An Interview with Théo Le Mercier

Ice dancing. It's a discipline in which change, at least in terms of the placements of teams, is rarely ever seen. A revolution such as the young trio of Alexandra Trusova, Anna Shcherbakova, and Alena Kostornaya taking the world by storm with their domination of this season's Grand Prix Series would be nearly inconceivable in ice dancing. However, in this week's upcoming Junior Grand Prix Final, we'll see a dance field that is a bit less traditional than what we might normally expect. While the participation of three Russian couples and one American couple is not anything too unusual, it's the two other couples who bring something unique to the table. One of them is a Georgian couple who've qualified for their second final in a row. The other, a French team that trains in a town populated by less than five thousand people.

In the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France, you'll find the town of Villard de Lans, a place often visited in the winter for skiing and in other seasons for hiking and hot air ballooning. This town is the location of where the Maquis du Vercors, a French resistance group fighting against German occupation during World War II, was formed. It was also the host of the luge events in the 1968 Winter Olympics, officially held in the nearby city of Grenoble. Currently, it is the training location of many of France's top internationally competitive dance couples. Of the six French teams who competed on the Junior Grand Prix circuit this fall, four of them train in this town.

The couples from Villard de Lans are unique not only for their training location or quantity, but also for the one-of-a-kind style that is evident in all of their programs. Each program, created by coach and choreographer Karine Arribert-Narce, is recognizable by their sharp, isolated movements, unusual partnering, and dynamic creativity. Making up the rest of the coaching team is Vladimir Pastoukhov and Viola Zakhlyupana.

One couple currently training in the town, Loïcia Demougeot and Théo Le Mercier, has seen great improvements to their skating and results in the past few years. They placed eighth at last season's World Junior Championships and have now qualified for their first ever Junior Grand Prix Final. Before they departed for Torino, I got the chance to hear from Théo on his partnership with Loïcia and their season so far, among other things. Their story is one not many people get to hear, and I am very grateful to have learned more about it and to be able to share it.

*Responses have been edited for clarity as well as translated when necessary.

Photo courtesy of Théo Le Mercier

When did you first start skating?

I first started skating when I was three years old, seventeen years ago.

How did you and Loïcia start skating together?

We first met when we were training in Belfort. We both came from Belfort, but I was training with another partner, and she was solo. I wanted to leave Belfort to train at a higher level, because in Belfort I was only training five hours a week. For competing on the national team [representing France in international competitions] you have to train more, so I had to go somewhere else, and I chose Villard de Lans. In the beginning, I was supposed to go with my old partner, but she didn't want to come.

Karine Arribert called Loïcia to tell her "I have a boy for you. I can't tell you his name, but you have to come to Villard de Lans." So, she came to Villard de Lans and the boy was me. That's how we started to skate together.

You two have been on a pretty steady incline going up the international ranks in the last few years. This season, you received your first medals, two silvers, on the Junior Grand Prix series and qualified for your first Junior Grand Prix Final. How do you feel about your accomplishments from this season so far?

I'm very appealed with this accomplishment. It's the result of all the work we did in these few years. I think we really did the principle work last year, because two years ago, we were tenth and eighth in the [Junior] Grand Prix, and last year, fourth and fifth. We've improved a lot, and I think it's just the logical continuation. We continued to improve this year, and I'm really happy for that.

The Final has been my dream since a long time ago. When I came to Marseille in 2016 [for that year's Grand Prix Final], I was like "Oh, wow. I want to do that. I want to do the final."

Do you have a specific goal for next week?

For next week, the goal is already done, because the goal of the season was to do the final. Next week, I just want to go do my best and see what happens. I don't want to be last, just that. I don't want to go to the final and just say "I don't care. I'll go to the final and if I get sixth, it's okay because it's the final." No, I don't want that. Maybe if I skate well I think we can get to the podium, but it will be really hard.

You and the rest of the junior couples had a tough task this year; you had to compete the new pattern dance, the Tea-Time Foxtrot, for your rhythm dance. What was your experience with learning the dance?

I liked it, because, for example, when you learn the Argentine Tango, you don't have to learn the certain timing on a video. You already know it, because it's a really old dance. I remember when we were beginning the new dance in March or April. We were watching the video of the Polish couple [Natalia Kaliszek and Maksym Spodyriev, the creators of the dance] and we were like "Woah woah woah, it's not easy timing." It was really interesting. I have a really good memory of that.

The timing of this dance is really hard for a junior, so it was really interesting. It changed from the standard dances we had last year and two years ago, with the Argentine Tango, Cha Cha, and Blues. It's really different, so it's cool.

Loïcia and Théo's Rhythm Dance this season shows off a fun and lively side to their skating.

Did you go to one of the seminars that Kaliszek and Spodyriev taught?

