Juulia Turkkila & Matthias Versluis

[jorge2912]

Here come photos of Juulia and Matthias I made during GP Espoo!!

are beautiful your photos , i love it . they are my favorites since 2021 with their FD and are great, i hope they be on Europeans in next month

 

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[siberia82]

I uploaded this vid in case anyone wanted the commentary with Asher Hill and Kurt Browning. (Their RD wasn't included in the broadcast.)

CBC TV coverage (1008p) - the unusual video resolution is not a typo; I had to shrink it because the file size was too large for a free Streamable account.

Watch 2024 Juulia Turkkila & Matthias Versluis Worlds FD (1008p) - Canadian Television Coverage | Streamable

Watch "2024 Juulia Turkkila & Matthias Versluis Worlds FD (1008p) - Canadian Television Coverage" on Streamable.

streamable.com

 

[Lyyli]

I uploaded this vid in case anyone wanted the commentary with Asher Hill and Kurt Browning. (Their RD wasn't included in the broadcast.)

CBC TV coverage (1008p) - the unusual video resolution is not a typo; I had to shrink it because the file size was too large for a free Streamable account.

Watch 2024 Juulia Turkkila & Matthias Versluis Worlds FD (1008p) - Canadian Television Coverage | Streamable

Watch "2024 Juulia Turkkila & Matthias Versluis Worlds FD (1008p) - Canadian Television Coverage" on Streamable.

streamable.com

Thank you for the video! The commentators have forgotten Rahkamo/Kokko who achieved two Worlds, two Europeans and two GP medals. Juulia and Matthias are not the first Finnish medalists in ID.

 

[Arriba627]

Juulia and Matthias were lovely tonight in Stephane Lambiel's Champery ice show "L'Apprenti Sorcier". They were definitely an audience favorite. The live piano accompaniment to.Hungarian Rhapsodies really suited their skating!

 

[gsk8]

We caught up with the duo in Champéry, Switzerland, and talked with them about their major focus during the off-season, including the development of their new programs.

Both programs mark a departure from their previous style, as the team felt prepared to take on a new challenge.

RD: "I Got You (I Feel Good)" by James Brown and "Land of 1000 Dances" by Wilson Pickett
FD: "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!

 

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[chepe]

Juulia in her first World Championships in 2011, free skate:



...but why I am posting this is that kid waving Finnish flag at 0.09. Is that young Juho Pirinen? It sure looks like him. What he would have been doing in Moscow? He was like 15 years old at the time.

 

[Ruthypegs]

Juulia in her first World Championships in 2011, free skate:



...but why I am posting this is that kid waving Finnish flag at 0.09. Is that young Juho Pirinen? It sure looks like him. What he would have been doing in Moscow? He was like 15 years old at the time.

It really does look like Juho Pirinen! Perhaps he went as part of a Finnish team (as a subsitute for Junior Worlds (also held in Moscow)?

 

[Arriba627]

Interesting interview about Julia and Matthias' "journey".

TURKKILA & VERSLUIS: The Rise Of Finnish Ice Dance Duo

By Hiro Yoshida The conclusion of the 2024/2025 season for Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis was more dramatic than they planned. As they look ahead to an Olympic season, the Finns aim to chann…

europeonice.com

 

[chepe]

Old Yle article and interview (from December 2023), thought I would link it as interviews from them are fairly scarce. Translated by Google with some manual corrections by me.
(For whatever reason, I find that pic hilarious)


Together on the ice

Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis have an exceptionally intimate working relationship. The ice dancing couple got used to each other's touch and now they merge on the ice as if they were one person.

By Joel Holma
31.12.2023 8:00
Updated 2.1.2024 8:51

At the Pirkkola ice rink, the ice machine operator is finishing his work. The ice is becoming shinier strip by strip.
The ice machine leaves via big doors, and the first skater bursts onto the rink. She takes her first few strokes gracefully and seemingly casually, circling the rink on the fresh ice under her skates.

A few minutes later, another person walks briskly from the locker room to the edge of the rink, takes off the covers from his skates, and also starts to circle the rink with relaxed kicks at his own pace.

The skaters approach each other. They grab each other's hands and start skating hand in hand. They quickly become one.

Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis are ready to begin their training day.

They have been an ice dancing couple for several years. The duo has practiced a huge amount together. The contact is close in the practices and performances, as it should be in ice dancing. In the sport, you have to show emotions and be fully involved.

Turkkila and Versluis's highly skilled performances and dedication to the sport is obvious from the sidelines even to those who don't understand the subtleties of the sport. I'm one of them.

So there's a lot of background work to be done. When I Google Turkkila and Versluis, I see what people are really interested about our top ice dancers.

Are they a couple?

I don't know them, I don't know that. It feels a little uncomfortable to ask that at this point. Maybe I'll ask about it later.

