显身卡
We met Tomas Verner in Courmayeur before his exhibition for the “Stars on ice” tour. He seemed really motivated, he is aware of his mistakes and yet determined to look ahead and achieve his next goals.
How are you getting ready for the forthcoming season? Where are you training?
Tomas: I am training mainly in Toronto, but sometimes also in Prague or Italy, such as during these weeks, as I am busy with the Stars on Ice tour. Unlike last season, this year I will not be working with Pasquale Camerlengo. I am training with my coach Robert Emerson and with choreographers Lori Nichol and David Wilson. I am working hard and I feel really good. The GP events I will compete in include Skate America and Trophée Eric Bompard. After that, of course, there will be the European and World Championships.
Can you tell us something about your new programs and the music you chose? Are both the short and free program completely new?
Tomas: The free program will be partially new. I decided to keep the music of “La Vie en Rose” and “Sing, Sing, Sing”, with the addition of “It ain’t mean a thing if it has no swing” by Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. I loved that program, and I never skated it at my best. I hope I can do it next season. The short program will be completely new, instead. I chose “Dracula” as vampires are very fashionable these days… I will be a different Dracula though, not as dark as one might expect…
Will Tomas Verner wear Dracula’s outfit, then?
Tomas: I will wear a Broadway outfit designed a few years ago. You will see… I really enjoy it!
Let’s go back to last season. What do you have to say about it? What happened?
Tomas: Last season was simply a disaster for me, a year I want to forget, especially the Worlds’. I don’t really know what happened. It was a bad moment, but deceipt and defeat teach you to get on your feet again to improve, it’s really motivating. I am about to face a new season and I want to be one of the bests. I know I can do it. Getting on the podium wouldn’t be a bad thing either…
During this tour you will be skating with Plushenko… Last year he made his comeback by winning the Europeans’ in Sheffield… He is a skating legend
Tomas: Evgeni is a great skater. He proved he really is a legend. He was a teenager when he started to win competitions, and year after year your are amazed by his consistency. He gave so much to figure skating. He is an incredible athlete.
Which are your favorite skaters of the past and the present, the athletes that inspire you?
Tomas: As for the present, I love Daisuke Takahashi, the way he skates, his programs, his choreography. I like following his career, he is able to draw your attention and inspire you with his charisma. Talking of the past… I would say Kurt Browning. I really admire him.
Tomas Verner and his spare time. What do you enjoy doing when you’re not skating?
Tomas: Skating takes most of my time, as besides training there are physiotheraphy and medical check-ups, in other words all the activities that make up the career of an atlete. I confirm you that I am exactly how I look. I am a simple guy who, last May, decided to get back to studying, who likes going out with friends and watching football and the matches of the Juventus team… where my fellow-countryman Pavel Nedved played, and where the amazing Gianluigi Buffon plays… I also like listening to music and watching movies, I’m really fond of cinema.
How about your future? Will you be competing in Sochi in 2014?
Tomas: I can tell you that, if I am healthy and I am as motivated as now, I will be in Sochi. If everything goes well, I’ll certainly be there.
You have many supporters, not only in your country or in Canada where you’re training, but all over the world, including Italy. Do you want to say something to them?
Tomas: Yes, I thank them very much for the strenght they give me to go on. Guys, I know there’s many of you and I am happy about it. Here’s my message: “when I am facing a difficult moment, I keep repeating myself: “Don’t give up smiling”. You know, it’s really important, so I want to share it with you, my fans:never stop smiling, no matter what happens”.
We wish Tomas the very best for his next competitions, looking forward to meeting his charming Dracula, a vampire with Tomas’ smile and humanity.
Barbara Castellaro