Yes. The seminar was two or three days. They came to Paris, we went, and we learned a lot from them. They explained a lot about timing and technique to do the Tea-Time. I think it was really useful. I was afraid that I would go to this and learn nothing, but that didn't happen. I learned a lot.

It seems that you and Loïcia are a couple that always does what others don't (like in your music selections, choreography, and costumes). Do you have a common approach that you keep in mind while creating all of your programs?

I think Karine's style can be seen in all of our programs. When we do rock, when we do Carmen, when we do Game of Thrones, I think there are some similar steps that we can recognize as the style of Karine. However, it's never the same. When I finish a season and start a new program, I don't want to do my old program anymore. It's like I'm tired of the program when I finish the season. When we start a new season, we have to create programs that are really different from our previous ones. I don't always want to do the same thing, because it's not interesting. I don't want to have just one style. I want to be different every year, because when we start a new season, people will say "A new program? I want to see it. I'm curious to see it."

Loïcia and Théo's rock and roll free dance from last season featured lots of intricate choreography, like this assisted cartwheel in the middle of their circular footwork. - Photo courtesy of Robin Ritoss and ice-dance.com

While you train in an area that is not super well known by people all over the world, your training group still includes many of your federation's internationally competitive teams, and you often travel with them to the same international competitions. What is it like to be so closely involved with so many of the top teams in your country?

For me, it's not complicated. Lou Terreaux (Junior Grand Prix competitor with Noe Perron, and training mate to Théo) is like my sister, so I've known her for a long time. Noe is my best friend, and I've known Marie and Thomas (Junior Grand Prix competitors and partners Marie Dupayage and Thomas Nabais) for a long time too. It's different in our camp, because we are like a family.

Contrary to other camps, we don't pay too much money to train in Villard de Lans, so that's a good thing. Our training setup is very French. For example, we are very different from other camps because we do not pay for our lessons by the hour, and we are always together in training. We all go together to competitions because it ends up being less expensive.

For the competition between us, I think we've been placing higher than the second and third junior couples (referring to Terreaux and Perron and Dupayage and Nabais, in no particular order) in France, so it's not a problem for us to compete all the time against them. For us, it's not really hard. For them, it's something else, because for Lou and Noe and Marie and Thomas, their place at the Junior World Championships at the end of the season is based on all of the competitions they do. (Note: France only has two spots in dance for this season's Junior Worlds. Assuming the first spot goes to Demougeot and Le Mercier, the second spot is likely to go to either Terreaux and Perron or Dupayage and Nabais, meaning an all-Villard de Lans junior world team is very probable) The showdown between them is harder than the showdown between us and them. For us, being in competition with them doesn't change anything.

[Training with the other couples] is better, because I prefer training with competitors. It's better for the ambience.

What do you like most about training and living in Villard de Lans?

I don't like living in the big city, so Villard de Lans is perfect for me, because it's in the mountains. There are not a lot of people who live there, so it's perfect for me. I like the calm, and I like the training style because it's different from other camps, like I said before.

Along with ice dancing, you and your training mates also compete together in ballet on ice (also known as theatre on ice, or ballet sur glace) and this past April, you and your team won the senior division at the discipline's most prestigious international event, Nations Cup. What is your personal experience with competing in ballet on ice?

We are not as involved in ballet as other places. For us, it is a requirement for ice dancers. We won Nations Cup when we were training just one hour a week. It's the same as last year when we made our programs only one week before the first competition, so we don't train so much ballet.

I think the level of ballet is improving every year. At the last Nations Cup, it was really competitive and I really liked it. The atmosphere was really good between all of the teams, and the American teams had such spirit for the sport. It was a big pleasure to meet American teams this Nations Cup, because the result was closer than ever. All the time when Villard de Lans would win Nations Cup, they would win by many points. This year, it was closer than ever. We were at a really good level, and the American team (Silver medalists Forte of Boston) finished very, very close to us. It was a good competition and I hope it will be the same in the future, and maybe we can lose! We don't take ballet on ice as seriously as American teams might. I think American teams train a lot more than us. I think a team like Hartland (Harmony Theatre Company from Hartland, Michigan, one of America's top theatre on ice programs) trains a lot. I think one day they will beat us and it will become really normal.

A picture from Nations Cup that perfectly shows the joy of skaters from all over the world joining together in a supportive, friendly environment. - Photo courtesy of Solene Mazingue

What is it like to train in two disciplines at such a high level?

With ballet, it's not as high level as ice dancing. Right now, for example, it's been about two months since I've practiced ballet on ice.

How do you think ballet on ice influences your ice dancing?

I think it's a really good exercise for ice dancing. I learned to dance in ballet on ice because of the programs made by Karine. I was not a good dancer when I came to Villard de Lans, and the ballet has really helped me on that. I think it has helped me get the feeling and timing of the music.

