Hi guys,
@reader3 asked me to translate an interview/story about Oona and Gage Brown. Apologies for any typos. Also, the host keep saying National Championships in Las Vegas, but I assume they mean Nashville?
The link to the original is here:
https://www.facebook.com/IceTheatreOfNewYork/videos/224888865783963
Pandemics and sport: A Story of Young Figure Skaters
Host: This skating rink in Long Island is a training center for the future figure skating champions. This is where Oona and Gage Brown, national bronze medalists in ice dance, polish their technical skills five times a week. The young skaters practice the routine that they will be showing during the 2021 US Championship in Las Vegas. We’re about to see potential future US figure-skating Champions.
Right now Oona and Gage perform the elements easily, but behind every lift there are many years of hard work. The brother and sister put on their skates when he was six, and she--four years of age. In the beginning, the siblings skated individually. But, one day, a Christmas miracle changed their lives. And, it seems--forever.
Gage: We attended our elder sister’s figure-skating competition. We were so excited that we told one another…
Together: Wow, we want to do the same.
Gage: So, yes, we wanted to try, and fell in love with the sport. We skated, but we did singles for four years. Then our mom and our coach decided that it’s going to be cool if we would perform in a Christmas show as a pair. Since then, we don’t part while we skate.
Host: Oona and Gage are ranked tenth in juniors. During their entire career, to quote a figure-skating adage, the ice was soft for them. Twelve years they skated together without injuries or quarrels.
Gage: Sometimes we could disagree, as is normal for any team. I have my opinion, and my sister has her own. It’s not like we spend all 24 hours per day together.
Host: Oona and Gage spend their free time practicing music or gardening. Browns have seven children. Mom is responsible for kids' education.
Joan Brown: I understood that the guys have bright futures when I saw them in a competition. They fought to the last. Overall, all my kids are competitive and like to work. I think this is due to them growing up in a family with many siblings.
Host: The coach also thinks that the pair’s success is due to the rare combination of talent and proper upbringing.
Inessa Busevic (coach): Mom leaves them here, and they spend their whole day at the rink. Once they finish their morning practice, without mom or anyone else telling them what to do, they take off their skates, cool down, stretch, then sit down to study and do their homework. It’s self-discipline like that, that brings good results.
Gage: I prefer wearing thin socks in my skates. Each athlete has their own preferences, but I prefer that.
Host: After the bronze medalists finish their practice of all the spins and lifts, they invite our team on the ice.
Host: The guys are great teachers, but I won’t become a champion even in a local competition.
Host: Tight schedule, Specialized diet, continuous physical exertion are not all the challenges the young athletes face. Oona and Gage train 24 hours a week. 18 hours are spent on the ice. The rest of time is for on-ice training, in a gym or stadium by their home. Of course, before the important competitions, the practices increase in frequency.
Host: Figure skaters’ mom says that the big sport requires both physical and financial investment.
Joan Brown: it is hard for a family with seven kids, even though we receive some funding from the state. If I knew how expensive Figure Skating is, I doubt I would have decided to go on with it. But now we have fans, and they sometimes help us.
Host: the team also has its own idols among the figure skaters.
Gage: Yes, we admire Victoria Sinitzina and Nikita Katsalapov’s technique, as well as Stepanova/Bukin. We really like these two teams.
Host: Did you like competing in Russia?
Gage: Yes, it was great. It was the biggest and the loudest audience we had ever performed for.
Host: Here, the duet was recalling the competition in Chelyabinsk where they performed last year. It was in 2020, and then, just like for everyone, the next season was the most difficult, due to pandemic. Now the couple is preparing for the national Championship in Vegas
Host: What’s your deepest heart’s desire?
Oona: We dream about making the Olympic team, doing well there, and placing high in the national and international competitions.
Gage: Olympics are of course a dream of every athlete, but I also want to be the kind of person who inspires others. For example, I want to inspire people to lace up their skates and skate just like that, for their own enjoyment.