“We were both clueless”

– At its best, it's a state of flow when we perform and the movements merge into each other.
This is how Turkkila describes the feeling on the ice. Versluis nods next to him.

The duo, born in 1994, began their ice dancing career together in the spring of 2016, almost eight years ago.

Turkkila and Versluis have spent a lot of time together. This is clearly evident in the interview situation, where both complete each other's sentences.
If one searches for a specific word, it comes from the other, off the shelf.

Their career has been on the rise in recent years. The ice dancing pair celebrated bronze at the European Championships last winter, and in early October they won the Finlandia Trophy.
The journey to the top has been long. Versluis says that the transition to ice dancing was not easy at first, as both started out as solo skaters.
– The first few years were challenging. We were both completely out of our depth. Of course, in the beginning, it was outside from our...
– ...comfort zone, Turkkila adds.

In ice dancing, you have to feel the emotion, the touch has to seem genuine and natural.
The emotion has to be conveyed to the audience. It weighs heavily when the judges give out points.
The couple wanted to focus more on their performance on the ice. They sought to be bold and diva-like.

– We don't want to come across as 'shy Finns'. Some might think that we're cold after the performance, as if we don't go all in with the performance, Turkkila says.
– Sometimes we feel we should give out even more, Versluis says.

Touch became familiar

Turkkila considers it a strength that they both started ice dancing together at the same time. They have not danced on ice with others.
– We have merged together from the very beginning. We don't know what it feels like to skate with someone else. Of course, we sometimes try something with the coaches.

In recent years, the couple has learned to relax in their performances. The touch already feels natural, Versluis underlines.
– There's no need to force it...
– …or tense up about it, Turkkila continues.

How has touch become natural?

– It has come through repetitions and traveling together. There have been so many kilometers on the ice with each other, Turkkila answers.
Versluis emphasizes that the emotion in the performance comes mainly through the music.
– When we find music and are able to bring it out, then...
– ...then that feeling becomes shared. Then we can be relaxed on the ice, Turkkila says.
– Our interaction has improved tremendously, Versluis concludes.

No longer alone with emotions

The man in the padded jacket has been observing from behind the plastic screens on the side of the rink. He turns out to be coach Maurizio Margaglio. The Italian coach is also a DJ and turns on the music after the warm-up. Now it's time to get serious about training.

Turkkila and Versluis glide together on the ice. The Pirkkola hall is bleak and colourless, but the ice dancing couple exudes warmth. The movements of their hands and feet go smoothly in the same rhythm.

Turkkila often has a broad, even cheeky smile. Versluis' expression is more serious and focused.

Margaglio turns off the music and jumps onto the ice. The Italian gestures with his hands and the Finnish duo listens.
Margaglio, who once won the world championship and Olympic bronze medal in ice dancing, shows off a couple of moves himself, followed by Turkkila and Versluis.

They are pushing their program towards the winter games. The pair, who are on a strong rise, will head to the European Championships in Lithuania in January with the aim of improving on last year's European Championship bronze. The main goal of their career is the 2026 Winter Olympics.
By then, they would have already been traveling together for ten years.

Turkkila thinks that the best part of her ice dancing career has been sharing it with Matthias. She didn't get the same feeling from solo skating.
– It's been wonderful to be able to share successes. In this sport, you're not alone with your feelings. There's someone else who has experienced exactly the same thing, Turkkila says.
Versluis agrees: in solo skating, he was only with his own emotions.
– It's very nice to have another person going through the same process.

“Nobody has ever come to ask”

The exercises are over.

They started at 9:30 in the morning and ended at 4:00 in the afternoon. There was a little over an hour's lunch break in between. The day included two ice workouts and one dance workout, or about four hours of joint training with breaks.
Turkkila and Versluis go to the locker rooms to pack their things.

The question comes to mind again. How will they leave here, alone or together?

It's obvious that their chemistry is very visible on the ice. That doesn't mean they're dating. It wouldn't be that unusual in figure skating circles, though. In ice dancing, some couples are also together off-the-ice.

Have many people come to ask you if you are a couple?

The question makes them smile. Versluis answers.
– People probably speculate more about it online. Strangers has never asked it.
– Nobody has brought it up, Turkkila says.

So am I the first stranger to ask this?
I just have to ask.

I get a clear answer: one of them is dating, the other is not.

Is ice dancing difficult to combine with your private life?

– I have a long-term girlfriend. We've been through some discussions, but she's really supportive of me. There are no problems. Everything has gone well, says Versluis.
– We don't see each other a lot in our free time. We spend enough time together at the ice rink.

After the interview, they both go their separate ways.
They will see again soon.

 

[dorispulaski]

Thank you!

 

[dorispulaski]

I added it to the OP