I noticed that your Carmen free dance was adapted from your ballet free skate from Nations Cup.

Yeah, ballet on ice has really helped me with that.

The senior theatre team from Villard de Lans (Including Demougeot and Le Mercier, Dupayage and Nabais, Terreaux and Perron, and senior couple Lila-Maya Seclet Monchot and Renan Manceau) performing their Carmen free skate. See how much choreography you can find that was adapted for Demougeot and Le Mercier's free dance!

With all of your competitions for both disciplines, you must travel more than the average skater. How do you manage such a busy schedule?

The season of ballet is not during the same time as the season of dance, so it's okay for traveling. At the end of the season for ice dancing, we don't travel so much, because there is only the world championship. We travel for the world championship, and it's okay after. When we compete in ballet, it's either in France or for Nations Cup. We don't do competitions in other countries, except for Nations Cup.

It must not be easy to compete at the World Junior Championships one week and compete in ballet the next week.

Yes. Right when I'm done at the world championships, I don't want to do ballet, but once I'm competing, it's okay. At the start, it's hard, but after it's okay.

It's a lot of work to do what you do. What keeps you motivated to do everything you're doing?

For me, what motivates me is winning. I only do sports for winning. I don't like doing sports just for doing sports, you know, for improving, etc. When I train hard and I want to improve, it's for winning. It's the only reason I do sports. The gold medal is my motivation.

Loïcia and Théo in their Argentine Tango Rhythm Dance from last season. - Courtesy of Robin Ritoss and ice-dance.com

Quick Questions

What music do you listen to outside of the rink?

I listen to a lot of types of music. I like American rap and French rap. When I like music, it can be anything. I can like some French rap music and I can dislike some French rap music.

What is your dream song to skate to?

That's a difficult question. When I listen to music, in the moment I can say "I want to skate to this." When I like music like that, I listen to it a lot of times, so one week later, I'll say "I don't like this anymore." I don't think there's anything I really want to skate to right now.

What is your favorite place you've traveled to for skating?

I liked Richmond, because we went to Vancouver, and it was really good. I think Nations Cup in Ann Arbor (Michigan) was my favorite trip, even though I was sick. I had mononucleosis after the competition, so I couldn't go to Niagara Falls. I was a bit disappointed because of that. It was a good memory, not because of the mono, but the travel was a good memory. We went to Toronto, and I really liked it.

What is your favorite pattern dance?

I like the Blues. I think I'm strong in that dance. I like the Argentine Tango too.

What do you like to eat after practice?

I like to eat something like burgers or kebabs. I like junk food. It's not good but I like it. I try not to eat it a lot but I eat food like that sometimes. When I'm really hungry after training, I love to make a ham sandwich. I also love to drink fruit juice, so I normally have this when I'm hungry after training. This year, we finish our training at noon, so when I go home after, I can't eat the same thing anymore.

Théo will take the ice with Loïcia this week at the Junior Grand Prix Final starting this Friday. Good luck to them!

If you enjoyed this interview and would like to see similar posts, let me know who else I should interview. I've been looking to start doing posts like this for a while and I'd love to continue with this type of coverage.

Happy December!
-TJ

Why US Figure Skating Developed a New Qualifying Pipeline

This month, as with every January, the US Figure Skating Championships will take place, only this year will mark the final time, at least for now, that events at the juvenile, intermediate, and novice levels will be held. This is only one change in US Figure Skating's reimagined qualifying competitive pipeline that will be implemented in the coming season. This system will introduce a new way that single skaters can qualify for sectionals as well as allow for a national ranking to be used for every participating skater in the country, among other things. Here is how US Figure Skating's new plan will work.

General Rules and Qualifying for Mens/Ladies Events

Single skaters, pairs, and dance couples will participate in newly developed National Qualifying Series, a group of competitions approved by US Figure Skating at which skaters can earn scores for a sectional and national ranking. These competitions will take place between June 1st and September 15th, and only the skater's highest total competition score from the final round of an event will count toward their ranking. When the series is over, all skaters that have earned a final round score in a participating event will receive a sectional ranking as well as a national ranking for their division. However, the winner of the series is not given the title "US Champion", as that is only used for the US Championships. The top six single skaters in each discipline and in each section receive a bye to their Sectional Singles Final. The rest of the skaters will have to compete at their Regional Singles Challenge and place in the top four in order to qualify for the Sectional Singles Final. This brings the number of single skaters competing in each event at sectionals up from 12 to 18. At sectionals, the top 4 single skaters in the senior and junior events will qualify for the US Figure Skating Championships along with any skaters who already received byes to nationals. The top 4 sectional finishers at the juvenile, intermediate, and novice levels become members of the National High-Performance Developmental Team and are invited to the National High-Performance Development Team Camp, a training program that takes place immediately after nationals. There, skaters and their coaches and parents can be trained to act as being a part of the development of the future of Team USA. Skaters can also earn Team USA assignments from this camp at the advanced novice and junior levels. The intention and hope for this as a replacement for national competition is to give the skaters what they can use to have successful figure skating careers, instead of just one more competition and one more medal. In addition, novice-level single skaters who place in the top 2 in their section are also invited to compete in the junior division at the US Figure Skating Championships. This is being done to allow skaters to debut at the junior level without the pressure of immediate success. To accommodate this change, the free skate durations for the intermediate and novice ladies and men have been made longer. More specifically, the novice free skate duration will exactly match the junior free skate at 3 minutes and 30 seconds. This change, along with the others I have stated, should work to establish the younger qualifying levels as structuring stages and build up a stronger field of Team USA members in the future.

