the athletes were warmly welcomed and greeted at an official banquet."
Figure skating in general is a very popular sport in China. This was also evident among the Chinese fans. "The arena was almost full every day of the competition. The Chinese are very reserved in their emotions and rarely applaud. After the performance, they express their joy in another way: by throwing stuffed animals onto the ice. This is their way of supporting their favourite athletes and expressing their admiration. After our skate, the fans also threw some toys on the ice, and we were very surprised and happy. Therefore, we would like to thank all the organisers of the competition for giving us the opportunity to take part in this sports event, as well as all our coaches, family members, friends and relatives who supported us morally, physically and financially during the preparation," the team continued.
Figure skating in general is a very popular sport in China. This was also evident among the Chinese fans. "The arena was almost full every day of the competition. The Chinese are very reserved in their emotions and rarely applaud. After the performance, they express their joy in another way: by throwing stuffed animals onto the ice. This is their way of supporting their favourite athletes and expressing their admiration. After our skate, the fans also threw some toys on the ice, and we were very surprised and happy. Therefore, we would like to thank all the organisers of the competition for giving us the opportunity to take part in this sports event, as well as all our coaches, family members, friends and relatives who supported us morally, physically and financially during the preparation," the team continued.
This year Team Berlin 1 chose the theme "Time is running out" for the free program. "The idea came from our head coach, Gert, and was immediately embraced by the team. In an abstract sense, the programme represents the hectic world in which the seconds are ticking away and reminds us that time is running out. We showed this programme to the audience in Shanghai."
"Over the past five weeks, our team has been training hard and with determination, which has given us a strong start to the new season at the beginning of October. Of course, we still have a lot of work ahead of us. In Shanghai we didn't reach all the technical levels and this year the lifts are particularly challenging. The rule changes are encouraging us to get out of our comfort zone and try new things. We have already made a lot of progress on this element. It's not perfect yet, and we've achieved one level less than planned, but our team has learnt a completely new, more demanding element in a very short time and has been able to present it in a stable manner in competition."
A busy season "Over the past five weeks, our team has been training hard and with determination, which has given us a strong start to the new season at the beginning of October. Of course, we still have a lot of work ahead of us. In Shanghai we didn't reach all the technical levels and this year the lifts are particularly challenging. The rule changes are encouraging us to get out of our comfort zone and try new things. We have already made a lot of progress on this element. It's not perfect yet, and we've achieved one level less than planned, but our team has learnt a completely new, more demanding element in a very short time and has been able to present it in a stable manner in competition."
A very intense season has begun for Team Berlin 1. After their trip to China, the team is already preparing for the Berlin Championship. In December, they will compete at the German Championship, which is also held in Berlin.
"Our Challenger Series starts in January with the Lumière Cup in the Netherlands, followed by the Hevelius Cup in Poland in early February. At the end of February we plan to compete in the DresdenCup. We will also make every effort to qualify for the World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, in April."
"Our Challenger Series starts in January with the Lumière Cup in the Netherlands, followed by the Hevelius Cup in Poland in early February. At the end of February we plan to compete in the DresdenCup. We will also make every effort to qualify for the World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, in April."
"At the beginning of the season, we discussed our goals for the competition season and what we wanted to achieve. We have a plan and goals for each competition. Our first goal has been completed - winning the Shanghai Trophy," said the team.
As with the other two participating teams, the Shanghai Trophy was an opportunity not only to compete internationally for the first time this season, but also to receive important feedback for the rest of the season.
As with the other two participating teams, the Shanghai Trophy was an opportunity not only to compete internationally for the first time this season, but also to receive important feedback for the rest of the season.