Kaetlyn OSMOND Date of birth: 05.12.1995 Place of birth: Marystown, NF Height: 165 cm Home town: Sherwood Park, AL Profession: high school student Hobbies: reading, swimming Start sk. / Club: 1998 / Ice Palace FSC Coach: Ravi Walia Choreographer: Lance Vipond Former Coach: Josee Picard, Jessica Gosse Practice low season: 20 h / week at Edmonton, AL Practice high season: 23 h / week at Edmonton, AL
Lei si impegna... ma secondo me le manca ancora qualcosa per essere tra le pattinatrici top. Deve ancora rendere naturali le difficoltà e tutto ciò che fa nella coreografia. Sta migliorando, ma ha un piglio... scolastico lo potrei definire. Non è ancora sciolta in ciò che rappresenta.
Ho da dire su di lei, che seppure fosse una "promessa" dopo aver vinto Skate Canada, e investita di tutte le speranze della sua nazione, esaltata come campionessa nazionale e astro nascente...
Dopo la sua delusione del programma libero (con due cadute) al Kiss&Cry ha sorriso, anzichè sembrare depressa, perchè il suo era comunque un buonissimo risultato. Mi è venuta in mente Julia Lipniskaya, la differenza fra lei e Kaetlyn Osmond... ho trovato più sportiva, calda, lieta e modesta la seconda, seppur la prima avesse pur sempre vinto una medaglia, e la seconda no.
Coach Ravi Walia impressed by Osmond’s successes By Vladislav Luchianov
If Canada‘s Ravi Walia wasn’t a figure skating coach, he would probably be a jeweler. Most likely he would be not just a jeweler for a mass production but the master of a very unique and exclusive work.
This is just a very approximate comparison of a huge amount of work he did and does, coaching the 2013 Canadian figure skating champion Kaetlyn Osmond.
The results of any unique work do not appear immediately but when they do, they begin to amaze and impress so much that remain in people’s memory for a very long time. That’s what we can say about the work of Ravi Walia with Kaetlyn Osmond, which has been going on for many years and which so impressed us in this past skating season.
His student began skating at the age of two, following her elder sister Natasha. Due to a lack of ice during the summer in Marystown, her hometown, she traveled to Montreal to train. At the age of ten, Kaetlyn moves to Edmonton and begins to work with Walia.
This season, Walia’s student won her first international title at 2012 Nebelhorn Trophy. Kaetlyn then made her senior ISU Grand Prix debut at the 2012 Skate Canada, where she also won. She earned her third gold medal of the season by winning the title at the 2013 Canadian national championships. This was the first time in ten years that a ladies’ single skater from outside the province of Quebec won the national title.
During the season she successfully competed at the Four Continents Championships (7th place) and at her first senior World Championships, which was held in her home country and where she reached top eight. She has also contributed to the Canada’s silver medal at the 2013 World Team Trophy.
World Figure Skating talked with Ravi Walia about recent successes of his student, about Kaetlyn’s progress and about goals for the Olympic season.
Ravi, this season your student Kaetlyn impressed the world of figure skating by moving from little known junior to the elite of senior’s figure skating. What are your thoughts and feelings about it? How it became possible?
Ravi Walia: It was a very exciting season and I was really happy to see Kaetlyn move up in the ranks. At the beginning of the season, she made a goal to win the Canadian Championships and place in the top 10 at Worlds. Kaetlyn knew that she would have to make a lot of improvements to accomplish this goal and worked really hard on improving each aspect of her skating. We tried to show more maturity in her programs and hoped this would help her fit in with the best skaters in the world.
After her first victory of this season, at 2012 Nebelhorn Trophy, my thoughts were like “Where did they found this diamond and why it was hidden?!” I mean she didn’t have a big competitive history. What can you say about it?
Walia: I knew that it was important for Kaetlyn to make a good impression early in the season. Since she wasn’t a well-known skater, I was hoping that she would show her best and begin to create a buzz about her skating. It’s true that very few people knew who she was before this season and it appears that she came out of nowhere. However, it took many years of hard work and dedication to achieve this success.
You work with her since she was ten years old. Tell us, please, about the beginning of your collaboration.
Walia: I began coaching Kaetlyn in 2006. I immediately noticed her enormous potential and could see that there was something special about her. She was always very hard working and loved to perform. In the beginning, she had a lot of energy and enthusiasm but wasn’t always focused on her technique. As time went on, we worked on improving her technique and building a strong foundation for the future.
In your vision, what are the main reasons for her fast progress?
Walia: Kaetlyn has a very positive attitude and is very determined. When she moved up to the senior level, she knew it would be difficult to achieve good results. I think this motivated her to work harder on and off the ice. As she began to improve, she gained more confidence and determination for the future.
In one interview, you said that tried to prepare her slowly for the senior’s skating. Could you tell more about that?
Walia: I believe that you cannot rush the development of proper technique or take shortcuts to reach success. It is common for skaters to have set backs (growth spurts, injuries, distractions, etc) and this time has to be managed well. I tried to keep Kaetlyn motivated while teaching her strong basics and a good foundation for the more complex skills. Eventually, she began to improve and gained confidence. We took a step-by-step approach that seemed to work well for her.
Kaetlyn has won three competitions this season and done well at all others. Which tournament has impressed you the most and why?
Walia: I was really impressed with her performances at the Canadian Championships. There were a lot of expectations on her and she had not been practicing well the month before. She had never won the title before, but it felt like she was going in as a defending champion. I was very happy to see that she was able to perform with a freedom and joy to her skating.
And how do you see the present ladies single skating in general?