Qualifying for Pairs and Dance

There are some important differences between the qualifying structure for singles and for pairs and dance, but the general idea is the same. Both disciplines will still have their own National Qualifying Series and national ranking, but no sectional ranking. Also, instead of competing at a Regional Singles Challenge in order to qualify for a Sectional Final, these skaters will compete at a Sectional Challenge in order to qualify for a US Final. The top 3 pairs and ice dance couples in their levels from the National Qualifying Series receive a bye to the US Final, while the top 5 pairs and couples at each sectional challenge will also qualify. The Sectional Pairs and Dance Challenges will take place at the same time and place as a Regional Singles Final in its corresponding section. The same is true for the US Pairs and Dance Finals and the Sectional Singles Finals. From the final, the top 12 juniors and seniors qualify for the US Figure Skating Championships, along with any national byes. As for the younger levels, the top 9 teams are invited to the National High-Performance Development Team Camp.

New Qualification Rule for Senior Competitors

The senior level in figure skating is usually the level with the lowest number of skaters in the country. This normally allows for every senior pair and dance couple to qualify for the national championships, even if they may not be able to qualify at the junior level or even lower. This, along with the very high number of byes for senior competitors, makes for very long senior national events with a wide range of ability. There are many cases in which the events are so long that spectators leave before the final warm-up groups begin, which is where the top skaters are seeded. The solution to this is to establish minimum technical element scores that must be met during the National Qualifying Series, the qualifying season, or at an ISU event in order to compete at the US Championships. This would set a higher standard for what is necessary to be a senior national competitor and, possibly, cut the competitive fields to a slightly smaller number. Personally, I think raising the bar for what is acceptable for a senior-level skater is a pretty good idea. I just hope we don't see USFSA shrink the fields too much, because I always like to see big senior events.

Why People Hate This

The answer to this is pretty simple if you ask the general population of currently competitive skaters; The younger levels don't have nationals any more. It's no secret that a lot of people see this as a big downside, but there is evidence to suggest that taking away this national success and recognition could be extremely beneficial to US Figure Skating's attempt to build up a stronger national team.

Ever since a national championship event for juvenile and intermediate skaters was first contested in 1991, skaters and parents began to believe that a national title at these levels was something to strive for. As a result, skaters would spend more time competing in the juvenile, intermediate, and novice levels with the goal of success at the US Championships, instead of challenging themselves and moving up toward the junior and senior levels for the better experience. To put it more simply, parents wanted their skaters to aim for short-term success, while US Figure Skating wanted them to aim for long-term success. It has also been shown that skaters tend to end their competitive careers within just a few seasons of competing at nationals at the Intermediate level. Of the 12 ladies who competed at that level at nationals in 2013, only two competed in the 2018 season, and four are no longer US Figure Skating members. What I found the most staggering is that of the 22 pairs competing at nationals at the intermediate or novice levels, only four individual skaters and one whole pair competed at the junior or senior level, which means 87% of those skaters did not compete last season. This is also largely affected by teams splitting up and skaters not finding partners who meet their preferences, but my frustration with the lack of longevity in US pair partnerships is for another time. To get back to my original point, the hope for replacing the US Championships being held for developmental levels with the National High-Performance Developmental Team Camp is to replace the goal for short-term success with a goal of setting up a future for the athlete as a strong skater at the junior and senior levels and a member of Team USA.

My only worry for this is that younger skaters will be less inclined to work as hard when they lose the chance to become a national champion. However, I wouldn't expect coaches to allow their skaters to put in any less effort than they already do, and the pairs and dance couples will still be able to compete at a national level with their US Pairs and Dance Finals, so I'm not all that concerned. I guess I'd just call it what I think is most likely to go wrong with this system, if anything. Still, I'm pretty confident that this system can be effective in the future.

So, I hope this helps with learning the new changes for next season! If you have anything you'd like to add or you have a question about something I said, don't be afraid to leave a comment.

Happy New Year!
-TJ