Figure Skating News

Germany’s Beiers Finish Fourth at JGP Final

Christina Beier and William Beier qualified for the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final of Figure Skating.

Germany’s Christina and William Beier qualified for the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final by winning the JGP event in Beijing, China and taking the silver at the event in Courchevel, France. They finished fourth at the JGP Final last December and are now looking forward to Junior Worlds. The brother-sister team, who were born in Manila in the Phillipines, finished 11th at last year’s World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Hamar, Norway. Although the win in China was their first international gold medal, they have been a success in Germany, winning the German novice championship in 1998, then taking two silvers and two golds in juniors.

Christina was seven when she started skating, while her older brother William was eight. “We never saw snow before, because we moved from the Phillipines to Germany in 1990,” William stated. “We liked it so we went to skate on the ice and some coaches asked us to join a skating club. We skated single for two years, but Christina was not good in jumping. So we decided to do ice dance, because we fit together.” Among the things they enjoy most in the sport are “meeting the people and other skaters in the competitions and practice camps and doing fun skating in shows,” he added.

The Beiers usually train in Dortmund with coach Oleg Ryjkin, but also train in Chemnitz during the summer. They spend about three hours a day on ice and another hour in off ice training, ballet and athletics. Both started ballet ten years ago, but only for skating.

The skaters pick their music in consultation with their coach. Their programs, which are choreographed by Irina Chubaretz, include Verdi’s “La Traviata” and “Egypt March” for the Memories of a Grand Ball original dance and three songs by “Yello” for the free dance including “How How” and “Do It.” Their favorite compulsory dance is the blues, while the quick step is the hardest for them. “We didn’t want to skate a dramatic dance again,” William noted. “We wanted something with more fun and action.” The skaters enjoy dancing to most kinds of music but stated that they liked polkas and marches the least. Off ice, they enjoy hip hop and other popular music.

Christina noted that their long-term goal was to “be one of the best five couples in the world.” William added, “We don’t plan our whole future, but I guess we will skate ten years more.” That would give them the opportunity to compete in the 2006 and 2010 Olympics. After skating, William said that he planned to study at the university, but he hasn’t picked a field of study. Christina wants to do something in the design field. Both dancers are currently still in high school and want to do their final exams to qualify for entrance into a university.

Off ice, they like to meet friends, play computer games, and just relax or sleep. Neither plays any other sports. Christina likes to read different kinds of books, while William reads computer magazines and newspapers. He likes action, science fiction, and documentary movies and often watches the Discovery Channel, while Christina prefers soaps, series, and dramas. They don’t collect anything special and return home to visit their parents on holidays. Their favorite vacation was a trip to Florida, but they would like to see Australia, Thailand, South Africa, Japan, and South America.

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