Walia: I think the top group of ladies is amazing! They are great role models and the other skaters can learn a lot from them. I am really happy that Kaetlyn has the opportunity to compete against them because I think it will push her to improve her performances.
What are your expectations for the upcoming season, which will be the Olympic one?
Walia: This season will be an exciting one for sure! I am hopeful that we can increase the technical difficulty of her programs as well as improve each aspect of the Program Component mark. Of course, she would like to qualify for the Olympic Games and improve on her 8th place finish at Worlds. She gained a lot of experience over the past season and has learned a lot at each event. I think all of this experience will help her in the upcoming season.
Kaetlyn Osmond: “I try to engage the crowd” By Vladislav Luchianov
When 2013 Canadian national champion Kaetlyn Osmond won her first international title, the Nebelhorn Trophy at the beginning of this past season, I confidently said to myself that Canada has now a new rising skating star.
When she captivated London’s audience at the 2013 World Championships, it became quite clear to me that this is a world-class rising star.
Kaetlyn’s first complete season in senior skating can be called more than just a successful one. She took three gold medals: at 2012 Nebelhorn, at 2012 Skate Canada and at 2013 Canadian national championships.
She showed very good results in all other scheduled competitions, finishing seventh at 2013 Four Continent Champs, eighth at 2013 Worlds and contributing much to the Team Canada’s silver at 2013 World Team Trophy.
But not only her results attract figure skating fans to her performances. This skater has a very high artistry and – very importantly – this is a very natural and unique artistry. Even her difficult technical elements look very natural. When she performs, I often catch myself thinking that scores, points, levels, angles, GOEs and overall standing do not matter at such moments. All that becomes unimportant.
The only important thing is that the audience gets a true pleasure seeing what a great joy Kaetlyn gets from figure skating. That’s the most important thing.
Kaetlyn began skating in Marystown, a Canadian town in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the habitants recognized successes of its native daughter by erecting a “Welcome to Marystown: Home of Kaetlyn Osmond” sign.
The author talked with Kaetlyn about her impressions on this past season, about the love for skating and about plans for the next season.
Kaetlyn, what are your impressions of this past season?
Kaetlyn Osmond: The past season has just been unbelievable. My goals for the season were to achieve a total score of 170 points and to place in the top ten at Worlds; to accomplish these goals as well as winning the Nebelhorn Trophy, Skate Canada and Canadian Nationals. I’m just so excited with how well things went and I am more motivated to keep working towards higher goals.
Have you expected such a good start in senior skating? What are your thoughts about moving up to the figure skating elite?
Osmond: I didn’t think I would achieve such great accomplishments in my senior debut. Knowing that I have done so well this season and being a part of such an elite group of skaters is very exciting. Just to be among so many amazing skaters and competing with them is a real honor.
What moment was the best one for you in this season and why?
Osmond: It is really hard to pick one moment that has been the best, because every competition has really been a wonderful experience for me. Winning my first international competition was probably the most special. The Nebelhorn Trophy gave me so much confidence for the rest of the season.
I had no expectations beforehand and had no idea what I was going to experience. It was so amazing to stand at the top of an international podium, to see the Canadian flag rise and to hear the national anthem. It was an experience that I will never forget and at that moment I realized I wanted to keep experiencing that feeling.
You cope very well with keeping a balance between difficult technique and artistic part of performances. What is your “key enabler” for that?
Osmond: In my opinion, the technical and artistic sides of skating are equally important. The artistic side always came more naturally to me than the technical aspect. I work really hard in practice to balance the two sides and in competition I try to engage the crowd. If I try to put on a show for the audience, it makes the technical side easier for me because it allows me to rely on my muscle memory and not over think during my performance.
It seems like you are very good at getting into the right frame of mind and maintaining your confidence for important competitions. How are you able to do this?
Osmond: Growing up I skated very well at most of my competitions. This gave me a lot of confidence and the nerves have never really bothered me. Now when I go to bigger competitions against more experienced skaters, I try to just think about it like all the competitions I’ve done before. I go in with a goal and I try to focus on myself. And then, when I get on the ice and hear the audience cheering, I can absorb their energy and it keeps me very calm and confident.
Looking at your performances and your great desire to skate, it’s difficult to image that Kaetlyn Osmond can be tired. How do you cope with such things as fatigue after competitions, grueling training sessions, skating under pressure, etc.?
Osmond: I do get tired after competitions or after a long week of training. Dealing with that can be hard. Of course, resting and eating well helps me recover. And taking a day off here and there helps too.
I also find it helps to be with friends. Sometimes you start to feel like there is nothing outside of skating and it can make you quite tired. However, when I take some time to hang out with friends, it takes my mind off skating for a while and when I get back on the ice, I feel so much more refreshed.
Your free skating program “Carmen” suited you very well. Are there any new images which you would like to create on the ice?
Osmond: I have no specific images in mind that I would like to portray. For the next season, I want the audience to see a whole new side to me. I showed this year that “Carmen” was a character I could portray very well, and next year I want to show a completely different side of me and hope the audience will like it.
Tell us about your goals for the next skating year.
Osmond: I’m really excited for the next skating season. My goals are to make it to the Olympics and to improve on my performances from last season. I want to skate more clean programs and work on improving my program components. I really want to make the Grand Prix Final and place in the top six at Olympics or Worlds next season. This past season I achieved my goal of placing in the top ten and now I’m really excited to work towards the top six.
Belli i passi prima della combinazione iniziale! Peccato per la caduta dopo 3 toe... carino comunque lo short! Sta migliorando in espressività... lo stile mi ricorda un po' la Marchei XD