Turkkila/Versluis: The Power Of Hard Work, Patience, And Perseverance
When people think of Finnish figure skating, the names of single skaters such as Laura Lepistö and Kiira Korpi often come to mind. At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, ice dance duo Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis made their mark in history. Affectionately called by Chinese skating fans as the "flower fairy pair,” Juulia and Matthias have proved the power of hard work, patience, and perseverance.
Juulia and Matthias were pleasantly surprised to learn that they have many fans in China. "It's great to know that we have fans in China! Thank you for supporting and believing in us. We are very happy to have visited China for the Olympic Games.”
Reflecting on the season, Juulia and Matthias are very satisfied with their performance. "We showed the results of our training. This season has been a long one, and we have definitely made great progress over the past few months, especially in terms of performance."
Juulia and Matthias started the season with a big win at Nebelhorn Trophy, securing an Olympic spot for Finland in ice dance. Recalling this "life-or-death" competition, Juulia and Matthias said they didn’t feel extra pressure at the time. They put in a lot of work during the summer and were confident with their training.
The Midnight Blues pattern in the rhythm dance was also the requirement in the 2016-17 season, the first season Juulia and Matthias competed as an ice dance team. Looking back on their first season as ice dancers, Juulia says: "It feels like a world away. Look at us. I was so unfamiliar with skating in hold, but we’ve come a long way since then!”
Juulia was the one who suggested the Hip Hop section. The pair sought to experiment with styles of music they haven't chosen before. They wanted to show versatility.
Juulia and Matthias’ free dance this season has touched the hearts of countless skating fans, and they are grateful for the praise. "We went to Italy for Pascuale Camerlengo’s choreography. The week was very intense and fulfilling. This style of dance is very suitable for us. We worked a lot on designing new and unique lifts.”
In February, Juulia and Matthias stayed in the Olympic Village and experienced an unforgettable Olympic journey. “During the Olympics, we were given the opportunity to train with top athletes. We were able to observe their edges and strengths. The desire to win has always motivated us and we want to bring that spirit to our training."
Juulia and Matthias have many fond memories of the Beijing Olympics. Highlights include attending the opening ceremony with the entire Finnish team, watching the big air competition, and the end of their performances.
Juulia learned figure skating after she was captivated by an ice show at the age of six. "I went to see a skating performance of Peter Pan and I saw Tinkerbell in the show! I wanted to be like her, so I asked my parents to send me to skating school. I started training seriously around the age of fifteen. That’s when I got an offer from the national team and I realized that I could be a good skater.”
Before becoming an athlete, Juulia also danced ballet professionally. At the age of 13, she faced her first tough decision in life. "I couldn't skate and dance at the same time. I was studying ballet at the Finnish National Opera, and I was missing a lot of performances and rehearsals so I had to make a choice. I enjoyed ballet a lot, but the feeling I get when skating in competition is something that ballet couldn’t give me.” Despite choosing to be a skater, Juulia believes that her ballet experience helps a lot in skating. “The basic skills in ballet gave me a good sense of lines and limb extension. All those rigorous hours of ballet training taught me grace, which I carry to the ice.”
Compared to Juulia, Matthias started skating relatively late. "I started skating around the age of eight. There are many outdoor ice rinks in Finland and when I was a kid, I really liked open ice skating. After some time, my mother couldn’t stand being in the cold for extended periods anymore, so she decided to send me to skating school. I started training seriously around the age of 13."
Juulia and Matthias have faced difficult obstacles on the road to figure skating, from single skaters with big dreams to determined ice dancers. Both said they have never regretted the switch.
The process of switching disciplines was not all sunshines and rainbows. At first, Juulia was uncomfortable skating closely with someone at high speed. Matthias shared that it felt like he suddenly lost the ability to skate. Ice dance pace and rules is something they had to learn, and Juulia admits that they are still adapting until now but they’ve clearly come a long way.
After several years of skating hand in hand, Juulia and Matthias have reached a deep mutual understanding, and they are very grateful for each other's support. Matthias said: "Having a partner to train and compete with means you share a lot of experiences and emotions, good and bad, but no matter what, you know that there is someone who is going through it with you and fully understands how you feel. Juulia is a very peaceful person and is very easy to get along with. The communication between us is absolutely smooth." Juulia said: “In our ice dance journey, we have created precious moments that belong to us. Matthias is always willing to learn and improve. He is really determined, ambitious, and always strives to be the best. I appreciate these qualities of him very much.”
Juulia and Matthias respect and appreciate figures who have inspired them, both as single skaters and as ice dancers. As a child, Juulia looked up to Laura Lepistö, Kiira Korpi, Yuna Kim, and Mao Asada. When Matthias started ice dancing, he admired Scott Moir very much. As a single skater, he looked up to Daisuke Takahashi and Stephane Lambiel. Matthias says that it would be great to compete with Daisuke Takahashi, now that he is also an ice dancer.
Juulia and Matthias hope to make ice dance more popular in Finland through their continued success. "I wish more people would choose ice dance," Matthias said, while Juulia smiled and expressed a simpler wish: "We really need more boys in figure skating. I believe that more little boys will skate in the years to come, and I look forward to seeing more little ice dance teams appear in Finland."
Despite all the challenges along the way, Juulia and Matthias refused to give up. They persisted for 20 years on the winding journey to the Olympics. Despite the multiple ups and downs, they held on to their dreams. They share: “We just try to enjoy the process as much as possible, maintaining patience and letting nature take its course. Hard work is the key." With this belief, Juulia and Matthias hope to inspire people. They look forward to the next four years, as they perform more wonderful programs and bloom beautifully.
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