MONTREAL – Both Belgian women at the world figure skating championships this week are hurting.
European champion Loena Hendrickx says she has an inflamed right hip. “So that’s why I avoid landings because it really hurts to land,” she said. “That’s why I did the practice with a lot of turns after every jump.”
She told an Asian broadcast unit that she has a hurt knee.
“I just don’t feel it in my body,” she said. “It’s been a long and hard season.”
Nina Pinzarrone, the European bronze medalist, said that her “butt hurts,” because she fell down the stairs at home. “That was the worst I ever felt,” she said. I try not to think about it.”
After the European championships, Pinzarrone had to study hard for exams, and then she also fell ill twice, which caused her to miss two competitions. Personally, she was relieved because she has had a heavy season. She thought “too much.”
First, she caught the flu. Everybody in Belgium had the flu, she said. She was home for four days, ill. He second illness was a sinus infection.
She hasn’t competed since the European event, so now a long time without a competition.
“I don’t put too many expectations on myself for results,” she said. “I just want to do my best and one more time get above 200 (final score) to let the world know I can do it more than once.”
She is 17.
Madeline Schizas has been accompanied at the boards in practice by Manon Perron, former coach of Olympic bronze medalist, Joannie Rochette. Schizas was inspired to skate after she watched Rochette’s courageous performance at the Vancouver Olympics, days after her mother died.
“I love having Manon,” Schizas said. “She was in with us a lot before the Olympics and when she as on staff at Skate Canada, she was with us a lot, almost every month, so she became almost a part of my coaching team.”
Schizas says it’s comforting having Perron by the boards. “She was a big part of my first senior year and it’s really nice to have her back.”
Perron always gives good advice, and she was doing so at the practices this week. “She’s a really great technical coach,” Schizas said. “She’s always got a lot of technical feedback . She’s very good with polish.”
Schizas has never met Rochette, who is at the world event this week as an ambassador. Maybe this is the time.
Many of the non-North American skaters here talk about how beautiful the ice is, how fast, but how narrow is the NHL-sized rink. The practice rink in Verdun is even smaller. “Skaters were crashing into the boards all the time,” said US champ Amber Glenn.
Europeans have been training with cones on the ice to make their larger Olympic-sized rinks more similar to the Bell Centre.
Trennt Michaud, competing in the pairs event with partner Lia Pereira, admits that the Bell Centre, home of the Montreal Canadiens, is a “really cool building to be in,” but he reserves the right to love the Toronto Maple Leafs. (Brave man.)
“I’m a big Leafs fan,” he said.
Cheeky, he brought his Leafs jersey with him to Montreal.
“I told him he has to wait until after we compete to wear it around.” Perreira said.
Perhaps safer.
Loucas Ethier, skating in the pairs event with Kelly Ann Laurin, feels blessed to be in the home of the Canadiens.
The most famous player he has ever met was former Canadiens netminder Patrick Roy. He spotted him in a restaurant one day.
“I didn’t go up to him when he was eating because I wanted to let him do his stuff. “
Magically, they happened to leave at the same time. Ethier asked him for a photo. “I was a groupie,” he admitted.
Kaetlyn Osmond, here for online commentary, says she has not been to a world championship since she won one six years ago.
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