I have decided to skate pair skating in Germany.

Try-outs in Berlin: Lately I have been staying in Berlin, where I have been trying out pair skating with the 23-year-old German pair skater Norman Jeschke, who has been competing internationally with his former partner the last couple of years, most recently participating in this year´s Europeans, Worlds and at the Olympics in Salt Lake City.
The try-out has been really great, and we improve surprisingly fast. We have now finally decided to skate together.

Why I want to skate pairs: I had come to a point in my life where I needed a fresh start. I had to look in new directions and also outside my home country to find what I have always been searching for. And now I feel that I have found true happiness.
I have decided to skate pairs with Norman from now on, I have moved to Berlin and I train there now, and we will be representing Germany together. These are big decicions, but I am not doubting one second that this is the right thing for me to do.
I have always been fascinated by pair skating, and when Norman asked me if I would like to try to skate with him, I seized the chance. Now that I have tried it, I know that it is exactly right for me. I like the interaction between two skaters in the daily practice and I think it is very exciting to work with this -for me- new kind of figure skating.
With the forces and weaknesses I have, I am actually better suited to be a pair skater than a solo skater. Maybe it would be diffucult for me as solo skater to get the last two triple jumps consistent, and in pair skating other skills are valued. We and several skating professionals assess that we have realistic chances to get nice results internationally with the qualifications we have. Right now is a good time to start as a fresh pair because we have 4 years until the next Olympics, several top pairs have ended their carreers, and I feel that there are less top pairs than top solo skaters worldwide.

Norman and I as a pair: I feel really lucky to have found a partner like Norman. From the first day we both felt that this could be a perfect partnership on the ice. Our personalities are very similar: We love the sport and we are very ambitious and motivated, but we also want to enjoy the process and have fun during the daily training.
I have never enjoyed training as much as I do now. I look forward to every time we go on the ice, and we are so concentrated about our work that we loose track of time. Our primary coach is Knut Schubert, an experienced pair coach, who also trained the German former pair Schwarz/Müller (World bronze medal in 1998) He believes in us and we work really well together. We have a good team around us, and a lot of optimism. We work hard and see the fast progress.

Our goals: We plan that our first competition will be German Nationals in January 2003. The first year I represent a new country I am not allowed to compete internationally, but we also need this year for intensive training.
Our goal for the 2003/04 season is a top ten placement at the World Championships in Dortmund, Germany in April 2004. Our main goal is a medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin February 2006.
Our goals are very clear, and we are ready to give ourself 100% in practice to work towards these goals

Moving to Berlin: I have moved to Berlin to train with Norman. I stay at a sport internate in a big sport complex together with other athletes. I am very satisfied.
The facilities are almost optimal. Among many other sport complexes, there are three ice rinks, we have free ice time and qualified coaching on the ice as well as off the ice (jazz, ballet, and athletics), and it is an inspiring environment among the different other sportsmen.
We make different sportive tests, and make professional training plans for our training on and off the ice. I feel that I have been taken well care of, and in a professional way from everyone. I can feel that we, and the team around us, are working together to reach the goals we have.
We have several reasons for choosing to represent Germany and not Denmark. First of all there is no tradition of pair skating in Denmark. In Germany the training facilities are optimal, and we can obtain good support. Furthermore I can as a sportswoman achieve German citizenship before the 2006 Olympics, whereas it would take Norman 7 years to become Danish, so that we together could represent Denmark.

Education: This year I have been out of school for one season due to my preparations for the Olympics. I have decided not to continue the 4-year education I had started in Denmark. Nevertheless I will of course begin to study again as soon as possible. I will either choose to take an education in Germany or do a long distance education with connection to a private school in Denmark. No matter what, I will continue my studies and in the beginning I will put my efforts into getting better at speaking German.

Goodbye Denmark: I am sad that I had to look outside Denmark to find the optimal conditions to follow my dreams and goals in my sport. But I am very happy that I have now found my own way. I want to thank the Danish Skating Federation, my club, my coach Henrik Walentin, and my family, who have all been very supportive, for the years we have been working together. I am glad that you also support my new decisions.

It has been a very tough time for me this season, and it is hard to explain what I have been through. Luckily, I'm sure it has made me stronger somehow and I have learned a lot from these difficulties.
It was a big shock to me when Team Denmark suddenly decided that they didn't want to support me towards the Olympics anymore. The decision was made only five days before my final qualification competition (Cup of Russia), and they told me that even if I made the last qualification they wouldn't send me to the Olympics. My dream through the last 7-8 years, which I had been practicing towards every day, fell apart. The reasons that Team Denmark used, as arguments for why they didn't want to send me or support me any longer, were false excuses and therefore it felt very unfair. The entire team behind me (my coach, my sports psychologist, my family, the Danish Skating Federation) were behind me and felt I was ready to compete at the Olympics and deserved it too. Yet, Team Denmark thought they knew me better than anyone close to me, and they took the opportunity away from me. It was political, and had nothing to do with my skating or me.
As if that wasn't enough, Team Denmark went out to the Danish press and told terrible false accusations about the Skating Federation, my family and me. This is when I had to draw a line, because I couldn't accept to let them treat me like that. I told the Danish media the true story about how much negativity I had met with from Team Denmark through the years, and how it seemed that they, who were supposed to help me, had done everything to make my skating career impossible for me. The boss of Team Denmark, who made the unfair decision, was the coach of my nearest skating competitor here in Denmark for many years.
Of course these statements created a lot of attention around the conflict and it has taken a lot of energy to handle the media. Luckily the press and the Danish people are behind me and feel that it was unfair and a pity that I didn't get to represent Denmark at the Olympics.
After all these turbulences I decided not to compete the rest of the season. I simply needed to re-find my strength after all I had been through. I still practice almost every day here in Copenhagen, and I enjoy skating more than ever. I am not training 100 % right now, but I still keep on working. In December doctors in the USA found out that twisted pelvis bone was the reason to the injury in my right hip, which had caused pains for more than a year. I corrected it by chiropractor, and since then I haven't felt any pain at all. It is great not to worry about injury problems.
The media attention I had during these last months of conflict has made me quite recognized here in Denmark. It has led to some fun experiences. During the Olympics I was guesting the TV-studio to talk about the skating competitions, and I also commentated some of the events. Last Saturday (March 2nd) I was chosen to present one of the Danish Music Awards at the big event held in Copenhagen. It was so much fun to meet all the famous music artists and to watch the show. 20 % of the Danish population was watching the show on TV, and there was a full house watching the Award ceremony live. Kylie Minogue, Westlife and many Danish artists were performing live. I was there together with my 15-year-old sister Anemone and we had so much fun.
Right now I am considering how to continue my skating career. I have to find a way to finance my skating, now that I am no longer supported by Team Denmark. I am playing with some new ideas, but I still haven't decided about my future. All I know is that I want to do what I love the most... skating. And in 4 years from now I hope to be skating for all of you in Turin, and do my best.
Recently I won the very honorific international talent price called Wesskint's "Most promising new face in Figure Skating". It means a lot to me to receive this price and to know that people from all over the World believe in me and think I have a bright future. Sarah Hughes won this award 4 years ago, and now she is the Olympic Champion. She has really showed everybody that they pointed out the right talent!

Hug from Mikkeline:-)