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Every British Olympian’s rite of passage is gear: a full day picking out and trying on all their brand new gear british team clothing. along with winter olympics With Milan-Cortina just three weeks away, British skaters – figure skating, speed skating and short track skating – will reap the rewards on Monday.
Ice dancers Phoebe Becker and James Hernandez are about to compete in their first Olympics and get their first taste of the equipment. “I don’t have to go shopping all year now,” Becker, 20, said with a laugh. “I never thought I’d be so fussy about the way something fits. You have to take into account, like, when I retire, I don’t think I’ll be as healthy as I am now, but I want to keep these things forever!”
The pair arrived at a hotel in Sheffield city center after a whirlwind weekend, fresh off a top European Championship finish, and the journey down the road to Utilita Stadium made it all the better. They recorded their best performance of the season with a free dance to the music of Romeo and Juliet, finishing in 11th place.
Becker and Hernandez, now in their fifth season of skating together, are still on cloud nine. “Right now, we’re still trying to come to grips with what a great week we had and we’re pretty much still on a high,” Becker said independent. “We’ll look back on this whole period and be in awe of what we’re going through now.”
Do they have time to process their experiences? “Honestly, no,” Hernandez said with a laugh. “In our sport, everyone always says, be present and that’s something we talk about with our coaches. It’s just one thing after another, so I think we’re trying to enjoy it and then in a week we’ll actually go to the Olympics.”
Their experience hosting the Intercontinental Championship at home was something they had never experienced before. “We’d seen what the home crowd was like at previous skating events, but it was on a different level, the noise and the support and how positive it made us feel about the show, it kind of blew all expectations away,” Becker said. “I don’t think we’ll forget what happened there for a long time.”
Hernandez added: “I can safely say [it was] This was probably my favorite skating experience in a competitive environment. “
While their first Olympics is a big moment, Becker even sees Team Europe’s home court as a bigger hurdle to clear: “I think the Olympics will be mentally easier than this European one! We left everything on the ice and we definitely have to recharge and make sure we fully recover from this game because we want to go into the Olympics with a fresh mindset.”
“But the experience we gained from competing in Europe before the Olympics was valuable and something we can carry on for the rest of our careers.”
The duo said skating at home didn’t make them feel any extra pressure, but instead, the atmosphere actually gave them the freedom to perform at their best. “In all sports, when someone has a hometown crowd, things can go either way, right? In football, you’re either going to be amazing or you’re going to be crushed,” Hernandez said. “Not only does that inspire me personally, but I think it inspires us all moving forward as well.”
“The whole crowd was on skates with us, like no matter what we were doing, we were all in this together,” Becker added.
This puts them in the perfect position ahead of their first Olympic dream come true experience. “Growing up, there were times when I thought this was impossible. There was a lot of doubt,” Becker said.
Hernandez said his younger self “would be very proud because I made so many choices in my skating career that led to this moment and lead to us. You go through a lot of times and the easier choice is to do something else. I don’t like to call them sacrifices because they are Choices: I think if you commit to anything as a young person or growing up, you have to make those right choices that either get you to the top of your sport or not. I’m very proud of all the choices I’ve made along the way that have led me to this jersey.”