Nina Pinzarrone: “In skating, whether the judges knows your name is important. If your name isn’t well known, you automatically get fewer points. It’s good that I’ve reached this stage when they know me.”
Nina Pinzarrone about Nationals and preparation for European Championships.
original source: Sporza
In an interview posted on Sporza, Nina Pinzarrone (18) speaks about preparation for the upcoming European Nationals. Here’s a translation of her comments.
After winning bronze medal last year and several other strong results, the Belgian skater is increasingly being recognized among the top competitors. She herself does not believe that this adds extra pressure, and even sees it as an advantage. “If your name isn’t well known, you automatically get fewer points,” explains Pinzarrone.
Las week Nina Pinzarrone has become a two-time Belgian champion. She didn’t even need to compete this time. The scores from a competition in Zagreb counted for the Belgian Championships.
“I don’t know why, but this year they set Nationals in January. Normally, it’s always in November or December,” Pinzarrone points out.
“The federation had already stated that for Jade (Hovine), Loena (Hendrickx), and myself, the points from the Challenger in Zagreb could replace those at Nationals if it disrupted the training schedule.”
Even without the two main competitors, Pinzarrone highly values her title. “It’s definitely one of the highlights of my season. The goal every year is to win the title.”
Her focus is now on the European Championships, “People expect me to be in the top 3, but it doesn’t put extra pressure on me. I just know I need to do what I do in training. It’s a competition like any other, and I shouldn’t overthink it.”
“In skating, whether the judges knows your name is important. If your name isn’t well known, you automatically get fewer points,” Pinzarrone clarifies. “It’s good that I’ve reached this stage. Now I need to show that I’m still here.”
“You can be good technically, but you also need to master the artistic part,” the Belgian skater acknowledges. “I feel that I’ve matured, that I skate bigger and that I try to tell a story.”
Pinzarrone recently completed her high school education and is now studying Nutrition through distance learning.
“I’m glad that’s behind me,” says Pinzarrone. “When I get home, I have to do a bit of schoolwork, but it’s not like I have to go to school and then do homework afterward. It’s a bit more relaxing, better for an athlete.”
“Everyone goes skating after school, so the ice was occupied. With twenty other people on the ice, I couldn’t train properly. Now I can train during school hours, I’m usually alone on the ice and can really concentrate.”
As for her preparation for the European Championships, she mentioned, “I have been sick twice, but I think that’s somewhat common at this time.”
Related topics: Nina Pinzarrone
Leave a Reply