Chock, Bates take risk by starting season later than usual
The recent trend has been for skaters to do at least one if not two Challenger Series events before jumping into the Grand Prix Series, the thinking being that it's beneficial to get your programs out in front of a judging panel so you can pinpoint the areas you need to work on before the stakes get raised.
Madison Chock and Evan Bates are bucking that trend. They are not competing until their first Grand Prix event, Cup of China the first week of November.
"That's a first for us," said Bates, who, with Chock, did two Challenger Series events last year and one apiece in each of the two seasons before that. "That gives us extra time to polish our program and to make sure it's in the right place and looking the way we want it to before we debut it."
Extra time, yes, but how do they know if what they're doing is any good?
"We were in Chesapeake (for the annual Chesapeake Open in mid-June), we were at Champs Camp. We've gotten feedback from judges and from technical specialists. It's not like the program is completely veiled," Bates said. "It's a new experience for us, but we're hoping when we do debut the program, it'll make a splash."
Chock also stressed that at this point in their careers, she and Bates and their coach, Igor Shpilband, know what works best for the team, and that they also rely a lot on video analysis.
Bates is in his ninth season as a senior competitor and is bidding to make his third Olympic team. His longevity in skating is matched by few others.
How has he managed to last this long in such a physically demanding sport?
"A mixture of persistence, hard work and good fortune," Bates said humbly. "I certainly have dealt with injuries, I've missed a whole season before. I changed partners, I changed coaches. Things have worked out for me in a way that has allowed me to land in a good situation, and I have a partner that has a really positive attitude."
With all the experience he has under his belt, Bates can offer a bit of wisdom to those Olympic hopefuls who are going through the process for the first time in their careers.
"Don't do anything different. Stick to what's worked for you in the past," he said. "I would stress to them the importance of appreciating what is in front of you, the opportunity in front of you. You never know if you'll get the opportunity again. It's a sport, it's unpredictable. Take advantage of the moment."
Sound advice from a man who is still going strong after almost a decade of competing at the highest level of his sport.
the performance's intent ... objective.
