Santa Claus Cup 2023 | Budapest, Hungary
November 29 – December 2, 2023
This competition was very important. Because after Turkey I had to focus on stabilizing my jumps and I felt I made good progress. In practice I was able to land all my jumps and in Budapest I wanted to perform to reach my goal and succeed with more than 160 points overall. The door to YOG was still open.
Day 1 | arrival to Budapest ᎒
The flight from Zurich was smooth and pleasant. Right after we settled in the hotel I wanted to see the rinks. There were two of them, one for practice and one for the competition. That main rink looked a bit old-ish but I really liked the atmosphere there. It felt positive to me. I tried to picture myself performing well on that ice.
The practice rink was right beside the main rink and it looked like a big tent only with a rink inside. I felt excited and couldn’t wait for the next day to come.
Day 2 | Morning Practice & Short Program ᎒
I couldn’t sleep well. I missed my own bed and my room at home. But I guess I have to get used to this. I have to perform as best as I can, no matter how tired I feel. Practice started at 8:25 am and the funny thing is I didn’t feel tired at all after my warm up.
The practice went quite well. I shyly watched the other skaters practicing. They were all so impressive, the jumps, the spins and all were so good.
Around 4:45 pm we went to the main rink. It was time to warm up. As the time passed I felt the pressure growing inside but I tried to fight it with all my might.
Day 3 | Practice & Free Skate ᎒
Practice started at 8:00 am on this day but I had a better sleep. I felt ready and confident. At the rink I could peek at other skaters’ practice again and it was really motivating to see their skills.
Despite the good rest this practice didn’t go so well. I tried to preserve my confidence and keep my focus straight. I somewhat hoped that the growing pressure this time will help me to perform better.
When I stepped on the ice it felt like stepping into an arena. I only remember that I tried everything I could but somehow I ran out of breath at some point so it was very difficult to finish the program. At the Kiss & Cry I had to see that I only got 101 points and disappointment hit me hard. My coach tried to comfort me but I knew I can do way better than this. I have to work harder.
I ranked 5th overall with 156 points. Even though it was my new PB I was not happy with what I presented.
Day 4 | Good-bye Budapest ᎒
I hardly saw anything of this city and my heart felt a little bit heavy when we crossed it towards the airport. The atmosphere of the streets kinda matched my foggy thoughts. I knew I could do much better. I’m only at the very beginning and the sun is always shining above the clouds. I expected to see it soon.
I promised myself: next time I will do much better.
☙