Team Austria

[text_skate]

Interview with Miriam Ziegler on lokal TV yesterday (in German), not geo-blocked:

https://tvthek.orf.at/profile/Burge...unstlaeuferin-Ziegler-blickt-zurueck/15069671

It's her last season, 3 highlights ahead: EC, WC and OG
Asked, about early announcement of retirement: I'm a person who needs things to be planned ahead. Needs to know, where things are going. She knows there will be a time after skating. She always tried to enjoy the moment, even the hard/difficult ones.
Goal for OG: To reach final and show FS. She already has 3 Olys under her belt, she never had the opportunity to show FS.
Preparation for this season not as planned becaus of injuries. Miriam is opitmistic, that from now on there will be no hickups or injuries, and that they'll be able to train on a regular basis, and therefore skate to their full potential.

I'm rooting for her and Severin to show their full potential, make the FS at Olys, good plaments at Euros and Worlds

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

I've neglected this thread in the last months, so let's catch up with Team Austria!

We've had some minor and major upsets at 2022 Nationals, with Stefanie Pesendorfer beating favourite Olga Mikutina, who is still recovering from injury, in the ladies' division and Luc Maierhofer winning gold in front of Maurizio Zandron in the men's. Miriam Ziegler and Severin Kiefer skated to their sixth national title in pairs.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXXzwU7LqtD/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXYDFWKrUCn/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXXzQWgLQJ-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Some videos to the performances are linked in the 2022 Austrian Nationals competition thread.

The team for Europeans will be Olga, Maurizio, and Miriam and Severin.



Skate Austria has also started a blog going towards the Olympics, where they feature established athletes as well as new comers in Team Austria. So far, three articles have been published:
About Austrian Novice (soon to be Junior) Ice Dancers Lisi and Leo Havers : https://skateaustria.at/news/grosse-fortschritte-grosse-leidenschaft-grosse-ziele
About Miriam, Severin, and their final season : https://skateaustria.at/news/die-saison-der-letzten-male
About Maurizio and training quad Lutz and quad Loop : https://skateaustria.at/news/der-kunstvolle-erzaehler-auf-dem-eis

 

[Talder]

I've neglected this thread in the last months, so let's catch up with Team Austria!

We've had some minor and major upsets at 2022 Nationals, with Stefanie Pesendorfer beating favourite Olga Mikutina, who is still recovering from injury, in the ladies' division and Luc Maierhofer winning gold in front of Maurizio Zandron in the men's. Miriam Ziegler and Severin Kiefer skated to their sixth national title in pairs.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXXzwU7LqtD/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXYDFWKrUCn/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXXzQWgLQJ-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Some videos to the performances are linked in the 2022 Austrian Nationals competition thread.

The team for Europeans will be Olga, Maurizio, and Miriam and Severin.



Skate Austria has also started a blog going towards the Olympics, where they feature established athletes as well as new comers in Team Austria. So far, three articles have been published:
About Austrian Novice (soon to be Junior) Ice Dancers Lisi and Leo Havers : https://skateaustria.at/news/grosse-fortschritte-grosse-leidenschaft-grosse-ziele
About Miriam, Severin, and their final season : https://skateaustria.at/news/die-saison-der-letzten-male
About Maurizio and training quad Lutz and quad Loop : https://skateaustria.at/news/der-kunstvolle-erzaehler-auf-dem-eis

 

[Talder]

I hope Choinard and Mayr get out in 2022. Hopefully they will be healthy and make an appearance at nationals

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

I am one week late but Luc Maierhofer won silver at the Bavarian Open and what is more, he went for a 4T (it was downgraded though).
(Off topic: In the same competition Vladimir Samoilov won gold and he and his insanely weird FS got Worlds TES minimums. Since he is the only man competing for Poland with TES minimums in both segments, I hope he will finally make a trip to Worlds this season.)



Also, Anita and Andreas Straub got their TES minimums for JWC at Bavarian Open. I can't even remember the last time Austria had an ice dance team at an ISU championship. This will be so exciting!

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

I hope Choinard and Mayr get out in 2022. Hopefully they will be healthy and make an appearance at nationals

Do you know what's going on with them? They aren't listed in any of the Austrian national teams anymore (neither A, B, nor junior).

 

[Talder]

Do you know what's going on with them? They aren't listed in any of the Austrian national teams anymore (neither A, B, nor junior).

I know that to be named to a team they have to earn the required team score at an isu event or nationals. They were not able to do this because of covid and travel restrictions in 2020 and most of 2021. They couldn't do international events with Canada's reentry rules as Mayr would not have been allowed back into Canada to train. The first competition they could have done that would have qualified once restrictions were improved in Canada was John Nicks in NYC last September and Choinard had an injury on the practice ice where she tore her meniscus and needed surgery. They are just back on the ice in Oakville the last few weeks.

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

Good luck to Olga and Stefanie tomorrow when they will skate their SPs at Worlds! May Olga repeat last year's success and may Stefanie have an excellent senior Worlds debut!

Olga has already shared some impressions from the hotel complex they are staying at. Looks nice, if a bit windy.



Good luck also to Miriam and Severin. May they enjoy their final competition!

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

Happy birthday to Austria's reigning National Champion Luc Maierhofer!

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

Not sure what to make of this, but Drew Meekins just posted this insta story:



So does this mean that Luc switched to pairs skating???
Theoretically, it could be a smart move, with Miriam and Severin retired and Maurizio claiming all the international assignments for Austrian men over the last years. But wow, if true, this is an unexpected and exciting development. The international pairs field is wide open at the moment, so who knows.... Go Luc and Giorgia!

 

[Andrea82]

Any news on Alice? Will she be put to rest?

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

Any news on Alice? Will she be put to rest?

There haven't been any program announcements yet (as far as I'm aware), but I think Alice and the Mad Hatter have been finally sent back to Wonderland. To stay with the theme, for the new SP I suggest Jefferson Airplane's White Rabbit.

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

Miriam, Severin, and Olga are among the Austrian figure skating stars celebrating 125 years of Skate Austria.

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

The plot thickens...
This doesn't look bad at all! I am getting excited.

 

[Talder]

The plot thickens...
This doesn't look bad at all! I am getting excited.

Livio Mayr and Sophia Schaller have teamed up and are training in Oakville Canada

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

Livio Mayr and Sophia Schaller have teamed up and are training in Oakville Canada

Wow, the news gets more unexpected by the minute. What happened to Chloe Choinard? I hope she made a full recovery from her injury!

 

[Talder]

Wow, the news gets more unexpected by the minute. What happened to Chloe Choinard? I hope she made a full recovery from her injury!

She has moved to synchro and is skating for NEXXICE senior

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

Grand Prix assignments are out! Lovely Olga got France and NHK and Maurizio also punched a ticket to NHK.
I never thought I'd see it, but Alice goes GP!!!!

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

It's official, Sophia Schaller and Livio Mayr are entered at John Nicks Pairs Challenge. Good luck to them in their first competition together!

 

[CrazyKittenLady]

Since she doesn't have a fanfest (yet), I'll post Stefanie Pesendorfer's performances from 2022 Nebelhorn here. Steffie came back from a serious back injury last season and her motivation and progress are truly inspiring. Good luck, smooth ice and clean skates to her in her next competitions. I'll be cheering for Steffie!

SP:


FS: