In Pirkkola’s ice rink, the ice machine driver is finishing his work. The ice becomes shiny from lane to lane.
The ice machine moves away from the big doors, and the first skater enters the rink. He takes the first moves gracefully and looks relaxed, circling the rink with fresh ice under his skates.
After a few minutes, another person walks briskly from the locker room to the side of the rink and takes the guards off the blades of the skates. He also goes around the rink with relaxed kicks at his own pace.
Skaters approach each other. They grab each other’s hand and go skating hand in hand. They quickly become one.
Juulia Turkkilan and Matthias Versluis the training day is ready to start.
They have been an ice dancing couple for several years. The two have practiced a huge amount together. The contact is close in rehearsals and performances, as it should be in ice dancing. In sport, you have to show your emotions and be fully involved.
Turkkila and Versluis’ highly skilled performances and dedication to the sport can be noticed from the side of the rink by a person who does not understand the subtleties of the sport. I belong to them.
So a lot of background work has to be done. When I google Turkkila and Versluis, I notice what people are interested in at the top of ice dancing.
I don’t know them, I don’t know that. It even feels a little uncomfortable to ask at this point. Maybe I’ll ask about it later.
“We were both in an alley”
– At best, it’s a state of flow, when we perform and the movement blends into each other.
This is how Turkkila describes the feeling on the ice. Versluis nods next to him.
The duo, born in 1994, started their ice dancing career together in the spring of 2016, i.e. almost eight years ago.
Turkkila and Versluis have spent a lot of time together. You can see that very well in an interview situation, where both complement each other’s sentences.
If the other person searches for a certain word, it comes from something other than the pharmacy shelf.
In recent years, the career has been on the rise. The ice dance couple celebrated the EC bronze last winter, and in early October, the victory came from the Finlandia Trophy.
The journey to the top has been long. Versluis says that the transition to ice dancing was not easy at first, because both of them started out as solo skaters.
– The first years were challenging. We were both in an alley. Of course, in the beginning it had its own comfort zone…
– …outside, Turkkila adds.
In ice dancing, you have to liven up, the touch has to look genuine and natural.
The feeling must be conveyed to the audience. It counts when the judges give points.
The couple wanted to invest more in their output on ice. Boldness and diva-likeness have been sought.
– We don’t want to look like shy Finns. Some may have the image that we leave it cold after the show, as if we don’t tear it up until the end, says Turkkila.
– Sometimes you should give out even more, Versluis compels.
Turkkila considers it a strength that both started ice dancing together at the same time. They haven’t danced with others on ice.
– We have merged together from the beginning. We don’t know how it feels to skate with someone else. Of course, sometimes we try something with the coaches.
In recent years, the couple has learned to relax in their performances. The touch already feels natural, Versluis underlines.
– There’s no need to somehow force…
– …exciting the wrong places, Turkkila continues.
How has touch become natural?
– It has come through repetitions and a journey together. There have been so many kilometers on the ice with one another, Turkkila replies.
Versluis emphasizes that the feeling of the performance comes mainly through the music.
– When we find the music and are able to bring it out so…
– …then that feeling becomes common. Then we can be relaxed on the ice, says Turkkila.
– Our interaction has improved tremendously, Versluis concludes.
No longer alone with feelings
The man in the top coat has been behind the plastic plexiglass as an observer on the side of the rink. He turns out to be a coach as Maurizio Margaglio. The Italian coach is at the same time washing the dishes and turns on the music after the initial warm-up. Now it’s time to practice seriously.
Turkkila and Versluis are frolicking together on the ice. Pirkkola’s hall is dark and colorless, but the ice dancing couple exudes warmth. The movements of the hands and feet go smoothly at the same pace.
Turkkila often has a wide, even cheeky smile. The look of Versluis is more serious and focused.
Margaglio turns off the music and jumps onto the ice. The Italian gestures with his hands and the Finnish duo listens.
Margaglio, who once won the world championship and Olympic bronze medal in ice dancing, shows off a couple of moves himself. After that, Turkkila and Versluis follow.
They are limping their program towards the winter games. The couple, who are on the rise, will go to the European Championships in Lithuania in January with the aim of brightening last year’s EC bronze. The main career goal is the 2026 Winter Olympics.
By then, we would have already traveled together for ten years.
In Turkkila’s opinion, sharing it with Matthias has been the best part of her ice dancing career. You didn’t get the same feeling from skating alone.
– It has been wonderful to be able to share successes. In this sport, you are not alone with your feelings. There is another one who has experienced exactly the same thing, says Turkkila.
Versluis agrees: in solo skating, he was only with his own feelings.
– It’s nice to have another person going through the same process.
“No stranger has ever come to ask”
They started at half past ten in the morning and ended at four in the afternoon. There was a meal break of about an hour in between. The day included two ice practices and one dance practice, i.e. about four hours of joint training with breaks.
Turkkila and Versluis go to the dressing rooms to pack their things.
The question comes to my mind again. How will they get out of here, alone or together?
It’s clear that their chemistry is clearly transmitted off the ice. It still does not mean that they are dating. However, it would not be so special in figure skating circles. In ice dancing, some of the couples are also together in civilian clothes.
Have many people come to ask you if you are a couple?
The question makes them smile. Versluis answers.
– People probably speculate more on the internet. No stranger has ever come to ask.
– It hasn’t come directly, Turkkila says.
So am I the first stranger to ask this?
I get a clear answer: one of them is dating, the other is not.
Is it difficult to combine ice dancing with your private life?
– I have a long-term girlfriend. We’ve gone through the discussions, but he’s really supportive of me. There are no problems. Everything has gone well, says Versluis.
– We don’t really see each other in our free time. We will spend enough time together at the ice rink.
After the interview, both go their separate ways.
broadcasts the European Figure Skating Championships on its channels. The competitions will be held in Lithuania on the 10th–14th. January.