Finns Turkkila and Versluis ready to “tango”
Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis
Finnish ice dancers Juulia Tuurkila and Matthias Versluis are poised for a strong comeback in the 2024-25 season. The four-time national champions have demonstrated considerable progress over the past two years and have firmly established themselves among the top European teams. Particularly after winning the bronze at the 2023 European Figure Skating Championships.
The team has also earned two Grand Prix medals and two Challenger Series titles since 2022. However, despite their fan-favorite free dance last season, their competitive results experienced a slight dip. This provides them with even greater motivation to work harder during the off-season. Their goal for the 2024-25 season is to either match or surpass their achievements from the 2023-24 season.
We caught up with the duo in Champéry, Switzerland, where they were the sole ice dance team featured in Stéphane Lambiel’s ice show, “L’Apprenti Sorcier.” Their off-season had been progressing as planned, and they had recently returned from an intense training camp in the Czech Republic. There, they trained alongside several other top European teams and worked closely with their coach, Massimo Scali.
Additionally, we find out which of their past programs the skaters have enjoyed the most thus far. We also touch on their transition from singles skating to ice dance as well as their hobbies and interests outside of skating.
Tuurkila and Versluis plan to start their season at a Challenger event in October before aiming for a podium finish at their two Grand Prix events in Finland and China.
A major focus of their off-season was the development of two new programs, which they discuss this interview. Both programs mark a departure from their previous style, as the team felt prepared to take on a new challenge
Their new rhythm dance is set to “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown and “Land of 1000 Dances” by Wilson Pickett. The free dance will be a tango to “Bewitched” by the New Tide Orquestra and “Obcy astronom (Remastered)” by Hania Rani and Dobrawa Czocher. Listen in as they tell the story behind this new free dance!
Related Info:
The post Finns Turkkila and Versluis ready to “tango” appeared first on Golden Skate.