Yay, I found someone who was willing to do a more thorough translation!
Adrian Schultheiss made his big international breakthrough at last year’s Olympics: he was the first Swede to land a quadruple jump and his long program was brilliant. At the world championships a little later he made his personal best score and came in ninth place. He took his last step to the world’s elite last year.
But it seems not to be that easy. “I’ve had a little slump this year. There has been too much figure skating, I could not take it. Last summer my legs were overstrained and I was not able to train properly. Also the situation with my coach was difficult. Now I have changed coaches and I hope to climb up the rankings again.”
Schultheiss has even thought about quitting the sport altogether and finding something else for the future. He is not even sure if there will be a season 2011-2012 for him.
“I’ve wanted to go on until the next Olympics but we’ll see what happens next year. It is sometimes a little hard. But I hope for the best.”
So you are not totally convinced to continue, there is a little doubt?
“It is a little uncertain. It has not been so fun lately. But I hope the coaching change will help to sort things out.”
Three weeks before the Swedish nationals Adrian Schultheiss broke up with his coach of many years, Evgeni Lutkov. Now he has two coaches, Maria Bergqvist and Johanna Dahlstrand.
“This was needed to be able to loosen things up a little. Now I have a say in my own training. Things were not working out with my old coach any more.”
Do you feel there is now room for development? Are you going to raise the bar a little now?
“I hope so. But now I’ve chosen a coach who is in the first hand supportive and is there for me. The practices have become more fun.”
Next week it is time to leave all ponderings aside and put all efforts on the European Championships in Bern.
“I hope for a good placement. Actually I would like to be in the top five. Anyway, the season has not been that great so far. But top ten at least.”
Adrian Schultheiss has all the technical elements in his skating that are needed to place well in the competition. Now it is time to improve his presentation. The presentation score is almost as important as the technical aspect when it comes to points. But it is much more difficult.
“You have to have a story in the program, not just to skate around like a dead swan but to be alive and tell something.”
How do you see your own presentation?
“Last year I think it was good but this year the judges have not understood me yet.”
Are you difficult to understand?
“A little.” (laughs)
What do you think is the reason?
“I think my long program last year was really good but I did not get the scores I wanted until the world championships. It took some time for them to get the program.”
Last year Adrian Schultheiss used for the first time classical music, in his short program. He has been known of choosing very modern songs for his skating in the past. But he has not taken the step into the classical world in order to please the conservative judges.
“I don’t think the music determines the score the skater is going to get from his programs.”
Has your former music shocked the judges?
“Well, no, but maybe they don’t like it. Those who sit at the judging panel are often older people and not necessarily listen to the contemporary music that I do.”
Do you think it is good now that you combine classical and modern music?
“I never choose music that I don’t like. I don’t do anything for the judges or anyone but I do everything for my own sake.”
Do you have some spectacular moment in your new programs like the move we remember when you bend backwards and make a shooting move in front of the judges, something that sticks out?
“Not anything that much now, that was the real highlight (laughs). But in my long program I’m drying up blood from my arm, my friend died in a fight at the beginning of the program and my sleeve got stained by his blood. And in the short program there are some snake moves. But nothing like shooting the judges.”
So you have already made your best move. (laughing) When you make up a new program, how much do you think about the storytelling?
“I want the program to have a story, that I can make something up myself, so that it feels plausible and real when I’m skating. I want to know why there is a hand move or a facial expression in a certain moment, what should I feel when skating to it and so on. It feels better to skate to a story than to skate around to some music and choreography with no idea behind.”
Is it more important to you to understand it yourself than to make it visible for someone who’s watching?
“It’s the most important for myself because many people don't understand when I’m for example drying the blood from my sleeve, they think I’m washing something or scratching something itchy (laughing). But for me it is important that there is something behind everything I do.”
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