Deanna Stellato-Dudek: “Max and I joke that we’re already part of history just because of our ages. But we want to be remembered for more than just that. Back flips have never been done in pairs before, so we want to be the first to perform one at the Olympics.”
Deanna Stellato-Dudek Explains Decision to Attempt a Backflip in Short Program
original source: Sports by Maya Bagriantseva
In an interview with Sports correspondent Maya Bagryantseva, Deanna Stellato-Dudek explains her determination to include a backflip in her short program, recounting the challenges of convincing her partner Maxime Deschamps and her hopes of making history with their performance. Here’s a translation of her comments.
“I’ve been playing with this idea for over a year, but Max was against it all last season. He flat-out refused to even try it and called me crazy. He was worried I’d injure myself. With the Olympic season just around the corner, I understand why he was so concerned.”
“But I kept pleading with him to trust me. At first, I suggested doing the flip off his shoulders, but Max was right—that was far too risky.
Then I thought I could push off his back instead. But he protested again, saying I’d cut him with my skate blades. So, I came up with the idea of sewing special padding into his costume. Weirdly enough, that didn’t inspire him either – haha.”
“I promised Max that if I couldn’t land the flip on my first attempt in practice, I’d drop the idea. What he forgot is that as a kid, I spent 10 years doing gymnastics alongside figure skating, and flips are not new to me. Sure, I hadn’t done one in 30-something years, but it’s like riding a bike – once you’ve learned, you don’t forget.”
“I even found a video of a father and son trying a flip together in their living room. It didn’t look dangerous, so I showed it to Max and persuaded him to give it a shot.”
Stellato-Dudek further explained her motivation behind the move. “The guys are amazing, but I wanted to prove that women can do flips, too. Who knows? Maybe some young girls will be inspired by what I’ve done, and it will become a more popular element in skating.”
She added with a laugh, “Max and I joke that we’re already part of history just because of our ages. I’m the oldest skater in competitive figure skating today (42 years old), and Max isn’t exactly young either (33 years old). But we want to be remembered for more than just that. Flips have never been done in pairs or ice dance before, so we want to be the first to perform one at the Olympics.”
Related topics: Deanna Stellato-Dudek Maxime Deschamps
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